30 Days of Night

Sometimes I have these moments where I think "Did that happen, or did I just imagine it?". Occasionally I can go on the internet and find out, yes, indeed, X happened. Like the Klingon Happy Meal commercial. So before watching tonight's movie- 30 Days of Night- I remembered there was an episode of Eight is Enough where one of the sisters was up late watching a movie. A sibling came down to see what was playing and she said "Dracula in Alaska."

"Dracula in Alaska." What a terrifying concept. A vampire, a creature of the night, someplace where night could last a month.

I'd check the movie books, the tv listings, and I never saw such a thing.

Then Steven Niles came along. Niles, with artist Ben Templesmith, created a graphic novel- originally a movie proposal- where vampires besieged an Alaskan town in the darkest part of winter. It's a awesome read. Then the rumors on the internet started- yes, the movie was in production.

First- it's not JUST an adaptation of a comic book, it's one of the most faithful adaptations ever.
Second- in a time when the bigger vampire movies in recent memory were Interview With A Vampire, Queen of the Damned and Bram Stoker's Dracula, 30 Days of Night rescued the vampire from the stereotype of tragic romantic hero and reminded us that they're monsters.

Big nasty monsters with claws and teeth and a cruel streak a mile wide.

That's the awesome of 30 Days of Night.

(And if you remember "Dracula in Alaska" too, please let me know. Eight is Enough isn't available on dvd, and even if it was, I'm not sure I have the wherewithal to go through the episodes to find it.)