Review: ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ is bloody clever (Includes first-hand account)

The mockumentary is a wonderful way to shine a spotlight on important events or issues, but it also has the potential to be incredibly entertaining when applied to less serious or even unrealistic subjects. Giving an authentic quality to an absurd storyline can be very satisfying. In the case of What We Do in the Shadows, the film crew is chronicling the lives of a group of older vampires who share a flat in New Zealand.

Viago (Taika Waititi) was somewhat of a dandy when he was turned nearly 400 years ago so he naturally assumes the role of house minder. Vladisav (Jemaine Clement) is the group’s handsome womanizer though he’s lost some of his virility over the years and Deacon (Jonathan Brugh) is the rebellious bloodsucker who ignores the chore wheel. Petyr (Ben Fransham) is messy too but he’s 8,000 years old and sleeps in a stone tomb so no one really presses the issue. When the newly transformed Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer) joins the group, he opens their eyes to the technical new age offerings while disregarding all the rules that have governed and protected their lifestyles for centuries. With the Unholy Masquerade only months away, a confrontation is almost inevitable.

Eccentric doesn’t quite describe this hilarious romp on the not-so dark side. The film opens as Viago gathers everyone for a flat meeting, in which they discuss blood stains on the now red couch and five-year-old dirty dishes. Each vampire has confession time with the camera during which they address it directly and gripe about each other. They play with their food, seducing their prey and then cause them to have delusions of eating worms. They can fly, hypnotize their victims and transform into animals. While they fraternize with witches and zombies, werewolves are their sworn enemies. Deacon has a familiar (a.k.a. servant) that does all of his daytime bidding in exchange for the promise of eternal life — eventually.

The actors are all perfectly cast and excellent in their roles. They appear wholly dedicated to the vampire caricatures they depict (see Deacon’s private performance for his roommates), indicating an understanding of their centuries or weeks of bloody history. In spite of Petyr’s minimal screen time, Fransham is flawless each time he does make an appearance.

Without question, this movie is bloody fantastic all the way through.

Directors: Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi
Starring: Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi and Jonathan Brugh

Similar Posts

  • Everyone is looking for something in this week’s releases

    This week’s releases include a unique horror movie; a debate about reincarnation; a surprising revenge film; criminals in a cage; lessons in manhood; the latest adventures of space and time; and number of older movies dealing with love, greed and life-altering quests.

  • Review: ‘Frozen II’ sets Elsa’s origin story to music (Includes first-hand account)

    Disney likes to make a point of mentioning that while the rest of Hollywood is busy making sequels, they’ve only released a handful over nearly a century of animated feature production. That speaks not only to number of original narratives they’ve created, but also the quality and thoughtfulness that goes into the follow-ups they have delivered. This year, Disney adds to those exclusive ranks with their latest animated sequel, which also happens to be its first continuation that could be classified as a musical. Frozen II picks up a few years after the first film concluded with a new mystery to solve.

  • ‘Annabelle: Creation’ trailer suggests real source of evil doll (Includes first-hand account)

    When rising horror master James Wan introduced audiences to Annabelle in 2013’s The Conjuring, it instantly rose to the ranks of Good Guy (a.k.a. Chucky) and the Poltergeist clown on the list of all-time creepy movie dolls. This film was immediately followed by a standalone prequel — the second film set in the universe of Ed and Lorraine Warren — which began with the same tale related about the doll in the first picture and an origin story involving Satanists. And now we have Annabelle: Creation, the fourth set in the universe and a prequel to the prequel.

  • Review: ‘A Most Violent Year’ is most excellent (Includes first-hand account)

    In 1981, violent crimes in New York reached an all-time high. Urban decay led to an increase in robberies and, consequently, violent crimes. It became dangerous to earn an honest living, but that didn’t stop people from trying. In A Most Violent Year, a business owner refuses to sink to the lows of his competitors even though his honour is slowly becoming his downfall.

  • Review: ‘Bridge of Spies’ is a stirring but welcome crossing (Includes first-hand account)

    Regardless of one’s opinions of Steven Spielberg or Tom Hanks, when the two come together to make a film there’s generally little doubt that it will be good. The topics of their collaborations have varied over the years from the war to immigration to a clever criminal. In Bridge of Spies, they add espionage to the list, though the actor thankfully is not the one sneaking around stealing government secrets.