31 Days of Halloween: Day 25

Day 25

30 Days of Night (2007)

I remember seeing director David Slade's vision of vampires in theatres. Funnily enough, he went on to direct a very different interpretation of vampires later in his career with The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Two different forms of the creatures who supposedly roam at night.

This film takes place in Barrows, Alaska, the northern most town in the US. In the winter, they experience 30 days of night as the earth's rotation limits the sunlight. What a perfect setting for vampires to come in and ravage the town, right? Who's to stop them, you ask? How about Sheriff Josh Hartnett?!

While dealing with personal issues, his estranged wife for one, he must now save the town from these blood-thirsty beasts. There are some cinematically cool scenes, specifically dealing with blood on the white snow as well as the scene where the vampires light the oil on fire creating this glowing cage.

I enjoy this movie for how creative it is. The vampires send out a human, who wants to become one of them, to cut off all communication of the little town, including burning cell phones, killing sled dogs and tearing apart a helicopter. Once the town is secluded from the outside world, the vampires attack, swarming in to devour anything in their path. Never pristine looking (they are always covered in blood), you see how viciously they attack their prey (all teeth are used, not just the typical two).

The interesting (but again, kind of predictable) ending is clever, but of course, has repercussions. I would be interested to see something about how the town comes to terms with the bloodbath that has occurred...as well as the survivors. Oh wait...you can always tune into 30 Days of Night: Dark Days (2010), which was released straight to video without any original cast members. Hmmm...

Similar Movies:

Interview With A Vampire (1994)

30 Days of Night: Dark Days (2010)

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)

Up Next

Session 9 (2001)

31 Days of Halloween: Day 24

Day 24

The Mist (2007)



I'm a fan of Stephen King. He's the man who scared me silly as we child. His story/movie, IT, is why to this day I'm terrified of clowns. The Shining was great. Secret Window...well, if you read my blog, you know how I feel about it. Then we have...The Mist. I enjoyed it, but not for the normal reasons.

The premise is that a bad storm passing through a small Maine town. This large rolling mist is making its way down from the mountains and soon, it engulfs the entire town in its smoke like consistency. Next thing you know...panic is every where. There is 'something' in the mist. It's snatching people up, but you can't see it.

Then as the movie continues, you see glimpses...a tentacle here, a huge bug there, a small dragon like creature, spider looking things and then finally, something akin to Godzilla in the mist. Interesting, right? Sure...but nothing compares to the other issues.

The issues: people turning on people out of fear. I think the greatest line in the movie was when one guy says to another "you scare people enough, you can get them to do anything." It's right. People will do crazy things when trying to protect themselves. The problem is that people don't think clearly when trying to do so...and those terrified enough...can easily be influenced by those around them.

I don't think I've ever been so mad at a character before. Marcia Gay Harden's character is worse than any villain I've ever seen in a horror movie. She doesn't wield an axe or a knife...but her words are deadly...and what's worse...they are righteous. I say righteous as in religious. God is the one bringing this down upon them; its the end of days, etc. Let me tell you...had I been in that situation, I would have done my damnest to shut her up.

While I saw the ending coming, I still liked it. The filming was great, particularly the last 10 minutes of the movie. I could sympathize with many of the characters. I do give Mr. King amazing credit for his characters. They are detailed and everyday people and I think that's what makes it that much more terrifying. I think the idea of being trapped with people who could turn on you in a minute is far scarier than having to face what's outside in the mist.


Similar Movies:

The Shining (1980)
It (1990)
Pet Semetary (1989)


Up Next

30 Days of Night (2007)