Night Country Inspired by Two Chilling Real-Life Mysteries

After watching the trailer for True Detective: Night Country, I wondered a couple of things. The first was whether 30 Days of Night was based on a true story. (Minus the vampires, of course.)

Because like 30 Days of Night, which was set in Barrow, Alaska, (or Utqiagvik as it’s now known), Night Country is also set in a small Alaskan town, albeit the fictional one of Ennis. But in both cases, the setting is a place that experiences polar night, where the sun never rises during certain parts of the year. Darkness prevails for weeks on end.

Then there are the mysterious deaths featured in both. Of course, the remaining residents in 30 Days of Night quickly figure out they’re being hunted by vampires. But were there mysterious, unsolved deaths that happened once upon a time during a polar night in Alaska? One that inspired both 30 Days of Night and Night Country?

Not that it happened in Alaska, but the Dyatlov Pass incident also came to mind. Especially after reading the show’s description and watching a couple of scenes in the trailer. Here’s the show’s synopsis:

When the long winter night falls in Ennis, Alaska, the eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station vanish without a trace. To solve the case, Detectives Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) will have to confront the darkness they carry in themselves, and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice.

As it turns out, a couple of real-life mysteries with supernatural overtones really did influence Night Country.

The Mary Celeste, the Dyatlov Pass Incident and Night Country

Vanity Fair shared an interview with Night Country showrunner, writer, and director, Issa López. She spoke about similarities and differences between this season of True Detective and the first one.

The dynamics between the two detectives investigating in Night Country reflect a similarity between the detectives in season 1. But something she didn’t like about the original was she felt the ending was a “cheat.” The audience didn’t have a fair chance to “solve the mystery merely by watching the show” since it “hinged on a character who was only briefly glimpsed early in the series.”

She says she didn’t do that. Instead, she took a “risk of putting everything on the table.” For viewers who watch closely and know where to look, the character(s) “that committed the deed are right there in front of you through the entire series.”

But then López also shared that the story line was inspired by “a pair of mysteries that have haunted her since childhood.” One was the Dyatlov Pass incident, where nine Soviet hikers died from “uncertain” circumstance in the Ural mountains in 1959. The other was the mysterious case of the Mary Celeste, a ship that was found abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean near the Azores in 1872. What happened to her crew to cause them to abandon a still sea-worthy vessel? And what happened to them afterwards? (They completely vanished.)

Both real-life mysteries remain unsolved, but speculation abounds—including supernatural suppositions—about both cases. Especially in the case of the Dyatlov Pass incident. Many believe a  murderous Yeti was responsible for the hikers’ deaths. In the Mary Celeste’s case, fantastical explanations range from a giant octopus picking off the crew members to aliens abducting them.

Those cases will likely remain unsolved, but by the end of episode 6, all should be made clear in Night Country.

Night Country and The Shining

NPR hailed True Detective: Night Country “the best entry in this anthology series since the original.”

They also said “the Alaskan location scenes, filmed in Iceland, make for some of the most remote and desolate winter panoramas since Stanley Kubrick filmed The Shining.”

What better time to curl up with a chilling thriller than in the depths of winter? The first of Night Country‘s six episodes premier on HBO and Max on Sunday, January 14.

Do you plan to watch? I’ve got my popcorn and throw ready and waiting!

Courtney Mroch

Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.

Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.