10 Overlooked But Awesome Movies You Can Watch On Netflix Right Now

3. Daybreakers

Daybreakers Ethan Hawke
Lionsgate

Though it's a solid film, it's quite easy to see why Daybreakers didn't cause much of a splash when it released in 2009.

The Twilight movies were thriving with the release of New Moon, and TV shows like True Blood and The Vampire Diaries were just beginning to find their legs. The type of vampire we were shown in Daybreakers - grim, violent, bloodthirsty - was in complete contrast to the type of sparkly vampire that was popular with mainstream audiences, and it caused the film to sink.

But it's this difference that's the key to Daybreakers' success - it took a concept that audiences were familiar with and completely tipped it on its head. In this world, vampires reign supreme and humans are on the run, their blood a valuable commodity. Familiar elements of our own society are given a vampire-infused twist, from cars that block out sunlight to blood, instead of milk, in the coffee.

Daybreakers' world-building and lore are incredibly interesting, and they're finely balanced against a compelling tale of a vampire who just wants to be human again. Where in Twilight, the idea of being a bloodsucker is idolized and an opportunity to be cherished, Daybreakers gives us an approach that's much more in line with the traditional perception of these ancient creatures; it would be hell to be like them.

Contributor
Contributor

Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!