What We Do in the Shadows is a 2014 New Zealand mockumentary[3]horror comedy film written, directed by, and starring Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. The screenplay concerns a group of vampires who live together in Wellington.[4] It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2014.[5][6] The film was theatrically released on 18 August 2014 by Madman Entertainment. The film earned $6.9 million on a $1.6 million budget.
What We Do in the Shadows | |
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Directed by | |
Produced by | |
Written by |
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Starring |
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Music by | Plan 9 |
Cinematography | |
Edited by |
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Distributed by | Madman Entertainment (New Zealand) Paramount Pictures The Orchard (North America) |
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85 minutes[1] | |
Country | New Zealand United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $1.6 million |
Box office | $6.9 million[2] |
- 5Release
- 7Short films
- 8Television
Plot[edit]
A documentary crew follows four vampire roommates—Viago, Vladislav, Deacon, and Petyr— who share a flat in the Wellington suburb of Te Aro, and have granted protection to the crew (who are wearing crucifixes) for the duration of the filming. All of the vampires are at least several centuries old, and hold special powers such as levitation and the ability to transform into animals (including vampire bats). Viago is a 379-year-old dandy from the 18th century, who originally traveled to New Zealand in the 1910s in search for the love of his life Katherine; Vladislav is a 862-year-old known as “Vladislav the Poker,” who is haunted by memories of “The Beast” that he has fought on many occasions; and Deacon is a 183-year-old former Nazi and the “young rebel” of the group who was bitten by Petyr – an 8,000 year old vampire who resembles Count Orlok and behaves like a feral animal. Each night, Viago, Vladislav, and Deacon take the bus into town and prowl the streets of Wellington for people to kill. Because they cannot enter buildings without invitation, and must stay in the flat during the day to avoid sunlight, the three have not adapted to 21st century life. The vampires also regularly encounter and trade insults with a group of werewolves, led by Anton, as part of an ancient rivalry between werewolves and the undead.
One night, Deacon meets his human servant (familiar), Jackie, who runs errands for the vampires and cleans up the gore left behind by their feeding. A married mother, Jackie hopes to attain immortality – but is frustrated that Deacon will not turn her into a vampire as promised. Deacon requests that Jackie bring virgins to the flat so that the vampires can feed on them. She lures a woman who insulted her in primary school and Nick, her ex-boyfriend from when they were 12, to the flat. While the vampires are disappointed that neither are actually virgins, they attempt to kill them anyways. The woman is killed, while Nick briefly manages to escape before being attacked by Petyr. Nick survives the attack and is turned into a vampire.
Two months later, the vampires accept Nick into their group and bond with his human friend Stu – a computer analyst who shows them how to use modern technology such as YouTube (to watch sunrises) and cameras (so they can see themselves without mirrors). Viago uses the internet to hunt down Katherine, who is now a 96-year-old widow living in a rest home in Wellington. He also finds and briefly reconnects with Philip: his old servant, who placed the wrong postage on Viago’s coffin and extended his journey to New Zealand – leaving Katherine the time to find a new love before Viago could arrive. Despite being able to get his new friends into more popular bars and clubs, Nick struggles to adapt to life as a vampire: he confides in an interview that he can no longer eat chips without vomiting blood, and misses daytime television. Nick is also held in contempt by Deacon, who resents Nick’s newfound popularity and his careless revealing of his vampirism to strangers he meets. One of these strangers, a vampire hunter, breaks into the flat basement during the day and kills Petyr by exposing him to sunlight.
The vampires are furious when they discover Nick has indirectly caused Petyr’s death, and Deacon tries to kill Nick before being interrupted by a police welfare check. The police gloss over the corpses of Petyr and the vampire hunter, instead warning the vampires about the numerous fire hazards inside the flat. Once the police leave, Nick is tried by the remaining vampires: he is banished from the flat using the infamous Procession of Shame, though Stu is permitted to come as he pleases.
Several months later, the vampires receive an invitation to the annual Undead Masquerade, hosted for the local undead population of vampires, zombies, and witches. Vladislav refuses to attend after learning that “The Beast” will be attending as guest of honor, and attempts to stay home bidding on online auctions. When Viago and Deacon arrive, they find in attendance Nick, Stu, and Jackie – who (much to Deacon’s chagrin) has been turned into a vampire by Nick. “The Beast” is soon revealed to be Vladislav’s ex-girlfriend Pauline, who has gone through multiple violent breakups with Vladislav. When Pauline realizes that Stu and the camera crew are human, the other party guests threaten to kill and feed on them. The flatmates are soon joined by Vladislav, who fights with Pauline’s boyfriend to protect the humans. The boyfriend almost kills Vladislav, but Stu saves him by impaling the boyfriend on a large stick. In the chaos, the vampires escape the ball with Stu and the camera crew – but encounter Anton’s werewolves in the park, about to transform due to the full moon. One cameraman is disemboweled by a werewolf, and Stu becomes separated from the vampires and cornered. The vampires hold Nick back, believing the werewolves too dangerous, and they watch as Stu is viciously mauled. Believing Stu to be dead, the vampires run away and grieve for him.
