NU Film Society shine a light on “What We Do in the Shadows”
By Clay Schuldt
NEW ULM – The New Ulm Film Society will drive a stake into its mockumentary series with a screening of “What We Do in the Shadows.”
The screening begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8 at the New Ulm Public Library.
The film was released in 2014 and was created by a New Zealand cast and crew. The film is set in Wellington and is about a documentary crew following four housemates who are all vampires. Though the film features supernatural elements, the movie is not considered a horror movie. It is a comedy. Specifically it resembled a situation comedy. The movie is not about the vampires hunting humans, but rather the day-to-day squabbles of roommates living together for a long time; especially with each having a different personality.
Each of the vampire characters is modeled after a different type of vampire. Viago (played by Taikka Waititi), is a nearly 400-year-old vampire who is very uptight and sometimes described as a “dandy.” Vladislav (played by Jemaine Clement) is an 800 year old vampire who is modeled after Vlad the Impaler. Deacon (Johnathan Brugh) is under 200 years old and is considered the young rebel who enjoys knitting. Petyr (Ben Fansham) is 8,000 years old and acts more like an animal than a man, preferring to live in the basement.
The four vampires are each intended to represent a different type of vampire from the history of film. As an example, Petyr is a reference to Count Orklok from the 1922 silent film “Nosferatu.” The Vladislav character is modeled after Count Dracula from the 1992 version of the movie.
With characters this unique, the film does not require a strong plot. The interpersonal character drama is enough to push the story. Due to their immortality, the vampires have centuries worth of struggles together. That’s why the main conflict of the film is a newcomer to their vampire clan.
Early in the film, the vampires welcome a fifth member into their group, Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer). Nick was originally intended to be a victim, but they turned him into a vampire instead. At first, Nick is a welcome addition. He introduces the vampires to new experiences and people.
Unfortunately Nick’s personality begins to clashes with the housemates. Since Nick is new to being a vampire, he makes no attempt to be secretive about it, putting the household in danger. At one point his accidentally reveals the location of their home to a vampire hunter.
“What We Do in the Shadows” received strong critical praise on its initial release. The movie was able to capitalize on two major trends, vampires and mockumentaries. Vampire films were extremely popular in the early 2010s, however most of the vampire films took a serious approach to the genre. The mockumentary genre was also well established in 2014, but most mockumentaries leaned into realism. “What We Do in the Shadows” dared to take a fantastical approach to the genre and it became an instant classic.
The success of the film inspired multiple television spin-offs. In 2019, a television version of “What We Do in the Shadows” premiered and is currently in its fifth season.
The New Ulm Film Society’s screening of “What We Do in the Shadow” is free to the public. Before and after the film, there will be a discussion about the film’s place in film history.