ClubHooligan.com - Burning it up at both ends

Web posted October 18, 2007

When the sun sets on logic
Film has more holes in it than a vampire victim's neck

By RICK BENTLEY
McClatchy Newspapers

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

Bite me: In the new horror film "30 Days of Night," immortal vampires finally figure out it gets dark for long stretches of time in Alaska. What results is an illogical bloodbath set in Barrow in the dead of winter. Josh Hartnett stars in this David Slade- directed monster miss-mash.

"30 Days of Night" takes a clever idea and beats it into a bloody pulp. Allow yourself even one moment of logical thinking and this movie makes no sense. It is reduced to being nothing more than a series of humans being killed by vampires and vice versa.

Josh Hartnett, who used to have a career, plays the sheriff of Barrow, Alaska. This place is so far north that once a year it has one night that lasts 30 days. You would have thought the travel agents for vampires already would have made this the Club Dead for the blood-sucking set. Imagine the slogan: "Go to Barrow. Suck some marrow."

The city is isolated for one dark month. Only one of the undead could make the frozen trek to the town.

That's when a group of vampires, who look a lot like the cast of "Plan 9 From Outer Space," show up.

They have planned ahead. Every satellite phone in the town has been stolen and burned. The local helicopter has been disabled. Every sled dog has been killed. They even have canceled everyone's car insurance. OK, that last one is not true. But you get the idea.

One night of carnage leaves only a handful of survivors to cower in the darkness. The sheriff is joined by his ex-wife (new scream queen Melissa George). Who would have thought it would take a vampire assault to bring these crazy kids back together?

Movie Review

'30 Days of Night'

Rating: ★½

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston and Ben Foster.

Director: David Slade.

Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes.

Parental guide: R.

Director David Slade tries to get the most out of the script. The problem is that none of the vampire attacks are that scary. And there are holes in the plot so big you could drive a truck full of stakes through it.

Here's one example: The survivors hide in a concealed attic. There is no electricity. That means there is no heat. The temperature is below zero. They should end up being people-cicles for the vamps.

What makes this movie so disappointing is the wasted potential. The idea of vampires being free to roam the streets for days should have set up a series of battles between good and evil. Most of those battles play out in one big scene that is shot from such a distance Slade must have used a camera on a passing satellite for his shot.

The film also crosses the line in using children. These types of horror films can be fun to watch as long as it is adults running and screaming. Two scenes in "30 Days" that involve children are just appalling.