30 Days Of Night: Dark Days (2010)

17% of critics liked it
(6 reviews)
16% of users liked it
(3,116 ratings)

Nearly a year after the vampire siege of Barstow, Alaska, lone survivor Stella (Kiele Sanchez) discovers that she isn't alone when she's recruited to eradicate the vampire menace once and for all. Her waking hours filled mourning the death of her late husband and her dreams haunted by visions of the… More Nearly a year after the vampire siege of Barstow, Alaska, lone survivor Stella (Kiele Sanchez) discovers that she isn't alone when she's recruited to eradicate the vampire menace once and for all. Her waking hours filled mourning the death of her late husband and her dreams haunted by visions of the creatures that turned him into a monster, Stella becomes the subject of much ridicule when she makes it her mission to convince the public that vampires truly exist. But just as the embarrassment is becoming too much to handle, three strangers (Harold Perrineau, Diora Baird and Rhys Coiro) present Stella with an opportunity to seek revenge by killing Lilith (Mia Kirshner), the vampire queen behind the Barstow massacre. Armed to the teeth and ready to die fighting, the brave quartet descends into the sewers beneath Los Angeles and begins their search for the elusive Lilith. But should she manage to find them first, the vampires will once again gain the upper hand. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 32 min.
Directed By: Ben Ketai
Genres: Horror

On DVD: Oct 5, 2010
Studio: SPE Acquisitions

Critic Reviews

David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...the film is, in the final analysis, simply unable to live up to the better-than-average standard set by its superior predecessor.
R. L. Shaffer, IGN DVD
Dark Days is hardly mediocre, but barely interesting; lacking a solid hook like the first film.
Scott Weinberg, FEARnet
A clever vampire concept devolves into another chintzy 'Blade' knock-off.
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
Prominent with a lagging pace, a dull atmosphere, lack of real scares, and a plot filled with holes and lapses in logic...
Brian Orndorf, BrianOrndorf.com
An engaging diversion, making the most out of its limited resources, boosted by a capable cast and some nifty make-up effects. In fact, it's a more satisfying bloodsucker yarn than the 2007 original.
Fred Topel, Screen Junkies
There is no fun in this movie and it's definitely not cool enough to be serious. The characters are all so morose. Oh, my family was killed by vampires, boo hoo.

Read all 6 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

MisterYoda ?

two stars
Emily A

Maan, this movie did not need to be as bad as it ended up being. It seemed to remove all the narrative strengths of the first movie, and focussed instead on the villains. Sure they're scary, but they're not terribly interesting. And they didn't flesh Lilith out enough… More
Maan, this movie did not need to be as bad as it ended up being. It seemed to remove all the narrative strengths of the first movie, and focussed instead on the villains. Sure they're scary, but they're not terribly interesting. And they didn't flesh Lilith out enough to make her a believable foe, let alone an engaging one. Why, exactly is she the head vampire? Where did her power come from? Why did she order the siege of Barrrow? Why would anyone willingly work for these vampires? I don't remember the comics being this derivative. The characters here seem flatter, the story logic seems a little more slippery and the scares a little more foundless. Stella wasn't a particularly likeable character, and she doesn't really make any friends worth watching, either. I didn't care what happened to thier ragtag team of vampire slayers. Also, the element of "we're trapped here in Vampireland" that was so vital to the original is cut back significantly in this movie. I think this movie should have spent more time underground in the vampires' sunless base, or on the ship, to best recreate the atmosphere that really defined the first. I think, anyway.
Dean !