After a few days, Nick returns to the flat with Stu and Anton’s pack. Stu reveals that he survived the attack and transformed that night, escaping the local police – who blamed the death of the cameraman on a local pet dog. With Stu’s urging, the pack is allowed to visit the flat and reconciles with the vampires – and Nick’s banishment is rescinded. Viago also decides to reconnect with Katherine, whom he turns into a vampire and rekindles his romance with.
Scenes during the credits reveal that Vladislav has gotten back together with Pauline and Jackie has made her husband her new familiar. A post-credits scene shows Deacon attempting to hypnotize the audience to forget the events of the film.
Cast[edit]
- Taika Waititi as Viago Von Dorna Schmarten Scheden Heimburg (né von Blitzenberg), aged 379 – an uptight member of the household. Waititi based his performance on his own mother.[7]
- Jemaine Clement as Vladislav the Poker, aged 862 – a former tyrant with extreme powers. Clement based his performance on Gary Oldman's Dracula.[7]
- Jonathan Brugh as Deacon Brucke, aged 183 – the 'young rebel' of the group who is fond of knitting, erotic dancing, and 'being cool'.
- Ben Fransham as Petyr, aged 8,000 – a Nosferatu-like vampire who lives on the bottom floor of the flat in a stone coffin and generally keeps to himself.[8][9]
- Cori Gonzalez-Macuer as Nick – an intended victim who is turned into a vampire by Petyr.
- Stu Rutherford as Stu – Nick's best friend who introduces the vampires to modern technology.
- Jackie van Beek as Jackie – a human and Deacon's familiar who cleans up after the vampires and connects them with potential victims.
- Rhys Darby as Anton – the leader of a local pack of werewolves.
- Ethel Robinson as Katherine Heimburg – the love of Viago's life.
- Elena Stejko as Pauline – Vladislav's ex-girlfriend whom he calls 'The Beast'.
- Jason Hoyte as Julian - Pauline's new boyfriend when she broke up with Vladislav.
- Karen O'Leary as Officer O'Leary – an officer who gets called to the vampires' house.
- Mike Minogue as Officer Minogue – an officer who gets called to the vampires' house.
Production[edit]
The film is based on a 2005 short film--What We Do In The Shadows: Interviews With Some Vampires—written and directed by Waititi and Clement, and starring Jonny Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer and Stu Rutherford in their roles of Deacon, Nick and Stu respectively.[10] The feature film adaptation was shot in Wellington in September 2012, and was Waititi's first feature since Boy.[5][6]
Stu Rutherford, an IT technician and high school friend of Waititi's in real life, was initially told he would only have a bit part in the film so he would act more natural when filming. He did not realise his role was so important until the film's premiere.[11]
Waititi revealed that there was so much footage filmed, that three cuts were made; one focused primarily on jokes, one focused on story, and the final cut, a mix of the two.[12]
According to Waititi and Clement their favourite vampire films were The Lost Boys, Bram Stoker's Dracula and Interview with the Vampire.[13] All of those movies are heavily quoted or referenced in the film, along with many other genre films such as Blade, Twilight and Buffy The Vampire Slayer.[citation needed]
Music[edit]
The score for the film was composed by Plan 9.[14] The film's opening credits feature the song 'You're Dead' by Norma Tanega, after Clement and Waititi were introduced to the song by film editor Tom Eagles.[15][16] The film's trailer and ending feature the song 'Lastochka' by the Russian rock band Leningrad.
Release[edit]
The film was released in a limited release on 13 February 2015 in New York City and Los Angeles, followed by a screening in San Francisco, Irvine, Philadelphia, Boston, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.[17] The film received a regional release in the U.S. in March 2015, by Unison Films, The Orchard, and Paramount Pictures in association with Funny or Die and Paladin Pictures.[18]
The film was heavily pirated. After the shutting down of a piracy website based in Mount Wellington, Auckland, the website revealed that, at 277,000 downloads, 'What We Do in the Shadows' was one of its most heavily pirated films.[19]
Critical response[edit]
What We Do in the Shadows received critical acclaim and has an approval rating of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 172 reviews with an average rating of 7.8 out of 10. It is rated #68 on the website's list of Top 100 comedies of all time. The critical consensus states: 'Smarter, fresher, and funnier than a modern vampire movie has any right to be, What We Do in the Shadows is bloody good fun.'[20] The film also has a score of 76 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 33 critics, indicating 'generally favorable reviews'.[21]
Fearnet called the film 'a great vampire comedy'.[22]Film School Rejects wrote a predominantly positive review, commenting that some of the film's broader moments fell flat but compared it favorably to similar mockumentaries such as Best in Show.[23] The film was warmly received by UK newspapers, with The Guardian's film critic Peter Bradshaw describing it as 'the best comedy of the year',[24] while The Telegraph's Tim Robey found it 'desperately funny'.[9]Film International, in a positive review, commended the film for noting, with a double of Count Orlok locked in the vampires' basement, that the true vampire film tradition is repressed by the current craze.[25]Variety was more critical, writing that 'Some genre fans who prefer the silly to the satiric may bite, but the anemic pic isn't remotely weird or witty enough for cult immortality.'[14]
Box office[edit]
What We Do in the Shadows grossed US$2 million[26] in New Zealand and $3.4 million in the US.[citation needed]
Home media[edit]
What We Do in the Shadows was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 26 November 2014 by Weltkino Filmverleih.[citation needed]
Sequel[edit]
A sequel to the film, focused on the werewolves depicted in What We Do in the Shadows, was in development, but stopped due to some unresolved production issues.[citation needed] Originally rumoured to be titled What We Do in the Moonlight,[citation needed] the working title was later announced as We're Wolves.[27][28] In May of 2019 Taika Waititi said “'We're Wolves' is the film that Jemaine and I keep pretending that we’re making. Every couple of years we say, we’re making this new film called 'We're Wolves' which follows the werewolves from the film,” said Waititi. “I feel bad to even mention it now because we keep saying it, [but] it’s like a dad saying, ‘Yeah, I’ll be home for Christmas.’' [29]
Short films[edit]
What We Do in the Shadows: Interviews with Some Vampires[edit]
Produced in 2005, this short was a precursor to the feature-length film. It was written and directed by Waititi and Clement, and starred Jonny Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer and Stu Rutherford in their roles of Deacon, Nick and Stu respectively.
