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Movie characters often wear absurd and humorous costumes to attend parties, and in some cases these looks can become more iconic than their everyday clothes. Not all movies can pull off a funny costume, since the jokes have to work in-universe and on-screen. This strips away the layer of ironic detachment that many comedies use, in which the characters don't know that what they're doing is funny.

Funny movie costumes mostly show up in comedies, since there aren't many dramas which can spend time on a joke or a costume party. However, it's often the case that these are exactly the types of movies which provide the best opportunities for a funny costume, because audiences aren't expecting it, so it has even more of an impact. Some surprisingly emotional dramas have had funny character costumes just like comedies.

Viago's Blade Costume What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

Before What We...

Stars: Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Jonathan Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Stuart Rutherford, Ben Fransham, Jackie van Beek, Elena Stejko, Jason Hoyte, Karen O’Leary, Mike Minogue, Chelsie Preston Crayford, Ian Harcourt, Ethel Robinson, Brad Harding | Written and Directed by Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi

Love it or hate it Twilight did a lot of damage for the vampire in pop culture. When the movies were finally over and done with and we were free of the scourge of the sparkly ones, the bloodsuckers stayed somewhat in the shadows, though recently making a comeback with good movies like Only Lovers Left Alive. With that spark of life given to the undead fiends, what they now need is a good injection of the red stuff to truly bring them back to glory. We may just have that in the form of What We Do in the Shadows.

From (one of) the creators of Flight of the Conchords,...

Stars: Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Jonathan Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Stuart Rutherford, Ben Fransham, Jackie van Beek, Elena Stejko, Jason Hoyte, Karen O’Leary, Mike Minogue, Chelsie Preston Crayford, Ian Harcourt, Ethel Robinson, Brad Harding | Written and Directed by Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi

Day three of Mayhem hosted a sold out screening of New Zealand vampire mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows. This was clearly the most popular film of the festival, confirming there’s a fair amount of interest generated from the reviews at previous screenings.

I will admit to not being overly familiar with Flight of the Conchords. It’s difficult to say for sure how much a bearing that had on my enjoyment of What We Do in the Shadows, but at times I got the impression there were references here I was missing that I’d be more tuned into were I familiar with Jemaine Clement...