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Media Credit: atlastcomicbooks.com "The Halloween movie of the year."

"That cold ain't the weather, that's death approaching." Cold, a blistering cold that chills to the bone. There is nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. They will find you.

These are not the run of the mill vampires. They don't live in mansions, drive fancy cars, or own latest technology. They are not sophisticated, nor are they wallowing. They are the dreams that turn into nightmares while you sleep. The true creatures of the night, and they want one thing, the taste of human flesh.

They kind of remind me of the infected in 28 Days Later.

30 Days of Night is one of the best vampire films I have seen. The film takes place in Barrow, Alaska, which is the highest point in the world. In the winter, the isolated small town experiences 30 days of utter darkness, perfect for blood-thirsty vampires on the prowl.

The first 15 minutes or so introduces you to the main characters, Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett), his wife, Stella Oleson (Melissa George), Billy Kitka (Manu Bennet), Eben's younger brother Jake (Mark Rendall), Beau Brower (Mark Boone Junior) and a mysterious stranger (Ben Foster). The film then thrusts you into non-stop gore, action, and hope for survival.

The film doesn't give you much back story or explanations, but I found that as more of an asset. Hartnett and George do an excellent job as the leaders, making sure everyone is safe. You can feel the tension between them in the beginning, but as the story progresses, the tension slowly fades away as they fight for their lives and the survival of the others.

The supporting cast does a great job of making you feel their fear and hopelessness. You have sympathy for them, especially when they are confronted with difficult decisions and situations.

One thing I really enjoyed was the camera work. When the vampires were attacking, the camera's movements were very quick and caught the vampire's movements perfectly. There was also a scene that was shot in bird's eye view, which was an interesting change up.

The snow is saturated with blood, and you can see the vampires engaging in a feeding frenzy. I loved the way the vampires were portrayed as vicious, malevolent killers, with such blood lust.

Don't get me wrong, I love Interview with a Vampire and Underworld, but this film is a very welcomed change of pace.

The vamps were also very cunning and knew exactly how to play on human emotions. In one scene they set a trap by using a girl as bait, so they could locate any survivors. They spoke in their own demoic tounge.

This film had the best decapitations I have ever seen in any horror flick. It was ridiculous. I would definitely recommend this film to anyone who loves vampires or gore, since there is no shortage of it.

Of course like most horror films there are the few characters who you want to yell at for being so bloody stupid. But surprisingly, most of the characters are quite smart.

I would say there was only one part that I hated. The whole movie is so original, which is hard to find these days. But then they had to go and ruin it by playing into one of the horror movie stereotypes: creepy little kids who want to play. Come on, this is so overdone and so unnecessary.

Apart from that, this movie is awesome. When I found out it was based on a graphic novel by Steve Niles, the film made me want to check the novel out.

The 30 Days of Night graphic novel is a three part series. The film stays true to the novel, except for Eben and Stella's last name, which in the novel is Olemaun. Also, there was a vampire elder, Vicente, who wanted to stop the feeding in Barrow in order to preserve the concealment of vampires.

Niles also wrote many follow-ups to the original series such as, Dark Days, 30 Days of Night: Return to Barrow and 30 Days of Night: Beyond Barrow.

There was also another author, Matt Fraction, who wrote the second part of 30 Days of Night: Bloodsucker Tales.

Basically, if you are looking for a good horror film to see in honor of Halloween, this is the one to see. Fans of horror films and vampire fans alike will not be let down.

This film grips you with its long, sharp claws, pulls you in, and doesn't let go 'till the credits roll.

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