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| Image Credit: FX |
When What We Do in the Shadows wrapped its six-season run on FX in December 2024, it went out with a bang—parody endings, a retro 16mm flashback, and a coffin that doubled as an elevator. The show, a hilarious mockumentary about vampires bumbling through modern life, was a masterclass in blending absurdity with heart. Yana Gorskaya, an Emmy-nominated editor who directed 22 episodes, including the series finale, spilled the tea on IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast about how the team pulled off this “unshootable” comedy on a ridiculously tight TV schedule.
This show was wild to make. Imagine trying to film a half-hour episode with stunts, prosthetics, and vampire shenanigans in just five and a half days. Gorskaya called it “unkillable” but “unshootable,” and the finale, “The Finale,” which dropped on December 16, 2024, was proof. It had everything: fake endings riffing on classics like The Usual Suspects, a grainy 1958 “documentary” bit, and Nandor’s secret lair reveal via a coffin that plunges underground. Yana, who started as an editor, leveraged her post-production expertise to make it work. “Every director should edit a show like Shadows,” she said, explaining how she’d grab shots on set with an eye for what would pop in the editing room.
Speaking of editing, that’s where the magic really happened. Yana and her team were obsessive about timing—sometimes a single frame could turn a chuckle into a gut-buster. “We frame-f**k the hell out of it,” she laughed, describing how they’d tweak cuts to nail moments like Laszlo’s unhinged rants or Guillermo’s eyerolls. The finale’s meta gags, poking fun at TV endings like Newhart, were a blast to shoot, though they had to ditch an MASH*-style helicopter bit because, well, budget. Fans can catch those extra endings on Hulu’s “Extra Hypnosis Features” tab.
One of the coolest aspects of the finale was a 1958 “archival” segment shot on 16mm film, which showed the vampires’ past lives. It looked straight out of a Maysles Brothers doc, and Yana said the cast didn’t break character once—a rarity with this goofy crew. Younger folks on set had to learn how to handle actual film stock, which gave everyone a kick. It was funny but also kinda touching, showing how these vampires never change, no matter the decade.
The heart of the finale was Nandor and Guillermo’s friendship. After six seasons of Guillermo playing loyal familiar, they’re finally equals, and Nandor’s big gesture—building a secret lair himself so Guillermo wouldn’t have to—hits hard. Yana nailed the vibe, mixing Kayvan Novak and Harvey Guillén’s banter with a wild coffin drop that needed some VFX polish. Rolling Stone called it a “small gesture” that capped years of growth, and it worked because Yana kept the cameras loose, like a real doc crew catching the chaos.
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