Vampire's Guide to Vellington[edit]
In June 2014, Waititi, in conjunction with Discover New Zealand, produced a promotional short film titled Vampire's Guide to Vellington, in which he reprises his role as Viago von Blitzenberg.[30][31]
Television[edit]
Wellington Paranormal[edit]
In September 2016, it was revealed that Waititi and Clement were planning a proceduralcomedy series based on the police officers, O'Leary and Minogue, who had minor roles in the film, titled Wellington Paranormal.[32] The series producers granted Waititi and Clement $1 million to produce six 30-minute episodes for the series, which aired on TVNZ 2 from 11 July 2018.[32][33][34] The character Nick from the film also appeared in the episode 'A Normal Night'.[35] New Zealand On Air announced that a second season with thirteen episodes will air in 2019.[36]
What We Do in the Shadows[edit]
An American version of the film was developed as a television series. A pilot was ordered by FX, which featured Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, and Harvey Guillén. Executive producers of the show include Clement, Waititi, Scott Rudin, Paul Simms, Garrett Basch, and Eli Bush.[37] On 3 May 2018, FX picked up the pilot, with an order of ten 30-minute episodes which premiered on 27 March 2019.[38] In May 2019, FX renewed the series for a 10-episode second season to debut in 2020.[39]
References[edit]
- ^'WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (15)'. British Board of Film Classification. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
- ^'What We Do in the Shadows (2015) - International Box Office Results'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ^'Review: 'What We Do in the Shadows' is the First Must-See of 2015'. FirstShowing.net. 27 February 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ^'Review: What We Do in the Shadows'. Mancunion, William Green, 15 November 2016
- ^ ab'Taika and Jemaine unleash vampires in USA'. The New Zealand Herald. Auckland. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- ^ ab'Sundance debut for Kiwi vampire spoof'. Stuff.co.nz. The Dominion Post. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- ^ abDarren Richman (29 March 2017). 'Movies You Might Have Missed: Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement's What We Do in the Shadows'. The Independent. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^'What We Do In The Shadows DVD Review'. The Hollywood News, By Jazmine Sky Bradley - 10 April 2015
- ^ abRobey, Tim (21 November 2014). 'What We Do in the Shadows, review: 'Desperately funny''. The Daily Telegraph. London.
- ^'What We Do In The Shadows: Interviews With Some Vampires (2005)'.
- ^'IT guy turns accidental film star'. Stuff.co.nz. 8 June 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^'Taika Waititi Reveals What It Was Really Like Starring in Ryan Reynolds Flop Green Lantern'.
- ^https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/vampire-mockumentary-what-we-do-in-the-shadows-heading-for-cult-status/article22956380/
- ^ abNelson, Rob (24 January 2014). 'Sundance Film Review: 'What We Do in the Shadows''. Variety. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
- ^Rob Hunter. '32 Things We Learned From the What We Do In the Shadows Commentary'. Film School Rejects. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- ^Ashley Hefnawy (13 February 2015). 'Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi Shine a Light on 'What We Do in the Shadows''. Shutterstock. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- ^Barton, Steve (29 January 2015). 'What We Do in the Shadows Is Quote Critics!'. Dread Central. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
- ^Gingold, Michael (13 February 2015). ''WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS' creators reveal what they didn't do Critics!'. Fangoria. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
- ^Drinnan, John (5 November 2015). 'Global piracy site run out of house in Mt Wellington'. NZ Herald. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- ^'What We Do in the Shadows (2015)'. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^'What We Do in the Shadows Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ^Weinberg, Scott (17 March 2014). 'FEARNET Movie Review: 'What We Do in the Shadows''. Fearnet. Archived from the original on 19 March 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
- ^Campbell, Christopher (13 March 2014). 'SXSW 2014 Review: 'What We Do In the Shadows' Is Also a New Vampire Classic'. Film School Rejects. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
- ^Bradshaw, Peter (20 November 2014). 'What We Do in the Shadows review – best comedy of the year'. The Guardian. London. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ^Sorrento, Matthew (28 February 2015). 'So It Goes in What We Do in the Shadows (2014)'. Film International. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ^'What We Do in the Shadows'. Box Office Mojo.
- ^Chavez, Danette (17 August 2015). 'What We Do in the Shadows Is Getting a Sequel.'AVClub.com. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
- ^Saathoff, Evan (25 January 2016). 'What We Do in the Shadows Follow-up Gets A Snappy Title'.
