This piece accompanies the “Movies I Like” YouTube series linked below. The character in the video is intended as parody.
Movies do not necessarily need to have a heavy emotional impact or be action spectacles to leave a lasting impression. Sometimes, the thoughts they evoke and their presentation is enough to stick with, or haunt, you. 2007’s 30 Days of Night is one of those films. As is often the case with horror fare, the imagery and thoughts of what could happen are more effective than the actual events. 30 Days uses that motif and leans into an interesting premise strengthened by superb performances ranging from frantic survival to soullessly violent. There is plenty of flee-or-be-killed gore as well, but that does not become the film’s sole identify or vehicle for entertainment. Here is why I like the movie.
First, 30 Days of Night relies on the inherent terror of isolation to set the stage. In the northernmost Alaska town, inhabitants spend a month in 24/7 darkness which, coupled with volatile weather, limits their interaction with the rest of the world. When that communication goes out, they are trapped facing the idea that nobody will know anything happens to them until sunlight returns. This potentially dire situation escalates when vampires use the darkness to turn the town into a buffet. With developing challenges and occasional small victories, the stakes are never as straightforward as they seem and continue evolving to force a dynamically shifting plot and character journey.
Second, there are some truly engaging performances. Starting with the bad guys, Danny Huston plays the lead vampire with a perfect mixture of strength, savagery, and intelligence that instantly chills your blood. This is all done with little dialog and none of it in English. Ben Foster is a vampire familiar, or a human forced to do the vampires’ bidding with promise of eventually being turned. He oozes a dirty, feral neglect as his unkempt character is instantly ostracized by the townsfolk who can sense there is something off with his presence and behavior. Foster gives “The Stranger” a smug superiority even though you know he is putting all his faith in creatures who see humans as nothing more than cattle. It creates an interesting dynamic even for a standard vampiric trope. As for the good guys, I only need to focus on Josh Hartnett and his portrayal of the town’s sheriff, Eben Oleson. This is an evolutionary role for Hartnett, who trades hunky heartthrob for gritty hero. Eben moves throughout the film with a faux confidence – he truly has no idea how to protect the citizens from what is happening to them, but he also knows if he does not try, they will all die. Faux confidence, however, does not mean faux ability. Eben is a capable sheriff who makes the most of his actions to keep the vampires from running through the town unimpeded. There is strength and vulnerability it Hartnett’s portrayal, which makes the character of Eben Oleson very relatable and worth investing in.
30 Days of Night has flaws, but those flaws do not erase its quality. This is not a comfortable watch with a hero-take-all ending. It is a horror movie that does horror movie things that linger with you after the credits cease. The premise feels unique, the film plays out with an agonizing intensity, and the characters never cease to be interesting. And that is why, 30 Days of Night is a movie I like.
HobbyScope 