What We Do in the Shadows

What We Do in the Shadows is sort of This Is Spinal Tap for vampires, a pretty funny but stretched way too thin faux documentary about how vampires' lives can be really quotidian. I had a smile on my face for most of the movie, but didn't laugh out loud all that much.

The film was co-directed by Taika Waititi and Jermaine Clement, the latter one-half of the New Zealand comedy duo Flight of the Conchords. They also star as two of the four vampires who share a flat in Wellington, New Zealand. Waititi plays Viago, who sort of organizes things, while Clement is Vladislav, a much older vampire who has a rivalry with someone he calls "the Beast." The other two vampires are Deacon (Jonathan Brugh), who is brash and short-tempered, and Petyr (Ben Fransham), who is 8,000 years old and looks like Count Orlock.

The humor mined here is that vampires have to do the little chores in life just like we do. The opening image is an alarm clock going off, with Viago's hand coming out of his coffin to silence it. They have arguments about who is going to clean the bloody dishes, and when they go out on the town they have a problem going into clubs because they have to be invited in to enter.

The plot turns when Deacon's familiar, Jackie, brings them two victims, supposedly virgin (the girl is not a virgin, but Jackie says she pegged her for one). They feed on the two, but Petyr turns Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer) into a vampire. He ends up moving in, but the other guys all hate him. They do like his human friend, Stu, though, and promise not to eat him.

This was based on a short film, and this feature is like a short film stretched to 85 minutes. It's very clever and I give them credit for making a vampire spoof that actually works. I thought about seeing this when it played in theaters but am glad I waited--it's worth a rental.