Review of What We Do in the Shadows (2014) by Rachel H — 19 Mar 2015

Serving as a critically acclaimed horror comedy mockumentary, What We Do in the Shadows sounded like a very original concept.

Unlike most horror comedies of today, What We Do in the Shadows does not take itself seriously nor does it become a juvenile spoof film. It tries for nothing but humour, and most of the time it succeeds. This is partially because of just how much fun the makers of the film are willing to have with the material. Instead of getting caught up in the story, What We Do in the Shadows unfolds like a series of sketches cleverly crafted into a single narrative through the most simple means. The lack of narrative may frustrate some viewers and the thin characters may do the same, but those are two things you cannot expect from a horror comedy mockumentary. There are strong characters not on the level of depth but purely in terms of being effective comic creations, and it's all about the laughter. It is hard for comedy films to just sit back and have fun these days, and although What We Do in the Shadows is also a stylish piece of filmmaking, it certainly remains focused on playing at its comic gimmicks for all it can. The one problem I found with this was that there is only so long that the gimmick can stretch on for in What We Do in the Shadows before it finds itself repetitive. The story is clever enough, but I could not help but feel that it was like a sketch comedy stretched to feature length. It sustained itself well enough to pass off as sufficient comedic entertainment, but the value of the film comes from the way that its narrative essentially sorts itself into segments. There are many sketches that unfold over the course of the mockumentary, and viewers who do not get lost in the comic nature of the film should hopefully still find it to be a sporadically funny film as that is how it succeeded for me. The gimmicks of the film do not milk themselves for too long as the running time of What We Do in the Shadows is a mere 85 minutes, but there certainly was potential to do more with the film. There could have been countless clever cultural references to enhance the humour of the film, but it ends up limiting itself simply to concept gags without really going into examining just what it takes to turn horror into comedy. The simplicity of the film is admirable and the fact that it manages to achieve everything on a cast of mostly unknown actors is very respectable, but the script in the film is just very loose which is a problem.

What We Do in the Shadows succeeds not so much on the written material but the way that directors Taika Waititi and Jeremaine Clement do with it, as well as where the cast manage to take things. Things move along very quickly and the atmosphere is consistently humourous due to the way that it really makes things feel lighthearted. In that sense, What We Do in the Shadows is a really easy film to watch as it does not demand viewers sit back and analse why it is supposed to be funny but rather throws them into remorselessly quick witted situations which are shamelessly dumb in a smart fashion, though some of the jokes circulate the film so consistently often that it can be repetitive. Much of the humour in What We Do in the Shadows is so upfront with its simplistic ridiculousness that it can be hilarious at times while ridiculous at others. But all in all, it remains an entertaining feature full of the best kind of silliness offered by modern day sketch comedy. What We Do in the Shadows knows how to have fun without complicating itself. It may not push as many limits as it could for a film which is so clearly in debt to countless vampire films, but it is certainly good old fashioned fun.

No stranger to being stylish, What We Do in the Shadows manages to hold some effective visual humour. Effectively using clever special effects to play with the abilities of the supernatural beings of the story as well as strong makeup and costumes, What We Do in the Shadows is a film which is fun knows how to make use of a small budget through minor technical means while establishing that the important focus of the feature lies with its script. The general mockumentary style of the film is a really clever way to approach things because it allows viewers to get a more open view of the characters who themselves have to put on comedic personas to keep viewers entertainined at the antics of vampires connecting to the real world through the means of camera. The film certainly portrays an all new way to look at the lives of vampires in a clever way, and frankly it is certainly one of the most original vampire concepts in a long time as the genre has become one which all too often succumbs to tropes and lacklustre horror reliant on blood and gore while What We Do in the Shadows actually diverts those concepts in a clever parody manner which does not go to the ridiculous extent of being a spoof but rather manages to maintain narrative integrity all while really going into hilarious territory. Frankly, there are some really funny moments in What We Do in the Shadows, and even if they are not as consistent as you might hope, they make the feature entertaining as a whole.

So What We Do in the Shadows is essentially an extended sketch comedy built on a series of gimmicks tied together by a loose plot without much in the way of consistent innovation, but the utmost simplistic joy of the stupidity in the feature and its genuine sense of comic energy makes it worth plenty of laughs.