- ^'27'. Indie Wire. 24 May 2019.
- '^'Vampire's Guide to Vellington. 8 June 2014 – via YouTube.
- ^'Wellington Vampires make their mark as capital turns into 'Vellington''. wellingtonnz.com. 10 June 2014.
- ^ abMiska, Brad (19 December 2017). ''What We Do In the Shadows' Police Spinoff Retitled to 'Wellington Paranormal''. Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
- ^Ritman, Alex (30 September 2016). 'Taika Waititi Planning 'What We Do in the Shadows' TV Spinoff'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ^'What We Do In The Shadows TV spin-off on the way'. Radio New Zealand. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ^Gerardi, Matt. 'What We Do In The Shadows' incompetent cops to get their own TV show in 2018'. The A.V. Club. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- ^'13 new episodes of Wellington Paranormal will air in 2019'. Stuff. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
- ^Ratcliffe, Amy (27 October 2017). 'Taika Waititi Says a WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS TV Show Is in Development'. Nerdist. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
- ^Andreeva, Nellie (3 May 2018). ''What We Do In The Shadows' Reboot From Jemaine Clement & Taika Waititi Gets FX Series Order'. Deadline. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
- ^White, Peter (7 May 2019). 'FX Takes Second Bite Of Jermaine Clement & Taika Waititi's Vampire Comedy 'What We Do In The Shadows''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to: What We Do in the Shadows |
- What We Do in the Shadows on IMDb
- What We Do in the Shadows at Rotten Tomatoes
- What We Do in the Shadows at Metacritic
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With four episodes left to air in its freshman run, FX has renewed the vampire mockumentary series “What We Do in the Shadows” for a second season.
The show is based on Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement’s 2014 film of the same name, however, the TV adaptation moves from Wellington to Staten Island, and follows three vampires, Nandor (Kayvan Novak), Lazslo (Matt Berry), and Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), who have been roommates for hundreds and hundreds of years.
Season two of the comedy, which explores the mundane, daily issues vampires would have to deal with living in today’s world, is slated to debut in 2020.
“Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi and Paul Simms have more than delivered on the high expectations of ‘Shadows’ fans by adapting the cult classic for television and building a passionate base of new and returning fans,” said Nick Grad, president of original programming at FX. “We also want to thank the rest of the creative team, including Scott Rudin, Garrett Basch and Eli Bush, and the incredible cast and crew for delivering such a fun and original series, and we look forward to working with them all on season two.”
To date, “What We Do in the Shadows” is averaging a 0.17 rating in the key 18-49 demographic and just under 500,000 total viewers across the five episodes which have aired.
Clement, who created the 10-episode first season, executive produces alongside Waititi, Simms, Rudin, Basch and Bush. The series is produced by FX Productions and also stars Harvey Guillén and Mark Proksch.
What We Do in the Shadows | |
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Genre | |
Created by | Jemaine Clement |
Based on |
What We Do in the Shadows
by |
Starring | |
Opening theme | 'You're Dead' by Norma Tanega |
Composer(s) | Mark Mothersbaugh |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 10 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) |
|
Producer(s) | |
Production location(s) | Toronto, Ontario |
Cinematography | D.J. Stipsen |
Editor(s) | Yana Gorskaya Shawn Paper |
Running time | 24–30 minutes |
Production company(s) |
|
Release | |
Original network | FX |
Original release | March 27, 2019 – present |
External links | |
Website |
What We Do in the Shadows is an American comedy horror television series, based on the 2014 film of the same name written by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, that premiered on March 27, 2019, on FX. The series follows four vampire roommates living in New York City and it stars Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillén, and Mark Proksch. In May 2019, FX renewed the series for a 10-episode second season to debut in 2020.[1]
- 2Cast and characters
- 4Production
- 5Release
- 6Reception
What We Do In The Shadows Free
Premise[edit]
What We Do in the Shadows is set in Staten Island and follows four vampires who have been roommates for hundreds of years.[2]
Cast and characters[edit]
Main[edit]
- Kayvan Novak as Nandor the Relentless, a vampire who is 757 years old and who was once a soldier of the Ottoman Empire. He regards himself as the leader of the group. Not only can he transform into a bat, he has also become a dog to save Laszlo from an animal shelter. He is also a USA Basketball fan since 1992 and even wanted to become an American citizen solely to compete in the Olympics for America before the Macarena swept the country and took up all his time. He was also the king of a country called Al Quolanudar which is in Southern Iran where he was born. Al Quolanudar dissolved in 1401 when Nandor was just 139 years old.
- Matt Berry as Laszlo Cravensworth, an English nobleman vampire who was turned by Nadja and is now married to her. He frequently disagrees with Nandor's leadership and enjoys making music and topiary sculptures, especially of vulvas. He is able to transform himself into a bat, but must shout 'Bat!' whenever doing so and can communicate with animals. In the show he was, for a time, Jack The Ripper. He is revealed to be pansexual and has an extensive filmography of pornographic movies in which he plays vampire characters.
