By Kristin Carroll

The release of Daybreakers has the Spierig brothers putting an interesting spin on tired vampire stories. With the recent over saturation, many people have simply tuned out bloodsuckers and fangs. Feel free to do so only after giving this one a chance. The film is a fun ride, with exciting action sequences, an interesting plot, and plenty of blood. We are introduced to a future in 2019, where an unknown virus has transformed the majority of the world into vampires. As a result, humans are close to extinction. Almost all remaining are harvested in labs, providing minimal sustenance to the overpopulated vampires.

From the start, the story sucks you in. (Excuse the pun.) Ethan Hawke is introduced as Edward Dalton, a hematologist tasked with developing a blood substitute to replenish food supplies. His research company operates under the leadership of designated bad guy, Charles Bromley, played by Sam Neil. The atmosphere portrays a barely contained panic amongst everyone, as they face their impending doom of starvation. With no substitute-cure in site, vampires begin feeding on themselves, turning into brutal monsters, mirroring corpses with wings and fangs. One cannot help but be drawn into the dark desperation of the vampires.

The film advances with Dalton meeting a renegade group of humans including Willem DaFoe, who discover a vampire cure. As a sympathizer of humans, Dalton rallies for this cure rather than the blood substitute his lab seeks. DaFoe nails his performance, adding comedic value with his warrior-attitude. Both his and Hawke’s appearance in the action sequences are second to none, keeping viewers glued to the screen. The special effects are gripping, memorable and intense, leaving no room for disappointment.

Character development sometimes stops short of its potential, with a missed opportunity to further dissect the relationship between Bromley and his daughter. She refuses to turn vampire, and ultimately, Bromley aids in her demise. We’re nudged to dislike him from the start, though portraying his character as more than one-dimensional would have helped add depth to the storyline. The fact that he isn’t the only evil character, further underscores this lost chance.

Without giving too much away, Daybreakers is an exciting ride, and one I’d recommend seeing in the theater for the action sequences. Although it’s catalogued within the horror genre because it involves vampires, it’s not terribly scary, save for a few jump inducing moments. It should more adequately be billed as a futuristic action-adventure film. But that’s knit picking. Just go see it.

ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN THE "DAYBREAKERS" SWEEPSTAKES

In Theaters January 8th

The “Subsider” Grand Prize

• Autographed "Daybreakers" poster
• One Pair of tickets to see "Daybreakers"
• Blood Energy Potion
• B+ human blood aluminum water bottle
• meekssandygirl Crochet Vampire Bite Necklace
• "Daybreakers" soundtrack CD
• "Daybreakers" Sunglasses
• Human Blood-y Mary recipe card

The “Edward Dalton” Prize

• "Daybreakers" poster
• Blood Energy Potion
• B+ human blood aluminum water bottle
• "Daybreakers" soundtrack CD
• "Daybreakers" Sunglasses
• Human Blood-y Mary recipe card

The “Audrey Bennett” Prize

• "Daybreakers"poster
• Blood Energy Potion
• B+ human blood aluminum water bottle
• "Daybreakers" soundtrack CD
• "Daybreakers" Sunglasses

ENTER HERE

We have a HUGE set of photos from Saturday night’s Vampire on Ice and Daybreakers events:

View 140 more photos (courtesy of Chad Hawks) in the Photo Album.

We’re encouraging anybody attending Vampires on Ice and Carpe Noctem at Neo on Saturday night to post tweets and photos from the events! If you are able to post to Twitter from your phone, add the hashtag #chicagovampire so Dark Chicago homebase can find and re-tweet your posts.

If you can send photos from your phone, send pics to photos@darkchicago.com and we’ll post them!

ChicagoVampire.com is pleased to announce that your Host and MC for the night will be none other than Mr. Chad Hawks from ChateauGRRR.com – one of our favorite local vampires and one helluva fun guy.

Details about Saturday’s Daybreakers/Vampire events

ChicagoVampire.com is pleased to announce a night of vampire-fueled fanged fun courtesy of the new Lionsgate movie DAYBREAKERS on January 2, 2010.

We’ll start with VAMPIRES ON ICE at the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink in Millennium Park starting at 7:30 pm: Come out and meet Kitty Zombie dressed as your favorite vampire (or type of vampire) and get great DAYBREAKERS shwag, photos with Kitty and other Chicago vampire fans and enjoy the general merriment that ensues when the Undead Take Over the Ice!

Then head north to Club Neo for DAYBREAKERS NIGHT from 10:00 pm to 5:00 am. There’ll be vampire-centric music, vampire drink specials, Daybreakers giveaways and passes handed out for a SPECIAL SCREENING of DAYBREAKERS on Monday, January 4.

Vampires on Ice is ALL AGES. Daybreakers Night is 21+.

DAYBREAKERS This January, Lionsgate takes vampires in a new direction with the futuristic sci-fi thriller, DAYBREAKERS.

The year is 2019. A mysterious plague has swept over the earth, transforming the majority of the world’s population into vampires. Humans are now an endangered, second-class species – forced into hiding as they are hunted and farmed for vampire consumption to the brink of extinction.

It’s all up to Edward Dalton, a vampire researcher who refuses to feed on human blood, to perfect a blood substitute that might sustain vampires and spare the few remaining humans. But time and hope are running out – until Ed meets Audrey, a human survivor who leads him to a startling medical breakthrough. Armed with knowledge that both humans and vampires will kill for, Ed must battle his own kind in a deadly struggle that will decide the fate of the human race.

Stylish, provocative and action-packed, DAYBREAKERS stars two-time Academy Award® nominee Ethan Hawke (Supporting Actor, TRAINING DAY, 2001; Adapted Screenplay, BEFORE SUNSET, 2004), two-time Academy Award® nominee Willem Dafoe (Supporting Actor, PLATOON, 1988; Supporting Actor, SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE, 2000) and Sam Neill.   Make-up Effects were created by WETA Workshop.   DAYBREAKERS is written and directed by the Spierig Brothers.

ChicagoVampire.com has 25 Admit-Two passes to give away for a November 23rd advance screening of the upcoming vampire/comedy TRANSYLMANIA. To win, send an email to transylmaniachicago@yahoo.com – the first 25 people to do so will receive a return email with a printable eTicket and specific time/location for the screening. Enjoy!

For every excited teenage girl (and her won’t-admit-that-she’s-also-excited mom) that’s going to see Twilight: New Moon this weekend, there are a dozen horror/vampire fans who would rather die a slow, painful death than be sparkly. For that latter group, here are 20 vampire movies that really deliver the goods. The vampires are rarely the Good Guys here, but even when they are, they’re still really, really dangerous:

1. Near Dark
2. Fright Night
3. Let the Right One In
4. Vamp
5. 30 Days of Night
6. Perfect Creature
7. From Dusk ’til Dawn
8. Innocent Blood
9. Shadow of the Vampire
10. Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
11. John Carpenter’s Vampires
12. The Hunger
13. The Lost Boys
14. Thirst
15. Blade
16. Vampire Hunter D
17. Blood, The Last Vampire (Anime)
18. Salem’s Lot (1979)
19. Cronos
20. …oh, go ahead and pop in your favorite version(s) of Dracula while you’re at it!

Did we forget your favorite vampire movie? Is there a glaring omission? Hit the COMMENT button to leave your additions!