Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that What We Do in the Shadows is a horror comedy about vampires, shot in a fake-documentary style. It's from the New Zealand comedians behind Flight of the Conchords, so FOTC fans will definitely be interested. It's mostly intended to be funny, but there's still a lot of blood and gore, including a spurting jugular vein and huge bloody messes, as well as fighting and some scary images. Images meant to look like old paintings depict some violence and sex, and there's a brief image of an "orgy" (a vampire with three women on a bed), a shot of a naked man with his penis pixilated out, and some strong innuendo. Language includes a few uses of "f--k," "s--t," "a--hole," and more. Some scenes take place in nightclubs or bars, and there's some background drinking.
Sexual
Content
Strong innuendo; some flirting. Quick shot of a man in an "orgy" with three women. Images of old paintings depicting naked people and sex, as well as an image of a penis. A naked man is shown, with his penis pixilated out. The suggestion of a vampire masturbating in his coffin (the lid moves up and down).
Violence
Lots of bloody vampire-related gore, but it's intended to be comic. A bit jugular vein sprays blood. Bloody messes. A vampire burns in sunlight. A vampire hunter is crushed and his head twisted backward. Floor covered with bones and other remains. Some jump-shocks. Unsettling vampire makeup. Views of a torture chamber. Images of old paintings depicting violence. Fighting. A character turning into a vampire has a bloody neck wound and bleeding eyes. A character vomits blood. Werewolves tear a man to pieces, though mostly off screen and through shaky footage. An arrow in the leg.
Language
Relatively infrequent strong language includes uses of "f--k," "s--t," "c--k," "a--hole," "penis," "hell," "bitch," and "ass." Words are often said quickly and in thick accents, so they're not always intelligible.
Social
Behavior
Underneath the humor and vampire-related gore, the movie makes a case for friendship and connection. Even though these are monsters, they get lonely, too, and find that things work better with cooperation and understanding.
Consumerism
Not applicable
Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol
Some scenes in nightclubs show characters drinking socially. Vampires occasionally appear to be drinking liquor from glasses, although it could be blood.
