What We Do in the Shadows – Season 1 Episode 1 Recap & Review

An Interview With Three Vampires. And Guillermo.

Based on the cult film of the same name, What We Do In The Shadows is a hilarious horror comedy series, one that manages to weave together a coherent script with plenty of laughs to great effect. With both Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi returning to production duties after the great work done on the film, there’s a consistency to this mockumentary that feels very similar but original enough to stand on its own.

The 30 minute length episodes work well too, with the opening segment of the pilot introducing us to Guillermo, a faithful slave to vampire Nandor whom he hopes will turn him into a vampire in the near future. After a hilarious mishap involving opening a coffin, the camera crew follow Nando into the hallway where he announces a letter has arrived to his fellow vampires, Laszo and Nadja. It turns out The Baron is coming and together, the three get to work preparing their house for his arrival.

The hilarious inclusion of Colin Robinson as the “energy vampire” is one of the smartest parts of the episode too, resonating with anyone who’s worked in an office and knows exactly what sort of character this is. Between his arrival and Nando’s obsessive desire to buy glitter to “Twilight” himself up, there’s some really cleverly written comedy segments here that keep the laughs flowing right the way through to the final moments of this one.

It’s been a long time since I watched a comedy and laughed right the way through it but What We Do In The Shadows does just this, making it a lovely surprise. The comedy is well timed, the mockumentary format perfectly capturing the absurdity of it all whilst the characters are written with enough flair and charisma that they all stand out. While some may lament how slow-paced this one feels compared to the film, the serialized remake has a lot of positives, making it one of the best comedies of the year so far. Whether it can keep this up throughout the season remains to be seen but for now, What We Do In The Shadows gets off to a fantastic start.