Trailer Analysis

Film: 30 Days of Night 
Released: October 2007
Directed by: David Slade

The trailer for 30 Days of Night shows a small town above the Arctic Circle being terrorised by a group of vampires whilst they try to survive the month of never ending darkness.

Collision cutting is used immediately in this which sets the tone for a very jumpy action packed film, attracting fans of this action/horror sub-genre. The low-key lighting used throughout the trailer really highlights the isolation in the mise-en-scene whilst the setting emphasises the human instinct of being afraid of the dark, because that’s where the ‘monsters’ are. In this trailer, the ‘monsters’ are actually terrifying looking vampires and are portrayed as being fast moving monsters, which are archetypal due to modern action horrors such as Dawn of the Dead (2004).

Personally, I’d be interested to see a trailer for this film where the audience doesn’t actually see what the vampires look like, and are left to imagine it. I think that this technique would build the tension and encourage people to go and see the film, because you already see what they are capable of throughout the trailer. This could take some drama away from the film.

Overall, I thought that this was a really good trailer for the action sub-genre of horror because it sold what the movie is and therefore I would give it an 8/10. The fast paced editing highlights its high energy action scenes, which will attract the target audience of 18-30 year olds.