daily stream: it's unholy how much I love this movie
2014’s *What We Do in the Shadows* is on Prime and Apple TV on both sides of the Atlantic
Ancient vampires in the modern world? Give the unfunny action comedy Renfield a miss and head straight to the definitive source: mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows. From my 2014 review:
This is, hands down, the absolute most hilarious movie I’ve seen this year. And probably last year and the year before, too. I’m talking the sort of laughter that makes your face ache and your belly cramp up, before you start to cry inexplicable tears, from joy and wonder but mostly in an attempt to reconcile in your head how perfectly perfect a movie can be with being sad that all movies aren’t this good. What We Do in the Shadows — a marvelous title in a sea of generically labeled films — zooms off into utter silliness from its opening moments and never slows down, not even while doing switchbacks into social satire, pop-culture cramdown, and heartfelt pathos.
Directors and stars Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi deliver nonstop pitch-perfect nuggets of barely exaggerated mundanity that take the romance and mystery that pop culture has created around vampires and destroy them in outrageously funny ways. This is one of those rare perfect movies.
US: rent/buy on Prime and Apple TV
UK: stream on Prime and BBC iPlayer; rent on BFI Player; rent/buy on Prime and Apple TV
See What We Do in the Shadows at Letterboxd for more viewing options.
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goodness is this film a delight! it's been a few years since I've watched it, which I should probably change, especially considering how much I enjoyed Our Flag Means Death last year. the TV offshoot is fantastic at moments (and good consistently) and possibly the most queer show on television, also.
I was thinking about this movie (and it's wonderful TV follow-ons, both WWDITS and Wellington Paranormal) when I saw the trailer for Renfield and it wasn't all that funny. The existence of this movie really raises the bar on what a contemporary vampire comedy has to do.