BEHIND THE SCREAMS // A FILM REVIEW OF "WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS"
Just when the mockumentary format has grown stale, some quirky Kiwi's come along to spice it up a bit. Jermaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) and Taika Waititi (Eagle Vs. Shark) bring a fresh spin to the genre with the Vampire comedy WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS. Clement plays Vladislav, an 800 year old vampire with the ability of mind control who's living in modern day New Zealand with some flatmates. All of them are also vampires. They include Viago (Waititi): a 18th century dandy who seems thrilled about everything on a daily basis, Deacon (Jonathan Brugh): a young, "hip" vampire (he's only 183), and a Nosferatu-esque Vamp named Petyr (Ben Franshman) who's 8,000 years old and barely gets out of his coffin. They've allowed a documentary crew to film them in their everyday lives (they've also made sure to let us know that the crew is "protected" and will not be eaten). They squabble about who's not picking up their slack on washing dishes, about what to wear when going to a club (just them trying to get into a hotspot by having to be "invited in" is clever enough for the ticket price), and how to deal with the local troublemakers (a pack of werewolves run by fellow Flight member Rhys Darby). And you thought Vampire movies had done it all...
Co-Writer/Directors Clement and Waititi have crafted an often genius parody of Vampire films, Mockumentary films, and simply a great comedy to laugh out loud to. The jokes all feel fresh and clever, the effects are great, and seeing Clement and Darby squabble again is truly hilarious. The latter half of the film even has some truly touching moments as the gang tries to befriend a couple of humans (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer and Stuart Rutherford). Equal parts odd and engaging, the film takes you on a wonderfully kooky ride. Clement is hilarious as the 800 year old with serious girlfriend issues. Brugh is also quite funny as Deacon, and every moment that Darby appears on screen is a gift, but the film belongs to Waititi. Sensitive and funny, he's crafted a unique character to both stand behind and understand. It may not be your typical "scare" horror film, but that's a good thing. Nothing about this is typical. It's new and fresh, something we've been waiting for a while to see in the land of Horror.
MATEO'S GRADE: A-
Written and Directed by Jermaine Clemant, Taikia Waittiti Starring Jermaine Clemant, Taika Waittiti, Jonathan Brugh, Ben Fransman, Rhys Dharby
RATED: R CONTENT ADVISORY Adult Situations, Language, Violence
FINAL THOUGHTS: Fans of both Conchords and those in search for an evening of laughs will both be winners here.
MATEO MORENO recently won a bet on who could hold their breath the longest underwater. He won the bet, having beat local loudmouth Jimmy "Thunderbird" Thomas with a record breaking "fourteen minutes." True, part of that time was him unconcious and the other part was him being revived, but he still counts it, and is now $20 richer. Take THAT Thunderbird! He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.