What We Do In the Shadows (2014)

Directors: Taiki Waititi and Jemaine Clement
Stars: Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, Jonathan Brugh, Ben Fransham

4.5 skulls out of 5

It’s hard out there for a vampire these days.

Turns out the traditional hazards of garlic, crosses, and stakes aren’t the only problems a modern bloodsucker has to deal with. Nowadays, there are additional worries about paying rent, navigating roommate relationships, and trying to have a social life, not to mention the crushing ennui of immortality. And it really sucks, so to speak, when you can’t get into the best nightclubs unless someone invites you in.

Former college buddies Taika Waititi (Boy) and Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) wrote, directed, and starred in What We Do in the Shadows, a clever horror comedy spoof hybrid of mockumentary and reality TV with vampire movie tropes. Think of This is Spinal Tap meets Big Brother but with vampires instead of musicians.

In the Spinal Tap tradition, filmmakers follow four vampire roommates through their day-to-day (or night-to-night) activities at home and around Wellington, New Zealand, documenting their afterlife nightlife. As in any other reality show, there is some doubt as to its actual “reality” – situations that seem a bit contrived happen regularly, and once they get used to them, the vampires start playing to the cameras.

Each of our four undead flatmates represents an archetype that fans of the vampire genre will find familiar:

Viago (Waititi), age 379, is the group’s spokesman. He’s an aristocratic 18th-century dandy type along the lines of Lestat or Lugosi. He seems like a nice guy (though of course he’s a bloodthirsty killer) and good-naturedly tries to smooth over conflicts to keep the peace in their household. He wields a lot of power, as he’s the one in charge of the chore wheel posted on the kitchen wall.

Vladislav (Clement) dates back to the Middle Ages. He’s a more mature 862-year-old, smoldering and kind of sexy in a Vlad Tepes-sort of way. In fact, he’s literally quite a ladykiller, and he’s famous for his torture chamber.

At the tender age of 183, Deacon (Jonathan Brugh) is a relative youngster from the 19th century. He’s a bit of a slacker and a rule-breaker and would be perfectly at home as one of the Lost Boys.

Then there’s the reclusive Petyr (Ben Fransham), an 8000-year-old Nosferatu lookalike. When he turns one of their victims, the guys have to show newly undead Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer) the vampire ropes. Hilarity ensues as Nick struggles with adjusting to his new immortal state. And it gets weirder still when Nick’s human friend Stu (Stuart Rutherford) starts hanging out with the boys and becomes their human mascot.

Like any other roommates would do, they bicker about housework and get on each others’ nerves. Yet they always help each other out (when you don’t cast a reflection in a mirror, you need someone to tell you if your outfit works or your hair looks good),and they always have each other’s backs, like defending against a threatening pack of very polite werewolves and protecting their new friend Stu.

What We Do In the Shadows is funny, a bit gory, and brilliantly exploits vampire and reality TV cliches. If you enjoyed This is Spinal Tap and have a decent tolerance for arterial blood sprays, I think you’ll love it.

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