Released in 2014 as a low-budget New Zealand production, What We Do in the Shadows applied the mockumentary format to a household of vampires who share domestic routines alongside their supernatural habits.

The film emerged from a feature-length expansion of an earlier short created by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement. It follows four vampires living in Wellington, each representing a different era of undead existence. Their interactions with the human world and with one another reveal the friction between ancient traditions and contemporary life. The narrative structure relies on handheld camera footage and talking-head interviews, a technique that allows the characters to comment directly on their own behaviour while the camera captures the resulting chaos.

Mockumentary Form and Vampire Tradition

Mockumentary conventions had already appeared in earlier horror comedies, yet few applied them so consistently to vampire mythology. The format permits the audience to observe rituals such as the wearing of capes or the avoidance of daylight without the usual dramatic exposition. Instead, the vampires explain their customs in the same flat tone used by participants in real documentaries about niche subcultures. This approach strips away romantic glamour and replaces it with petty arguments over whose turn it is to do the dishes or whose coffin occupies the best corner of the living room.

The film also references earlier vampire cinema through visual nods and verbal allusions. A scene in which the characters attend a gathering of supernatural beings echoes the ball sequences found in several Hammer productions, yet the tone remains resolutely anti-heroic. The creatures do not command respect through power; they command attention through their inability to adapt. The result is a portrait of immortality as a long series of minor inconveniences rather than a grand curse or blessing.

Creature Design and Practical Effects

Practical effects dominate the transformation sequences. When a vampire shifts into bat form, the change is achieved through a combination of prosthetics and simple editing rather than digital replacement. The design emphasises physical awkwardness: wings appear too large for the body, and the resulting creature struggles to fly in a convincing manner. This choice reinforces the central theme that eternal life does not confer elegance or efficiency.

Make-up for the older vampires draws on historical records of period clothing and dental prosthetics. The character of Petyr, played by Ben Fransham, receives the most extensive treatment, with skin tones and facial structure suggesting centuries of decay. These details remain visible even in low-light scenes, maintaining continuity with the mockumentary aesthetic that avoids polished studio lighting.

Director in the Spotlight

Taika Waititi began his career in New Zealand short films and television comedy before collaborating with Jemaine Clement on vampire projects. His earlier work often blended deadpan humour with cultural observation, a style that carried directly into the feature. Waititi directed several episodes of the television series Flight of the Conchords and later helmed the feature Eagle vs Shark, both of which demonstrated his preference for understated performances over broad caricature.

Waititi’s subsequent filmography includes Thor: Ragnarok and Jojo Rabbit, yet the vampire comedy remains a pivotal early success that established his international profile. He frequently appears in his own projects in supporting roles, a habit that allows him to control tone from both behind and in front of the camera. His influence on the production extended to the decision to retain the original New Zealand accents and locations rather than relocate the story to a more conventional American setting.

Key Influences and Filmography Highlights

Waititi has cited the work of Christopher Guest as a primary influence on the mockumentary structure. Guest’s films such as This Is Spinal Tap and Best in Show rely on improvised dialogue within a loose script, a method mirrored in the vampire project. Additional influences include the British series The Office and earlier horror parodies that treated genre conventions with documentary sobriety.

His directed features encompass Eagle vs Shark (2007), Boy (2010), What We Do in the Shadows (2014), Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Jojo Rabbit (2019) and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022). He also co-wrote and co-directed the original short film version of What We Do in the Shadows released in 2005.

Actor in the Spotlight

Jemaine Clement co-directed the film and portrays Vladislav, a vampire whose medieval origins clash with modern flat-sharing. Clement trained in comedy and music before forming the duo Flight of the Conchords. His performance balances physical comedy with precise vocal delivery, particularly in scenes where the character attempts to assert ancient authority over housemates who ignore him.

Clement’s earlier screen work includes the television series Flight of the Conchords and films such as Eagle vs Shark. He continued to explore genre parody in later projects including the series Wellington Paranormal, which extends the same mockumentary universe. His contribution to the vampire film encompasses both performance and writing, ensuring that the dialogue retains the rhythmic timing characteristic of his stand-up and musical background.

Supporting Performances and Ensemble Dynamics

The ensemble includes Stuart Rutherford as Stu, the human familiar whose transformation provides one of the film’s central arcs. Rutherford’s portrayal emphasises quiet acceptance rather than horror, allowing the vampires’ behaviour to appear ordinary by comparison. Jackie van Beek appears as Jackie, a werewolf whose territorial disputes with the vampires highlight inter-species tensions within the supernatural community.

These performances rely on improvisation within structured scenes. The actors maintained consistent character voices across multiple takes, enabling editors to assemble coherent sequences from spontaneous exchanges. The result preserves the illusion of genuine documentary footage while delivering scripted thematic points about friendship, habit and the passage of time.

Cultural Placement and Lasting Influence

The film occupies a distinct position between traditional vampire horror and later mockumentary series. Its success led to an American television adaptation that expanded the premise across multiple seasons while retaining the original’s focus on mundane immortal life. The New Zealand production, however, remains notable for its tighter runtime and emphasis on local cultural references.

Its legacy includes renewed interest in practical effects within comedy horror and a demonstration that vampire stories can thrive without high-stakes action or romantic subplots. Subsequent productions have adopted similar talking-head formats when depicting supernatural households, confirming the durability of the approach pioneered in this feature.

Conclusion

What We Do in the Shadows succeeds by treating vampirism as an ordinary domestic condition rather than a source of perpetual drama. Through consistent mockumentary technique, practical creature work and committed ensemble performances, the film reframes centuries-old folklore as material for gentle satire. Its influence continues in both film and television, where the same blend of ancient custom and contemporary irritation remains fertile ground for comedy.

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