Summary

  • 30 Days of Night proved that vampires can be portrayed as truly monstrous and feral, rather than just as sophisticated aristocrats.
  • The unique language spoken by the vampires added to the terror and mystery of their characters.
  • The vampires in 30 Days of Night were portrayed as savage predators, who relied more on their actions and body language than on conversation.

30 Days of Night proved that just because vampires aren't usually the first choice for feral scares and are commonly depicted as sophisticated, if evil aristocrats, doesn't mean they should never be considered for more visceral horror stories. But what really made the movie's unique take on the lore engaging was the terrifying language the vampires spoke, which sounded human enough yet entirely monstrous to have viewers wondering where they came from.

30 Days of Night took place in the Alaskan town of Barrow, which was so far North that the residents were subjected to a month of total darkness. For the most part, the town lived in relative peace with little to no issues. However, everything changed when a strange man entered the town and brought with him a family of vampires. The town was forced to band together for most of the month to fend off the supernatural threat, even though they barely understood who or what they were fighting. But what made the vampires even more terrifying was that while they may have appeared human, they acted and spoke in a way that was anything but.

Updated on January 30, 2024 by Angelo Delos Trinos: Despite being lost in the shuffle of movies released in the early '00s, 30 Days of Night endured as a modern cult classic, and a favorite among vampire fans. This was mostly due to the movie's unique depiction of vampires, which was best summarized by their use of the 30 Days of Night language. This article was updated to analyze what the vampires' unique language meant, and how it elevated them from their contemporaries.

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The Creation of 30 Days of Night’s Vampire Language

30 Days of Night's Critical Reception

IMDb Score

Meta Critic Score

Rotten Tomatoes Score

6.6/10

  • Meta Score: 53/100
  • Audience Score: 8.3.10
  • Tomatometer: 51%
  • Audience Score: 56%
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According to director David Slade, 30 Days of Night's language wasn't based on any language that existed. With the help of a linguistics professor, the 30 Days of Night language was created by using click consonants and roars. Rather than create a detailed collection of words, the language was simplified to a "yes-and-no" dialogue tree to give the vampires the best and easiest range in terms of how they conveyed their language to one another. This simplified lingual system also helped the vampires' actors, since they used body language and facial expressions instead of dialogue spoken in a contemporary language to express bringing their characters to life. More importantly, the simplified terms also helped make the creatures terrifying.

When the idea of a vampire enters a person's mind, most would consider nobles like Count Dracula and Lestat de Lioncourt from Interview with the Vampire, or the vampiric delinquents seen in movies like The Lost Boys and the hilariously controversial The Twilight Saga. These were the two most popular vampire archetypes. If vampires weren't depicted as immortal monarchs from a bygone era who clung to their old, monstrous ways, they were nocturnal punks who refuted their posh and elitist stereotypes. One thing these two very different depictions of vampires shared was that they could convincingly pass as humans, regardless of what era they lurked in. This was cemented by their mastery of English, knowledge of modern culture, and appreciation of human history and/or contemporary trends. Conversely, the vampires in 30 Days of Night were more like forces of nature. While the 30 Days of Night language sounded like something out of Eastern Europe to some viewers, its click consonants offered just enough of a disconnect to make it sound as if the vampires were speaking in an ancient yet evolved language. In essence, they sounded like beasts that were still learning to be human. As for the concepts they didn't have the words for or couldn't understand yet, they just yelled and used their actions to convey these thoughts and feelings.

While most fans of 30 Days of Night remember how fast and brutal the vampires were, the unique 30 Days of Night language was what really made them seem more otherworldly than the average movie vampire. In a way, speaking was just a byproduct of their evolving nature. This implied that it was easier for them to hunt and feed on humans than to carry on a conversation, or even hold a complex thought for more than a minute. However, strategy was still imperative to them, and this was where their language took center stage. Even still, the 30 Days of Night language was used at the bare minimum by Marlow, the lead vampire, to order or inspire the others in his group. This use of language reinforced 30 Days of Night's uniquely animalistic take on vampires, since it emphasized that they were basically a pack of wild predators who only took orders from their leader.

