After spending the night with a strange woman Lee wakes up to find he has become a vampire, so, with the help of his best friend, he decides to become the world’s first vampire influencer. This is Ross McGowan’s sitcom Hangover Food: Vampire Influencer.

With the success of Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clements ‘What We Do In the Shadows’ it was inevitable that it would spawn imitators all trying to emulate that same “lightning in a bottle” that created a hit. For those of you who have perhaps been living under a rock, Clement and Waititi created WWDITS in 2014 as a feature-length mockumentary about centuries-old vampires living together and struggling with the mundane aspects of modern life; things like paying rent, doing chores, trying to get into nightclubs, and overcoming flatmate conflicts. A minor cult hit on its release, the film’s reputation grew with its popularity spawning a hugely successful TV show now syndicated across the world. These days, if other filmmakers are trying to make a comedy about vampires, then they have to compete with and expect to be compared to Clements and Waititi’s genius.
Vampire Influencer is a sitcom that sees five mini-episodes tell a story that originated in the 2019 short film by the same people called Hangover Food. This saw Lee (David Hepburn channelling real David Tennant vibes) wake up after a heavy night feeling like he is dying. Discovering that a vampire has bitten him the night before does not stop his best friend Bruce (Craig McDonald-Kelly) from trying to convince him to go out for another night on the town. The first 5 episodes of Vampire Influencer pick up this story and expand on it as Lee decides to become the world’s first Vampire social media star. With the help again of McDonald Kelly’s charmingly doltish Bruce, Hepburn’s Lee begins to record his life, take on eating challenges, and live streaming different tests to try and prove his abilities as a member of the undead and a real vampire to gain views, likes, and eventually influence.

Hangover Food: Vampire Influencer is funny and clever, managing to poke fun at the social media epidemic by blending everyday problems with the supernatural in a way that is both familiar and fresh. It takes a lot of influence from Waititi’s original concept, but also from Edgar Wright films, particularly Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz, but if you are going all out to create your own comedy horror production you may as well borrow from two of the best. Each episode of Vampire Influencer is slick and well made; the quick pans and sound effects are pure Wright, while the premise, sharp humour, and rapport between the two flatmates are straight from the Waititi school of comedy.
Tom Young’s editing is smooth and seamless, while Guido Cavaciuti’s cinematography effortlessly transitions between light and dark tones. It is the quality of the jobs these two do that help each episode look much more expensive than it is. Credit also to director Ross McGowan – with the five episodes all set in Lee and Bruce’s front room, things could have gotten a little static and boring, but thanks to McGowan’s blocking and choreography each scene remains alive and energetic. Craig McDonald-Kelly’s script is witty and smart in that uniquely Scottish style, while it manages to create a few unexpected twists and turns along the way. There is a particularly good gag involving the sunlight and Lee’s arm that leaves an impression.

Hangover Food: Vampire Influencer is a funny, well-made series that is sure to please fans of comedy and horror in equal measure. It is certainly a must-see for anyone who enjoys a good laugh.
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