Day Shift

Bud Jablonski's pool-cleaning business is a cover. Vampires are real in this version of Los Angeles, and their fangs are a commodity — a vampire's age determines the price of its teeth. Bud is divorced from his wife Jocelyn, close to losing custody of their daughter Paige, and needs $10,000 in eight days for tuition and braces.

Bud has been kicked out of the vampire hunters' union for breaking the rules. The union pays significantly more for fangs than the black market, so getting back in is critical. He's reinstated on probation — with a babysitter. Seth, a buttoned-up, anxious union compliance officer, is assigned to ride along and make sure Bud follows protocol. Seth has never seen real combat. He is about to.

While hunting, Bud kills a vampire who turns out to be the daughter of Audrey San Fernando, an ancient and powerful vampire who quietly runs the LA underground. Audrey is a real estate magnate buying up the city, and she's developing a serum that will allow vampires to walk in sunlight. Bud's kill puts a target on his family.

The film escalates through elaborate, stunt-heavy set pieces — parkour through suburban backyards, gun-fu inside cluttered houses, vampires contorting backwards in impossible practical-effects choreography. Bud teams up with Big John Elliott, a legendary hunter and old friend, who mentors him through the mess. Seth, initially terrified, transforms over the course of the film into a real hunter — proving himself in battle and earning a place beside them.

Audrey kidnaps Bud's family. Bud, Big John, and Seth raid her stronghold for a final extended showdown. Audrey is killed. The family is saved. Bud gets the money for Paige.

The film ends with Bud back in good standing with his family and the union. The LA vampire underground is fractured but not gone. The door is left open.