Reviewed: 3/25/2026
VIDEO REVIEW
NOW PLAYING POSTER
I probably watched this a few months too late, seasonally-wise. This is definitely a Winter kind of movie. Well, if you really want to freak yourself out. Does it require a few moments of hard suspension of disbeliefs? Yeah, but the premise is pretty fuckin awesome, and, well, terrifying. Good slower-burn dramatic take on the Vampire lore, versus the more actiony one like the other comic-vampire move Blade. But it does provide some wicked gore and vampire designs here and there too, so that really puts up a notch.
Barrow, Alaska. The Northernmost town in the U.S. Getting close to that max Winter Earth-tilt, so they have the 30 days of no sun peaking over that southern horizon to greet them every morning. Can be a bit much to take for some. So the town, well, let’s just say it empties out a bit for the folks that find that a good time to take a cruise in the Bahamas or whatnot. Sheriff Eben (Hartnett) finds some increasingly bad things though as that final day of last sunlight plays out. Punks? Malcontents? Greenpeace? No. Almost even worst than Greenpeace. That’s right. Vampires. And they got a whole month to run around the town with reckless abandon. Bonus for them, all their kills? Instantly on ice, for future savorings.
Not gonna say this is kinda the precursor to The Walking Dead but with Vampires, but it does have that kind of vibe and dark beats, and hit the scene in 2002, about a year before TWD. Can’t say for the Dark Horse comics themselves as I never read them but at least their visual style always kinda grabbed my attention, so as a stand-alone story, this is pretty solid. Enough drama without being too sappish, a good smattering of characters you feel for as they… uh... totally defeat their vampire foes. Josh Hartnett in the lead here, in retrospect, is actually not as bad as I remember. Fortunately for him, Channing Tatum came along and made Josh the Marlon Brando of the 2000s, relatively speaking. I’m sorry Channing, but your name is Channing, and an even more wooden actor than Josh, so you get the Actor Shitstick now until maybe that chump from DUNE takes the reins from ya. But given the plot here, the Snake Plissken one-note emoting is about right. Maybe one-and-a-half note. You get stuck in this kinda situation though, you gotta go Full Detachment mode too, to deal with this kind of fuckery! Nice build of tension, then fear, then holyfuck this is absolute nightmare kinda mode. Well done, even for a vampire movie.
Great Scene: Maybe not the best scene, but it does involve a trencher. For diggin trenches. It’s Like a giant chainsaw on the front of a giant bulldozer. You know what that is when not digging trenches? Fucking. Awesome.
Credit Notes: Don’t usually call it out but I need to cover something here besides the major plot points for those unfamiliar with the movie, because it is definitely worth a watch so don’t want to spoil anything. The first part of the credits before the slow roll of names is well done, provides some extra visuals to the story and cool music that is thematically appropriate. Nice culmination to what is a pretty dark movie, both literally and figuratively.
Media Notes: Kinda made me wonder how this might carry on. The comic has a few issues, but interesting to see both prequel and a sequel television miniseries (Blood Trails and Dust to Dust), for Fearnet. Not sure if I’d watch the prequel, but may see what the 6 episode sequel does. Or maybe not. In 2010, apparently a sequel film Dark Days, too. Also looks...Suspect. This is a good stand-alone film with some decent characters, I don’t want to sully its memory with other suspect products! The Law of diminishing returns is a thing.
