30 Days of Night (2007) Movie Review
Written by: ML
Edited by: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: David Slade
Producers: Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert
Writers: Steve Niles, Stuart Beattie, Brian Nelson
Date Released: October 19, 2007
Cast:
Josh Hartnett as Eben Oleson
Melissa George as Stella Oleson
Danny Huston as Marlow
Ben Foster as The Stranger
Mark Boone Junior as Beau Brower
Mark Rendall as Jake Oleson
Amber Sainsbury as Denise
Manu Bennett as Billy Kitka
Megan Franich as Iris
Elizabeth Hawthorne as Lucy Ikos
Nathaniel Lees as Carter Davies
Rating = 3/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
The story is about a sheriff who was preparing his town for 30 days of no sun. He was having problems with his wife who unfortunately gets stuck in town with him. Everyone was not aware that there are vampires trying to gather and take advantage of their month-long night. The killing spree started and the sheriff had no choice but to protect the remaining survivors and fix his relationship with his wife in the process. In a desperate move to save the town, the survivors, and his wife, he willingly injected himself with vampire blood and did not survive the rising sun.
Gore Factor
Expect a lot of blood and guts in this movie. The first part where the dogs were slaughtered showed the audiences what is to come. The way these vampires feed is pure brutality that all of their kills are gruesome and violent. On the other hand, there were also kills from the survivors. The most notable defense was the entire tractor sequence with Beau. He killed a lot of vampires and got his skull crushed. Runners up include the chopping of the vampire kid in the grocery and the grinding at the utilidor.
The Grave Review
This is a different kind of vampire story. Instead of classy Dracula-type bloodsuckers, the attackers are wild and savage. They snatch bodies and suck on them like a rabid animal. To think that they have a whole set of teeth as fangs, the victim’s necks get really destroyed. No discreet punctures.
The setting is very strategic and the whole plot is suspenseful because it’s going to be a month of killing spree for the vampires in a secluded town. The aerial view of the streets during the first attack gives the audiences a good look at how the whole town is being wiped out. Another great moment is the part when the survivor group braved the blizzard to go to the store to get supplies. The snow storm kept the vampires at bay.
Though weirdly scary and alien-looking, the vampires here are so annoying. The way they always hang their mouths open to snarl and create the shrieking and squealing noises to communicate is cringe-worthy. Even their manner of feeding looks like they are having an epileptic shock with all that shaking and unnecessary movement.
Apart from that, another questionable sequence was when Eben battled the boss vampire. The audiences might think that the evil leader is strong, but the fight scene was so quick, no one would see his death coming. It was just Eben’s punch going all the way through his mouth and out his head. Then the other vampires took off.
On the other hand, best part about this movie is the unpredictability of Eben’s decision to inject his arm with vampire blood towards the end of the movie. It’s a shocking but selfless act of courage. After all the trouble he went through to stay alive and the idea of reuniting with his wife, it was sad to see him turn into a vampire and burn like paper when the 30 days of night finally ended.
Overall, this movie is a refreshing take on the usual vampire lore. It’s a great film to watch if you are looking for a vampire bloodbath intertwined with edge-of-the-seat thrilling suspense.
For the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives 30 Days of Night (2007) three graves out of five graves.
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