Review #856: 'What We Do in the Shadows' (2014)

To anyone who believes that both the mockumentary and vampire genres have been done to death and have nothing else to offer need look no further than What We Do in the Shadows, the blood-sucking comedy from Kiwi duo Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Concords) and Taika Waititi (Eagle Vs. Shark (2007)). While lampooning the recent Twlight-inspired vampire craze has been done already with the dreadful Vampires Suck (2010), What We Do... manages to be both hilarious and endlessly creative with its take on the genre, managing to deliver some genuine (and surprising) scares along the way.

Uber-tidy vampire Viago (Waititi) resides in his decaying mansion with his fellow fang-bearers, Vladislav (Clement), a torture-and-seduction type who was dubbed Vlad the Poker in his heyday, the slobbish Deacon (Jonathan Brugh) who is deluded about his own physical attractiveness, and Nosferatu-lookalike Petyr (Ben Fransham), an 8000-year old who doesn't take too kindly at being awoken from his coffin. They bicker about washing the dishes, go to clubs but can't get in without the bouncers extending them an invitation, and occasionally exchange insults with the local pack of werewolves, led by the polite Anton (Rhys Darby), who reminds his fellow wolves that they're "werewolves, not swearwolves!" Their routine life is shaken by the freshly-turned Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer) and his human friend Stu (Stu Rutherford).

Some scenes border on genius - the set-piece involving a terrified and still-human Nick being led to believe he's eating maggots ("I stole that from The Lost Boys,") and chased around the dark and endless mansion by the teleporting and shape-shifting trio achieves more excitement and frights than any full-blooded horror can hope to muster. It mocks and homages the genre, answering questions such as what would vampires search for on the internet? Virgins and sun-rises, obviously. As the blabbermouth Nick inadvertently sets a vampire hunter on their trails and the loveable Stu shows the housemates the delights of modern technology, the film becomes a sweet portrayal of friendship and learning to embrace, or in this case, tolerate diversity. The funniest film I've seen in a long time.


Directed by: Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi
Starring: Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, Jonathan Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer
Country: New Zealand/USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie