Vampire mocumentary that is less funny than intended. Spinal Tap this is not!

Rating: 4/10 (3 December 2014)

From the team behind the hugely successful Flight of the Conchords and the fabulous indie hit, Eagle Vs Shark, What We Do in the Shadows is a comedy horror mockumentary with 'hilarious' stamped all the way through it.
Except it isn't. Hilarious, that is.
Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi write, direct, produce and perform in this spoof documentary about a group of vampire flatmates trying to deal with life in modern times and each other's annoying traits. Being immortal and hundreds of years old does not iron out the problems of who takes care of which chores in any given week. Nor, it appears, does being several centuries old help one iota when it comes to deciding what to wear to the nightclub.
There is plenty to like on display: the costumes are fabulously camp, there are references aplenty to the great vampires of film and literature, the sets are fun and there are one or two lovely, practical effects that splatter blood, but nothing too horrific or likely to raise the pulse.
There are even a couple of surprising, and very welcome digital effects thrown in. What We Do in the Shadows feels cheap and it's a surprise when the budget allows for something extra.
But it isn't enough. The performances are adequate but it all feels a little too much like college kids playing at drama. Forget pastiche, this is weak parody and there is little skill in it here. Clement, as Vladislav, is amusingly gauche in his 'god's gift to women' act, but Waititi, as Viago, appears to have bought his performance, or at least his grin, from Danny John-Jules' Red Dwarf jumble sale. In terms of performances, the greatest joy comes from the deadpan, detachment of Stu (Stuart Rutherford) and Ben Fransham's Petyr, the bastard son of Nosferatu, whose dialogue would probably fit on the back of his fangs.
Alas, there is a distinct lack of strong female roles on display here, with the women reduced to comedy fodder bit parts. When they appear, they are amusing, but perhaps What We Do in the Shadows could have benefited from a matriarchal touch.
For years Christopher Guest has delighted audiences with mockumentaries like Best in Show, A Mighty Wind and the peerless This is Spinal Tap, and my guess is this this is what Clement and Waititi were aiming for. The trouble is, where Guest played it straight, they work too damn hard at eking out laughs at every turn. Heck, this is nowhere near as funny as Anvil: The Story of Anvil, and that wasn't even a spoof!
Whilst not a flop by any means, What We Do in the Shadows was clearly far more amusing to make than it was to watch and the final, post-credit, line is sadly prophetic, and not for the reason they intend.
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