30 Days of Night

30 Days of Night
source
Name	30 Days of Night
Caption	Theatrical release poster
Director	David Slade
Producer	Sam Raimi
Writer	Steve Niles, Stuart Beattie
Based on	30 Days of Night by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith
Starring	Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston, Ben Foster
Music	Brian Reitzell
Cinematography	Tony Pierce-Roberts
Editing	Art Jones
Studio	Ghost House Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Dark Horse Entertainment
Distributor	Columbia Pictures
Released	2007
Runtime	113 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$30 million
Gross	$75.7 million

30 Days of Night

30 Days of Night is a 2007 American horror film directed by David Slade, produced by Sam Raimi, and adapted from the comic book miniseries written by Steve Niles with art by Ben Templesmith. The film follows the residents of Barrow, Alaska, during a month-long polar night besieged by a pack of vampires, and blends elements of survival horror, creature feature, and neo-noir. Its production involved collaborations among studios and creatives from Ghost House Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Dark Horse Comics, and personnel associated with films like The Matrix, Spider-Man 3, and The Twilight Saga.

Plot

Set in the remote town of Barrow, Alaska, the story opens as oil rig worker Eben Oleson returns to his hometown where Mayor Melissa Bennett attempts to maintain civic order amid protests by Alaska Native villagers and the arrival of journalist newcomers. When the sun sets for a prolonged polar night, a horde of vampires led by the ancient Marlow breaks into the community, slaughtering residents and isolating survivors in locked buildings. Sheriff Eben, his estranged wife Stella, and a handful of townspeople battle for survival, scrounging for weapons and outwitting the vampires through tactics learned from historical sources like Nosferatu, Dracula, and contemporary vampire lore in works such as Interview with the Vampire, Salem's Lot, and Let the Right One In. The siege escalates as the vampires adapt, forcing the survivors to exploit the environment — including oil rigs, schoolhouses, and frozen tundra — to end the threat before the sun returns. Themes of sacrifice recall narratives from The Road, The Thing, and wartime survival tales like A Canticle for Leibowitz.

Cast and characters

The principal cast includes Josh Hartnett as Sheriff Eben Oleson, Melissa George as Stella Oleson, Danny Huston as Marlow, Ben Foster as Danny, and Mark Boone Junior as Beau Brower, with supporting performances by Ebony Jo-Ann, Will Patton, and Shea Whigham. The ensemble features actors whose careers intersect with titles and institutions such as Pearl Harbor (film), Black Hawk Down, The Expendables, The Sopranos, HBO, AMC, and FX (TV channel). Crew and cast backgrounds cite collaborations with directors and producers like Sam Raimi, David Lynch, Ridley Scott, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro, Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino, David Fincher, Peter Berg, Kathryn Bigelow, and actors associated with studios such as Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, and Lionsgate Films.

Production

Development began after Dark Horse Comics and IDW Publishing adaptations of graphic novels demonstrated cinematic potential; the comic creators Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith collaborated with screenwriters including Stuart Beattie, whose filmography includes Collateral and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Producer Sam Raimi, known for The Evil Dead and Spider-Man, assembled a production team drawing talent from 30 Days of Night-era genre practitioners, cinematographers with credits including Eyes Wide Shut and The English Patient, and makeup artists who had worked on Skyfall and American Werewolf in London. Filming took place in New Zealand, utilizing locations used by productions like The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and King Kong to simulate Arctic landscapes; soundstage and prosthetics work referenced effects houses linked to Stan Winston Studio and Weta Workshop. Composer Brian Reitzell, whose credits include Lost in Translation and collaborations with David Lynch, scored the film, while postproduction employed color-timing and editing techniques similar to those used in Se7en and Fight Club.

Release and reception

The film premiered in 2007 and was marketed through trailers, posters, festival screenings, and tie-ins promoted by retailers like Blockbuster LLC and distributors such as Sony Pictures Entertainment. Box office performance totaled approximately $75.7 million worldwide against a $30 million budget, with varying critical response: some reviewers praised the film’s atmosphere and visuals, comparing them to The Thing (1982), 28 Days Later, and The Descent, while others critiqued character development and deviations from the source material. Awards attention included nominations and wins at genre-focused ceremonies associated with Saturn Awards, Horror Film Festivals, and guilds like Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild. Scholarly and fan discourse connected the film to vampire cinema traditions from Nosferatu to Blade and television series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, True Blood, and The Walking Dead.

Adaptations and related media

The original comic miniseries inspired novelizations, a 2007 tie-in prose book, and comic spin-offs published by Dark Horse Comics and collected editions distributed by Amazon (company) and Barnes & Noble. The franchise expanded into a 2010 prequel film, a 2014 television miniseries, and video game adaptations linked with publishers like Electronic Arts, Activision, and smaller indie developers. Cross-media merchandising included soundtracks released by labels associated with Sony Music Entertainment and limited-edition art sold through galleries and conventions including San Diego Comic-Con International and New York Comic Con. The property’s influence is cited in genre works by filmmakers and writers associated with James Wan, Robert Rodriguez, Neil Marshall, Karyn Kusama, John Carpenter, and authors from Titan Books and Penguin Random House.

Category:2007 films Category:American horror films Category:Films based on comics