What We Do in the Shadows: Wholesome Vampire Comedy

Summary

What We Do in the Shadows, a 2014 horror comedy written, directed and starred in by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, can be described as a mockumentary style film that follows a group of vampire flatmates as they navigate life as the un-dead in modern New Zealand. If you find that description to read like a sitcom, you're on the right track. Waititi, most well known for his Marvel blockbuster Thor: Ragnarok and his most recent controversial academy award winning JoJo Rabbit, plays Viago, an 18th century vampire who "really likes having a good time with [his] friends" and has the most adorable vampire smile you've ever seen. Clement, best known from cult classic Flight of the Conchords and Disney blockbuster Moana, plays Vladislav the Poker, a nearly 900 year old vampire who was turned at the age of sixteen ("in those days of course, life was tough for a sixteen year old"). Deacon, only 183 years old, is "like, the young bad-boy of the group" and a cool guy. Pyter is 8,ooo years old and lives in basement of flat. We leave Petyr alone for the most part. Nick has been a vampire for about 2 months now and his friend Stu is a software analyst. Nick struggles to come to grips with the requirements of his new lifestyle as a vampire and the rest of the group struggles to stay up to date and involved in a world not exactly designed for a vampire's convenience. As is typical in roommate comedies tensions rise and goofy misadventures ensue.

Why it Works

What We Do in the Shadows drops a handful of vampire stereotypes into modern-day and observes the effects through the lens of a mockumentary. Given a premise like this it may be tempting to go as crazy as possible, put the characters in the wackiest situations and embrace the camp. Although this film does that to some extent, the genius really lies in the subtle, arguably wholesome comedic flavor of Waititi and Clement. Some of the biggest problems that our group of vampire flatmates encounter are house chores, ex-girlfriends and not being able to see your own outfit in the mirror before going out. By taking advantage of the already wild concept of vampires, they are able to allow characterization within the ensemble take the spotlight in otherwise mundane situations. While Waititi and Clement spent several years working on the script, much of this film ended up being improvised by the stellar cast of primarily New Zealand comedians. Lines like:

"Just leave me to do my dark bidding on the internet. 

What are you bidding on? 

I'm bidding on a table."

are delivered in such a natural way that makes you laugh at the genius but also think: I don't know, they seem like they would be cool guys to hang around. The majority of the time you are laughing at awkward, relatable interactions that are only elevated by the freedom of vampires. Overall, What We Do in the Shadows is one of my absolute favorite comedies, and never fails to give a good laugh.