31 Days of Draughts and Darkness: Volume III
What we do in the
Shadows (2014)
If you're a fan of anything vampire, or even Gothic horror
in general, "What we do in the Shadows" will have you howling with
laughter. This faux-documentary manages
to loving skewer every vampire trope imaginable, from Anne Rice to the
more recent Twilight fluff. These filmmakers obviously love their subject
matter, for while the film is most certainly a parody, it pays as much homage
to vampire lore as it does have fun with it.
No joke, this is the "Shaun of the Dead" of
vampire movies. It's that good.
The Plot:
Four vampires, each of different ages (measured in hundred-year
increments), are all at a down point in their immortal lives. Though they don't
quite know it. Past their primes, powers waning, these vampire bachelors are
just as confident (and clueless) as they were hundreds of years ago. Each still
believes themselves to be a suave, slick creature of the night, despite the fact
that human prey is getting progressively more difficult to charm.
In an attempt to catch up with the times, the vampires allow
a film crew into their home. They solemnly swear to not eat said film
crew, but the crew carries crosses along
with them just in case.
What follows is a documentary-style look into the night
life of these vampires.
Viago, "the gentleman vampire", likes to pamper
his female victims before biting them. He's the one you'll find putting plastic covers over the furniture pre-bite, much to his date's confusion. Deacon is the young
wild-child of the group, less than 200 years old. Vlad, no surprise, used to be
murderous tyrant, but as he puts it, he was "in a dark place in his life, at the time". And then there's Petyr, who lives in the basement and makes
Nosferatu look youthful by comparison.
As cameras roll, we get a glimpse into their world. Which is
sorta more lackluster than the legends would have us believe. That might have
something to do with the fact that these bloodsuckers haven't really matured
past the 1800's.
The plot is really sent into motion when a victim is accidentally
turned before the vampires have a chance to fully drain him. Now Nick, suddenly
a new-age vampire, is eager to fit in with the clique, teaching them about the
21st century and doing his best to not flaunt his new powers in public.
The Flavor:
Silly, sarcastic, and swimming in dry wit, "What we do
in the Shadows" knows its horror trappings well and pokes at them with a
gleeful smile. The various quirks of each vampire humanize them, making their
presentation against a grim, ominous background all the more funny. Sure, they
feed on the living, but they're only just trying to get by. Find love,
friendship, acceptance, the things we all look for in life. These poor saps are
simply stuck having to bite a few necks along the way.
"What we do in the Shadows" has ample jokes to be
made off every corner of vampiric lore, from Bram Stoker to "The Lost
Boys" and even "Underworld". Other supernatural creatures get a
chance to join in the fun as well, most hysterically a men's-help group coming
to terms with their Werewolf-ism via group discussions.
The setting may be dark, but the tone light, zany, and
highly enjoyable. There's plenty of blood-shed, no doubt. This is a vampire
movie, after all. But none of the violence is anything other than comical or
over-the-top. Those easily squeamish have nothing to fear, here.
Best Paired With:
A fantastic party-movie, especially Halloween parties,
"What we do in the Shadows" should be seen with close friends. Those
who are vampire fans, or even just horror fans in general, will find themselves
in stitches. Even casual viewers are sure to get some solid chuckles.
Anyone adverse to horror films can also look to "What
we do in the Shadows" as a great Halloween flick that manages to both
include and poke fun at horror-themes.
Brew:
For the unlikely pairing of Gothic horror and light-hearted comedy, we need a beer with equally unexpected flavor combinations.
Name:
Calm Before the Storm
Brewery:
Ballast Point Brew Co.
Where
Brewed: San Diego, CA
ABV:
5.5%
Style:
Cream Ale w/Coffee and Vanilla
Color: While an
outline of straw-yellow traces its way around the edges of the glass, much of
Calm Before the Storm is a light golden color.
Aroma: When one takes in the scent of roasted coffee notes
from a brew, they're most often about to indulge in a rich porter or stout.
Here, we're working with a cream ale, so the coffee scent isn't backed up by
darkly-roasted malts. Rather, it takes on a sweeter aroma by combining with
vanilla, evoking almost a dessert on the nose. Think tiramisu.
Taste: Like some sort of wily shapeshifter, Calm Before the
Storm undergoes a substantial transformation in the course of each sip. Your
first impression is that of a typically cream ale: lightly-flavored malts with
a crisp, all-American sort of beer taste. But then the brew coats your tongue
and things morph into something entirely different.
The mellow, smooth taste that initially parted your lips
gives way to a burst of creamy-sweet coffee flavor. Like I mentioned in the
Aroma section, this coffee essence isn't so much of the rich, roasted variety
you'd expect from a dark beer. Here, it's the sweet sort of vein you'd get from
a dessert-style coffee beverage. Like someone spiked your beer with a
Frappacino from Starbucks. The vanilla and coffee make for a surprising end to
what begins as an unassuming cream ale.
Aftertaste: With the malt and hop character on the lighter
side, it's the bolder tastes of coffee and vanilla that remain on the tongue in
between sips. The level of sweetness is just, just enough to deliver the message without making the brew too
cloying to get through.
Much like how the hop-factor cleanses the palate at the
end of many brew-tastings, here it's the mild ale character of the beginning of
each sip that almost resets your taste buds. Almost. The coffee and vanilla
still stick around a bit, and so both flavors intensify throughout the glass.
Body: What really brings the whole package together is the smooth, creamy body of this ale and how that helps deliver the sweeter
flavors. Calm Before the Storm is actually very light. You'd have little
problem downing a pint as if it were air. But while the body itself isn't
heavy, there's a velvety quality to it that coats the mouth.
Cream ales get their name from this sort of body, but it's usually only to help
keep the beer refreshing. Here, it acts as a platform for the sweeter flavors
to spread out and really drives the dessert-like nature of the brew home.
Pair: Honestly, with the flavor profile on display, Calm
Before the Storm would go best with dessert. Pair this brew up with some
vanilla ice cream or Halloween candy. Try to avoid coffee-flavored foods, as
they'd likely overpower the coffee-factor of the beer. Sweet dairy-based foods
like cheesecake or cannoli would work wonderfully.
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