- Natasia Demetriou as Nadja, a female Romani vampire, married to Laszlo. However, she is secretly seeing a human man named Jeff Suckler whom she believes is the reincarnation of her former human lover, Gregor, whom she accidentally decapitated in a previous incarnation. She has a unique ability to transform into a swarm of rats. When she sees Lazslo's pornographic videos she sees them as boring due to a lack of love.
- Harvey Guillén as Guillermo, Nandor's 'patient' familiar. He has served his master for 10 years in order to become a vampire like the fictional vampire Armand. Nandor shows small acts of kindness for Guillermo, such as making a glitter portrait for him, and taking him flying, but otherwise excludes him, belittles him, and endlessly procrastinates about making Guillermo a vampire. He is a descendant of Van Helsing, the infamous vampire hunter.
- Mark Proksch as Colin Robinson, an energy vampire who lives with the trio. Unlike regular vampires he shows no outward sign of vampirism, except that his pupils sometimes glow and his reflection shows a pale version of himself. He drains humans (and vampires) of their energy by boring or enraging them. He is also a Daywalker, which makes him free to roam day and night (making normal vampires envious). The others are continually annoyed by him, and often try to avoid associating with him, but they let him stay because his office job pays for their considerable rent.[3]
Recurring[edit]
- Doug Jones as Baron Afanas, an ancient vampire from the Old Country who believes vampires should rule the world. He is also pansexual. Both Nadja and Laszlo had secret affairs with The Baron. Lazslo mentions that Afanas used to be a fun person but recently he has only come up with old fashioned ideas. A drunk Afanas mentions that he is not actually a baron, rather 'Baron' is a nickname and it’s actually spelled Barren. While drunk he says that he doesn’t want to be who he has recently become. After a night of partying with the Staten Island vampires (while also becoming high by drinking blood from humans who were on drugs), the Baron was burned and destroyed by sunlight when Guillermo opened the front door unaware the Baron was there.
- Beanie Feldstein as Jenna, a LARPer virgin that Guillermo lured for the vampires to feast on. She was later transformed by Nadja into a vampire when she witnesses her being treated poorly by her group and sympathized with her from her own struggles in her human life. During her vampire training with Nadja, she is revealed to have the unique ability to turn invisible, which fits the tendency of people to ignore her.
- Jake McDorman as Jeff Suckler, a reincarnation of Nadja's former human lover, Gregor, a Knight who has been killed by decapitation in each of his lives. Nadja visited him in secret and eventually restored Jeff's memories of his previous lives so that he can be more like his former self, leading to him falling into insanity and being committed to a mental institution. It is later revealed to Nadja and Gregor that Laszlo had always known about Gregor and all of his subsequent reincarnations and that he had been causing his deaths in each life in order to protect his marriage with Nadja, a gesture that she finds touching. Nadja convinces Laszlo to let Jeff go and to allow him to live a single full life, only for him to be accidentally decapitated by a wire that Laszlo had been using to hold up one of his topiary structures.
Guests[edit]
- Mary Gillis as June, Nadja and Laszlo's Familiar. She appears to be a ill old woman that communicates through grunts. She eventually meets her end when the Baron sucks all her blood when he arrives on Staten Island.
- Hayden Szeto as Jonathan, a LARPer college student that Guillermo lured for the vampires to feast on. However, Colin beat them to it by draining his energy, making the blood totally without nourishment.
- Gloria Laino as The Baron's Familiar. She is keeping a watchful eye on the vampires of Staten Island as her master awakes. Guillermo says that she pops out of nowhere and hears 'everything'. Despite staying silent most of the time she is perfectly capable of speaking.
- Marceline Hugot as Barbara Lazarro, the madam president of the Staten Island Council. She was going to be the vampires' way of taking over Staten Island until Laszlo left a pile of dead raccoons on her doorstep in an attempt to win her trust, resulting in her believing it was a form of terrorist threat.
- Richie Moriarty as Doug Peterson, a Junior Councilman of the Staten Island Council. Nandor hypnotizes him to use as his 'Agent of Chaos', in order to take over the council. But the scheme fails when Peterson goes mad, screaming and ranting in the council chambers, only to be arrested and dragged out of the council by security.
- Veronika Slowikowska as Shanice, Jenna's college roommate who is aware of her being a vampire.
- Anthony Atamanuik as Sean, the human next door neighbor. He frequently witnesses Laszlo doing wildly inappropriate and illegal things, but is easily hypnotized into forgetting everything. The vampires only spare him because he brings their trash cans in when they forget.
- Vanessa Bayer as Evie Russell, Colin's co-worker. She is an advanced form of Energy Vampire - an Emotional Vampire - who feeds off of the pity generated from her outlandish stories of suffering rather than simply frustrating people for energy to drain like Colin. She and Colin date for a short time until he begins to feel the relationship is unhealthy. Her first name is a homophone of 'E.V.'
- Arj Barker as Arjan, the pack leader of the Staten Island Werewolf Support Group. He entered into the truce between his kind and the vampires (which was created in 1993).
- Hannan Younis as Ange, an African American werewolf and part of Arjan's group. She undermines Arjan's rules (like Laszlo does to Nandor) and is openly hostile towards Nadja due to Nadja's insulting the werewolves by assuming they are all Native Americans (or how she puts it, 'Indians.')
