A mockumentary that follows a group of vampires living
together as flatmates in Wellington, New Zealand. COMEDY/HORROR
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What We Do in the Shadows (2014)Written and Directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi
Starring Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Jonny Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Stu Rutherford, Ben Fransham, Rhys Darby, Jackie van Beek, Elena Stejko |
What We Do in the Shadows is one of the cleverest, most entertaining vampire movies I've seen in years. It's hilarious watching four ancient vampires fumble around in modern day New Zealand as flatmates getting on each other's nerves. The three leads, Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, and Jonny Brugh, are all absolutely stellar as once powerful monsters who have lost a bit of that razzle dazzle and are stuck in a rut. You can see why Waititi went on to become an Oscar-winning filmmaker just by his work in front of and behind the camera with this movie.
Viago, Deacon, Vladislav, and Petyr are four vampires living in Wellington, just trying to figure out what to do with their nights. They've brought in a documentary crew to film their day-to-day, which involves bickering over chores, pining over lost loves, and of course brutally draining humans of their blood. When a new, recently bitten vampire, Nick (Gonzalez-Macuer), moves in to the flat, he's met with static from the other guys. But his human friend Stu (Rutherford) is a big hit and they all make a pact not to eat him. The chemistry among the entire cast sells this as a great comedy and as a solid horror flick. I particularly like the scenes where they talk shit about the werewolf gang and very nearly throw down. This film deserves way more attention stateside. It's a brilliant cross-genre cult hit that can satisfy movie fans of any kind. The performances are hilarious and based on famous fictional vampires, the situations are ripe for comedy gold, and it's the film that put Taika Waititi on the map and gave him the street cred that allowed him to later make films like Thor: Ragnarok and Jojo Rabbit. So, why not indulge yourself with a goofy vampire flick? |