Barrow, Alaska and the Monster Films that Bring Us There...

When I first met my husband, I thought he was a kind, gentle soul who had a quirky sense of humor and eclectic interests. Then I found out about his vast knowledge of zombies, zombie movies, zombie history, and zombie culture. For example, zombies originated from the island of Haiti. Zombie Island if you will. Apparently they practice so much voodoo down there, it's probable they really are reanimating the dead three or four times a week, selling T-shirts about it, and otherwise holding meetings on what to do with these so-called zombie pests. I envision it much like our rat problem here in New York.

Haiti... Zombie Lovin' Since 1492.

While I was never comfortable with the apocalyptic nature of zombie films, I slowly came around thanks to the likes of Shawn of the Dead and Dead Next Door. And then we saw 28 Days Later, where the psuedo-zombies sprint, jump, run, and otherwise scare the crap out of everyone with their sheer speed. I'm not sure how I feel about zombies not keeping in their conventions of slow walking, muttering, and being completely oblivious.

And so of course my husband started introducing me to other monster-esque films and culture as well including vampires, warewolves, and Italian horror movies. When we heard about 30 Days of Night, we decided to catch it on Movies on Demand, and pretend that Josh Hartnett wasn't in it. Turned out, he wasn't so bad.

The premise is pretty amazing. 30 days of darkness in the northernmost town in North America, Barrow, Alaska, brings a feeding frenzy of vampires. While I'm aware it was based on a comic book, I still didn't like that they used axes to cut off the vampire heads as opposed to good old fashioned stakes. The vampires were also not very hospitable, bursting into people's homes without even being invited first. And then of course the rancid gore and speed at which they fed. What's up with all the fast monsters these days in cinema?

Of course the moment the credits rolled, we both jumped on our laptops to look up Barrow. I'm embarrassed to say I wasn't even sure if it was an actual town. But in fact, it's a thriving little town 340 miles North of the Arctic Circle with nearly 4,500 residents who experience upwards of 324 days below freezing, and 65 days of night. Apparently there's a few hours of dusk each day, but the sun never really rises from November 18th through January 24th. But that means from May 10th to August 2nd, the sun never really sets. While 30 Days of Night paints a bleak, dark, ominous, isolating picture of Alaska, the film Insomnia depicts an even scarier version where the sun never sets all during a murder investigation that brings about paranoid delusions.

Chillin' in Barrow...

So the films aren't accurate, even by a long shot, but I wonder how many people started looking to Barrow and Northern Alaska as a destination vacation after watching blood thirsty vampires ravage the town. To find out, hop a plane to Anchorage, then Fairbanks, and then Barrow. Because there are no roads leading into Barrow, locals drive their cars (I assume to stay warm) around the small town, but must fly or dog sled themselves out.

Tourists come for birding, hunting, whale watching, Inuit culture, cross country skiing, and winter sports. While bumping around online, I found a New Yorker (of course) who was complaining about how bad the food and restaurants were in Barrow. Only a New Yorker could complain about the food in an Arctic town, despite all supplies being shipped in from across the country and being exposed to intense cold, arctic desert winter temperatures. Don't go to Barrow for fine dining.

Tourism is surprisingly alive and well in Barrow with an Inupiat Heritage Center, Wiley Post Will Rogers Monument, Arctic Ocean, Point Barrow, Cape Smythe Whaling Station, archaeological sites, whaling festival, kiviq dance, and Spring festival. A handful of restaurants, hotels, tours, public bus, and taxis can help your winter vacation along. Arctic Tours or Point Barrow Tours for help planning your Arctic adventure.

How do I feel about discovering a town based on an inaccurate story about fictional monsters? I don't see how it's that much different than most of the films depicting NYC as bohemian and/or dangerous, with 20-something year olds living in Soho lofts, Friends living in a West Village apartment the size of a suburban house, and financial dudes in suits running the world.


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