- Bobby Wilson as Marcus, the actual Native American member of the Werewolf Pack. He is Native American, and a werewolf but, as he explains, 'Not a werewolf because' he's Native American. 'It's not an ethnic thing.'
- Ro Manning as Dougie, the Caribbean-Canadian member of Werewolf Pack. He is proud to be from Saskatoon. Because all the werewolves are individuals.
- Justin Bigelli as Toby, the new, gigantic member of the Werewolf Pack. Unlike his brethren, he can actually transform at any phase of the moon, simply by picturing the full moon in his mind, allowing him to transform at will (only if it's nighttime).
- Nick Kroll as Simon the Devious, a vampire who rules over the Manhattan Vampires and owns the Sassy Cat nightclub. He was a close friend to the Staten Island trio when all the vampires first arrived in America. When the Staten Island Vampires propose an alliance to conquer America, he reveals that his invitation was just a ruse to get Laszlo's fancy hat (which is cursed because it's made from witch skin). The trio are kicked out of the club, but the cursed Hat causes Simon's flaming arrow to backfire, and his club goes up in a fiery explosion. Simon winds up in a full-body cast in the hospital, and Laszlo sneaks in and retrieves his cursed hat.
- Kristen Schaal as The Guide (also known as the 'Floating Woman'), an envoy of the Vampiric Council who likes to float and sometimes speak in a demonic voice.
- Dave Bautista and Alexandra Henrikson as Garrett and Vasillika the Defiler, vampires imprisoned by the Council after Garrett was framed by Laszlo for turning a baby into a vampire (which is very illegal), and Vasillika for too much defiling.
- Taika Waititi, Jonathan Brugh, and Jemaine Clement reprise their roles as Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav from the original film. Three vampires arrived from New Zealand who participate in the Vampiric Council.[a]
- Tilda Swinton as Tilda, the leader of the Vampiric Council.[b]
- Evan Rachel Wood as Evan the Immortal Princess of the Undead, a member of the Council who just goes by her first name.[c]
- Danny Trejo as Danny, a Hispanic tattooed member of the Council. He has an open dislike towards Wesley.[d]
- Paul Reubens as Paul, a member of the Council.[e]
- Wesley Snipes as Wesley the Daywalker, a half-vampire member of the Council who couldn't participate in person but only video chat through a Skype laptop. Danny despises him for claiming he's a vampire hunter, which he denies.[f]
- James Dwyer as Jeremy, Guillermo's best friend since he was in high school. He suffers with nosebleeds that act up randomly (which makes vampires feel erotic on feeding him.) Guillermo regretfully 'invites' him to the Bi-annual Vampire Orgy as the main course because he's a virgin. When the event is going to commence, it was later ruined because Jeremy's virginity was lost by having sex with a gimp.
- Redd Ochoa as Jiang Shi, a jumping Chinese vampire that is a friend of Nadja.
- Samantha Madely as Sylvia, a friend of Nadja who was invited to the orgy.
- Francesco Antonio as Badabook, a vampire from Boston who is a cousin to Sylvia. He bears a resemblance to The Babadook, but he tweaks the name so he can say 'Badabing Badabook!'
Episodes[edit]
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
U.S. viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 'Pilot' | Taika Waititi | Jemaine Clement | March 27, 2019 | XWS01001 | 0.617[5] |
2 | 'City Council' | Jemaine Clement | Paul Simms | April 3, 2019 | XWS01002 | 0.658[6] |
3 | 'Werewolf Feud' | Jemaine Clement | Josh Lieb | April 10, 2019 | XWS01004 | 0.305[7] |
4 | 'Manhattan Night Club' | Jemaine Clement | Tom Scharpling | April 17, 2019 | XWS01003 | 0.439[8] |
5 | 'Animal Control' | Jackie van Beek | Duncan Sarkies | April 24, 2019 | XWS01008 | 0.320[9] |
6 | 'Baron's Night Out' | Jackie van Beek | Iain Morris | May 1, 2019 | XWS01005 | 0.418[10] |
7 | 'The Trial' | Taika Waititi | Jemaine Clement | May 8, 2019 | XWS01006 | 0.527[11] |
8 | 'Citizenship' | Jason Woliner | Stefani Robinson | May 15, 2019 | XWS01007 | 0.522[12] |
9 | 'The Orgy' | Jason Woliner | Marika Sawyer | May 22, 2019 | XWS01009 | 0.434[13] |
10 | 'Ancestry' | Taika Waititi | Jemaine Clement, Stefani Robinson, Tom Scharpling & Paul Simms | May 29, 2019 | XWS01010 | 0.427[14] |
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
On January 22, 2018, it was announced that FX had given the production a pilot order. The pilot was written by Jemaine Clement and directed by Taika Waititi both of whom are also executive producers alongside Scott Rudin, Paul Simms, Garrett Basch, and Eli Bush.[15] On May 3, 2018, it was announced that FX had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes, planned to premiere in 2019.[2] On February 4, 2019, it was announced during the Television Critics Association's annual winter press tour that the series would premiere on March 27, 2019.[3]
The song used in the opening credits is 'You're Dead' by Norma Tanega.
