10 Greatest Mockumentary Films Of All Time

The mockumentary is a rarely used medium in the grand scheme of the movie business. It’s a trope that’s hidden away somewhere in the back corner of the great movie library filed next to stop motion animation and puppet movies.

This is probably down to the fact that it’s a very difficult trope to get right and a very easy one to get wrong. A mockumentary is the movie equivalent of tumbling down the rabbit hole and being told to drink something.

After all, there has never been a real explosion of movie mockumentaries in a condensed time period like there was for spy movies in the 60s, coming of age films in the 80s and crap ones in the 90s; it’s been more of a reality bending drip feeding of movies that mix the real and fake for either genuine laughs or empathy or sometimes both.

Which is a little strange when you consider that when a mockumentary does appear out amidst the monotony of the everyday releases; they tend to catch fire, captivate and pose questions about legitimacy for years to come.

Movie producers are constantly finding out new tropes to explore involving vampires, ironically it’s a concept that just won’t die. But What We Do In The Shadows is unfurrowed land in the realm of modern day vampire viewing.

Featuring and directed by Kiwi Taika Waititi, currently working on Thor: Ragnorak movie of course, alongside Flight of the Conchords alum Jermaine Clement, What We Do In The Shadows does for vampires what Shaun of the Dead did for zombies.

This is an out and out funny movie. Something Christopher Guest would’ve been happy to make. As for the vampires themselves, they’re a tad slow, tragically flawed, intrinsically loveable and ultimately, rather human.

These are modern day vampires with Nosferatu stylings; elegantly dressed in lace collars and exquisite velvet suits whilst complaining that one of the housemates isn’t pulling his weight or how they can’t get into any clubs because the bouncers won’t invite them inside.

Add in an upstart ‘young’ vampire to the mix and Rhys Darby’s puritanical proclamation that “We’re Werewolves, not swear-wolves” and you get one of the sweetest comedies in modern movie times.

As many movies on this list will prove, it takes a lot of talent to be this stupid.