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.
What We Do in the Shadows
Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
- New Zealand,
- United States
- 2014
- · 86m
Director
Taika Waititi
Cast
Taika Waititi,
Jemaine Clement,
Jonny Brugh,
Cori Gonzalez-Macuer,
Stuart Rutherford,
Ben Fransham
Genre
Comedy,
Horror
Vampire housemates try to cope with the complexities of modern life and show a newly turned hipster some of the perks of being undead.
Stream What We Do in the Shadows
What are users saying?
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"
What are critics saying?
91
Portland Oregonian by Jeff Baker
The tone -- deadpan, wistful, silly but never stupid -- is just right and puts What We Do in the Shadows next to "This Is Spinal Tap" as a mockumentary that shows its subjects as human -- in this case, inhuman -- in their hopes and fears.
90
Salon by Andrew O'Hehir
For a loose-limbed spoof with no real plot, “What We Do in the Shadows” is startlingly effective at creating characters we care about, which testifies to the fact that Clement and Waititi have created a world with clear governing laws (albeit ridiculous ones) and never violate those parameters.
90
Arizona Republic by Bill Goodykoontz
There is so much love and understanding of all the genres the film is skewering that What We Do in the Shadows transcends its lowbrow inspirations. It's a real treat.
90
TheWrap by Alonso Duralde
At a brisk 86 minutes, What We Do in the Shadows never sags or drags, delivering its comic punches with surgical precision and then getting off the stage. Being immortal doesn’t mean you have to lose your sense of timing.
88
Slant Magazine
The film sympathetically renders the small humiliations and inconveniences of life as an old-world vampire struggling with modernity.
88
Slant Magazine by Oleg Ivanov
The film sympathetically renders the small humiliations and inconveniences of life as an old-world vampire struggling with modernity.
88
RogerEbert.com by Simon Abrams
An irrepressibly charming B-movie that never over-stays its welcome, and is both conceptually clever and admirably well-executed.
83
Entertainment Weekly by Kevin P. Sullivan
What ends up carrying the movie is the sweetness of the characters, especially the lovelorn Viago and Stu (Stu Rutherford), the one human the group won’t eat because he’s genuinely just a good dude.
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.
80
Total Film
Sharp as fangs, warm as fresh blood, this could be the funniest movie of the year. New Zealand’s answer to Edgar Wright.
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
The Hollywood Reporter by John DeFore
A very funny Kiwi take on vampire lore and its application to the modern world.
80
Empire by Dan Jolin
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.
75
The Playlist by Drew Taylor
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.
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.
60
Time Out by David Ehrlich
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.
40
Variety by Rob Nelson
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.
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