*The 30 Days of Night Language Was Unique to the Movie

30 Days of Night Created By:

Writer

Steve Niles

Artist

Ben Templesmith

Cover artist

Ashley Wood

Letterer and designer

Robbie Robins

Publisher

IDW Publishing

Published on

August to October 2002

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The language in 30 Days of Night was, surprisingly, not in the comics. Whether it was the original 30 Days of Night graphic novel , its sequels, or any of its countless spin-offs, the vampires all talked in contemporary English. It was also confirmed that the vampires could speak whatever language was used in the country or time period they were currently hiding in. The fact that the vampires in the original 30 Days of Night spoke English was a major plot point, since this was how Sherrif Eben Olsen figured out what the vampires thought, what they were planning to do in Barrow, and ultimately how to defeat them. For example, when Eben was scavenging for supplies, a vampire literally told him that Barrow's arctic climate messed with their heightened senses. Later on, Eben overhears Marlow and Vincente (the vampires' lord) argue and casually mention the most crucial information that Barrow's survivors needed. Finally, a vampirized Eben verbally threatened the vampires to leave Barrow after he killed Vincente. The choice to make the vampires speak English and follow a clear hierarchy wasn't a bad thing, but it was predictable.

30 Days of Night was first published in 2002, which was around the time when vampires were reimagined into edgy punks who resented being at the mercy of their out-of-touch vampiric elders. The original Blade trilogy and Underworld series are good examples of this trope in action. The edgy vampires often spoke English, while their elders could speak it too, but often chose to speak in their old tongues out of tradition and spite of modernity and youth (both vampires and human). 30 Days of Night's comics diligently followed what was accepted to be the monsters' norm, and so did many other vampire comics and stories of the era. The movie improved on the comics' groundwork by making the vampires speak in their own language, thus making them even more monstrous and beyond human comprehension than they already were.

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30 Days of Night accomplished this not only by making the unique 30 Days of Night language, but by also eliminating any mention of the vampires' history and society. By having the vampires speak in an arcane language only occasionally subtitled, stripping them of any humanizing traits or personalities, and giving them no backstory or motive beyond the desire to eat people, 30 Days of Night gave audiences some of the most literally inhuman and unfathomable vampires in the horror genre. This was emphasized by how Eben and the others had to infer and guess what the vampires were saying or thinking. The vampires' inhumanity was further hammered in when Eben only "communicated" with them through brute force and murder. Even if they looked and dressed like ordinary people and spoke a few English words, these vampires were twisted mockeries of humanity. Typical movie vampires derived fear from the fact that they were monsters hiding in plain sight, and by affirming the belief that people were the real monsters. Conversely, 30 Days of Night's vampires were feared because they were the nightmarish creatures that ancient myths and campfire tales have been warning of since the dawn of time. The moment the vampires reverted to talking in English and followed a strict caste in the direct-to-video sequel 30 Days of Night: Dark Days was the moment that 30 Days of Night's vampires lost their unique edge, and just became another pack of generic modern vampires.

30 Days of Night is a unique vampire film in that it honors the core values of vampire mythology, while daring to do something unique. While director David Slade could've made these vampires as traditional and safe as was done by almost every piece of vampire media made before 30 Days of Night, the decision to make them more feral than ever paid off. Now, when fans revisit the film, the 30 Days of Night language that the vampires spoke added an unnerving quality to create a version of a vampire that was neither romantic nor tragic. Instead, they were violent and brutal. They spoke in a language they only understood, not to communicate with one another, but to better decide what would make a better kill.

30 Days of Night (2007) official poster
30 Days of Night
R
Action
Horror
Thriller

After an Alaskan town is plunged into darkness for a month, it is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires.

Release Date
October 19, 2007
Director
David Slade
Cast
Josh Hartnett , Melissa George , Danny Huston
Runtime
1 hour 53 minutes
Writers
Steve Niles , Stuart Beattie , Brian Nelson
Production Company
Columbia Pictures, Ghost House Pictures, Dark Horse Entertainment