Halloween Favorite: 30 Days of Night

To celebrate Halloween this year, I thought I would look over some of the major horror genres and pick a few of my favorites to talk about. As far as vampire flicks go, one of my favorites would still have to be 30 Days of Night. I think that I actually first came across this as a novelization of the graphic novels, the events of which take place after those in the movie. I think it was the year after I discovered the series that the movie came out. There are just so many good things about this movie as a vampire flick! So, here are a few of the things that I think 30 Days of Night does right:

Setting your action in a town that has night for multiple days on end. This means no respite from the vampires, who can just have a heyday out there with no sunlight to ruin their fun.
Vampires that toe the line between intelligent foes and monsters. These vamps have fangs and brains, especially their leader, Marlow. However, they are not individuals that you can reason with — their humanity is definitely gone. And yet, while they aren’t human, they are definitely not simply animalistic, either. They kill to eat, but they also take pleasure in the killing of humans. These vamps are definitely monstrous by nature.

Josh Harnett as Eben. He plays a really great “everyman” character, and his struggles with estranged wife Stella (played by Melissa George) are pretty realistic and, at times, uncomfortable.
The action starts quickly when the stranger arrives in town, and the complications the survivors face combined with the menace of the vampires keeps the film moving at a good pace.
Lots of bloody scenes and vampires snagging people. These vampires do not eat delicately.
The ending. It’s well done and works as closure for the storyline, as well as providing potential for future installments.

So, if you are looking for a vampire movie for this year’s special night, you may want to check this one out!