Vampires

Lili’s Pick: Cronos

Lanie’s Pick: 30 Days of Night

We began our exploration into the iconic and rich genre of vampire films by watching two underdogs of the lot. Guillermo del Toro’s first film Cronos was everything you could want from a film about a vampire grandpa, and more! It takes an approach to the vampire narrative that you would never expect, one that is quaint and at times adorable, but ultimately unpredictable. Ron Perlman, as always, has a statuesque, intimidating presence that felt a bit out of place here, but since he and Guillermo del Toro are such bros, his presence is warranted. 30 Days of Night, in an entirely different but still innovative way, approached vampires with a style that had no interest in elegance or glamour, only in barbaric ferocity. Style is so often the center of a vampiric narrative, and while this is not a bad thing, I appreciated how 30 Days of Night was able to actually scare me. Josh Hartnett was a dreamboat of a vampire killer, and his and Danny Huston’s final standoff felt like a Western in all of the best ways. Next time you think to yourself “I’d like to watch a vampire movie”, do not discount the bottom of the barrel, you might just find a classic or two.