“What We Do in the Shadows” (2014)
Four vampires are living together in a large house and decide to let a documentary team in order to capture the months leading up to the big vampire ball. An alarm clock goes off in a dark room, and a hand comes out of a coffin to turn it off. The hand belongs to Viago (Taika Waititi), 379-year-old vampire, who wears frilly clothes, is a neat freak and is pining away for a long-lost love. He goes around the house and wakes up the rest of the vampires living there. We meet Deacon (Jonathan Brugh), a 193-year-old vampire, who sleeps hanging upside down in a closet and is determined to live his life like a rock star. Next is Vladislav (Jemaine Clement), an 862-year-old vampire, who lead a legendary and storied life, killing and torturing people for most of his time as a vampire. He has recently seen that times are changing, and he has given up the torturing part. He still kills because, after all, he is a vampire. Last but not least is Petyr (Ben Fransham), an 8,000-year-old vampire that lives in a tomb in the basement. Petyr is the least human-looking vampire, and his diet consists mostly of drinking the blood of chickens. He lives in the tomb apparently because he has very few social skills.
Photo courtesy of Unison Films
This is not your usual vampire clan, and we see that in the first five minutes of the film as Viago calls a roommate meeting to address the fact that Deacon has not cleaned the dishes in five years, shirking his duties as a housemate. Viago also complains that the other vampires are spreading out newspapers on the floor and towels on the couch before killing their next victims. Their lives are changed when a human, Nick (Con Gonzalez-Macuer), is accidentally turned into a vampire by Petyr. Now the guys have a new roommate, one that they never intended to have, and it’s going to change the dynamic of the house forever.
Photo courtesy of Unison Films
“What We Do in The Shadows” is a broad comedy from the creators of the hit TV show “Flight of the Concords.” It plays on all the stereotypical vampire icons, like being able to turn into a bat, hypnotizing people to do their bidding and having human servants to do their mundane chores in the daytime. In this film, things don’t always turn out the way you think they will. Vampires turned into bats crash into power lines; the hypnotizing wears off rather quickly, and the human servants complain quite a lot about not being turned into vampires as they were promised. Even the nightlife, where you would think a vampire would flourish, doesn’t work out. It seems that when you’re a vampire, you can’t go into a nightclub until you are invited in.
Photo courtesy of Unison Films
“What We Do in The Shadows” is a very funny film at times, and I think fans of the “Flight of the Concords” show will have a good time. It does go a little long, and some of the comedy bits don’t always work. But there are some wonderful scenes in the film that do work. One of my favorites is the vampires get into an argument, and the cops are called by the neighbors to investigate the situation. The cops get hypnotized by Viago, who admits isn’t always good at doing it. As the cops blindly go through the house, ignoring dead bodies and vampires suspended from the ceiling, they are more concerned that the house doesn’t have smoke detectors.
Photo courtesy of Unison Films
Three of the actors in this ensemble cast stand out. Con Gonzalez-Macuer, is hilarious as Nick. He plays him as a clueless guy who isn’t above yelling out “I am Twilight” while walking by people on the street after he has been turned into a vampire. Ben Fransham plays Vladislav as a vampire that has seen better days, always seemingly disappointed that he can’t kill everyone whom he meets. The star of the film is Taika Waititi, who plays Viago with an almost childlike wonderment, as his character seems to enjoy the attention that the cameras are giving him. Waititi has a nice, light comedic touch that the film uses, and many of the best scenes involve his character on the screen.
This mockumentary is a fun ride that plays on the vampire stereotypes in film to make a funny movie, though a little long, is enjoyable to watch. After seeing this film, you may not fear the night but embrace it, hoping to meet some of these characters in the street. My Rating: Bargain Matinee
My movie rating system from Best to Worst: 1). I Would Pay to See it Again 2). Full Price 3). Bargain Matinee 4). Cable 5). You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again
“What We Do in the Shadows” is playing exclusively at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema
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