Not bad for a straight to DVD release but no where near as good as the first. It's on a much lower budget and it shows. It does follow on from the first, so you'll need to see that if you haven't already. It has a recognizable cast with Kiele Sanchez (A Perfect Getaway)… More
Not bad for a straight to DVD release but no where near as good as the first. It's on a much lower budget and it shows. It does follow on from the first, so you'll need to see that if you haven't already. It has a recognizable cast with Kiele Sanchez (A Perfect Getaway) replacing Melissa George from the first film. It has a few good bloody moments but descends into being another hunt the Vampires film and that has been done much better before. Not awful but not up to the levels of the first.
Steve K

Not as mind numbingly bad as you'd fear, but it suffers the same major issue that the source material did: once you remove the ongoings from Barrow, they cease to be special. The location was the biggest character in the original film.
A.D. V

Certainly gorier than the first but there's nothing else to offer in this plodding, wholly predictible DTV sequel.
Dean M

A new cast and new director make Dark Days a different beast to 2007's 30 Days of Night, but the sequel pays homage to the comic book that spawned the films rather than the original itself. Disappointed Melissa George is not involved in this… More
A new cast and new director make Dark Days a different beast to 2007's 30 Days of Night, but the sequel pays homage to the comic book that spawned the films rather than the original itself. Disappointed Melissa George is not involved in this sequel, her replacement Kiele Sanchez delivers an excellent role, because she takes of Stella very well. I appreciated the fact that they didn't rely too heavily on CGI, like the cartoon vampires that were over- used in I Am Legend.
Lorenzo v

"Makes Twilight look like nursery school" After surviving the incidents in Barrow, Alaska, Stella Olemaun relocates to Los Angeles, where she intentionally attracts the attention of the local vampire population in order to avenge the death of her husband,… More
"Makes Twilight look like nursery school" After surviving the incidents in Barrow, Alaska, Stella Olemaun relocates to Los Angeles, where she intentionally attracts the attention of the local vampire population in order to avenge the death of her husband, Eben. <center>REVIEW</center> The film starts off, as does the comic, with a tired and angry Stella Oleson, now played by Kiele Sanchez (Lost, A Perfect Getaway), trying to get people to believe in the vampire threat. After teaming with another group of survivors, oh heck, let's just call them vampire hunters, the movie quickly turns from the original comic script and becomes just another horror cliché. Be astonished as the hunters walk around LA, guns out in open and armed for war! Gasp... at the ludicrous post-Wachowski Goth wear the vamps garb themselves in! Cringe... at the forced dialogue direct-to-video actors spurt! Scream... at the low-budget CG F/X added to make the mess even bloodier! Laugh... at the trapped old woman uttering the well-used line, "Kill... me..." Dark Days misses all the charm and thrills of its well-produced predecessor. It's sharp beginning and pseudo-twist ending unfortunately could not save a story that desperately needed a stake in the heart.
David L

30 Days of Night: Dark Days picks up right where the 2007 original left off. Stella Oleson (this time portrayed by actress Kiele Sanchez) is out for revenge after the vampire menace killed her man in Barrow, Alaska. She's in Los Angeles tracking down the bloodsuckers by drawing… More
30 Days of Night: Dark Days picks up right where the 2007 original left off. Stella Oleson (this time portrayed by actress Kiele Sanchez) is out for revenge after the vampire menace killed her man in Barrow, Alaska. She's in Los Angeles tracking down the bloodsuckers by drawing them out, in the process she encounters a small group of vampire hunters who have the same purpose. They plan to put an end to the menace by killing it's leader, a bitch called Lilith (note the religious connection there). What they discover though is far graver... I actually quite liked the original 30 Days of Night, it's perhaps one of the better vampire flicks I've seen in recent years, sporting solid production values and an original premise. I understand it's not everybodies cup of tea though. Going into watching this sequel i was genuinely quite apprehensive about whether they would be able to do justice to the original. Well, to put it simply, i can say Dark Days is a better flick than i thought it would be, although it's nowhere as good as the original. It doesn't have the originality or the suspense that the first one had. Nor is the production quality quite as polished but it's still pretty good. Actress Kiele Sanchez is solid as Stella Oleson, it's a shame Melissa George couldn't reprise the role for continuity if nothing else, but still Kiele's performance is good and she maintains the character well. All the other performers are decent also. Diora Baird makes a show as one of the vampire hunters, alongside Harold Perrineau of Lost fame. I guess the main problem with Dark Days is it's story. It's just too light and nonsensical at times. I especially don't like the ending, it seems pretty inconsistent with the Stella character in my humble opinion. This doesn't degrade the quality of the suspense however and there are a few times during this movie where things can get suspenseful and tense, just don't expect the same gut wrenching as the original. Gore is there, sadly though nothing memorable of note. It's a shame really cause there are a few bits that could have been really quite grizzly had they been fleshed out more. What's there is done decently though considering this movie was made on a lower budget. Dark Days is in the end worth a look but like i said before don't expect the original again because it's not the same. If you didn't like the original then you'll hate this most likely, you've been warned.
The S

