Review of What We Do in the Shadows (2014) by Ian B — 14 Mar 2015

Great comedy can come from the most unlikely of places, both in terms of location and subject matter. How about vampires? Are they funny? They can be. They've been fodder for many big-screen comedies over the years. How about a vampire comedy from, oh... say, New Zealand? Believe it or not, that's the combination you get in "What We Do in the Shadows" (NR, 1:26) - and, as the movie's poster makes clear, it is hilarious!

This is a mockumentary about four vampires living together in the suburbs of Wellington, New Zealand. They've invited a film crew (promising not to eat them) into their house to document the vampires' daily lives (actually, nightly lives) and their preparations for the annual Unholy Masquerade ball. The vampires have a variety of backgrounds and personalities. The one who addresses the camera most is Viago (Taika Waititi, who also co-wrote and co-directed the film). He was "a bit of a dandy" before he became a vampire three centuries ago and now basically acts as the group's housemother, calling a meeting to discuss chores, for example. Vladislav (Jemaine Clement, the other half of the film's writing-directing team) is the ladies vamp of the group and, back in the day, was much feared for his habit of "poking people" (a winking homage to the real-life Vlad the Impaler, who was the inspiration for the legendary Dracula character). The group's youngest member is Deacon (Jonathan Brugh). He's less than two centuries old and he's the most impetuous of the four. Oh, and he used to be a Nazi. The fourth blood sucker is 8,000 year-old Petyr (Ben Fransham). He's the oldest of the group (looking like the vampire in the classic silent film "Nosferatu") - and he's also the crankiest. He usually just stays in his closet.

Most nights, the three youngsters of the group go out to clubs looking for victims (and sometimes harassing the local werewolves), but sometimes they have a dinner party - a phrase that takes on a whole new meaning in this case. Deacon has a human servant named Jackie (Jackie Van Beek) who helps out the housemates by doing everything from cleaning up blood that has been spilled in their house, to helping them get new victims. Deacon has promised Jackie that, after a certain period of service, he'll make her a vampire. One day Jackie brings a couple old acquaintances, named Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer) and Katherine (Ethel Robinson) to the house for one of those dinner parties. After playing it cool for a while, and then briefly toying with their guests, they attack. They suck Katherine's blood, but Petyr gets a hold of Nick and turns him into a vampire.

Nick ends up moving in to the house. The guys teach him about being a vampire (important things like - don't tell everyone that you're a vampire!) and he helps them get up to date on modern technology (including cell phones, the internet and Skype). Nick starts bringing his best friend, Stu (Stuart Rutherford) around to the house. That's usually a big no-no amongst the children of the night, but Stu takes it all in stride, and they all really like him, so they decide that it's cool. But that's not the end of the story. This situation comes to a head (along with a long-standing feud between Vlad and a rival vampire whom he calls "The Beast") at The Unholy Masquerade. All that, along with a few zombies and other "predeceased" creatures thrown into the mix (not to mention a pivotal encounter with that pack of werewolves) and the movie has an ending that is to die for.

A lot of the comedy in "What We Do in the Shadows" comes from the juxtaposition of the vampires' politeness and their brutality, as well as the matter-of-fact way that they talk about their lifestyle and nefarious nocturnal activities. A good example would be Jackie driving in her car, casually discussing the merits of eternal life as a vampire, or Nick talking about the ups and downs of being a vampire and ending with "It sucks." Whether the comedy makes you laugh out loud or you simply find it quietly amusing is a matter of individual personality, but most people seem to agree that, no matter how you define it, this movie is very funny - and very clever. It goes to show that filmmakers don't need millions of dollars, big-name stars and an elaborate story to make a quality film. A great concept, properly fleshed out (no pun intended) and a few creative and talented actors will do. This movie is like a great amusement park ride. It's scary, fun and unique - and as soon as the ride is over, you want to get right back in line and enjoy it all over again. "A-".