Casting[edit]
Alongside the pilot order announcement, it was confirmed that Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, and Harvey Guillen would star in the pilot.[15] On February 7, 2018, it was announced that Doug Jones, Beanie Feldstein, Jake McDorman, and Mark Proksch had been cast in the pilot in roles that had the potential to recur should the production receive a series order.[16] On April 11, 2018, it was reported that Hayden Szeto had been cast in the pilot.[17]
Filming[edit]
Principal photography for the series took place from October 22 to December 18, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario.[18]
Release[edit]
Marketing[edit]
On October 31, 2018, a series of teaser trailers for the series were released.[19] On January 10, 2019, another teaser trailer was released.[20] On February 4, 2019, the official trailer for the series was released.[3]
Premiere[edit]
On October 7, 2018, the series held a panel at the annual New York Comic Con moderated by Rolling Stone's Alan Sepinwall and featuring co-creators Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, along with fellow executive producer Paul Simms. Before the panel began, the first episode of the series was screened for the audience.[21] The world premiere for the series was screened during the 2019 South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Texas as a part of the festival's 'Episodic Premieres' series.[22]
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 95%, based on 57 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's critical consensus reads, 'Delightfully absurd and ridiculously fun, What We Do in the Shadows expands on the film's vampiric lore and finds fresh perspective in its charming, off-kilter cast to create a mockumentary series worth sinking your teeth into.'[23] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 80 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating 'generally favorable review'.[24]
Ratings[edit]
No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
DVR (18–49) |
DVR viewers (millions) |
Total (18–49) |
Total viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 'Pilot' | March 27, 2019 | 0.2 | 0.617[5] | 0.4 | 0.938 | 0.6 | 1.556[25] |
2 | 'City Council' | April 3, 2019 | 0.3 | 0.658[6] | 0.2 | 0.599 | 0.5 | 1.257[26][g] |
3 | 'Werewolf Feud' | April 10, 2019 | 0.1 | 0.305[7] | 0.3 | 0.637 | 0.4 | 0.943[27] |
4 | 'Manhattan Night Club' | April 17, 2019 | 0.2 | 0.439[8] | 0.3 | 0.699 | 0.5 | 1.139[28] |
5 | 'Animal Control' | April 24, 2019 | 0.1 | 0.320[9] | 0.3 | 0.700 | 0.4 | 1.021[29] |
6 | 'Baron's Night Out' | May 1, 2019 | 0.2 | 0.418[10] | 0.2 | 0.563 | 0.4 | 0.982[30] |
7 | 'The Trial' | May 8, 2019 | 0.2 | 0.527[11] | 0.4 | 0.709 | 0.6 | 1.237[31] |
8 | 'Citizenship' | May 15, 2019 | 0.2 | 0.522[12] | 0.3 | 0.636 | 0.5 | 1.159[32] |
9 | 'The Orgy' | May 22, 2019 | 0.2 | 0.434[13] | 0.3 | 0.727 | 0.5 | 1.162[33] |
10 | 'Ancestry' | May 29, 2019 | 0.2 | 0.427[14] | 0.3 | 0.676 | 0.5 | 1.104[34] |
Notes[edit]
- ^Indeed every known member of the Vampiric Council has played an on-screen vampire before.
Mentioned only: Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen in The Twilight Saga (2008–2012), Kiefer Sutherland in The Lost Boys (1987), Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt as Lestat de Lioncourt and Louis de Pointe du Lac in Interview with the Vampire (1994).
It is reported that Waititi denied Cate Blanchett council membership due to insufficient on-screen vampiric experience.[4] - ^Tilda Swinton played a vampire lover in Only Lovers Left Alive (2013).
- ^Evan Rachel Wood played Sophie-Anne Leclerq, the Vampire Queen of Louisiana, in True Blood Season 2–4 (2009–2011).
- ^Danny Trejo played a vampire bartender in From Dusk till Dawn (1996).
- ^Paul Reubens played a local vampire king's acolyte in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992).
- ^Wesley Snipes played half-vampire daywalker Eric Brooks/Blade who hunted vampires in the Blade franchise (1998, 2002, 2004).
- ^Live +7 ratings were not available, so Live +3 ratings have been used instead.
