Rated 14 Accompaniment
(Coarse Language, Gory Scenes) 98 minutes
Dir: Michael Spierig/Peter Spierig, Australia/US, 2009
Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill, Isabel Lucas
“Humans are the hunted minority in a near-future world populated by vampires in this intriguingly weird sci-fi/horror hybrid. Principled vampire scientist Ethan Hawke creates a synthetic plasma substitute to ensure mankind's survival, although his boss is making a fortune out of harvesting blood at inflated prices. A pointed allegory on corporate greed, this clever revitalisation of the genre shows that the co-writer/directors have coolly and confidently delivered on the raw talent displayed in their debut zombie feature Undead. With beautiful Blade Runner-style cityscapes, smartly conceived takes on the vampire mythos, inventively engineered shocks and copious blood loss, this is an engagingly skilful blend of John Carpenter, Bram Stoker and Philip K Dick. Hawke is terrific, while Willem Dafoe ramps up the fun factor as a Van Helsing-type with a big secret.” - Alan Jones, Radio Times