What We Do in the Shadows

In 2010’s faux documentary Vampires, a film crew follows a fictional vampire family in Belgium as they navigate contemporary life as members of the undead. The film was an uneven yet compelling attempt at providing an original narrative surrounding the modern vampire mythos. At times a social commentary and critique on race and immigration, other times more of a spoof on the vampire legend, the film, while occasionally humorous, missed the mark tonally, never fully figuring out what type of movie it wanted to be.

   
What We Do in the Shadows, while a similar premise, avoids these tonal pitfalls entirely and delivers a delightfully original and hilarious look at undead life. Directed by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, who also star in the film, Shadows knows exactly what type of film it is and, pardon the pun, goes for the jugular. While a mockumentary centering on the lives of several flat mates in Wellington, New Zealand who also happen to be vampires, the script plays to the tropes of vampire lore, deriving its humor from the awkward and socially inept protagonists and less from the traditional mythology surrounding vampire narratives over the last century.  In other words, Waititi and Clement take seriously their subject matter while mining the humor that naturally emerges from the situational dynamics of vampires interacting with each other as well as modern life.

   
Viago (Waititi) is the obsessive compulsive de facto leader of the house (“If you’re going to eat a victim on my nice green couch, put out some towels”), which also consists of Deacon (Jonathan Brugh), who sees himself as above the mundane nature of flat duties (“Vampires don’t do dishes!”), and Vladislav, the oldest of the main trio, who desires human slaves and virgin blood (“If you are going to eat a sandwich, you would just enjoy it more if you knew no one had fucked it.”) In addition, the eight centuries old Petyr (Ben Fransham), aesthetically related to Count Orlok from Nosferatu or Kurt Barlow from the mini-series version of ‘Salem’s Lot, occupies the basement of the house, a disturbingly creepy monstrosity that nobody seems entirely comfortable with.

   
The vampires go about their nightly lives until Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer), a recent vampire convert, shakes up their fairly routine existence and introduces the twenty-first century into the ancient bubble they are so firmly ensconced, demonstrating that not even immortals are immune from the siren call of the social media selfie. And it is here where the film settles into its arguable metaphor of the socially awkward misfits attempting to blend into a culture they neither belong to nor understand. A scene where a vampire “familiar” delivers two unsuspecting victims to the house clearly demonstrates, despite their power and disregard for human life, that the vampire flat mates want nothing more than to be perceived as cool…and fail miserably.

     
What We Do in the Shadows is filled with countless jokes and observations revolving around vampire mythology and folklore in popular culture, adhering to the traditional tropes of the undead aversion to sunlight and the crucifix, not casting a reflection, and transforming into bats and other creatures. In addition, thematic riffs from vampire cinema and literature are given ample nods, such as ancient vampires trapped in the physical shells of children (“We’re meeting a pedophile”), as well as acknowledging the Underworld/Twilight inspired relationship between vampires and werewolves (“Stop swearing! We’re werewolves, not swear wolves.”) All of this is conveyed with expert comedic timing and an obvious admiration and respect for the subgenre, making the movie something of a love letter to vampire films and stereotypes throughout history.

     
Occasionally violent, always hilarious, and surprisingly poignant, What We Do in the Shadows is easily one of the better vampire films to be released within the last decade. Populated with a solid cast of actors (Rhys Darby is particularly memorable as the werewolf Anton), the film breathes new life and fresh energy into the vampire narrative found in popular culture, and deserves a special place in the pantheon of undead cinematic efforts.