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Late to the Party – 30 Days of Night

Published

6 years ago

February 21, 2018

Vampires have never been my preference. Sure, I enjoyed Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the first From Dusk ‘Til Dawn, and Blade, but I’ve never been lost in the mystique of the vampire as some people have.

That’s why it took me so long to watch 30 Days of Night.

Vampires, themselves, run the range from animals only looking to sate their hunger to lonely, sophisticated immortals who are to be pitied as much as feared. 30 Days of Night is about the former type more than the latter, but not as much as I was initially led to believe.

Spoilers below this point!!

The movie starts in a remote Alaskan town, on the last day of sunlight. This alone is an incredible idea I can’t believe nobody has thought of before.

It makes perfect sense that such a dedicated nocturnal predator would thrive in a part of the world where the sun literally disappears for a month or more at a time. A stranger wanders in and sets the stage for the invasion, destroying satellite phones and killing sled dogs.

The stranger is caught stirring things up at the local bar by the sheriff, Ebon Oleson, played by Josh Hartnett (The Faculty, Pearl Harbor), where he gives them a chilling warning. “They’re coming.”

In the first attack on the edge of town, the radio tower is destroyed. Then the blood begins to flow in earnest as people are dragged screaming from their homes and torn apart, one after another.

As the sheriff and his estranged wife piece things together, they grab a small group of survivors and hole up in a dark, hidden attic. We also meet the vampire’s leader, played by Danny Huston (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Wonder Woman), and we see these aren’t simply animal-type vampires, although they only talk to each other in guttural grunts and screams.

30 Days of Night

Then we jump to seven days later.

Yeah. I didn’t really expect them to show all 30 days on screen, but it wasn’t something I thought about until those words flashed across the screen, either.

The vampires have already all but killed the rest of the town, save for a few stragglers they push out into the street as bait for other survivors. A few more deaths, and the remaining people move from the attic to the grocery store, under the cover of swirling snow.

Day 18.

The remaining survivors make a run to the police station while Ebon creates a diversion. It works and he rejoins the others.

So the movie goes until the end, bouncing from hiding place to hiding place. Occasionally losing another human or killing a vampire. Until the final climactic battle.

With the town burning and the survivors down to Ebon, his ex, his little brother, and a few others, the hero makes the dramatic self-sacrifice of injecting himself with vampire blood to gain their strength while he goes out and challenges their leader in bloody hand-to-hand combat. He wins, and he and his ex watch the sun rise on the 31st day, where he crumbles to ash in her arms.

30 Days of Night

As far as vicious, monstrous vampires go, this is a pretty damn good movie. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, and it has a fair few of the vampiric cliches to it, but those are more personal issues.

All the actors do well in their respective roles and the cinematography is excellent, even if nothing really stands out.

That’s really my biggest problem with the movie. I remember it getting a lot of hype when it was first released, and there’s really nothing about it that stands out.

30 Days of Night isn’t a bad movie by any means, but don’t expect to be sleeping with the lights on. Just grab some popcorn and sit back for a fun ride, and you’ll be good to go.

Check back next week when iHorror author Kelly McNeely checks out the movie Prom Night!

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

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Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

12 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

14 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

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Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

16 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.