A bloody good watch

No blood was spilt, but New Zealand-made vampire spoof What We Do In The Shadows slayed the critics at the Sundance Film Festival this week.

The mockumentary film about a group of vampires living in Wellington, which was written and directed by Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Concords) and Taika Waititi (Eagle Vs. Shark, Boy), had its first official screening at the festival in Utah.

"Ace writing and comic performances ensure love from the geek sector, while the presence of Flight of the Conchords co-star Clement both behind and in front of the camera should help attract attention beyond that realm," the Hollywood Reporter says.

Hitfix.com described it as “a deep excavation of archetype, and in scene after scene, they find smart, character-driven ways to build extended riffs on both the mundane annoyances of modern life and the various ways we've approached vampires over the years”.

Twitchfilm.com says the film has plenty of laughs. “Most importantly, it is just fantastic to see these hilarious filmmakers creating. If we can get more comedy out of them, the world will be a much funnier (if perhaps slightly bloodier) place”.

Not just your average vampire flick then.

The film will also be showing at the prestigious Berlin Film Festival next month.