WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS
What We Do in the Shadows
A rumour surfaced a few months back about the uproarious series Flight of the Conchords coming back to HBO. Fans of the two frazzled, forever-broke Kiwi folkies at the heart and soul of this wickedly witty series were overjoyed, but, alas, the story was soon squelched — no comeback.
Still, the news is not all bleak on that front. Half of the band can now be caught on the big screen. That would be the sadsack Jemaine Clement, albeit in a role far removed from the struggling musician unable to make it in Manhattan.
Clement is co-director, cowriter and co-star of the Kiwi camp-vamp delight What We Do in the Shadows. Based on the 2006 short film by Clement and his co-director, co-writer and co-star Taika Waititi, this mockumentary is madness, yet — a few moments of grotesque goriness notwithstanding — surprisingly restrained since the undead leads seem intent on being taken as seriously as mere mortals.
As zom-coms go, though, this one brings a unique bite to proceedings. No surprise that it was a hit at last year’s Sundance and the winner of the People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award at the 2014 TIFF. What We Do in the Shadows may even emerge as this millennium’s answer to the cult Halloween classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Clement is cast as Vladislaw, whose prickliness can be somewhat attributed to being 862 years old and no longer the ladies’ man he once was. Nor does it help that he must share his Wellington, N.Z., abode with three other vampires. Times are tough all over. But Vlad is hopeful that his luck with the ladies will change. The highlight of the vampire social season is around the corner: The Unholy Masquerade.
Regardless, 317-year-old Viago (Waititi) seems more intent on keeping some semblance of order at home. It’s a daunting task. He calls regular house meetings with Vlad and their other flatmates, 183-yearold young pup Deacon (Jonathan Brugh) and 8,000-yearold Petyr (Ben Fransham), a Nosferatu-look-alike whose overbite would give even Dracula pause. Petyr also has serious plasma-TV issues.
Viago, the neat-freak, figures that by inviting a documentary crew into their home it might shame the others into cleaning up their acts. Like getting Vlad to put out the recycling — at least once a decade. Viago is particularly peeved with the renegade Deacon, who hasn’t washed that mountain of dirty dishes in the sink for five years. Deacon doesn’t get it, noting that it’s not like they’re going to impress guests — whom they kill, eat and drain of blood. Besides, Deacon would rather knit sweaters in his downtime. And forget about the pyro Petyr doing any house cleaning.
Swinging bachelors that they are, though, Vlad, Viago and Deacon are boulevardiers — only during the night, of course — and seek out short-term romance while cruising hipster clubs. But, invariably, they run into their foes, dim werewolves led by Anton (Rhys Darby, Flight of the Conchords’ hilarious, neurotic manager of the two-man band, here in a more alpha-male, or alpha-dog, role). Messy battles tend to ensue.
On one of their nightly benders, they take a nibble out of a fellow called Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer), who subsequently becomes a vampire and starts bragging about it all over town, even inventing stories that he was the lead in Twilight. The other vamps don’t take kindly to that kind of overt behaviour, but they have a soft spot for Nick’s best buddy Stu (Stu Rutherford), whom they choose not to devour because he teaches them how to Google.
Clement and Waititi may have well have consumed liquids stronger than blood to have emerged with this hysterical and unbridled lunacy. Some smell sequel, certainly in light of the fact that these characters won’t ever die. I can hardly wait.
What We Do in the Shadows opens Feb. 13 in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal before expanding to other cities.