Hurray for the Return of Scary Vampires!

Rating: 8/10 (21 October 2007)

After years and years of well-dressed, good-looking, sympathetic vampires, we finally get a major movie that portrays vampires in the spirit of the old legends. Make no mistake about it, the vampires in "30 Days of Night" are ruthless, inhuman, alien, ugly and, best of all, scary. It's about time; while not exactly following the vampire legends of old, the undead in this flick have a lot more in common with "Nosferatu" than they do with Johnny Depp's "Dracula." For that matter, they're a good deal closer to what Bram Stoker envisioned vampires to be than what we've seen for the last few years coming out of major studies... and all I can say is, MORE! The movie generally had plenty of action and few, if any, slow spots that weren't included to effectively build suspense. For once, we got a film that spends more time on developing a nightmarish story than on cheap, unnecessary scares. The acting was good, the pacing was flawless, and the imagery was really the stuff of our worst dreams Â— streets running with blood, unflinching brutality, and what is probably the best decapitation scene to hit the screen in years. If you can watch this film without feeling your guts clench at least two or three times, seek medical attention. At least check to make sure you still have a pulse! Fans of the foppish walking dead will probably hate this, but for real horror fans this is a "do not miss" flick.
Thank you, "30 Days of Night," for giving us back vampires with teeth!