FearTASTIC Vault O’FUN #128

Day Shift (2022)

Director(s): J.J. Perry

Writer(s): Tyler Nice, Shay Hatten

Starring: Jaime Foxx, Dave Franco, Snoop Dogg

Vampire Action Flicks are COOL. I know, my lexicon is working over time tonight, right folks? Really though, It’s the best way to describe this niche corner of the horror universe. It’s a horror flick but also a fun action movie filled with guns, fights, action sequences, etc. that would be on par with any popcorn action flick but with these movies, you also get scares, gore and creature features! It’s no secret that I love these kinds of flicks with movies such as From Dusk Till Dawn and Vampires always making my lists of most fun horror flicks and it just so happens that the wonderful, powder keg filled flick, Day Shift from Netflix blends elements from both of the aforementioned movies and gives it a adrenaline-filled esthetic makes it wonderful. 

In a way, this movie almost teeters in trying to cram too many horror and action elements into ONE movie but it never reaches that point because the flick is on the backs of one of the most SOLID actors in Jaime Foxx who is just as versatile as the movie itself. I mean, the man has received his flowers for comedy, action, drama, etc. so he’s the perfect actor to play our main character who is a dad that hunts vampires for a living in order to ensure his daughter has the best kind of life. It’s funny how in these movies, you never really know how much a vampire hunter actually makes but in this flick specifically, it seems money is tight, which is odd for a profession that has you fighting blood-sucking monsters, but sure. He’s paired up with a straight-laced geek played by Franco who does a great job playing the typical, knows everything about the field but never been on the field, and it plays very well with Foxx’s tired veteran of the game. In addition, you also have Snoop Dogg in the mix as Big John who takes on the grizzled veteran that is both a best friend and mentor to Foxx’s character and has plenty of scenes where he looks bad ass enough to get his own movie someday. 

So I’ll admit, that there’s nothing in this movie that is necessarily original from a character or plot standpoint. You have buddy cop elements, you have themes of teaching the rookie the ropes, you have that bounty hunter feel, you got gangs of vampires that are plotting something bigger but those darn hunters just keep on fighting, etc. However, all these ingredients at once work because the style of the movie embraces the sort of chaotic, bright, fast paced style made famous by directors like Michael Bay and McG. I’m not a film editor or director by any means but the advantage of having a high-octane esthetic, mixed with a solid actor that carries the flick is that no matter how many elements is thrown into the mix, somehow it still melds together well since you are constantly reminded that this movie is supposed to be fun. You’re not looking for deep, insightful plot points and character developments, you’re wanting to be entertained and the movie delivers on that front in spades. 

There were plenty of action scenes in this flick where you forget for a moment that you’re watching a horror flick, and I mean that in the best kind of way because right when you are enamored by the bullets and mayhem, you’re reminded that you’re in a vampire flick when the blood, fangs, claws and brutality come at you at full force. I actually liked the way the blended the themes that vampires can be horrid monsters but also an organized force that play in the shadows in order to build power. There are scenes in the movie that highlight both kinds of vamps in the movie and it plays well into the plot where Foxx can be fighting off a vamp that looks more like a zombie with fangs but then we transfer over to having vampires running the an organization akin to the cartel. 

So yes, I’m all about those vampire action flicks. Is it a guilty pleasure? Nah, I don’t think this small sub-genre is anything to scoff at since most of the flicks in this sort of vain ended up being successful, both mainstream and cult. I’ll say that these kind of horror flicks are the perfect answer to a long day at work and you’re finally home with a meal and perhaps an alcoholic libation and all you really want is to turn off your brain and smile big…with fangs.

Life is FAR more interesting when we take interest in things that scare us.