Review of What We Do in the Shadows (2014) by Manny C — 16 Mar 2015

What We Do In The Shadows is a vampire movie for people who likely loathe vampire movies which is the greatest thing about it. It's packed with laughs, nearly all of them intentional. In this mockumentary from New Zealand, we follow the lives of aging vampires in need of a little humanity to give the fresh blood and a new reason for living. Jermaine Clement, of the immortal Flight of The Conchords, is orgy-loving bloodsucker Vladislav, who's been living for 862 years and hasn't learned much of anything. His longtime buddy Viago (Taika Waititi), a child of 379, tries hard to some of his past, particularly the Nazi parts. And then things leak out.

As co-directors and writers, Clement and Waititi save real zingers for the rest of the vamps they share a pad with. There's Deaconn (Jonathan Brugh), the young, 183-year-old rebel, and Petyr (Ben Fransham), a literal old bat at 8,000. No need to worry about keeping track of everyone, just feast your eyes on the bloody dishes in the sink and that poker that Vladislav carries. Often What We Do In The Shadows is like a sketch stretched to movie length but who cares when you have a comedy this sensationally funny.