One of my favorite movies in recent years is What We Do in the Shadows. It’s funny; no matter how many times I watch it, and when friends come to visit, if the idea of watching a movie comes up, What We Do in the Shadows is the first movie I’m suggesting. When I learned that Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi were adapting the film into a television show for American audiences, I was both excited and scared. Would this be a remake of the film, dumbed down to the American audience? Would it be a new set of vampires in the United States instead of New Zealand? Would the humor be different? Would it feel repetitious?
What We Do in the Shadows premiered on FX on Wednesday, March 27, 2019. My husband and I watched the pilot for free on iTunes and then bought the series. That, in and of itself, is a recommendation, but I wanted to talk about whether you should watch the show or the film first, and then discuss how the show is or isn’t like the film, and obviously, whether it’s worth watching. Are you ready to dive into the shadows?
Very faint spoilers for the television show; a specific spoiler for the film ahead.
Which should you watch first?
The film. For so many reasons: one, if you don’t like it, then the show is going to be a hard pass. Two, if you do like it, the pilot might feel a little repetitious but beyond that, you’re going to have a ball. Three, there are some shout-outs to the film, specifically in episode 1.07, “The Trial,” that won’t be nearly as funny if you haven’t seen the film first.
Is it worth watching?
As you’ve probably already gleaned, the answer is a resounding yes. I had my doubts after the pilot: I felt the first 30 minutes hit too many of the same notes as the film it’s based on, which meant it wasn’t fresh or funny. Which, for the record, is not the same thing as watching the original film over and over; it’s very different when you see different characters hitting some of the same kinds of jokes in mostly the same context.
But the pilot did introduce something fresh and new: Colin Robinson, who’s known as an energy vampire. I immediately loved this addition to the vampire lore, and while it took a bit, my husband came to enjoy it too. After watching the pilot for free, we decided to plunk down the change for the entire season (which was the only way we could watch it unless we wanted to wait for Netflix/Hulu/Prime to get it later), and we haven’t regretted it since. Because once the pilot establishes everything, the show really gets to dive deep into the personalities of the characters: we have the aforementioned Colin Robinson, then there’s Laszlo and Nadja, a married vampire couple, then there is Nandor and his familiar Guillermo. Instead of New Zealand, the film takes place on Staten Island, and given the television show format, the writers are allowed to really explore some of the various aspects of mythology/folklore living in the modern world.
Each episode gave us something unique/fun that the movie didn’t cover, but standout episodes are 1.03 “Werewolf Feud,” which features a story line that focuses on Colin and how his ability to feed at the workplace is compromised. Episode 1.05, “Animal Control,” had me howling with laughter when vampire antics are put to the test against local government and, eventually, cats. Episode 1.07, “The Trial,” has some freaking AMAZING cameos, and it’s such an epic episode I thought it was the season finale. Then, there’s the season finale itself, 1.10, “Ancestry,” which in part focuses on Guillermo’s story of wanting to become a vampire and takes an ingenious turn.
At roughly 30 minutes a pop, each episode is just a lot of fun and it holds true to the film’s format of a mockumentary. Also retained from the original film is the song used in the opening credits, “You’re Dead,” by Norma Tanega. I can’t tell you how happy it made me each time I heard that song in the opening. It’s ridiculous and awesome and perfect for this franchise (interestingly, the song itself was released in 1966).
In addition to loving the introduction of Colin Robinson, the energy vampire, my favorite of the traditional vampires was Nadja. For starters, yay for having a female vampire who isn’t known as “The Beast” or anything else (though that was an entertaining punchline in the movie). The actress who plays Nadja, Natasia Demetriou, just freaking nails it. Her facial expressions are simply perfect, especially when she’s reacting out of frustration or annoyance, and she’s perfected a fantastic snarl in spite of (or because of) her vampire fangs. The title of this review? Is a quote from, of course, Nadja. Some of her standpoint episodes are the previously mentioned 1.05, “Animal Control,” but also 1.08, “Citizenship.” I don’t want to say too much about “Citizenship” because I don’t want to spoil it, let alone the episodes that come before that make “Citizenship” what it is, but there’s a special camaraderie in this particular episode that I love.
Overall, this show is a lot of fun and quickly became the must-watch comedy in my household as soon as an episode was available. Even better, it’s been renewed for season 2, which is slated to come out in 2020. That means lots of time to enjoy the film and the show, as well as plenty of time to re-watch both! I have a feeling that’s what I’ll be doing before season 2 airs.
What about you? Have you seen the film, What We Do in the Shadows? Have you watched the show? Share your thoughts on both in the comments!
Images from IMDB.com
I adore What We Do in the Shadows the movie, especially the Stu character. Even though it’s set in New Zealand, it felt like quintessentially British humor to me. I think I only watched one episode of the TV show, mostly because I’m terrible at keeping up with TV lately.
Watch it!!!! It’s only 10 episodes!!!