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By Fred Topel

In addition to being a kick ass vampire movie, 30 Days of Night is also a great Blu Ray. The snowy environments provide many details, and the film is brand new so it's all crisp and clear. Even the menu screen is a nice screensaver of the snowy town.

Sure enough, the opening glacier shot shows off the minute grades of off white color and all the cracks and bumps in the ice. The first act in sunlight has a nice blue sky (still grainy though, why can't they get those skies right?) but flawless powder cover on the ground. Every flake pops off the blanket. Even passing shots of violent action show off sparkling crystals.

Nightfall doesn't hurt the landscape. Whether lit by street light or moonlight, snow creates a tapestry of dents and bumps in the banks piling up on the street. That's a pretentious way of trying to assure you that it looks awesome. I can't just keep using the same word though. It is the ultimate tapestry.

The vampires still look awesome (there, I'll give 'em one more). Their sharp features come to crisp points and you see all the pale pores in their skin. The crusty blood on their chins provides a nice contrast, and punctuates their monstrous appearance.

Interiors are more basic. You still see all the detail but there's no standout. That's right because the snow is the showcase here. Blood spatters actually appear somewhat muted. That is also appropriate because it's supposed to be gritty, not operatic and glamorous.

Extras include a commentary with the cast, eight featurettes that add up to a 50 minute documentary and a comparison of graphic novel panels to film frames. On the comparisons, you can actually toggle the picture in picture so either the panel or the film frame is the dominant image. That's kind of cool. The documentary was clearly planned for the DVD so they had cameras there from the beginning of preproduction. It is a typically polished studio behind the scenes piece.