Thanks to Midnight Factory, the surprising New Zealand horror comedy arrives in Italy. Vampire Life (aka What We Do in the Shadows), a film that draws on vampiric cinematography of the past to repurpose a story with a decidedly personal and, above all, modern slant.
Written, directed, and starring Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, Vampire Life is a kind of unusual and engaging report on the life of a group of vampires.
As such, the story is shaped on the everyday life of the protagonists by capturing their vices, habits and most intimate aspects both inside their abode and outside. All this punctuating and accentuating a deep characterization of the characters: the vampire reminiscent of the characters in "Bram Stoker's Dracula" but, at the same time, also Armand in "Interview with the Vampire." There is even no lack of the undead paying homage to Murnau's "Nosferatu." Tributes, these, that go hand in hand with particular ironic characterizations. Caught in their everyday sphere in fact, these bloodsuckers are even immortalized during household chores (washing dishes, vacuuming) or favorite pastimes, the most unusual of which is knitting with needles.
In Vampire Life (New Zealand - 2014), the mockumentary formula is extraordinarily linked to a hilarious underlying humorous side that disappears in the film's more splattering moments. What results is an elevation of the horror component that is accentuated in the most unexpected sequences, largely satisfying fans of the genre. Thus, the bloodier scenes do not go unnoticed, in which one can witness not only violence accompanied by buckets of blood but also an underlying nastiness that prevails over an atmosphere with comedic overtones. Vampire Life is thus a film that well balances humor/horror and nostalgically embraces the cults of the past by dipping them in modernity.
In their film, Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi are Vladislav and Viago respectively, vampires who live together with two other bloodsuckers namely Deacon (Jonathan Brugh) and Petyr (Ben Fransham). The group will endeavor to imitate the lives of ordinary mortals by paying rent, doing household chores and spending evenings in pubs. When their old roommate turns 20-year-old Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer) into a vampire, the other three must help the young man adjust to the new life to which he has been condemned.
In the cast: Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Jonathan Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Ben Fransham, Stuart Rutherford, Jackie van Beek, Belle Gwilliam, Aaron Lewis, Madeleine Sami, and Elena Stejko.
Vampire Life - What We Do in the Shadows (New Zealand - 2014) is produced by director and actor Taika Waititi together with Chelsea Winstanley and Emanuel Michael.
[divider]
Thanks to Midnight Factory, the New Zealand horror comedy Vampire Life - What We Do in the Shadows is available in an inviting Italian home video edition (DVD and Blu-Ray limited edition accompanied by booklet). As always, very well cared for is the Blu-ray edition of the Italian label that offers it with collector's packaging. The amaray, with internal artwork, holds a booklet with review and trivia about the film and the Blu-ray with impeccable audio/video quality.
Extras include only the trailer.
Limited Edition Blu-ray:
Duration: 86 min.
Format: 1.77:1 1080p
Audio: Italian 5.1 DTS-HD MA; English 5.1 DTS-HD MA
Subtitles: Italian
Extras: trailer
