‘Daybreakers’ fits into golden age of Vampire cinema

By Steve W. Schaefer

“Daybreakers”

Rated R for strong bloody violence, language and brief nudity.

It is, I think, the Golden Age of the Vampire film. Spawn of Nosferatu, AKA Dracula are everywhere: in books, TV and film. Lately, the nuance is that there are bad vampires (so familiar to us in Vampire Literature) and the good ones, the vegetarian vampires, so to speak; those reluctant to suck the blood of innocent humans: complex vampires in need of therapy, compassion, and perhaps some aromatherapy.

If you are from another planet, just arrived, and unaware of vampire popular culture: I am referring to the film franchise “Twilight.” “Twilight” is sort of a Sunday School version of a bloody vampire movie: less blood, more love, no sex. And then there is the TV series “The Vampire Diaries” which is sort of a mixture of “Dawsons Creek” and “Twilight,” vampires with term papers and teen angst.  Then there is “True Blood” which is an HBO adult version of the vampire tale, less blood, but more sex. 

And here comes “Daybreakers.” This film is for vampire movie fans and nobody else. It is 2019 and nearly the whole world has become infected; in short, nearly everyone has turned vampire. Society has adapted, however, vampires stay underground and shielded from the sun. Vampires travel from building to building using tunnels and underground walkways. Advertisements for teeth whiteners feature comely female vampires with fangs. Coffee is served with a healthy dose of human blood. Non-vampires are kept alive (barely) attached to machines that harvest blood. However, the new vampire world is running out of humans. And a vampire starving (of blood) is not a pretty sight. They turn into really gross bat creatures that are very, very violent. 

Ethan Hawke plays hematologist Edward Dalton (one of those veggie vamps) seeking a substitute for blood. His evil boss is Charles Bromley (played menacingly by Sam Neill). Bromley loves the vampire life and has only one regret: his daughter refuses to turn vampire. 

Not all humans are gone, however; there are a few who stay out of sight but armed with crossbows, desperate to find a way to survive the vampire plague. The leader is named Elvis (Willem Dafoe), a vampire who accidentally turned from vampire to human. Dafoe is the best element of “Daybreakers.” Dalton (our tortured hematologist) joins the humans in their fight. Thanks to Dafoe’s experience, Dalton finds a cure for vampirism. 

Hawke’s character has a gung-ho military brother who ends up on the other side of the humans versus vampires war; a little dramatic tension between the scenes of gore. The special effects monsters---the starving vampires---are very effective. Fair warning: humans with weak stomachs best stay far, far away from “Daybreakers.”

 This film is no masterpiece of the subtle cinematic metaphor. It is just a fun blood and guts vampire flick; certainly meaty enough for fans “to sink their fangs into.” 

“Daybreakers” earns four bow ties out of five.