On the podcast this week, Werewolf Steven and Count Sean are enjoying our blood drinking, werewolf fighting, Stu loving afterlives in the 2014 film from Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, What We Do In the Shadows.
[Editor’s note: this is not the FX tv show, but that one’s also amazing. Watch it the moment after you finish listening to this episode if you haven’t seen it. If you have seen it, then watch it again. Thanks!]
These aren’t your granddaddy’s vampires. They aren’t your aunt-who-loves-sexy-vampires-a-little-too-much’s vampires, either. These vampires are funny, and have a wide variety of personal interests. They’re the sort of vampires we wouldn’t mind hanging out with any day of the week. Except for maybe during feeding time.
Look, they can be friendly and deceptively deep, but they’ll still chomp into your neck and drain you until you’re dry and dead. That’s a no-go for us.
On the other hand, if you’re nice to them, and maybe teach them how to use the internet, then they’ll end up being your best friends. Who doesn’t want that? You can hang out in all the coolest Auckland vampire nightclubs, get in near-scrapes with local werewolf packs, and witness excellent bat fights.
We’re eternally grateful that the true reality of these wonderful creatures has finally been captured on film. Sure, there are those terrifying, Dracula-like vamps out there that only want to wreak as much havoc as possible during their long lives. However, we’ve now got some indisputable proof that not all vampires are bad. Sometimes they just want to be understood. They want to be seen for the complex creatures they are. They even want to find love out in this crazy, cruel world.
The documentary crew that captured this clearly real brood of vampires did humanity a huge favor. Wait, not brood. This family of vampires. May we all one day find the same love and acceptance they give to those for whom they care. Life wouldn’t get any better than that.
(Recorded on January 25, 2021)
Links to Stuff We Mentioned:
What We Do In the Shadows - IMDb
What We Do In the Shadows trailer - YouTube
Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles - IMDb
Vampires and Silver - Gods and Monsters
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure - IMDb
