Sam Raimi was on hand at the Screen Gems panel, presenting two clips of the upcoming graphic novel adaptation, 30 Days of Night. The flick stars Josh Hartnett as a sheriff leading a band of survivors after vampires descend upon their isolated, wintry town. The first clip was the standard trailer everyone's seen at this point, the second was a new Comic-Con exclusive clip.

It opens with a group of survivors, snow frozen on their faces, stumbling into a supply depot. Josh Hartnett's character orders them to fan out, grab whatever they can, and regroup in two minutes. There are a few shots of people grabbing flashlights and sundry equipment, before two party members make a morbid discovery. Amid noises of chewing and slurping, the camera slowly pans in to a carcass and a little girl on top of it. She turns around, taunting them, with no small amount of blood between her teeth and on the lower part of her face.

Rather than dispose of the kid, they curiously run back and report to Hartnett. They return to the scene, finding the chewed-up body and the little girl missing. The camera focuses on a closed door, and the girl jumps out, bolts towards one of the party members, knocking him down. He gets a nasty scratch on the face and neck (I don’t know what this implies in the world of feral snow vampires). Everyone pulls the girl off the man, and pin her against the wall, struggling to keep her up and avoiding getting clawed in the face. Hartnett yells, “Get the axe!” One charges up with the weapon in hand.

Then the clip cut out. Raimi later explained that the powers that be did not wish to show such a graphic scene, much to the consternation of director David Slade.

Afterwards, they opened up the mic to guests, and Raimi fielded the usual type of convention Q & A questions. Yes, he’s currently too busy producing horror movies to direct another horror movie. Sure, an Evil Dead 4 would be made if Raimi and his brother, Ted, found the time and willpower to work on it. And if you were wondering, Raimi’s favorite ice cream is pistachio. Hartnett’s is rocky road.

Raimi knows what scares us. One surprising moment came when a conventioneer asked what scared him. After a moment’s pause, he answered that dying had never concerned him, but after his children were born, the thought of not being for them is frightening.


Hartnett in 30 Days of Night