And the vampire he has to go up against is a gentrifying vampire of the real estate agent kind. By vampire, I mean the blood-sucking, cold-bodied, undead creature type.

That’s a taste of Netflix’s recent comedy/horror movie Day Shift. The film packs a heavy list of stars such as Jamie Foxx (Ray, Dreamgirls), Snoop Dogg (Pitch Perfect 2, Training Day), Dave Franco (Fright Night, 21 Jump Street), Karla Souza (How To Get Away With Murder) and Meagan Good (Think Like A Man, Shazam!). 

Jamie Foxx plays Bud Jablonski—a hard-working, blue-collar guy trying to do right for his 10-year-old daughter and wife, played by Good. But then comes the premise of losing the house and his family because of the gentrifying real estate agent with revenge on her mind. Good's character Jocelyn is a no-nonsense woman who does what she can to get by. Unfortunately, she has no idea what's happening, especially regarding vampires taking over her neighbourhood. However, Good says her character would have lost it. "Well, I mean, she would have a problem with it. You know, she'd be ready to go to war. And so I think at the end of the day, she is a mother, a wife, and she will do anything to protect her family. Especially her baby. And I think you get to see some of that in the film, without me saying what's in the film, but you get to see a little bit of who she is at the core."  

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It was a breath of fresh air to see how stuntman turned director J.J. Perry kept the vampire story in a different light than the usual premise we’re used to seeing. You’ll notice throughout the film that the dread and darkness we’re used to isn’t apparent—and we’re okay with that. Perry did a fantastic job walking the fine line by balancing content created in these real-life crazy times.

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Good happens to agree. “You know, being a nineties kid myself, vampire movies were throughout the nineties, from Blade to The Lost Boys to Interview with the Vampire or whatever it may be. I love that J.J. brought something back that is nostalgic for us, that we love and wanna see. He found a way to make it light and also still found a way to respect the kind of genre and space. Not necessarily make fun of it, but make it lighter and make light of it. So, for me, it was like, this is dope because we get to laugh and have fun,“ says Good. She continues, "But also, the stakes are high, and it's a little bit scary. These vampires are legit, legit. I also think he created vampires that you haven't seen before. The way they move, the way they look, all of that. So, I think for these times, we do need to laugh. The type of movies we want, we still want nostalgia, and we still wanna see action films. And I think he did an excellent job walking that thin line and making it something we can be excited to watch and have fun watching." 

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And not only is the film a fun and fantastic watch, but the movie soundtrack also bumps hard, representing Cali all the way. The placements and song choices are impeccable, from Nipsey Hustle and Tupac to Snoop Dogg and Ice T. When I asked Good what her favourite song choice was, she admits it was a difficult choice, but she went straight for the Dogg Father himself. "That's a hard one, but I'm gonna have to go with anything that's Snoop right now. You know what I'm saying? We grew up with Snoop. I'm from Santa Clarita, California. Um, nobody's repping it like that, but it's okay. I'm gonna rep that (laughs). I grew up loving Snoop, and he's such a sweet and very genuine soul—from the first moment I met him."

If you're looking for an exciting, kick-ass, comedic movie, Day Shift is it. And hopefully, a sequel of sorts is on the horizon. The chemistry between Foxx and Franco is sidesplitting and worthy of another instalment. Perhaps Good's character gets more down and dirty with the stunts and becomes a slayer alongside her hubby. Who knows! Whatever it is, I'm down to see the various iterations this movie can take on as a franchise. 

Day Shift with Meagan Good and Jamie Foxx is streaming now on Netflix.