By Christopher K. House
Horror comedies have had a tough go as of late. A Haunted House 2 really put a bad taste in my mouth when it comes to the genre. As such, I put off seeing this for some time. I can now say I greatly regret that. Written, directed and starring New Zealanders Jermaine Clement and Taiki Waititi, What We Do In The Showers is a tale of vampire flatmates and their daily lives. Sort of a "found footage" film, WWDITS is seen from the eyes of a documentary crew give permission to follow the flatmates for a period of time. We have Viago, the dandy vampire played by Taiki Waititi. Jermaine Clemente is Vlad, the Dracula inspired ladies vampire. Jonathan Brugh, Deacon the rock star vampire with the leather pants. Lastly, there is the silent and stoic Petyr (Ben Fransham) the odd looking Nosfreatu vampire.
This can best be described as "The Real Life" but, with vampires in place of hipsters. The most impressive part is, the majority of the film was actually improvised. Only an outline was written and select dialogue. The story evolved as the improv went on. The best part of the film is just watching the centuries old vampires cope with everyday lives. Paying rent, utilities, washing dishes, boring monotonous daily chores. They also have social lives also. From Viago's lost love, Vlad's diminishing powers to Deacon's incessant knitting. Yes, he knits. The film is just a hilarious romp with these fun characters. Petyr is sadly under used however. His silent schtick was fun, we don't however get to see him much.
Nick is a character that is introduced to us as "dinner" for the boys. through happenstance, he is made a vampire by Petyr. Nick, being a modern guy now has to learn how to be a vampire. This dynamic causes friction between himself and Deacon, who feels Nick is cramping his style. There is also the obligatory vampire hunter thrown in for good measure.
There are other mythic creatures abundant as well. Zombies, witches and the rival Werewolf pack. Vampires and Werewolves don't get along. This is played up in the film with hilarious results. The "rumble" scene between the two rival clans was actually filmed on the same location as an iconic Lord Of The Rings scene, adding to the setting.
This is the definition of idie film, there was a micro budget and very limited resources. Yet, the film makers made something special here. This is a film you should seek out to see.
Rating A
Horror comedies have had a tough go as of late. A Haunted House 2 really put a bad taste in my mouth when it comes to the genre. As such, I put off seeing this for some time. I can now say I greatly regret that. Written, directed and starring New Zealanders Jermaine Clement and Taiki Waititi, What We Do In The Showers is a tale of vampire flatmates and their daily lives. Sort of a "found footage" film, WWDITS is seen from the eyes of a documentary crew give permission to follow the flatmates for a period of time. We have Viago, the dandy vampire played by Taiki Waititi. Jermaine Clemente is Vlad, the Dracula inspired ladies vampire. Jonathan Brugh, Deacon the rock star vampire with the leather pants. Lastly, there is the silent and stoic Petyr (Ben Fransham) the odd looking Nosfreatu vampire.
This can best be described as "The Real Life" but, with vampires in place of hipsters. The most impressive part is, the majority of the film was actually improvised. Only an outline was written and select dialogue. The story evolved as the improv went on. The best part of the film is just watching the centuries old vampires cope with everyday lives. Paying rent, utilities, washing dishes, boring monotonous daily chores. They also have social lives also. From Viago's lost love, Vlad's diminishing powers to Deacon's incessant knitting. Yes, he knits. The film is just a hilarious romp with these fun characters. Petyr is sadly under used however. His silent schtick was fun, we don't however get to see him much.
Nick is a character that is introduced to us as "dinner" for the boys. through happenstance, he is made a vampire by Petyr. Nick, being a modern guy now has to learn how to be a vampire. This dynamic causes friction between himself and Deacon, who feels Nick is cramping his style. There is also the obligatory vampire hunter thrown in for good measure.
There are other mythic creatures abundant as well. Zombies, witches and the rival Werewolf pack. Vampires and Werewolves don't get along. This is played up in the film with hilarious results. The "rumble" scene between the two rival clans was actually filmed on the same location as an iconic Lord Of The Rings scene, adding to the setting.
This is the definition of idie film, there was a micro budget and very limited resources. Yet, the film makers made something special here. This is a film you should seek out to see.
Rating A
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