30 Days of Nothing

Over the weekend I was coerced into watching the film 30 Days of Night. Maybe th vampire horror genre ceases to hold my imagination. Perhaps this is because there is no psychological element playing with my head. Other than the anticipation of 30 days of darkness, audiences know little more about the vampires that go on a killing spree.

Yes, there is an aesthetic to the film that is halting. Maybe it's the juxtaposition of stark whiteness, darkness, and splatters of blood. But it's all cosmetic. The spatial setting could have been anywhere, such as in outer space where the films Alien, Aliens, and Alien 3 took place.

Maybe I wanted an ethnographic film to emerge with this horror film. There were no Inuits to share their folklore and knowledge with the survivors. All the protagonists, but for one doomed indigenous character, are rugged whites who understand how to live under harsh conditions.

I was relieved to find that the female characters were not the main target of the vampires' blood thirst. Horror films seem to target the bodies and minds of females too often. The film, however, is not without it's moral message, which I could have done without. Moral of the story: sometimes we must sacrifice ourselves for the survival of the group. This could make for an effective corporate message for youngsters thinking about an MBA or medical school sometime in the future.