What We Do in the Shadows (2015)
Horror, Comedy
Directed By: Jemaine Clement & Taika Waititi
If you want to make a movie about classic horror monsters
(Vampires, Zombies, Werewolf's, etc.) nowadays, then you have to be inventive.
The only way your film can stand out among the hundreds of others of its kind
is to do something we haven't seen before. The new horror-comedy What We Do in the Shadows is a perfect
example of doing just that. The Ne Zealand produced indie flick takes us on a journey
into the behind the scenes life of Vampires to show us how they handle everyday
life.
Viago (Taika Waititi), Deacon (Jonny Brugh), Vladislav
(Jemaine Clement), and Petyr (Ben Fransham) are four vampires living together
as flat mates in Australia. Some have come to hide and other just to relax in
the countryside, but when the sun goes down, blood flows. The film is done
documentary style as the guys have allowed a camera crew to document the months
leading up to The Unholy Masquerade, a yearly party for the creatures of the
night. Although they live in hiding they
seem to have no reserves about revealing anything to the cameras.
When Peter (the eldest of the four) turns one of their
"meals" into a Vampire their whole dynamic is tested. The new guy,
Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer) starts getting them into night clubs and takes them
out partying. He evens begins teaching them how to use the new technologies
they have missed while in hiding. What happens when four Vampires, who are
hundreds of years old, are forced to catch up with the times? Comedic
brilliance, that's what. Watching these guys learn how to use technology and fighting
over simple things like who has to do the dishes will have you constantly
giggling. Even when they go for the kill, you can't help but laugh out loud.
What We Do in the
Shadows was written, directed, and starred in by both Jemaine Clement (Flight
of the Concords) and Taika Waititi (Eagle vs Shark) and they have done a
brilliant job in all three. These two found a way to take one of the oldest and
scariest monsters of all time and turn them into a group of immature goofballs,
and it works so well. Blending horror and comedy is one of the hardest tasks in
movie making and to see them do it so wonderfully is a treat. While the movie
is never really "scary" it does have some great gore and excellent
kill scenes, they just happen to make them hilarious as well.
The film plays around with a lot of the classic vampire
tropes we have seen so many times, like having to be invited into a building in
order to enter it. This makes for some great laughs when the guys hit the town
and want to go clubbing. Not an easy task when you need the bouncers to invite
you inside. They also have some fun with other creatures of the night and how
they interact with each other, like zombies and werewolves. Any genre fans will
find plenty to make them smile and giggle from start to finish.
Filming documentary style also adds to the movie as whole as
well, they are completely self-aware of the fact cameras are following them the
entire time and so are the people around them. This all adds up to make one of
the most original vampire movies I have seen to date. They have successfully
taken something we thought we have seen played out to death and made it feel
fresh and original. At a brisk 86 minutes this film never falters and
definitely never bores. Any horror fans
looking for something new, inventive, and a whole lot of fun should check this
movie out first chance they get.
As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who watches
Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!
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