During the rise of the vampire genre in 2007 with Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight books, director David Slade took a different approach with the gritty 30 Days of Night (now available on Peacock). The vampires in this film were far from the romanticized versions seen in Twilight, focusing instead on their feral and savage nature.
What is 30 Days of Night about?
Based on the IDW comic by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith, the story is set in the sunless Alaskan town of Barrow during the winter months. A group of brutal vampires descends on the town to feast on its residents without fear of sunlight, leading to a high-concept and visceral vampire movie.
The vampires, led by Marlow (played by Danny Huston), have been feeding on towns for centuries, embodying the basest desires of the human condition. The film explores themes of addiction and hunger, portraying the vampires as relentless predators.
Sheriff Eben Oleson (played by Josh Hartnett) and his wife Stella (played by Melissa George) lead the survivors in a battle against the vampires, drawing inspiration from George R.R. Martin’s vampire novel, Fevre Dream.
Despite comparisons to John Carpenter’s The Thing, Slade focused on creating a unique atmosphere for 30 Days of Night, filming in New Zealand and relying on practical effects to create the snowy setting. The cast and crew embraced the vampire lifestyle during night shoots, adding to the authenticity of the film.
Will we ever get a proper sequel to 30 Days of Night?
Although the film was not a major hit at the box office, it gained a cult following and spawned a direct-to-video sequel and TV miniseries. Slade had ideas for a sequel focused on the character of the Stranger (played by Ben Foster), but plans for a follow-up have not materialized yet.
Let’s follow him, because he’s interesting, and let him reconstruct the entire pack of vampires again somewhere,” Slade says. “Maybe it’s in Louisiana or whatever, with the aim of then going back to Alaska to feast … I don’t know whether that’s still viable anymore, but it’s just such a rich world.”
He concludes: “We’re all doing various different things, but I’d like to do a sequel, or even just another story in that world. It has to be right, it has to be interesting, it has to not be derivative. The thing about vampires is all the parts have been stripped from all the good stories. It’s difficult to find a new vampire story. I love vampires. I definitely will make another vampire movie. I don’t know what it is yet, but I definitely will at some point, because I love [them]. They’re so rich for the human condition.”
30 Days of Night is now streaming on Peacock.