DVD review (region 2)
Directed by David Slade
Starring Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston, Ben Foster
Release date 14 April 2008

Every year the Alaskan town of Barrow is coated in darkness for 30 days – the perfect stalking ground for a gang of ravenous vampires. Local sheriff Eben Oleson (Hartnett), his estranged wife Stella (George) and a few other hardy survivors attempt to fend off the bloodsuckers…

This is a movie that had a lot to live up to. Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith’s blood-splattered comic book (and its numerous spin-offs) earned itself an army of devoted fans who weren’t just going to accept any old vampire-by-numbers hack job. Luckily Hard Candy director David Slade, aided by a lean script from Niles himself, nails the tone of the comic, resulting in one of the finest vampire flicks in years.

Of course, the idea of 30 Days of Night started off as a failed film pitch, so there was always something cinematic about the story in the first place. The pace is breathless, the blood is free-flowing and the snow-coated visuals are often stunning. The casting is also spot-on too, including a brooding turn from the underrated Josh Hartnett as the quietly heroic sheriff and a menacing, gloriously depraved-looking Danny Huston as Marlow, the leader of the enigmatic fang-sinkers.

The blizzard-battered landscapes and atmosphere of hopelessness and isolation recall The Thing as much as any vampire flick. And if it’s not quite in the same league as The Thing, that’s only because no horror movie is in the same league as The Thing.

Look out for the 2-disc special edition of the DVD, which features an assortment of behind-the-scenes docs and also includes a 30 Days graphic novel. Matt McAllister

VERDICT: 8/10
A moody and unsettling horror that’s well worth sinking your teeth into.

Click here for an interview with Josh Hartnett. Click here for an interview with Steve Niles.