HIDDEN GEMS: ‘What We Do In The Shadows’ Review

“Vampires struggle to adapt to the modern world in a gleefully deadpan mockumentary that is both hysterical and genuinely sad at times.”

“We’re Vampires, we don’t put down towels.” Vladislav, being a very unreasonable flatmate.

There’s always been a lot of silly melodrama associated with the Vampire on screen. Living in dark, dramatic castles, wearing flowing robes and seductively draining crimson blood from nubile virgins, at a certain point it all gets a little ridiculous. Directors Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, who also star, clearly understand that, and take every opportunity to skewer classic vampire tropes in the hilarious What We Do In The Shadows.

Set in Wallington New Zealand, this mockumentary follows a group of vampires who all share a flat together. They are Viago, the mother-hen, Vladislav a Vlad-the-Impaler style vampire, Deacon the young “Bad Boy” of the group and Petyr, the oldest and most fearsome, who mostly rests in the basement while the rest of the group spend their time arguing over chores, swapping fashion advice, and hunting for victims to drain. The group finds itself having to confront the modern age when Petyr turns one of their unfortunate victims.

That’s about it in terms of plot for What We Do in The Shadows. The film is far more interested in exploring how Vampires would exist in the world,  how they would look stripped of the grandeur and forced to live much more mundane existences and mine that for all the comedy it can, something which is succeeds effortlessly at. We get some great scenes of the group getting ready for nights out, doing chores, and partying in Wellington’s premier Vampire night club, The Big Kahuna, all delivered in a knowingly deadpan style that just makes the massive gap between the Vampire mythos and our heroes even funnier.

Clement and Waititi are clever enough not to let us forget who these characters are though. Early on, we get an chase sequence between the group and one of their potential victims that manages to be both hilarious and actually a little frightening. Despite the fact that, technically these characters are probably the villains, it’s impossible not to root for them because of the sense of camaraderie the group shares. Watching them bicker, it’s hard not to imagine them as any group of uni mates who decided to get a flat together after uni.

Camaraderie isn’t the only way the film gets us to root for the characters.  At the heart of every good vampire story, there tends to be an element of pathos and What We Do In The Shadows is no different.  Whether that’s Viago’s long-lost love Katherine, Deacon’s clear insecurity at the possibility of being replaced in the group by Nick, or Nick’s frustration at some of the limitations he now has as a vampire (His reaction to eating a chip after being turned is pure gold) it helps add heart to the characters and makes them feel that much more human. 

After all, being a vampire is inherently a sad condition to be in: your human friends are destined to age and die, you’re out of touch with modern technology, and you have to kill people and suck their blood to stay alive. Deacons speech to Nick towards the end of the film is a great example of this, treading the line between deadpan hilarity and genuine sadness.

The side characters are less developed but remain funny enough that it’s hard to mind too much. Jackie Van Beek is hilarious as Deacon’s cheerfully amoral familiar, hunting down virgins for her master to snack upon, and Stuart Rutherford is fantastically everymanish as the world’s most popular man.

As well as some great lines and fantastic performances, the film also gifts us a soundtrack that fits perfectly, with every song being some combination of eerie and upbeat, which probably a perfect description of the films tone. “You’re dead” the song that plays over the opening montage is a great example of this, as is “Red Rubicon”, the song that plays when the trio head to the club. The special effects look good as well, particularly the flying effects, which gives us an enjoyable upside-down fight between Deacon and Nick.

Finally, I mentioned earlier that the directors take great delight in destroying Vampire tropes. Some of the classic ones I saw including the Vampires sleeping in coffins one, the vampires own decadent nightclubs tropes, and the idea that being automatically makes you cool. There is definitely more, so feel free to get in touch with Screenheads to give your thoughts.

Overall, What We Do in The Shadows is a hysterically funny film. It goes beyond just humour, however, featuring moments of genuine tragedy, making its vampire characters human enough that you’re guaranteed to want to spend more time with them, even if they would probably kill you and drink your blood. If you’re a fan of horror or comedy this film is an essential.

Verdict 4.5/5

• This film has so many great moments and funny lines that it’s impossible to list them all, but Vladislav explaining why they prefer to drink virgin blood is a strong contender for funniest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.
• I would happily see a spin-off film about the Werewolf (not swearwolf) pack
• Funny fact: To make Stu more deadpan, they didn’t tell the actor that he would be playing such a large role. He just turned up to do some IT work, got talked into doing what he thought was a bit part and then found out at the premiere that he was in half the film.

Next Time: It occurred to me the other day that so far all I’ve been watching is basically crime or horror. Next week I think I’m going to try branch out. My dad, oddly enough, loves a good romantic comedy so maybe I’ll find out from him if he has any recommendations.