WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (2014)

What We Do in the Shadows vampire cast poster. — Images: Unison Films

“I go for a look which I call dead but delicious.”

Directed by: Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi
Comedy, Horror
1hr 26minR

In 2013 a film crew was given unlimited and unprecedented access to document the lives of four vampires. What We Do in the Shadows is their story.

The four blood-sucking housemates, Viago, Vladislav, Deacon, and Petyr, range in age from 183 to 8,000. They all share a flat (and spend their nights hunting victims) in Wellington, New Zealand. The necessity of their nocturnal lifestyle has led to a rather isolated existence—the world has moved on, but they haven’t. Wait until they hear about Facebook. They’ll be able to stalk and poke anyone they want.

Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords and Taika Waititi, director of Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Thor: Ragnarok, share writing and directing credits. What We Do In the Shadows is built around the mockumentary style of filmmaking pioneered by A Hard Days Night, Zelig, and This is Spinal Tap. Clement and Waititi craft a movie that comfortably sits side by side with these classics because they don’t rely solely on making fun of their subject. What We Do in the Shadows respects the established vampire stories it’s lampooning. The film acknowledges what has come before and tells a compelling vampire story that, as a bonus, happens to be peppered with insightful humor.

The story about four vampires trying to find their way in the modern world is filled betrayal, unlikely alliances, and a dangerous rivalry with werewolves, and it all leads to a spectacular confrontation with a nemesis straight from Hell, The Beast.