What We Do in the Shadows Review

Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav are three vampires living together in a flat share with their 8000 year old housemate Petyr. Attempting to cope with modern life in New Zealand is a bit of a struggle for these out of touch and lost in time bloodsuckers. When a documentary crew decides to take the unenviable task of capturing the vampires’ preparations for the annual undead get together known as The Unholy Masquerade, things start to unravel.

These vampires are hilariously having to deal with the ordinary trials of sharing a flat; paying the rent, doing the bloody dishes and trying to socialise in the local nightclubs. However, they also have to catch their prey, drink their blood and avoid too many run-ins with the gang of werewolves that also roam around their town.

Don’t worry though; even with vampires facing off against werewolves, this is a million miles away from Twilight. When the 8000 year old mute Petyr who lives in the basement turns ordinary 20-something year old guy Nick into a vampire, the more experienced vamps must help Nick to adjust to his new life as an immortal fanged creature of the night. In turn, Nick invites his very much not-dead-mate Stu to hang out with the vampires so that he can help them to learn more about the ways of the modern world.

What We Do in the Shadows is a little hit and miss. The mock-documentary format has been done to death from This is Spinal Tap to The Office but it still manages to throw up plenty of laughs here. The extraordinary elements of the vampires is constantly undercut by their talking to camera and worrying about trivial things. There are plenty of awkward moments as the vampires are revealed to be little more than bickering manchildren, completely trapped in their old ways but always facing a world moving on without them. Though the central trio range from 183 to 862 years old, they are still just silly, selfish and narcissistic little boys.  

When the young Nick and his mate Stu come into their life, it shakes things up, particularly as Nick runs around telling people he is a vampire (attracting the attentions of a vampire hunter) and Stu remains very much undead. That’s it as far as plot goes. What We Do in the Shadows is much more about characters and giving the conventions associated with vampires as much of a ripping as possible. 

These vampires hilariously fight with werewolves, have troubles getting ready for nights out without being able to see their reflections and even fight amongst themselves by turning into bats and batting heads. Their frequent references to vampire films of the past such as The Lost Boys, Blade and Twilight will undoubtedly delight fans of the genre. 

When it’s funny, it is really funny. However, not all the jokes puncture the jugular, meaning What We Do in the Shadows is likely to remain in the shadows and unseen by a wide audience. Still, with this, Only Lovers Left Alive and A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night all being released this year, anyone worried that Twilight and Dracula Untold had driven stakes through the heart of decent vampires film should breathe a little sigh of relief.

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What if David Brent Became a Vampire: What We Do in the Shadows Trailer

Decent vampire movies are making a serious comeback after nearly being staked right through the heart by the bloody Twilight franchise. First up this year there was Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive, then I got to see a little gem at the London Film Festival called A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night and then tonight I get to see mock-documentary What We Do in the Shadows.

It just goes to show that even after the moping, preening, sparkling vampires of that unholy tween franchise, films featuring bloodsuckers will really never die. This horror sub-genre is as immortal as ever and enjoying a witty and original renaissance.

What We Do in the Shadows is from the guys who brought us Flight of the Conchords and Eagle Vs Shark so expect much hilarity to ensue. The trailer looks brilliant, with its last line being a particularly funny look at what I imagine David Brent from The Office would be like if he joined the legions of the undead.

Check out the trailer below:

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Only Lovers Left Alive Review

Being immortal would be bloody boring. Imagine being a vampire who has lived for centuries, seen it all before and is thoroughly tired of wandering the earth, looking for the next bloody fix. Jim Jarmusch’s vampire film drives a stake through the heart of the Twilight franchise, rising from the slow but painfully successful death of those dreadful genre killers to offer something fresh and completely captivating.

Adam (Tom Hiddleston) and Eve (Tilda Swinton) are centuries old vampire lovers, now living apart; Adam in Detroit and Eve in Tangier. Securing blood through murder in the modern world is now out of the question so they spend their lives slowly and ploddingly finding their next drink in their respective dying cities. Securing their supply without killing people and drinking their blood, these vampires have almost become like vegetarians; moving beyond slaughter to feed themselves. With Adam suicidal, Eve decides to visit him and the pair rekindle their old romance before Eve’s devilish little sister Ava (Mia Wasikowska) turns up to wreak havoc.

Adam surrounds himself with recording equipment that looks like it has taken him a lifetime to amass. He sits alone in his haunted old house in Detroit, avoiding the humans he calls zombies and making moody music. Like his vinyl, Adam's life is cyclical; going round and round interminably and making him desperately unhappy. He is sick of the modern world and progress; anti-downloading, anti-YouTube and pining for the old days. His collection of equipment and love of old instruments keeps him going but barely.

When he and Eve get together, they speak like people out of time, pondering the fate of scientists through history and reminiscing about their time spent with literary greats like Shelley and Byron. Calling humans zombies, they see us as the plague that infests the earth not their kind who cherish our history and creativity. Adam and Eve might very well have been the first people on the planet but if so, they are well and truly fed up with life. Tom Hiddleston manages to look utterly bored without ever becoming boring. Ennui has set in big time and even the constant craving for blood can’t save him. Blood is a drug; they turn it into frozen popsicles, down shots, guzzle it from a hip flask and then they fall semi-comatose from their fix.

