I have thoughts, but that's not what this is about so here's the summary; I was entertained and frustrated in equal measure.
Fortunately there was a Kiwi import that satisfied that delicate nerve cluster where the desire for comedy, horror, and affectionate homage all have an unlikely union, and that movie was What We Do in the Shadows.
Possibly the best mockumentary since This Is Spinal Tap and almost definitely the top comedy of the year, it's co-written by Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) and Taika Waititi (forget about his credits, what a name!) It concerns a group of vampires sharing a flat in New Zealand, navigating the usual hazards of being a supernatural creature in modern life as well as the petty squabbles familiar to anybody who ever had to co-habitate with people who are significantly different from oneself, but familiar enough to provide an irritating reminder that we're probably not any better.
It is also, by rapid turn, hilarious and even a bit freaky. The soundtrack is lovingly selected, and oscillates skillfully between classy old world period pieces and the kind of sickly sweet modern music that Dracula might get into if he just got with the times.
Something that's held to separate the fondly remembered comedy from the utter shit being churned out lately (Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans, etc.) is a fondness for the source material, which is definitely on display here. These are classic vampires transported into modern society without any of that pesky revisionism. They don't sparkle in the sunlight, they fry. They can't stand holy symbols worn by corpses, and they can't even get into a nightclub without convincing the bouncer to formally invite them inside. They follow all the rules we've known from the old folk tales straight through to the White Wolf RPG rulebooks. But for all that, they just can't reach an agreement on laying down newspaper before slaughtering their guests. When pressed to explain why they prefer virgins, Clement's character makes an awkward comparison to rather preferring to eat a sandwich that he knows nobody's fucked.
But despite the temptation to keep giving you examples, even saying this is probably way too much because the joy of a movie like this is allowing you to figure it out on your own. Watching the awkward comedy of a classic mockumentary give way momentarily to skillfully-executed vintage horror is a lot more fun than I've had in a while, and if it sounds like your kind of thing as well, just go seek this one out immediately. I have a bin full of Academy Awards screeners I have yet to view, but right now this is easily in my top three movies of 2015.
