On October 19, 2007 the vampire fury that was once contained safely within the pages of a graphic novel was unleashed upon the big screen in the form of a live action adaptation.

How well the adaptation worked, I do not know. I chose to refrain from reading it prior to viewing the film. Now I have gotten my hands on the score, composed by Brian Reitzell, former drummer for Redd Kross and Air. I have since listened to it a few times and have come to the conclusion that it is as frustrating as the feature was. It is sad to say this composition has not survived its extraction from the moving image all too well.

Some scores cannot be separated from the images they accompany. Take those moving pictures away and the music loses its relevance, its cohesion. Some scores can make you relive the film in your mind, scores such as John Williams' Star Wars. Others can be listened to separate from the films completely, delivering a unique experience on their own, such as Shigeru Umebayashi's House of Flying Daggers. Then, there are scores like 30 Days of Night.

The movie itself was a frustrating experience. There were sequences and moments that worked incredibly well. There was a fantastic look to the movie. However, there were large logic gaps and, on a few occasions, it seemed like there was a reel missing. It made for an agonizing experience, as I wanted to like it so much. The same can be said for the score.

I saw the film prior to listening to the score and I have to say that the music never really stood out to me. It all blended seamlessly into the cold world of the vampires, failing to offer much life of its own. The score sounded as if it were more geared to creating an atmosphere than creating a score.

When I first listened to the album I was at work. This was a mistake; I have to keep the volume down so as not to disturb my neighbors. This album requires some volume.

It is an incredibly quiet collection with very few tracks offering any loud noises. It also drones on and is quite repetitive at times. Reitzell's compositions never offer up anything that could be termed a theme or motif, rather they underscore the current action. Yes, I know the music should be working in conjunction with the action, but there is not much to latch onto when you are devoid of the images.