It is no secret that I bitch a lot about all the unoriginal vampire films that litter the horror scene, both in theaters and on direct-to-video shelves. The sub-genre has been bled to death by unoriginal ideas since the advent of digital filmmaking. However, just when I thought the genre no longer could be original, along comes a film like Daybreakers which breathes new life into the genre, not by doing anything different, but instead by exploring the possibility of a way to cure vampirism.
In the 2019, a plague has transformed most of mankind into vampires. It is said that 95% of all human life has turned. The daytime is now night and dusk is the new morning. With the human race on the brink of extinction and every remaining human either on the run or being farmed for blood, the vampires’ food supply is limited. Blood is rising in price and being rationed, and those who can’t afford to buy blood are slowing turning into savage beasts that will attack and eat anything in their paths. Dr. Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke), a vampire and hematologist who works for a pharmaceutical firm, has been working to find an artificial blood supply. However, his attempts have not come close to their goal, and his experiments have failed. His boss, Charles Bromley (Sam Neill), still has faith that Edward can find something, but is growing weary of the failed attempts. On his way home from work one night, Dalton runs into a group of humans whom he helps escape a car accident. Among them, he is given an alternative to an artificial blood supply: a cure. With the help of some of the world’s remaining humans, Dalton takes his newly found cure to the vampire world to show the vampire race that they can become human once again. However, Charles Bromley does not make it easy for Dalton.
Before I saw Daybreakers, I had heard mixed reviews of the film. Many complained that it is slow-moving and that the story never really goes anywhere. I agree that the film is sluggish right out of the gate, but the story is fresh and original and brings a whole new light to a sub-genre that has been beaten with a stick over and over again for the past twenty years. The dialogue is very well written and I really like how the story’s mysteries unfold with the development of its plot twists. I find it to be a refreshing vampire story that works.
Apparently, the cast agrees with me about the script as there are plenty of high-profile actors in this film. Ethan Hawke plays the lead role of Edward Dalton really well, and co-star Sam Neill, an actor who first caught my eye as a great actor of the horror genre when he was in John Carpenter’s Lovecraft adaptation of In The Mouth of Madness, and later in Paul Andersen’s space horror, Event Horizon. I always have admired Neill as an actor and think he is one of the most talented in Hollywood. One cannot forget to mention another talented co-star, Willem Dafoe. (I once had the honor of meeting him in a camera store in New York City. He is one of the most friendly and professional actors I ever have had the pleasure of meeting.) Dafoe’s character in the film is vital to the storyline and I could not picture anyone else in the role. His performance is a brilliant showstopper. The supporting cast is good and the acting as a whole in the film is excellent.
The Blu-ray disc comes with loads of special features, including commentary with co-writers/directors Michael and Peter Spierig and special makeup effects creator Steve Boyle. There is also a feature-length documentary, “Making of Daybreakers;” and “The Big Picture,” a short film made by the film’s directors. There is also a poster gallery and a Bonus View feature which contains Storyboard and Animatics film comparisons. The Blu-ray disc also has the Liongate Live feature with which you can access exclusive content. The Blu-ray disc also comes with a digital copy of the film.
Daybreakers is a breath of fresh air into the unoriginal world of the vampire film. The genre is making a comeback on the heels of the teen novel, Twilight and its films. Someone like me, who wants to see great vampire films that are more adult in their stories and brutal in nature as horror films should be, looks to films like Daybreakers to break down the barriers and give the vampire genre new life. I hope Daybreakers will open the doors for other great vampire stories, such as Charlie Huston’s Joe Pitt series and David Wellington’s Laura Caxton series, to be made into films. Daybreakers is well worth the viewing for its story alone. Check it out!
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
