Ethan Hawke And Willem Dafoe's Vampire Movie Is A Sci-Fi Horror Hybrid Worth Revisiting

Fans of both vampires and sci-fi should look up this long-forgotten hidden gem. 2009's "Daybreakers" combines dystopian action with bloodthirsty horrors, resulting in a treat of a movie which really ought to be better remembered than it is. It's also loaded with beloved movie stars like Willem Dafoe, Ethan Hawke and Sam Neill. If you're curious about what it has to offer, you can find the film streaming for free on Tubi and Pluto TV.

Directed by Michael and Peter Spierig — whose direction is one reason why you should watch their 2017 effort "Jigsaw" more than once – "Daybreakers" takes place in the then-future of 2019, as humanity is grappling with a virus spread by a vampire bat. As a result, most of mankind has been transformed into vampires. This, naturally, causes a huge imbalance between the living and the dead, starving the vampires of fresh blood.

Enter Edward Dalton (Hawke), a vampiric hematologist who longs to be a human being once more. He and his colleagues are working hard to develop a form of substitute blood, while Charles Bromley (Neill) a megarich CEO, dreams of taking Dalton's invention and milling cash from it by selling his blood substitute to vampires everywhere. When Dalton learns about the existence of Lionel "Elvis" Cormac (Dafoe), a former vampire who's been cured, he becomes devoted to protecting Cormac and discovering what reversed Cormac's vampirism before it's too late. Along the way, Audrey Bennett (Claudia Karvan), who devotes her time to protecting humans, also becomes part of the team.

"Daybreakers" has cult favorite in the making written all over it. It did mediocre business at the box office, earning just over $50 million worldwide on a $20 million budget, and could only manage a fourth place opening behind the first "Avatar" film, Robert Downey Jr.'s "Sherlock Holmes" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel." 

Critics were moderately kind to the movie, doling out a 69% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences were somewhat less forgiving, handing it 49% on the same site's Popcornmeter, but those critics that did enjoy it raved. "The conceit is worked out in whiz-bang diabolical detail ... and brought to life with imaginative effects," remarked Richard Brody from The New Yorker. Agreed Paul Chambers from CNN Radio, "A first-rate vampire flick with solid action and a story that's never been seen before. Go in with high expectations and you won't be disappointed."

While the movie might not be well-remembered today, its cast have since reunited on other projects. Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe would later co-star in "The Northman," and while it's a completely different kind of movie, moviegoers who love that dark-hewn, violent, suspenseful tale might love "Daybreakers" too.