Just when you thought your only response to another vampire-based movie would be rolling your eyes and grabbing the nearest crucifix and garlic, along comes What We Do In The Shadows and turns that frown upside down. I’ve only seen maybe, one episode of Flight of the Concords, but Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi have written a rather funny take on the vampire via a mockumentary style reality film.
Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav are three flatmates trying to navigate modern life and all the mundane things that come with it, like having to pay rent, assigning chores, trying to get in to nightclubs, and dealing with flatmate conflicts. Oh, and there’s the fact that they’re all immortal vampires that feast on human blood to survive. There’s also dealing with sunlight catastrophies and trying to get a sense of fashion without a reflection.
What We Do In The Shadows is more silly and fun rather than deep subtext, but that suits me just fine. Not everything has to be full of meaning, sometimes I just want goofy fun and this gives you that. At just under 90 minutes, there’s no real slow point here. They keep the pace and the humor moving right along. Very little wasted moments. The vast majority of the jokes land, and I found myself laughing often.
These guys write a funny script about how three vampires dealing with vampire stuff, as well as the mundanity of being room mates living together in a house. It’s really funny, I must say. Will everyone love it? Probably not, that’s just the way humor is, but I can easily recommend this film. And it’s a surprise joy for a February release.
They cover a lot of the familiar bases, like crossing paths with guys that are werewolves and the awkwardness that can create. But they take a unique and funny tack. Such as, they can’t go into clubs unless they are invited in. And remember, when biting someone’s neck, don’t hit the main artery. It’s messy.
Somewhere in the range of This Is Spinal Tap and The Real World, just with vampires, is sort of how What We Do In The Shadows is like. Chock full of funny, and a bit of cartoonish instances of blood a la Monty Python, this is a fun film and I’m in for about four kittenhands.
~ Neil T. Weakley, your average movie-goer, didn’t really know what to expect going in, but came out pleasantly surprised.