30 Days of Night

release year: 2007
genre: horror
viewing setting: home Bluray 3/8/22 and home DVD 6/29/12 and theater 11/4/07

synopsis: Once a year, the remote Alaskan town of Barrow has a month-long period without any sunlight...and this year, it's the target of hungry vampires.

impressions: Outstanding. Just when you think that a particular genre (the vampire movie, in this case) has been bled out, something like this comes along. It's so simple, I'm surprised no one thought of it before now: a place without any sun makes a buffet for vampires. The movie doesn't waste time explaining things like where the vampires came from or how they found this place...and those details aren't necessary. And there's really not much hope that any human, no matter how well-armed, can beat the vampires. The survivors have to use tact and stealth to even have a chance. There's also plenty of blood - one particularly effective scene pans over the whole town from above, and you can see dozens of huge red spots in the snow.

something this movie has that no other movie has: A little kid vampire.

acting: Josh Hartnett and Melissa George are an estranged couple who are forced to work together to live. Danny Huston is the head vampire, who looks, sounds, and moves in creepy ways, just like the other vampires.

final word: Great, refreshing, and spooky vampire movie.

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