As a cinephile and horror enthusiast with over three decades of filmmaking experience under my belt, I find myself deeply intrigued by the tale of the unrealized sequel to 30 Days of Night. Having spent years navigating the labyrinthine world of Hollywood, I can relate to director David Slade’s sentiments about the binary nature of a film’s success or failure.
2007 marked a particularly alluring phase for the vampire genre, sparked by Stephanie Meyer’s popular “Twilight” books. Amidst this trend, director David Slade courageously challenged the norm with his film “30 Days of Night,” now available on Peacock.
The fanged members of the undead in this movie had nothing in common with the sparkly, brooding bloodsuckers surrounding Bella Swan. “They were very much the antithesis of that,” Slade, who would — ironically — go on to direct The Twilight Saga: Eclipse several years later, tells SYFY WIRE over Zoom. “There’s no [turning into] bats, there’s no capes, there’s none of that stuff. We wanted them to be like a pack of dogs, we wanted them to be feral.”
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What is 30 Days of Night about?
30 Days of Night, a comic inspired by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith, unfolds in the secluded Alaska town of Barrow (formerly called Utqiaġvik) during the extended period from November to January when the sun completely disappears from the sky.
During the prolonged darkness of the “polar night”, a band of unconventional vampires emerges. These vampires find that they can sustain themselves by feeding on the town’s people for extended periods without the fear of being harmed by daylight. About this intriguing, punk-rock inspired vampire film, Slade commented, “I thought it was a fantastic movie with a unique concept.” In Ben’s artwork, there were vampires that I hadn’t seen before – they were punk rock monsters, devoid of romance and filled with raw intensity.
Furthermore, the concept that these nomadic entities, predating the True Knot and guided by Marlow (played by Danny Huston), had been engaging in such activities for centuries piqued Slade’s interest. This was particularly intriguing to him, given he had recently gained acclaim with his debut feature film, “Hard Candy,” at Sundance just two years prior.
He explains that these characters would visit spots to indulge and celebrate, much like how Burning Man is for humans, but for vampires instead. He points out their lack of cultural ties and their focus on this specific activity, which he finds powerful. At one point, a Sony executive asked if it was symbolic of capitalism, to which he responded, “No, it’s about the most fundamental human desires.
Consequently, we portrayed vampires as a symbolic representation of addiction, where the characters were consistently ravenous. According to Slade, this was intended to convey that they were constantly craving satisfaction, needing to indulge, and finding pleasure in it.
The dead-eyed ghouls tear through their ample prey with ease, leaving only a small band of terrified survivors in their wake. The group’s only hope at seeing the sun again lies in Barrow Sheriff Eben Oleson (a post-Faculty, pre-Trap Josh Hartnett) and his estranged wife, Stella (Melissa George), who immediately take charge. Beyond the IDW source material, Slade’s main source of inspiration was George R.R. Martin’s 1982 vampire novel, Fevre Dream. “I’m very open about the influences that were there because I’m a huge fan of it,” he admits. “I’m a massive fan of George Martin. I got to meet him and tell him all this stuff and he was really cool.”
Without a doubt, the notion of a remote, chilling outpost haunted by monsters that appear to be immortal sparks thoughts of John Carpenter’s film “The Thing“. However, Slade maintains he didn’t draw inspiration from the 1982 masterpiece. He recalls thinking, “It’s a fantastic comparison, but I found myself saying, ‘This is its own unique thing. I adore it, and there isn’t much for me to borrow from this. Let’s just keep moving forward with our work,'” he reminisces. “Still, I wouldn’t mind if people hinted that it might have been an influence in some roundabout way.
Production began at an ex-military base in Auckland, New Zealand, where filming took place. This location was advantageous due to tax incentives and its proximity to Weta, the acclaimed visual effects studio of Peter Jackson. With Sam Raimi as a producer and a finalized script penned by Niles, Stuart Beattie, and Brian Nelson, the team got to work.
Since New Zealand isn’t typically associated with a freezing cold climate, Slade and his crew had to creatively manipulate the visuals for their project. As he shares, they employed various cinematic tricks such as using Epsom salts, foam, and even paper scraps for fake snow. Paul D. Austerberry, who hails from Toronto where he’s accustomed to snow, did an exceptional job making the snowy scenes appear incredibly lifelike.
Due to numerous night-time filming sessions, the cast and team started resembling nocturnal creatures, as Slade puts it, “things got quite unusual”. He adds that this lifestyle mirrored the vampire’s, proving beneficial in the process.
Will we ever get a proper sequel to 30 Days of Night?
30 Days of Night made its grand entrance into cinemas on October 17, 2007, perfectly timed for the spooky Halloween season. It earned an impressive $75 million at the global box office, surpassing its production budget of $30 million. Although it was profitable, the movie was deemed a flop by the studio due to their strict “hit or miss” approach towards films in today’s industry. However, director David Slade considers the film a cult classic because it continues to be relevant and discussed among fans. In his view, a cult film is one that persists in popular culture, maintains an audience, and remains a topic of conversation, which 30 Days of Night undeniably achieves.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that the story didn’t end with the initial IP (intellectual property). Instead, it continued in a straight-to-video sequel titled “30 Days of Night: Dark Days” released in 2010, and two television miniseries named “Blood Trails” and “Dust to Dust”. However, Slade was not part of any subsequent follow-ups. He recalls a fleeting moment, “a while back,” when Fede Alvarez (known for “Don’t Breathe” and “Alien: Romulus”) attempted but failed to initiate a TV adaptation.
In his own plans, Slade aimed to craft a fitting follow-up with focus on The Stranger (Ben Foster). Drawing inspiration from the intriguing character R.M. Renfield in Bram Stoker’s Dracula tale, this figure plays a crucial role by isolating the town before sunset to aid the vampires in their nightly feast preparations. Although The Stranger meets his end with his neck broken by Marlow within the Barrow police station, an intriguing twist unfolds as his body inexplicably vanishes, potentially paving the way for a miraculous return.
Slade suggests, “Though he appears deceased, there’s something about him that seems not quite dead. Let’s track him down because he’s intriguing. Perhaps we can help him rebuild the entire vampire community somewhere – it might be Louisiana or some other place. Eventually, we could return to Alaska, but I’m unsure if that plan still works now. Yet, this world is so captivating.
He concludes: “We’re all doing various different things, but I’d like to do a sequel, or even just another story in that world. It has to be right, it has to be interesting, it has to not be derivative. The thing about vampires is all the parts have been stripped from all the good stories. It’s difficult to find a new vampire story. I love vampires. I definitely will make another vampire movie. I don’t know what it is yet, but I definitely will at some point, because I love [them]. They’re so rich for the human condition.”
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2024-09-10 21:46