What We Do in the Shadows
2019
Original language: English
- comedy
- sci-fi & fantasy
The story
A documentary-style look into the daily (or rather, nightly) lives of a group of vampires in Staten Island who have “lived” together for hundreds and hundreds of years.
What it’s like
Flat, fluorescent-lit apartments and dim, cluttered rooms shot in a handheld mockumentary style, with talking-head interviews cut against wobbly walk-and-talks through Staten Island streets at night. The palette runs to muted browns, dusty greys and the sickly glow of late-night convenience-store signs, with the occasional burst of bright red for gore-free blood-bag gags. The sound is a mix of awkward ambient quiet, bickering dialogue and a jaunty, deadpan score that undercuts every dramatic beat. Its vibe is absurd, cosy and self-aware, like a sitcom that has accepted its own ridiculousness. It suits a lazy evening on the sofa, a comfort rewatch, or a stretch when you want to laugh at ancient undead flatmates squabbling over chores. Pacing is brisk and episodic, with quick cuts between confessionals and running jokes that pay off across seasons. The emotional register is warm and amused, and the central arcs follow a bunch of old, vain, mismatched roommates slowly becoming a kind of family. Intensity is mild: comic violence and blood appear, often in slapstick form, but nothing is graphic or frightening, and sexual content is limited to suggestion. It is for viewers who want gentle absurdist comedy with a lot of heart and very little menace.
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