Like junkies, they only come out at night. Cruising the streets in Adam’s car, the lovers look perpetually cool in their sunglasses and black and white clothes. Night time in Detroit is alluring as the lovers prowl around the destitute city waiting for the end of time to come. Detroit is a wasteland; a wilderness for vampires to wander as Jarmusch follows Adam's white Jaguar through the streets.

With a beautiful score and brilliant song choices like Trapped by a Thing Called Love by Denise La Salle and Can't Hardly Stand It by Charlie Feathers, the atmosphere of boredom, of centuries gone past and the decline of human civilisation is depressing. However, the lovers’ curiosity, knowledge and passion for each other is inspiring. We learn little bits about their lives but there is so much more to explore. Only Lovers Left Alive will leave you curious about what came before, leaving countless questions answered.

Eve's sister Ava arrives unexpectedly to stir things up. Wasikowska adds a welcome spark to proceedings if taking the story down a more predictable route for a while. There are all the usual nods to vampire mythology with wooden bullets, pale skin, aversion to sunlight, thirst for blood and lightning quick reflexes all referenced but more interestingly John Hurt pops up as (presumed) long-dead writer Christopher Marlowe. Anton Yelchin also plays a small but pivotal part but the film belongs to Swinton and Hiddleston who look and feel like two people who have been living far longer than they could have imagined. Only Lovers Left Alive may capture the world-weariness of their existence but it also has many very funny touches to lighten the mood. Only Lovers Left Alive is spellbinding; the best vampire film since Let the Right One In.

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News stories for Starburst: Byzantium, Star Trek Into Darkness

I've just had my first and second news stories for Starburst Magazine published on the new Byzantium poster and trailer and the new Star Trek Into Darkness character posters. I'm looking forward to contributing more to the site and keeping readers up to date with horror and science fiction news. I hope you will go and check out the Byzantium news story, especially if you are a vampire, horror or Gemma Arterton fan! You can also watch the new trailer there. It all looks pretty vamp-tastic is you ask me!

And here is my second news story on the Star Trek Into Darkness character posters.

And third on Michael Bay and the TMNT reboot and Transformers 4

Review of 'Stake Land' (Jim Mickle, 2011)

Synopsis: Orphaned Martin is taken under the wing of bad-ass Mister as they travel across vampire-ravaged America in search of the refuge known as ‘New Eden’.

Aside from the fairly frequent jumps, scares and gore, Stake Land feels surprisingly subdued for a recent horror film. With its melancholic tone, ravaging of the religious right and focus on characters over action, the film succeeds in being a bit more thoughtful than many of its contemporaries. And don’t go into this expecting sanitized, pretty-boy vampires a-la-Twilight. These monsters are old school to the core- more like zombies than modern takes on vampires; all ferocious snarls and messed up faces. With fairly few jumps or scenes that are likely to scare a grizzled horror fan, Stake Land is easier to recommend for its realistic world-building, mournful soundtrack and interesting, well-drawn characters.

Opening with Martin’s voiceover as he introduces himself and his travelling companion, the enigmatic father figure and teacher, Mister, the film quickly flashes back to a vicious encounter between Martins family and the horrific vampires. Sticking with most of the rules of the vampire myth, it is soon established that stakes and sunlight are still useful in this tale of vamp vs human conflict. The pace is deliberately slow and the film painstakingly constructs a very authentic feeling vision of post-apocalyptic America. Guarded communities living in fear while supplies dwindle, drinking and sleeping together in packed bars until the sun rises and religious nutjobs taking over the wilderness to rape and murder as they please. It is this rendering of the Christian crazies that strikes the biggest false note in the story, feeling over-blown and too simple for the subtleties of much of the rest of the story and character drawing. 

The cast are great, particularly Nick Damici as Mister who delivers a convincing performance with the familiar role of mean old git with a soft heart underneath. Kelly McGillis is barely recognizable as a constantly victimized nun (bet she must be wondering what happened to the days of getting jiggy with Tom Cruise in a Navy uniform) and the youngsters, especiall Connor Paolo are good in their less demanding roles. It’s particularly nice to see Danielle Harris still working, even if she has lost some of the spunk of her early appearance as Bruce Willis’ daughter way back in The Last Boy Scout.

Jim Mickle should be applauded for his direction; the film works very well as a whole, with good performances from the cast, a bleak soundtrack and pacing that could have easily been spoiled by trying to appeal to a bigger audience. It is a brave movie; not overly rushed and taking its time to build to its understated climax. The action and horror are handled well and the villain is a right nasty piece of work that should stick in the memory.

The film is most memorable for its details of life after the vampires take over. The small communities that have popped up round the country feel realistic and lived in. A sense of community, of something we have lost to some extent in 2011 shines through and gives the film a nostalgic feel, as if the vampire apocalypse may help America return to a simpler, more caring time. The positioning of the cult of Christian crazies dropping ‘bombs’ on peaceful communities and their obsession with deliverance and the ‘will of God’ is the least subtle and most forceful of themes on display and does feel a little OTT in places but the journey of the characters and their encounters with ordinary folk ground the film and make up for its excesses in other areas.

Stake Land is a very well made film and can be enjoyed as a simple horror film but also as an experience of a post-apocalyptic society and the highs and lows of living in a world with a drastically reduce population.