What We Do In the Shadows review – the undead prove dead funny
This seductive blood-sucking comedy about the everyday struggles of a gang of vampire housemates in New York is silly, deadpan and full of killer gags
Television loves a good vampire, but for some reason, the eternal torment of immortal parasitic killers tends to lend itself more to melodrama than humour. From Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s perpetually unfortunate sexual attraction to the undead, to the Twi-lite of The Vampire Diaries, bloodsucking fiends are usually much less funny than they are in the wonderful and charismatic new comedy What We Do In the Shadows.
The series is based on the 2014 film of the same name, co-written and co-directed by Flight of the Conchords’ Jemaine Clement and Thor: Ragnarok’s Taiki Waititi. The pair also starred in the original film, but have handed over acting duties in the TV iteration to a new gang of undead roommates, making the most of the talented comedians who play them, as they struggle not only to transform Staten Island into a vampire colony, but to live together as a foursome (plus familiars) in relative peace and harmony.