What We Do in the Shadows

"A surprisingly delicate vampire spoof that's both hilarious and respectful, and that captures all the silliest, scariest and saddest aspects of the bloodsucking tradition in one delicious package." - Salon.com

“With What We Do In The Shadows, New Zealand filmmakers Taika Waititi (Eagle Vs Shark) and Jemaine Clement (Flight Of The Conchords) have made a brilliant connection: what are vampires if not the ultimate manchildren? They suggest that being undead must be the ultimate state of arrested development. With that premise in mind, we watch as a film crew from the New Zealand Documentary Board follows a quartet of house-sharing vampires.

“As with all the highest gag-hit-rate jaunts, the plot is loose and sparse. It’s primarily a character piece that puts the jokes and characters first. There is Viago, a 379 year-old dandy and die-never romantic who can’t abide clutter; Deacon, 183 years old, seedy and self-absorbed, like a has-been rock star forever lost in the reverie of his heyday; Vladislav, 862 years old and “a bit of a pervert”, but sensitive enough to realise he probably shouldn’t be torturing people anymore; and Petyr, a full-Max Schreck 8,000 year-old monster who lives in the basement. Then into their uncomfortably balanced lives crashes boorish local bloke Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer), who is accidentally turned and responds to his newfound supernatural power by running down the streets of Wellington and yelling, “I am TWILIGHT!”

“Among the film’s many treats, you’ll witness a bat-fight, ineffective hypnosis, a pack of werewolves, a ghost cup and buckets-upon-buckets of blood. Despite its ironically warm heart and likable characters, What We Do... doesn’t stint on the horror and gore elements. These guys feast on the innocent, and at times it’s no less gruesome than it is hilarious

“Part of the joke is that such dark goings-on are happening somewhere so mundane. Presented in a mockumentary format that worked so well in the likes of Waiting For Guffman and This is Spinal Tap, and boasting a great line in vampire/horror parody which riffs on everything, What We Do In The Shadows doubtless ranks in the ‘2014’s Best Comedy’ stakes.

“Here it is at long last: a truly great vampire comedy.”

- Dan Jolin, Empire Magazine