The first film, albeit imperfect, had atmosphere, a plot and breathed some new life into the stale and bloated genre that vampire movies have become. This sequel, in stark and very disappointing contrast, is no more than a festival of Hollywood cliches sardined into a painfully boring… More
The first film, albeit imperfect, had atmosphere, a plot and breathed some new life into the stale and bloated genre that vampire movies have become. This sequel, in stark and very disappointing contrast, is no more than a festival of Hollywood cliches sardined into a painfully boring viewing experience which left me wishing that I'd switched it off and watched a shopping channel instead. I may find further use for the DVD as a coaster but silver side up so I'm not reminded of this dire effort.
Remi L

This sequel to the story of an Alaskan town overrun by vampires during its 30-day period without sun continues with the sheriff's wife on a mission to prove to the rest of the states that vampires live among her. Of course, no one buys her story and the massacre is explained away… More
This sequel to the story of an Alaskan town overrun by vampires during its 30-day period without sun continues with the sheriff's wife on a mission to prove to the rest of the states that vampires live among her. Of course, no one buys her story and the massacre is explained away by a gas line explosion. But then she meets a ragtag of vampire hunters who want to hunt down the "mother" of all vampires. What. A. Snoozefest. I get that this was a straight-to-DVD film, but seriously, how can a horror film be so dull?? Even the scenes where a new and interesting revelation was uncovered, I still found myself fighting sleep! This film needed a jolt of electricity or something. Hell, the second and third Lost Boys films were much more exciting! They know they're campy and they revel in it, but still manage to throw some fun in it! This film was unfunny, dull, and a waste of two good points. Those of which were: the fact that the "mother" had a Madame Bathery complex and the ending. That about it.
Leo L

An interesting follow-up to the first film. It has been one year after losing her husband, and Stella's search for vampires is finally exposed in Los Angeles. Seeking revenge for the loss of her fellow townspeople and Eben, she comes across a group of rogue vampire hunters who… More
An interesting follow-up to the first film. It has been one year after losing her husband, and Stella's search for vampires is finally exposed in Los Angeles. Seeking revenge for the loss of her fellow townspeople and Eben, she comes across a group of rogue vampire hunters who are bent on destroying a vampire leader, Lilith, and her coven. Unconvinced and unmotivated, Stella wants to move on with her life until she is now being hunted by the coven. Kiele Sanchez, Mia Kirshner, Rhys Coiro, Diora Baird, Ben Cotton, and Harold Perrineau, Jr. stars.
Ed Fucking H

Not as bad as everyone says but not as good as the first one either. Taking the story away from Alaska and the 30 day's of night that the title suggestsm makes this film amount to no more than what we all saw before in Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Blade. For what it is it's… More
Not as bad as everyone says but not as good as the first one either. Taking the story away from Alaska and the 30 day's of night that the title suggestsm makes this film amount to no more than what we all saw before in Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Blade. For what it is it's an acceptable but wholly unoriginal film, that is entertaining but unmemorable. The films main saving grace being amped up gore. Far from essential but not a bad time either. Worth a look see.
Erin C

This wasn't as good as the first one. The first one had more surprises, but this one was just...blah.
RJ M

