A loving spoof and homage to bloodsucking creatures of the night, What We Do in the Shadows is powered by the combined might of two brilliant comedic minds that have created a mockumentary worthy of death by laughter.

No one could have guessed that actor/filmmaker Taikia Waititi would have followed his sweet and hilarious coming of age tale Boy with a mockumentary about ancient vampires living in contemporary New Zealand.

Yet he did just that, working in collaboration with old friend and cohort Flight of the Conchords star Jemaine Clement (both write, direct and star) to create not only one of the best comedies of the year, but a genuinely entertaining addition to the historically rich and ever expanding vampire movie cannon.

What We Do in the Shadows is also one of the better mockumentaries to be released in a long time, Waititi and Clement showing considerable skill with the limited format, proving themselves in league with the likes of Christopher Guest (A Mighty Wind, This is Spinal Tap).

The set-up is simple: Months before a secret ancient society of supernatural creatures converge for their annual gala, a documentary crew is granted access to a group of vampire flatmates who live in Wellington, New Zealand.

In a stroke of genius, Waititi and Clement base their centuries old blood-sucking characters upon varied vampires that have blackened the silver screen over the decades.

There is Viago (Waititi) the “dandy” of the group who represents the Victorian era, aristocratic style of vampire as seen in Interview with the Vampire. Vladislav (Clement) is a riff on Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Dracula, all medieval Eastern Europe fire and blood and guts, who finds torture a good way to battle the blues. Deacon (Jonathan Brugh) who at 183 years old is the “bad boy” with a strong love for The Lost Boys and a knack for erotic dance. Then there is Petyr (Ben Fransham), a Nosferatu like, 8000 year old inhuman creature who is best not to be disturbed (especially not for house chores).

The film primarily deals with the struggles these ancient creatures have in a contemporary world where technology is as foreign as the rising sun, to go along with the usual limitations of vampire life, with Waititi and Clement taking classic vampire conventions and churning them into comedic gold.

Just like the addictive bloodlust these characters have, What We Do in the Shadows is a film that demands repeated viewings with its ever quotable dialogue and wacky situations where the supernatural meets the mundane to gut-busting results.

The strength of a truly great novelty comedy is in its replay-ability. It’s what separates the likes of Ghostbusters, Anchorman and This is Spinal Tap from the rest of the pack.

What We Do in the Shadows is a welcome and well deserved addition to that group of classics, a bloody brilliant comedy that deserves to be seen again and again.