Review of What We Do in the Shadows (2014) by Thequietgamer — 28 Jul 2018

A spoof of vampire movies that showcases the kind of quirky humor one would expect from the likes of Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement. The premise of following around these bloodsucking roommates all documentary style while they deal with the ins and outs of modern day life is amusing. It's never the funniest movie out there, but the further it progresses the more successful it becomes at mining laughs from the audience. The early material I thought was just a little dry.

There are a lot of homages made to creature of the night classics such as Interview with the Vampire and The Lost Boys. Some of the best gags poke fun at vampire lore and their powers. It even branches out to make jokes involving other monsters as well. I feel Waititi gets most of the screen time here. He's a really delightful guy, but I wish we had gotten more material from Clement. His character was the one with the most comedic potential in my opinion and it's him that has the most memorable lines.

This was a parody made out of genuine love and enjoyment for the thing being made fun of. With so many quotable one liners it's an entertaining watch, although not necessarily an essential one as it isn't exactly a laugh riot. There's a seemingly huge plot hole that gets addressed during the end credits in the best possible way so be sure to sit through them.