What We Do In The Shadows (2014) Review!

Modern vampires in film are un-ironically hilarious. Sure there are great ones like The Lost Boys (1987) and Interview With A Vampire (1994), but everything from the failure that was Dracula Untold (2014) all the way to the Twilight films can show you that sometimes these pictures fall as dead as their main attractions. Very seldom has there been a good vampire film that holds up to audiences. Even the 1931 Tod Browning film is one that has faults in areas. A lot of vampire movies out there can make me laugh pretty hard, but one that shines above all is the one that is completely intentional.

I just re-watched Taika Waititi’s What We Do In The Shadows (2014) after not having done so for about two years now. This mockumentary follows five New Zealand vampire flatmates living in secrecy.

All of the film's characters, including the great Stu.

Each one of them have different personalities, with Viago (Waititi) being a caring but slightly uptight vampire, Vladislav (Jemaine Clement) as the tyrannical one, Deacon (Jonathan Brugh) as the “young rebel,” Petyr (Ben Fransham) as the Nosferatu-esque, Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer) the obnoxious new guy, and friend Stu (Stu Rutheford) as an IT guy that is very much not dead. This ensemble of a cast brings a great personality to the film, and their performances, even at the most timid, are as genius as the writing.

What We Do In The Shadows was recreated from a 2005 short film made by Waititi and Clement, and has the appeal that television shows such as The Office or Documentary Now have. However a mockumentary on film is different, as the platform isn’t something you can just leave on in the background for hours while you mindlessly live your life otherwise (at least you shouldn't be doing that). This film hooks its audience from the get go by offering a small glance at what is to come, and I think the characters presented in this film outshine that of any mockumentary show.

A shot of the boys from the original short film

Some of the film’s special effects were pretty good considering the “lower” budget of $1.6M. I am particularly fond of anything to do with the characters threateningly floating at each other, as well as a certain bit that Viago has climbing out of a backpack. Petyr's makeup was also a spot on recreation of Nosferatu. You can tell these effects were achieved as practically as possible, and I admire that. Other special effects didn’t terribly hold up well, such as the spooky vampire face that Nick makes about halfway into the film, as well as the werewolves post-transformation. I don’t mind it at all though, because it honestly enhances the film in an odd but charming way; I think it's because they remind me of those shit fictional slender-man videos back when that character was popular.

Interestingly, this film only had a limited release in the US in 2015, the year following its initial New Zealand release. It quickly became one of the most pirated films of all time, because moviegoers wanted to see it so badly. I don’t condone the piracy of film, but I completely understand the lengths one would go to in order to see this movie. It holds a level of comedy that few films in the genre can give. The characters are outrageous and hysterical, but I can honestly say that I know someone that’s exactly like each one (maybe not Petyr). They’re very personal, and it conveys the story from the monster’s point of view. I think a mockumentary about normal people interacting with these vampires would’ve been just as entertaining, but not as worthy of recognition, because we would've been cheated of all these characters, major and minor. Waititi captured lightning in a bottle with this idea, and the world is luckier to have it. Not only does this film hail respects as a comedy, but it also exceeds far past most films and shows in the mockumentary genre.

I don’t do this often, but overall Rating: 10 Swearwolves out of 10

As always please watch this film if you haven’t, and if you have, watch it again. I’m eager to check out the new FX show based on this movie, and I’m hoping it lives up to its name. Until next time, this is Nathan D. Gonder signing off.