Daybreakers is a 2010 science fiction vampire thriller film written and directed by Michael and Peter Spierig. The film stars Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe and Sam Neill. Daybreakers was released in the United Kingdom on January 6, 2010 and was released in North America on January 8, 2010.

In 2019, most of the world’s population has become vampires because of a pandemic disease. As human numbers dwindle, the need for blood becomes desperate. When deprived for extended periods, vampires transform into sub-siders, aggressive bat-like creatures. Humans are captured and harvested in laboratory farms while scientists research a synthetic blood-substitute. The main supplier of blood in the U.S. is the pharmaceutical company Bromley Marks, run by Charles Bromley (Sam Neill). Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke) and Chris Caruso (Vince Colosimo) are hematologists working on the blood-substitute. Under pressure from Charles, they try multiple versions in a series of failing clinical trials. Meanwhile, Edward secretly refuses to drink human blood and faces a strained relationship with his brother, Frankie (Michael Dorman), a human-hunting soldier.

A covert group of humans led by Audrey (Claudia Karvan) rescues and hides humans from vampire patrols while they attempt to win allies amongst the vampires. Audrey contacts Edward because of his human sympathies and scientific specialty. He meets Elvis (Willem Dafoe), a man cured of vampirism by brief exposure to sunlight. After some experimentation, Edward is able to duplicate this effect and is cured himself.

When a convoy of humans headed to Audrey’s group is captured by Bromley soldiers, Charles is reunited with his human daughter, Alison (Isabel Lucas) and has her forcibly turned by Frankie. She refuses blood and begins to turn into a sub-sider. She is killed when a group of the creatures are rounded up and executed. Witnessing Alison’s death upsets Frankie and he seeks out his brother.

Edward, Elvis, and Audrey meet with Chris and ask him to help spread the cure. However, Chris has finally discovered a viable blood-substitute and does not want a cure to become widespread. He calls in a vampire patrol who captures Audrey while Elvis and Edward escape into hiding. They are finally found by Frankie who agrees to help but is changing into a sub-sider. He attacks Elvis and they learn that feeding on a former vampire is also a cure.

Edward turns himself in and goads Charles into attacking him. Edward then uses Charles to cure a group of soldiers experiencing the beginning of sub-sider aggression. Edward and Audrey, cornered by more soldiers, are rescued when Frankie sacrifices himself to the soldiers. This sparks a chain-reaction feeding frenzy that leaves all of the soldiers dead or cured. They are confronted by Chris, who kills the cured soldiers to hide the evidence of the cure. Elvis arrives and rescues them by killing Chris. The three then drive away into the sunrise with a voice-over by Edward stating that they have a cure and can change others back.

Cast

• Ethan Hawke as Edward Dalton
• Willem Dafoe as Lionel "Elvis" Cormac
• Claudia Karvan as Audrey Bennett
• Sam Neill as Charles Bromley
• Michael Dorman as Frankie Dalton
• Isabel Lucas as Alison Bromley
• Vince Colosimo as Christopher Caruso