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Vampire Weekdays

'What We Do In the Shadows' explores undead lifestyle in an unlively town
THIS MOCKUMENTARY SUCKS: Co-directed by Flight of the Conchords' Jemaine Clement, 'What We Do In the Shadows' examines the lives of four dysfunctional vampires.

It may seem to be unnecessary—both as another mockumentary and yet one more vampire flick—but What We Do In the Shadows hits the mark by approaching its undead subjects the same way TV's The Surreal Life took on the celebrities whose careers just can't be killed.

Of the 60 or so vampires living in New Zealand, four get to see a lot of each other. They're housemates in a decaying flat, unveiling their problems before a documentary team's camera. (The crew was protected by crucifixes at all times, says a title.) The roomies are a mute, snaggletoothed, old-timey Nosferatu named Petyr (Ben Fransham); Deacon (Jonathan Brugh), an emo hellion who fails to act his centuries-old age; Vladislav (co-director Jemaine Clement), a long-haired and serious upholder of the old traditions, with Slavic accent and penetrating stare, and Viago (co-director Taika Waititi).

Permitting a documentary must have been Viago's idea. Shy, yet genial, he's the camera crew's best friend from the first, when he demonstrates a Max Schreck-style no-hands rise out of the coffin. He realizes a classic bit like that will tickle the filmmakers. He has a mincing, polite German accent, like the Leutonian diction of John Candy; the voice goes fussy and Herzogian when Viago has to finally lay down the law.

Viago has had it up to here with the messiness of their crypt. Gory plates and glasses are stacked in the sink. Viago says, "one of the unfortunate things about being a vampire is that you have to drink blood." This means a lot of cleanup with paper towels. After he hypnotizes a victim—who looks more disinterested than really out of it—Viago asks her to lift her feet so he can put newspapers on the floor. In voice-over he shares his philosophy with the documentary team: "It's the last moment of their lives. Why not make it a nice experience?"

Viago's familiar, Jackie (Jackie van Beek), is less impressed with his gentleness. This middle-aged female Renfield is getting impatient waiting to be immortalized by a bite to the neck. When she brings over a sort-of friend, Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer), for dinner, he gets turned. He breaks a house rule by bringing around a living friend—his dull but solid mate, Stu (Stuart Rutherford).

The fun of Shadows is that it doesn't have to convince with realism, like most mockumentaries. Co-directors Clement and Waititi get more out of the special effects than just using the poor depth of field of the hand-held camera to make vamps pop up out of nowhere. Contrast the budget on this with the woeful Dracula Untold, and it's not just an example of the smaller movie getting so much more bang for the buck. CG seems to deliver more sheer pleasure during a comedy, as when two vamps zap up into the skies to have it out. Their friends egg them on: "Bat fight! Bat fight!"

Among the many things to love about Shadows is its eclectic soundtrack—a mix that includes Vivaldi, Balkan brass band music, and the bravura tune "You're Dead" by Vallejo-born '60s folkie Norma Tanega.

What We Do in the Shadows suggests vampires as ultimate arrested-development cases, as per the forlorn but formidable Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The premise of vamp crypto-doc has been done before—see Belgium's Vampires. Still, the directors match a universally loved topic with an undertone about life in a very remote city. Wellington anomie is essential to this movie's comedy. The movie's undertone reflects the poignant side of being undead in an unlively town.

The annual ball of the Satanic undead takes place in less splendor than you'd see at a mid-price wedding. An evening out begins with the city bus trip downtown. It coalesces at an all-night Chinese restaurant. It ends with one of these immortals puking behind a dumpster.

The hunt for human victims is complicated, since the other creatures of the night mock these vampires as Goths and weirdos, and the blood-drinkers spend many nights standing around plaintively outside a nightclub—hoping the bouncers will invite them inside.

What We Do in the Shadows

Unrated; 87 minutes


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