Daybreakers (2010)

Director(s): Peter and Michael Spierig

Genre: Horror, Those Damned Vampires

Summary: In the future, vampires rule the world. Unfortunately, the human race is almost extinct and vampires are running out of blood to drink. As the vampires search for a new supply of blood or a substitute, one vampire named Edward Dalton takes a risk and instead chooses to search for a cure.

Impressions: I knew this would be one of those “niche” horror films. Daybreakers has a clever idea, because you never the vampires in control. They’re always in a world ruled by humans and they’re almost always all dead at the end of the film. This movie inverts that trope, and places the bad guys in charge. Actually, I had a Matrix-vibe going while this film was playing. Like the vampires were hoping they’d find Zion.

This movie has a lot to say about the morality of being a vampire, and being a human, and drinking blood, and murder in general. Unfortunately, because it’s balancing a chase/action film and a horror film, you never get satisfying examinations of any of the feelings Edward or the other vampires/humans are going through. In the end, I was left thinking about how much I would have preferred a more psychological, philosophical film with this same plot.

3 out of 5

“Living in a world where vampires are the dominate species is about as safe as bare backing a 5 dollar whore.”