“What We Do in the Shadows” (2014)

What We Do in the Shadows

Grade: B+

In our post-Twilight cinematic landscape, vampire-related comedy has been meme’d to death. Likewise, mockumentaries are also in been-there-done-that territory. Yet in an unlikely turn of events, What We Do in the Shadows breathes life into two stagnant genres simply by combining them with a dry sense of New Zealand humor. A few more notes on What We Do in the Shadows:

Directing:

Jermaine Clement and Taika Waititi (of Flight of the Conchords fame) co-direct this plotless mockumentary with the shaky handheld camera work that the genre deserves — more Blair Witch Project than The Office. Maybe that’s why this particular mockumentary works so well: the low-budget-yet-realistic special effects are quite scary for a comedy film (e.g., true-to-life werewolves and an authentic Nosferatu), with nighttime cinematography not often seen in the genre. Kudos to Clement and Waititi for remaining so absurdly faithful to vampire lore while also maintaining an up-too-late, had-too-much-to-drink, smoked-too-many-joints hangout vibe for the duration of the film.

Acting:

The film doesn’t have too many jokes in the traditional sense; rather, the humor comes from the off-the-cuff interplay between Waititi, Clement and Jonathan Brugh. Each member of the trio has a distinct, eccentric personality, which makes the remarkably simple premise of “vampires living together in a flat in modern-day Wellington” supply so much subtle comedy. The main trio is funny just by being themselves: perfectly timed vocal inflections, facial expressions and awkward interactions. For instance, I laughed my ass off just from Deacon telling Stu, “I saw them tear you to shreds.”

Writing:

If any film deserves to be called “plotless,” What We Do in the Shadows certainly fits the bill. An unseen documentary crew (a premise which authentically breaks the fourth wall on occasion) follows the vampires as they go about their daily lives in New Zealand. And that’s about it. What We Do in the Shadows is a true hang-out film — the characters are so funny that we’ll watch them do anything, even nothing.

Music:

Norma Tanega’s “You’re Dead” is an appropriately wry, sardonic, deadpan tune to set the tone for the film. How many other obscure 1960s folk oddities poke fun at mortality in such a sarcastic manner? It’s an apt song for the movie’s indie style, and it’s no surprise that Clement and Waititi also used it as the opening theme for the 2018 TV show.

Ending (SPOILERS):

Unfortunately, the danger of a plotless film is that it can also lack a proper ending. That’s the case with What We Do in the Shadows, which nonchalantly concludes on a funny yet predictable joke (“What’s this 96-year-old lady doing with a guy four times her age?”) without much finality. But this is to be expected for the undead: life goes on and on and on and on. However, the casual ending only seems so abrupt because we’d be happy to spend eternity watching the hilarious characters and their irreverent misadventures. It’s perhaps one of the only films in which a TV reboot (two of them!) is completely necessary. And it’s definitely the only instance in which the TV reboot (one of them) is even better than the film it’s based on.

“But this is what happens when you’re a vampire. You have to watch everyone die.” — Deacon

Why What We Do in the Shadows gets a B+:

Consistently funny but not necessarily gut-bustingly hilarious, What We Do in the Shadows is a loose, restrained, worthwhile addition to the vampire genre.

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