80
Sharp as fangs, warm as fresh blood, this could be the funniest movie of the year. New Zealand’s answer to Edgar Wright.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
70
The New Yorker by Anthony Lane
It was with both joy and mystification, therefore, that I found myself cackling at What We Do in the Shadows like a witch with a helium balloon.
80
Time Out London by Cath Clarke
This isn’t much more than a series of ridiculously dotty sketches, and might have worked better as a sitcom, but it’s surprisingly hilarious.
80
Here it is at long last: a truly great vampire comedy. And also the funniest horror film to come out of New Zealand since Braindead.
60
A dryly amusing mockumentary from the Kiwis behind the similarly deadpan Eagle vs Shark and Flight of the Conchords, What We Do in the Shadows unfolds like the darkest movie that Christopher Guest never made.
75
What We Do In the Shadows is the type of little movie that you watch and feel like you've discovered something really special. It's a total surprise; a silly, scary delight.
80
The Hollywood Reporter by John DeFore
A very funny Kiwi take on vampire lore and its application to the modern world.
40
Some genre fans who prefer the silly to the satiric may bite, but the anemic pic isn’t remotely weird or witty enough for cult immortality.
80
Village Voice by Stephanie Zacharek
What We Do in the Shadows is never as self-conscious as you fear it might be, and it has some of the loose, wiggy energy of early Jim Jarmusch, only with more bite. It makes getting poked a pleasure.
If you are familiar with Taika Waitit's work, you will not be surprised by just how hilarious this film is. This movie is perfect. The characters are funny, and about as likable as a bunch of centuries old murderous vampires can be. Some of my favorite parts of the movie include the group not being able to get into any clubs because, as vampires, they have to be invited in. There's also a particularly funny line when one of the vampires explains why vampires prefer virgin blood, "If you were going to eat a sandwich, you'd just enjoy it more if you knew no one had f-----ed it"
An endlessly quotable, pitch-perfect mockumentary about vampire roommates living in modern New Zealand. I've seen it more times than I am comfortable saying and it is inventive, hilarious, and delightful every time.