It seems that a thousand vampire movies have been made over the years, and most of them are pretty bad.  When I come across one that has some quality, I want to spread the word.  I recently watched two that impressed me.  Each of them has come up with a unique premise for a vampire movie, and each of them keeps you guessing about what is fantasy and what is reality.

The first one is titled Bled from 2009.  What if there was a mind-altering drug that could take you into a full-blown vampire experience?  Those who go on this drug trip find it intoxicating and addictive.  The folks who put this film together clearly have a serious interest in how the vampire has a powerful impact on human consciousness.  The gothic imagery and scenery are impressive.

www.bledmovie.com

The other film is even better.  It is a Spanish movie with English subtitles  from 2006.  Titled A Real Friend, it also has a very original story idea.   A young girl has imaginary monster friends who seem quite real to her,   and one of her friends is a vampire.  I like the strangeness and slow pace  of the film. The tension builds to a powerful climax.

http://www.thelightningbugslair.com/2008/09/leatherface-shows-his-tender-side.html

For those who have Comcast free movies on demand in America, these films are available during the summer.

Meanwhile, TWILIGHT: ECLIPSE is already destroying box office records, bringing in over $30 million from its 12:01 AM and 3 AM screenings at more than 4,000 North American theaters early Wednesday morning. This was the biggest release in US film history (the prior record was the midnight debut for “New Moon” last November, $26.3M).

And, finally, Chicago vampirologist Martin V. Riccardo brought this to our attention: As ridiculous as it sounds, Ancestry.com reports that Robert “Edward Cullen” Pattinson is related to Vlad Tepes, aka The “Real” Dracula: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/24/2935904.htm

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.

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

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

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

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.