FW Murnau's silent classic Nosferatu was the first vampire film. Since it was released in 1922, there have been more movies made about undead bloodsuckers than you could shake a stake at. We've had teen vampires, space vampires, gay vampires, blaxploitation vampires, viral vampires, midget vampires, stripper vampires, reluctant vampires, ballet dancing vampires and Jewish vampires who recoil from the Star of David. Now we even have a life-draining parasite as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Clearly, it isn't easy to find a novel approach within a genre that has explored almost every possibility. So directorial duo the Spierig Brothers are to be applauded for the concept in Daybreakers of a world where the majority of the population are of the vampiric persuasion. It's 2019 and a mysterious plague has left humanity as an endangered species, farmed to the brink of extinction for their precious plasma. Ethan Hawke plays a vampire scientist who's searching for a blood substitute (like the Japanese-invented one in TV's True Blood) that will feed the starving bloodsucker populace and save the few remaining humans.

Familiar horror tropes are stood on their heads like bats in a belfry, while the fleet-footed narrative never allows you time to worry about plotholes. The stylish washed-out blue palette reflects the cold, bleak nature of this decaying world and adds an expensive gloss that belies the film's modest budget. With reliable old stagers Sam Neill and Willem Defoe also chewing up the scenery to great effect in supporting roles, Daybreakers pulls off the difficult trick of being an innovative take on cinema's most explored bête noire.

Daybreakers (Lionsgate) is out now on Blu-ray and DVD.

Colin Houlson