30 DAYS OF NIGHT — ** — Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston; rated R (violence, gore, profanity, drugs, vulgarity)
The vampire yarn "30 Days of Night" is a real mess — both literally and figuratively.
It's perhaps the bloodiest vampire thriller to come around since the first "From Dusk Till Dawn" movie. In fact, the graphic gore here more than justifies the film's R rating and then some.
The storytelling is pretty messy as well. The filmmakers have tried to expand the original source material by adding more characters to the mix. But as a result, it actually feels character-thin and a little sketchy.
The film is based on a best-selling comics miniseries by writer Steve Niles and artist Ben Templesmith, and it does feature a fairly clever premise. The story is set in tiny Barrow, Alaska, which for a month every year is plunged into perpetual darkness.
It's a bleak four-week period, so typically most of the 500-plus residents of Barrow leave during that time. But this year there are some sinister new arrivals — more than a dozen members of a vampire clan who are eager to prey on the remaining Alaskans. Especially since they don't have to worry about any pesky sunlight interrupting their feeding.
The only people standing between the vamps and their intended victims are Barrow's sheriff, Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett), and his estranged wife Stella (Melissa George).
The fact that "30 Days of Night" is so graphic is a little surprising since it comes from writer/director David Slade and his co-screenwriter Brian Nelson, who were responsible for the far more subtle and restrained "Hard Candy."
Still, the film does have some effective moments, and the character designs — which were based on Templesmith's evocative art — are inspired. (The vampires look like a cross between the original Max Schreck "Nosferatu" and sharks.)
And though he still looks a little young for the part, Hartnett is fine as the embattled town leader. However, the always-watchable Ben Foster is underused as a vampire sympathizer.
"30 Days of Night" is rated R for graphic scenes of violent action (vampiric attacks, shootings, beheadings, vehicular and explosive mayhem, and violence against women), blood and gore, strong sexual language (profanity and crude slang terms), and some drug content (marijuana references and an asthma inhaler). Running time: 110 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com