Daybreakers

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Daybreakers

R,

2010,

1h 38m,

Horror/

Sci-Fi/

Action

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Watchlist

69%

155 Reviews

Tomatometer

49%

100,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

69%

Tomatometer

155 Reviews

49%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Ten years after a plague turns most of the world's population into vampires, a critical blood shortage causes panic and gruesome mutations among the reanimated. Edward (Ethan Hawke), a vampire hematologist, tries to develop a blood substitute when he meets Lionel (Willem Dafoe) and Audrey (Claudia Karvan), two fugitive humans who claim to have a possible cure. Edward casts his lot with them in the hope of perfecting the cure before it's too late.

Critics Consensus

Though it arrives during an unfortunate glut of vampire movies, Daybreakers offers enough dark sci-fi thrills -- and enough of a unique twist on the genre -- to satisfy filmgoers.

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Richard Brody

The New Yorker

Oct 26, 2020

The conceit is worked out in whiz-bang diabolical detail... and brought to life with imaginative effects.

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Laura Kern

Film Comment Magazine

Sep 24, 2014

A slick, violent, and intensely gloomy horror/action/sci-fi hybrid that stands out in a crowded field of end-of-mankind movie scenarios.

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C. Robert Cargill

Film.com

May 6, 2011

A

Daybreakers is the pinnacle of fun, modern sci-fi horror actioners.

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Joe Lipsett

Queer.Horror.Movies.

Sep 22, 2025

3.5/5

The film's climax is so lurid and operatic that it nearly punts the film into camp territory, but the story and world building is strong enough that the Spierig Brothers’ tendency to fall back on familiar tropes is forgivable.

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

Nov 20, 2023

3/4

As a vigorous reclamation of what vampire-genre movies should be, "Daybreakers" is, oh, positive.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Aug 25, 2023

3/4

Daybreakers proves Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig have the potential to become great genre filmmakers

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Hagrid G

Apr 13, 2019

Beautiful, Stylish, Noir. And, surprise: Funny! This movie was fun! Should have been listed as "Action, Fantasy, Comedy." Think absurd, dark comedy like Brazil. Just go with it. (Some of the cornball humor could have been sharper.) So what about the blood and guts and explosions?! It's all in good fun! Be warned: Suspension of belief required through out. Some lines are weak. And I liked the ending! Very silly, but it works for me.

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Rey S

Jan 24, 2019

Great concept, not so great execution. The premise was very original and the overall plot very decent. The movie also benefited from some solid acting talent. Unfortunately there are too many cliches and uninspired directing choices that make this whole thing fall a little flat. Such a waste.

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Luke P

Jan 21, 2019

Had a great idea and delivered. Although, the ending left me wanting more. It seemed- unfinished.

Albus S

Nov 25, 2018

Day Breakers, has part action, part horror and part humor. But still is able to pull things in the right direction.

Sep 18, 2018

Fresh off the success of their inventive take on the zombie genre, Undead masterminds Michael and Peter Spierig direct Ethan Hawke in an ambitious tale of a futuristic Earth populated entirely by vampires, and the efforts made by the creatures to ensure that their food supply doesn't run out as humankind is faced with extinction. The year is 2017, and a vampire plague has turned most of the planet's human population into bloodsucking ghouls. As the population of mortals fast begins to dwindle, a vampiric corporation sets out to capture and farm every remaining human while simultaneously researching a consumable blood substitute, headed by undead hematologist Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke). His work is interrupted after stumbling onto a pocket of human survivors lead by Elvis (Willem Dafoe), a former vampire, whose past reveals a cure that could reverse the tide and save the human race. With time running out, Dalton's only hope lies in outsmarting the security forces of his boss (Sam Neill), whose goal isn't just to find a substitute, but to repopulate humanity in order to sell its blood to the highest bidder. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Luke R

Jul 18, 2018

One of the better vampire films.

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Michael Spierig

Director

Peter Spierig

Director

Ethan Hawke

Edward Dalton

Willem Dafoe

Lionel "Elvis" Cormac

Claudia Karvan

Audrey Bennett

Michael Dorman

Frankie Dalton

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Daybreakers: Trailer 2

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Synopsis

Ten years after a plague turns most of the world's population into vampires, a critical blood shortage causes panic and gruesome mutations among the reanimated. Edward (Ethan Hawke), a vampire hematologist, tries to develop a blood substitute when he meets Lionel (Willem Dafoe) and Audrey (Claudia Karvan), two fugitive humans who claim to have a possible cure. Edward casts his lot with them in the hope of perfecting the cure before it's too late.

Director: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig
Producer: Chris Brown, Bryan Furst, Sean Furst
Screenwriter: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Australian Film Finance Corporation, Furst Films, Paradise Productions, Lionsgate Films, Pacific Film and Television Commission
Rating: R (Language|Brief Nudity|Strong Bloody Violence)
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 8, 2010, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 17, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $30.0M
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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