It loses some of its bite by film's end, but 30 Days of Night manages to do for the vampire genre what 28 Days Later did for the zombie flick: give age-old monsters a modern-day makeover.

To be sure, Night is no Nosferatu. But director David Slade (Hard Candy) has given his bloodsuckers real menace; like the flesh eaters from Later, these creatures are cunning, hungry — and fast.

More important, he has given his demons the perfect backdrop for a human buffet: Barrow, Alaska, so far north that it spends 30 days in utter darkness.

Based on the comic-book miniseries, Night begins with sheriff Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett) bidding farewell to the last day of sunlight and most of the town's residents, who head south.

It doesn't take long for the vampires, led by Danny Huston, to invade, cut power to the town and begin feasting on the 140 souls who chose to remain.


The early scenes of the attack are the best: Instead of stilted Bela Lugosi-style accents, the vampires speak their own language, which requires subtitles. An aerial shot of the vampires chasing residents is as chilling as the blood-spattered snow.

Before long, only a handful of residents remain, portioning rations and living in attics as they wait for the sun to return. The movie nearly comes off the rails as survivors abandon the logic that has kept them alive. A word of advice if your town is invaded by vampires: Don't walk down the street calling out for Daddy.

Slade keeps the action moving, the clichés at arm's length and the genre infused with new blood.