Photo courtesy of unsplash.com
In honor of Taika Waititi’s latest Oscar win, this week’s review will be a throwback review of his and co-writer/director Jemaine Clement’s 2014 horror mockumentary “What We Do in the Shadows.”
Both Clement and Waititi have always had a somewhat unconventional sense of humor, if the latest Waititi film “Jojo Rabbit” (2019) is any indication.
“Shadows” is no different. It takes the genre of horror and flips it, making fun of it in the same way “This Is Spinal Tap” (1984) makes fun of the rock music industry — they both use the style of the mockumentary.
“What We Do in the Shadows” follows the daily life of three vampires, two of whom are played by Clement and Waititi, whose lives are interrupted when their oldest flatmate changes a human into a vampire.
The film unfolds in ridiculous humor and a little bit of gore, but that is to be expected in a vampire film.
This film pays homage to many well-known classics such as “Dracula” (1931), “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992), and even “Twilight” (2008).
Homage might be too kind a term for what “Shadows” does. If anything, this film is an hour and a half of them endearingly making fun of the vampire horror genre.
Spoofs and parodies are often difficult things to create without becoming incredibly cheesy, like “Scary Movie” (2000). Those films have seemed as though they would never stop being churned out and nearly exhausted the horror spoof genre for me, personally.
“Shadows” doesn’t become cheesy or tiresome with its jokes. In fact, there aren’t any jokes in the film; it is made up entirely of humorous situations, and that is where the difference lies. Comedic things just happen to these characters, rather than them saying something and it needing a punchline.
The dialogue of this film is so well done that I’d be incredibly happy to watch another three hours of these characters bickering.
These vampires aren’t what one would typically imagine when they think of vampires: they don’t live in some large castle, they live in a house in Wellington, New Zealand. They aren’t the graceful, brooding type like Dracula. They are awkward and have no idea what the latest trends are, which is a joke in and of itself.
“What We Do in the Shadows” flips the entire horror genre on its head and answers question like: How do vampires spend their time? What do they do in the shadows?
Overall, what makes this film so funny is that it takes a subject so mundane — the idea of four guys sharing a flat in Wellington, New Zealand — and makes it ridiculous: the four guys are vampires.
If horror is something that would usually spook you, but you enjoy the concept, this film might be for you. It is not scary; however, there are gory moments with a decent amount of blood shown. It is funnier than it is spooky, so if that sounds intriguing, I would absolutely recommend this film.
It is ridiculously hilarious and bound to give you a good time.
Final score: 11/10.
