Imagine "This Is Spinal Tap," but instead of rock musicians, the subjects were vampires.
That's exactly what we get with "What We Do In The Shadows," a faux-documentary from New Zealeand co-written, co-directed and starring Jemaine Clement, better known as one-half of the comedy/folk duo "Flight of the Conchords."
The premise is simple — a documentary camera crew follows around a group of flatmates/vampires in their natural habitat and showcases their day-to-day life, which isn't all drinking blood and sleeping in coffins. It's a lot like "The Office" ... if it were set in New Zealand and starred vampires.
"Shadows" pokes fun at vampires themselves by making careful references to the films that paved the way. Everything from the classic "Nosferatu," to more modern vampire films like the "Twilight" series and even Francis Ford Coppola's "Dracula" from the early 90s are alluded to, among many others.
The humor is fairly dry and deadpan, often featuring normally mundane roommate situations like who's going to do the dishes suddenly become hysterically funny when vampires hundreds of years old are bickering about it.
"What We Do In The Shadows" arrives in a limited amount of theaters this weekend with little fanfare, which is a real shame considering I laughed harder during this film than any other mainstream comedy in recent memory.
The chemistry between the film's writers/directors/stars Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi is fantastic, and every character has their high moments.
If you want to watch the movie on the big screen but don't live in New York or LA, you can donate to the film's KickStarter campaign and help support its release in the states.
The film is a must-see for fans of Christopher Guest films, "Flight of the Conchords," horror, or anybody who just needs a good laugh.
Check out the first 6 minutes of the film:
"What We Do In The Shadows" opens in NY & LA this weekend.
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