What We Do in the Shadows (2015)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
“Vampires don’t do dishes” – Deacon, old vampire
Imagine a mockumentary about vampires in Wellington, New Zealand. It is a brilliant idea in a
technology/Youtube-based world where everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame, even if they have
done nothing. The vampires depicted in “What We Do in the Shadows” are not lazy creatures (save for
the 8,000-year-old Count Orlok-type who can’t bring himself to have a flat meeting with his younger
compatriots); they, in fact, roam the Wellington bars and clubs for fresh necks to bite. The conceit of
a documentary crew following them around makes for partly hysterical, partly horrifying fun.
Right from the start, the film made me smile. The 17th century fop, Viago (Taika Waititi), rises from
his coffin after his alarm clock goes off, and we hear him narrate his nocturnal activities.
First question: why does a vampire need an alarm clock? Oh, never mind. Meanwhile, the vampires
have flat meetings over undone chores, such as sweeping floors full of dead carcasses and cleaning
blood-stained dishes. The occasionally tempered Vladislav (Jemaine Clement, best remembered
for the HBO series “Flight of the Conchords”) is a former medieval warlord who tries to pull his
weight around the house they all share -- he could hypnotize crowds of people once upon a time but
has problems shape-shifting into other creatures because, according to Viago, “He could never get
the faces right.” A former European peasant and Nazi vampire, Deacon (Jonathan Brugh), is more rebellious, vociferous and refuses to do chores. Then there is Petyr (Ben Fransham), the ancient vampire who resembles Orlok from “Nosferatu” and almost never leaves the basement. Naturally, it is important for the curtains to be drawn nightly and there is the problem of dressing up for a bloody evening since vampires can’t see themselves in mirrors. The vampires live in a flat that looks ominous both indoors and outdoors. They need someone to sweep the leaves, clean up their bloody messes and procure human virgins as potential victims during their dinner parties. Their unlikely servant would be the very human Jackie (Jackie van Beek), who longs to become one of them.
his coffin after his alarm clock goes off, and we hear him narrate his nocturnal activities.
First question: why does a vampire need an alarm clock? Oh, never mind. Meanwhile, the vampires
have flat meetings over undone chores, such as sweeping floors full of dead carcasses and cleaning
blood-stained dishes. The occasionally tempered Vladislav (Jemaine Clement, best remembered
for the HBO series “Flight of the Conchords”) is a former medieval warlord who tries to pull his
weight around the house they all share -- he could hypnotize crowds of people once upon a time but
has problems shape-shifting into other creatures because, according to Viago, “He could never get
the faces right.” A former European peasant and Nazi vampire, Deacon (Jonathan Brugh), is more rebellious, vociferous and refuses to do chores. Then there is Petyr (Ben Fransham), the ancient vampire who resembles Orlok from “Nosferatu” and almost never leaves the basement. Naturally, it is important for the curtains to be drawn nightly and there is the problem of dressing up for a bloody evening since vampires can’t see themselves in mirrors. The vampires live in a flat that looks ominous both indoors and outdoors. They need someone to sweep the leaves, clean up their bloody messes and procure human virgins as potential victims during their dinner parties. Their unlikely servant would be the very human Jackie (Jackie van Beek), who longs to become one of them.
As swiftly written and directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi (who will helm the next “Thor”
sequel), “What We Do in the Shadows” could have settled down as a solid black comedy with plenty
of wicked one-liners and bloody gags left and right. Remarkably, the filmmakers have also infused some bloody humanity into this as well, particularly Viago’s fondness for the woman from half-a-century ago he had hoped to be with. There is also a young lad who was presumed to be a virgin, Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer), who becomes a vampire and shows the suffering one goes through in the preliminary stages, as if he was a heroin addict trying to kick the habit. It is these touches of human frailty that shows these vampires are not comic creations intended for us to laugh at them; they are no different from the rest of us, despite their supernatural abilities. Occasionally, the vampires run into werewolves (prior to the hairy beasts’ transformation) - the vampires believe these creatures to be smelly with a knack for urinating on everything.
sequel), “What We Do in the Shadows” could have settled down as a solid black comedy with plenty
of wicked one-liners and bloody gags left and right. Remarkably, the filmmakers have also infused some bloody humanity into this as well, particularly Viago’s fondness for the woman from half-a-century ago he had hoped to be with. There is also a young lad who was presumed to be a virgin, Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer), who becomes a vampire and shows the suffering one goes through in the preliminary stages, as if he was a heroin addict trying to kick the habit. It is these touches of human frailty that shows these vampires are not comic creations intended for us to laugh at them; they are no different from the rest of us, despite their supernatural abilities. Occasionally, the vampires run into werewolves (prior to the hairy beasts’ transformation) - the vampires believe these creatures to be smelly with a knack for urinating on everything.
With nods to Francis Ford Coppola’s operatic “Dracula,” “The Lost Boys” and the “Twilight”
series (Nick boasts about “Twilight” at the local clubs), “What We Do in the Shadows” is deliciously
wicked, often terrifying and bitingly funny. Every sequence leads to another smoothly with priceless
invention and delectable wit -- there is no shortage of wild ideas here that pay respect to vampire and
werewolf mythology. It is a perfect antidote to the sparkling “Twilight” series.
