What We Do in the Shadows
April 26, 2015
This is an indie horror/comedy from New Zealand about the adventures of a group of vampire flatmates. If you haven’t heard about this yet, you should see the trailer. No, really, you should:
I swear I wrote “Paranormal Bromance” before I ever heard about this thing. (Actually, the two stories have little in common except being about vampire flatmates. Well, that and they both reference Twilight and The Lost Boys, and I don’t know what it means that it’s apparently impossible to write a current vampire comedy without referencing Twilight and The Lost Boys, but there you go. Anyhoo.)
My friends and I had so much fun with this. It’s funny, it’s quotable (if you see people randomly posting online “We’re werewolves not swearwolves,” which I have seen happening, it’s from this.) And it’s actually, strangely affecting. There’s a Nosferatu named Peter living in the basement and we all agreed that we liked him a lot, even though he never says a word. We worried about what was going to happen to Stu. I think I’ve actually been to that nightclub.
So yeah, if you’re like me and were never able to take the usual brand of angst-ridden metrosexual vampires seriously, you’ll probably get a kick out of this.
And I need to do some digging, but is New Zealand becoming the world capital of horror comedy? I mean, you all have seen Black Sheep, haven’t you? Haven’t you???
April 27, 2015 at 9:21 am
I have seen Black Sheep, but I’d say NZ horror comedies go back further than that, all the way back to Peter Jackson in the 80s/90s, with such films of his as Bad Taste, Braindead (Dead Alive in the US), and even arguably The Frighteners (though that one wasn’t actually set in NZ, though it was filmed there).
April 27, 2015 at 9:26 am
*Of the ones I’ve mentioned, I’d most recommend Braindead/Dead Alive. Not only does it have the best plot among them, but the scene in the park alone is worth it, even if it has no bearing on the rest of the story; Jackson filmed it as a personal reward for finishing the movie on time and under budget. Plus, I guarantee you will never look at a lawnmower the same way again.
April 27, 2015 at 10:03 am
Omg! THANK you so very, very much! Norwegian comedy is just the best all around I think. Have you seen the video of the intellivator prank? Five star awesomeness, skill, and humor! The doors open to a collection of local Norwegian fauna in floor eight…ROFL!
April 27, 2015 at 6:58 pm
As a New Zealander, I would like to point out that our psyche is in fact dark and deeply twisted😀. Not sci fi/fantasy or comedy, but a very good watch is Once were warriors. Defiantly comedy and a personal fav is Come a hot Friday
April 27, 2015 at 8:28 pm
‘What We Do In the Shadows’ is a bizarre little film that’s very well done. It’s funny and touching at the same time.
April 28, 2015 at 8:28 am
I haven’t seen any of Jackson’s early films and I really need to, they’re all supposed to be pretty twisted.
April 29, 2015 at 11:55 am
Fair warning: I found Jackson’s first two movies — Bad Taste and Meet the Feebles — extremely difficult to watch, especially Feebles. I’ll admit they are both pretty good, but having seen them once, I never want to again.
Strangely, I can still get through Braindead okay — most of it, anyway — despite the much higher gore quotient.