SNAPSHOT
Much like the movie, the series follows three vampires who live together: Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), and Nandor (Kayvan Novak) — the former two are husband and wife. Also living with them is a fourth vampire named Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch), who’s an ‘energy vampire’. Instead of blood, he sucks the energy out of his victims by boring them to death with mundane anecdotes and bad jokes. The office is his feeding ground, but his powers also work on his vampire roomies. The main action is put into motion when our central three vampires receive notice that an ancient leader vampire named the Baron is coming to pay them a visit from abroad, purportedly to see how conquering America is going.” (synopsis via Rotten Tomatoes)
There is an inspired brilliance to What We Do in the Shadows, the film by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement that added a wholly original and highly-amusing voice to the very well-worn (but in day time thank you) vampire genre.
It made merry with all kinds of things from vampires and werewolves, to horror film tropes and mockumentary and did it to impressive effect, such that a 10 x 1/2 hour-each episode TV show is now in the offing, the first two teaser trailers have now come down the pike.
Waititi and Clement remain involved behind-the-scenes, though not in front of camera, with the former directing and the latter writing the pilot episode.
Granted, we have but snippets to go on but so far, with the same creative minds at work, the spirit of the original film seems very much in place, and front and centre, which augurs well (as does the six-episode Wellington Paranormal which was HILARIOUS) for what will be an enormously enjoyable diversion into the rarely-visited comedic side of horror.
What We Do in the Shadows premieres on FX in the northern Spring.