30 Days Of Night
What:
30 Days Of Night
Where:
Kino Dendy
Hoyts at Melbourne Central
When:
Opens Nov 8
Watch the trailer:
here
As far as high concepts go, this is up there with that bus that couldn't slow below 50 mph without exploding. Vampires on one hand; an Alaskan town that won't see the sun for an entire month on the other; the inevitable, vicious bloodshed when they meet in the middle.
30 Days Of Night is generic in the true sense of the word. The characters don't need personalities, sparkling dialogue, or motivation beyond staying alive. There's almost no backstory for the vampires, either, and what little they're given isn't necessary.
And comic-book purists take note: this was a movie pitch before it was rejigged into the infamous 2002 series for IDW Comics, and this new film actually improves on the source material. (Besides, the comic's success rests mostly on that killer hook and the moody, expressionistic artwork of Ben Templesmith, anyway.)
Cinema like this has a different kind of visceral momentum from the comic page. There's a cruelty to its visual assault. The Templesmith-inspired stark photography and drained colour-palette lets you see every smear of gore; the soundtrack sometimes boils down to industrial grinding and screams.
So who needs character? We just want blood.
Format: Cinema
Mood: Leave brain at home
Keywords: Horror
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