References[edit]
- ^White, Peter (May 7, 2019). 'FX Takes Second Bite Of Jermaine Clement & Taika Waititi's Vampire Comedy 'What We Do In The Shadows''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ abAndreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (May 3, 2018). ''What We Do In The Shadows' Reboot From Jemaine Clement & Taika Waititi Gets FX Series Order'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ abcPetski, Denise (February 4, 2019). ''What We Do in the Shadows': FX Vampire Comedy Series Unveils Trailer, Sets Premiere Date -TCA'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
- ^Jemaine Clement; Taika Waititi; Paul Simms (2019-05-09). 'What We Do in the Shadows producers discuss all-star episode'. EW.com (Interview). Interviewed by Clark Collis. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
- ^ abMetcalf, Mitch (March 28, 2019). 'Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.27.2019'. Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
- ^ abMetcalf, Mitch (April 4, 2019). 'Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.3.2019'. Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ^ abMetcalf, Mitch (April 11, 2019). 'Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.10.2019'. Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ abMetcalf, Mitch (April 18, 2019). 'Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.17.2019'. Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
- ^ abMetcalf, Mitch (April 25, 2019). 'Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.24.2019'. Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
- ^ abMetcalf, Mitch (May 2, 2019). 'Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.1.2019'. Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
- ^ abMetcalf, Mitch (May 9, 2019). 'Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.8.2019'. Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
- ^ abMetcalf, Mitch (May 16, 2019). 'Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.15.2019'. Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
- ^ abMetcalf, Mitch (May 23, 2019). 'Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.22.2019'. Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ abMetcalf, Mitch (May 30, 2019). 'Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.29.2019'. Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
- ^ abAndreeva, Nellie (January 22, 2018). ''What We Do In The Shadows' TV Series Reboot From Jemaine Clement & Taika Waititi Gets FX Pilot Order, Sets Cast'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^Otterson, Joe (February 7, 2018). 'Doug Jones Among Four Cast in 'What We Do in The Shadows' Pilot at FX (EXCLUSIVE)'. Variety. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
- ^Foutch, Haleigh (April 11, 2018). 'Hayden Szeto on FX's 'What We Do in the Shadows' Pilot & Improvising with Taika Waititi'. Collider. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
- ^'Current Productions | IATSE 873'. IATSE 873. Archived from the original on January 29, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
- ^Romano, Nick (October 31, 2018). 'FX's 'What We Do in the Shadows' teasers reveal Taika Waititi TV series'. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- ^Collis, Clark (January 10, 2019). ''What We Do in the Shadows' TV show premiering in March'. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- ^Holub, Christian (October 7, 2018). ''What We Do in the Shadows' TV series premieres first episode at New York Comic Con'. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
- ^N'Duka, Amanda (January 16, 2019). 'SXSW: Seth Rogen/Charlize Theron Comedy, Matthew McConaughey's 'The Beach Bum' Among 2019 Feature Lineup'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
- ^'What We Do in the Shadows: Season 1 (2019)'. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^'What We Do in the Shadows (2019): Season 1'. Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
- ^Welch, Alex (April 11, 2019). ''The Walking Dead' finale leads in 18-49 and viewer gains: Cable Live +7 ratings for March 25-31'. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^Pucci, Douglas (April 13, 2019). 'Live+3 Weekly Ratings: 'Billions' on Showtime Leads Scripted Cable Fare in Raw Gains Among Viewers'. Programming Insider. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- ^Welch, Alex (May 6, 2019). ''Game of Thrones' premiere (predictably) dominates the cable Live +7 ratings for April 8-14'. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
- ^Welch, Alex (May 8, 2019). ''Game of Thrones,' 'Teen Mom 2' score largest 18-49 boosts in cable Live +7 ratings for April 15-21'. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- ^Welch, Alex (May 9, 2019). ''Game of Thrones,' 'What We Do in the Shadows' lead the cable Live +7 ratings for April 22-28'. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
- ^Welch, Alex (May 22, 2019). ''Game of Thrones,' 'Killing Eve' top 18-49 gains in the cable Live +7 ratings for April 29 – May 5'. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
- ^Welch, Alex (May 29, 2019). ''Game of Thrones' stays on top of the cable Live +7 ratings for May 6-12'. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^Welch, Alex (June 6, 2019). ''Game of Thrones' finale tops 18-49 and viewer gains: Cable Live +7 ratings for May 13-19'. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
- ^Welch, Alex (June 13, 2019). ''Vanderpump Rules,' 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' get biggest boosts in cable Live +7 ratings for May 20-26'. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
- ^Welch, Alex (June 17, 2019). ''The Hot Zone' posts biggest viewer gains in the cable Live +7 ratings for May 27 – June 2'. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
External links[edit]
- What We Do in the Shadows on IMDb
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=What_We_Do_in_the_Shadows_(TV_series)&oldid=904844563'
Air date: Mar 27, 2019
The vampires try to plan a lavish bloodfeast in honor of a visit by their ancient master from the Old Country. Teleplay by Jemaine Clement; Directed by Taika Waititi.
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Air date: Apr 3, 2019
The vampires get embroiled in local Staten Island politics as their first step to world domination. Written by Paul Simms; Directed by Jemaine Clement.
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Air date: Apr 10, 2019
The fragile truce between the vampires and Staten Island's werewolves is tested, and Colin Robinson finds romance with a new co-worker. Written by Josh Lieb; Directed by Jemaine Clement.
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Air date: Apr 17, 2019
The vampires venture into Manhattan, to make an alliance with an old friend who is now the king of the Manhattan vampires.
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Air date: Apr 24, 2019
Lazslo, in bat form, is captured by Staten Island Animal Control and must be rescued, while Nadja can no longer resist reconnecting with her reincarnated lover Gregor. Written by Duncan Sarkies; Directed by Jackie van Beek.
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Air date: May 1, 2019
The Baron awakens from his slumber and demands to experience the wonders of the New World in a night out in the town. Written by Iain Morris; Directed by Jackie van Beek.
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Air date: May 8, 2019
The vampires must defend themselves as an international vampire tribunal gathers to judge them for their transgressions. Written by Jemaine Clement; Directed by Taika Waititi.
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Air date: May 15, 2019
Nadja trains Jenna on how to take her first victim, and Nandor applies for American citizenship. Written by Stefani Robinson; Directed by Jason Woliner.
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Air date: May 22, 2019
Tensions run high as the vampires prepare to host the Biannual Vampire Orgy.
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Air date: May 29, 2019
Nandor visits one of his living descendants, and a lover from Nadja's past re-emerges.
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