“What We Do in the Shadows” Movie Review

“What We Do in the Shadows” is a recent horror comedy film that is shot in mockumentary technique. It explores the lives of vampires, werewolves, and zombies living in a community together in Wellington, New Zealand. In spite of the fact that the film employs a technique that is not particularly popular as well as shows the traditional monster stereotypes from a rather unexpected, humane, side, it has been quite successful with the average 76 score on Metacritic (“Critic Reviews”). This paper will explore this film and argue that it presents a new perspective on monsters in the cinema.

To begin with, it may be useful to examine the way in which the monsters were shown on the screen. Thus, the protagonists are vampires, but each of them represents a stereotypical image of a vampire from various times. Thus, the character of Petyr was modeled after Nosferatu in eponymous film of 1922 (Melton and Hornick 148). Vladislav is obviously a reference to the classical Dracula image. Viago represents a romanticized image of a vampire that is found in classic literature. Deacon reflects the image of vampires that is found in modern films, for example “The Twilight  Saga”. So, it seems that the movie includes characters that reflect different perceptions of a vampire.

The antagonists are werewolves. It is worth pointing out that the idea that vampires are in conflict with the werewolves is relatively recent. To begin with, it has been most explicitly presented in “The Twilight Saga” which means that the film in question may have reflected on this as well. Secondly, there have been few films in the history of cinema that would feature these two monsters together and all of them were created closer to the end of the twenty-first century. As for the actual depiction of them, the film presents the werewolves as strong, brutal shapeshifters that are deadly when in their animal form.

“What We Do in the Shadows” should be seen as an articulate example of the contemporary culture and the manner in which the public perceives monsters. It shows that vampires and werewolves are no longer seen as scary creatures; quite the opposite: their image has been changed in order to fit it in the contemporary times. Thus, the film insists that vampires are willing to live a “normal” life just like the people, but they simply need blood to survive. So, it seems that the scary element was taken away from their image.

If one continues the idea that is expressed in the film in question, one might speculate that the future of monster film will be shaped by this new perspective. Obviously, there will be works that will focus on the scary element, picturing the monsters in the deadliest manner; however, it is also possible that there will be more films that will draw parallels between humans and monsters, insisting that the latter have the same psychology, but slightly different needs. So, it is quite possible that this humanization of monsters will be carried out in the future as well.

Having examined all the points that were mentioned in the paragraphs above, one is able to come to the following conclusion: “What We Do in the Shadows” is an example of a modern film that advocates a new perspective on monsters. It shows them as social creatures that are able to create communities that are modeled after human communities. While the film in question heavily exploits the stereotypical images of the monsters, it shows them from a new, more humane side. This trend might be particularly popular in the future.

Works Cited

“Critic Reviews.” N.p., 2017. Web. 11 May 2017. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3416742/criticreviews?ref_=tt_ov_rt>.

Melton, J. Gordon, and Alysa Hornick. The vampire in folklore, history, literature, film and television. Jefferson, AL: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2015. Print.

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
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[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]
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