I've never read the graphic novel, or any of the subsequent books. However, I loved the first movie. I think it's extremely atmospheric, with good performances, good scares, and is one of my favorite vampire movies. I just finished watching the sequel, and man...what a turd.… More
I've never read the graphic novel, or any of the subsequent books. However, I loved the first movie. I think it's extremely atmospheric, with good performances, good scares, and is one of my favorite vampire movies. I just finished watching the sequel, and man...what a turd. If you took out all the sequences of characters moving slowly, staring menacingly at each other, then the movie would last 5 minutes. It's badly written, directed, and acted. Not one of the characters, either human or vampire, is even remotely interesting. They all have their stories of how vampires ruined their lives, and turned them into hunters. But these people are so bad at hunting, so scared of their own shadows, and seemingly so inexperienced, how have they survived this long? In fact when Diora Baird loses her cool, and screams like a schoolgirl running down a dark passageway, it makes me wonder if anyone involved had any concept of who these characters are supposed to be. The next paragraph will contain a MAJOR SPOILER...so skip it if you plan on watching the movie. Mia Kirschner does the typical evil queen routing, slowly walking among her minions, and whispering orders to kill, but shows no real power, so one has to wonder why all these vampires follow her to begin with. And...SPOILER AHEAD...she's dispatched completely without a fight in this movie! So much for the mightiest vampire who decides for all the others what happens. If she's the brilliant leader, you might as well leave the vampires alone, because their stupidity will eventually cause all of their deaths. But...she DOES have GREAT ass! Ok...end spoiler. The action sequences are haphazard, and shot with more of the damn "shaky cam" that I hate so much. The action mainly consists of close ups of machine guns going off, and shadowy vampires either getting hit, or moving out of the way. With the camera shaking so much, it's hard to say for sure who gets killed or when. Although there is one brief moment of intelligence, and good cinematography, when the hunters shoot out sections of the roof of the building they are in, allowing the sunlight to pour through, creating a barrier of light between them and the vampires. Other than that, there's not one thing to get excited about. I've always called the orignal 30 Days Of Night the "Anti-Twilight". No form of popular entertainment has done more to pussify vampires than Twilight. I tell people "You want to see what vampires are supposed to be like? Watch 30 Days Of Night". Now I'm going to be forced to tell them to make sure they watch the original. Because if they watch this one, it might just make someone a Twilight fan, even if they have never been one.
John M

"30 Days of Night: Dark Days" delivers some gruesome death scenes and graphic gore with good special effect and a couple of scares BUT it is a bland vampire movie/sequel with a lame and predictable the story and a bit dragged pace. Unnecessary and completely forgettable… More
"30 Days of Night: Dark Days" delivers some gruesome death scenes and graphic gore with good special effect and a couple of scares BUT it is a bland vampire movie/sequel with a lame and predictable the story and a bit dragged pace. Unnecessary and completely forgettable sequel.
Sam C

No comment.
Juny L

I was hoping to see on the big screen a sequel for 30 Days of Night,which was my favorite horror film of 2007.But 30 Days of Night:Dark Days is a dtv release with less budget,and unknown actors.Never heard of Kiele Sanchez before,which is taking the role of Stella played by Melissa… More
I was hoping to see on the big screen a sequel for 30 Days of Night,which was my favorite horror film of 2007.But 30 Days of Night:Dark Days is a dtv release with less budget,and unknown actors.Never heard of Kiele Sanchez before,which is taking the role of Stella played by Melissa George in the first film,she delivers a good performance.Wasn't crazy about the tone of this film,and even the vampires not as creepy as the ones from the first film.The film scores big time with the gory & bloody scenes.One thing for sure this sequel has plenty of bloody moments. <div style="width:500px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/photos/30-days-of-night-dark-days-30-days-of-night-dark-day-13813562"><img src="http://content8.flixster.com/photo/13/81/35/13813562_ori.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com">Flixster</a> - Share Movies</div></div>

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Cast

Kiele Sanchez
as Stella
Mia Kirshner
as Lilith
Rhys Coiro

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