List of film and TV references

The following is a list of films and TV series referenced or parodied in the What We Do in the Shadows franchise.

Vampire and Werewolf Movies

Nosferatu (1922)

• Petyr bears a strong resemblance to Count Orlok.

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

• Arjan wears an orange jacket similar to the one worn by David in An American Werewolf in London.

The Lost Boys (1987)

• Viago, Vladislav and Deacon hypnotize Nick into thinking that his plate of spaghetti is actually worms, a prank they admit was inspired by a scene from The Lost Boys. Nick later tries this trick on Stu while he is eating chips, but it doesn’t work because chips don’t look like worms.
• ’Kiefer’ (Kiefer Sutherland) is an absent member of the Vampiric Council.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

Vladislav's introduction.

• Jemaine Clement based his appearance and performance of Vladislav on Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Dracula.
• The scene introducing Vladislav bears resemblance to the scene in Dracula where Jonathan is seduced by Dracula’s brides.
• Nick’s projectile vomiting references the scene in which Lucy is killed with a stake.
  

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)

• Paul is played by Paul Reubens, who played a vampire in this film.

Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)

Guillermo presents a photo of himself dressed as Armand.

• The title of the short film What We Do in the Shadows: Interviews with Some Vampires.
• The tag line on the film posters is "Some interviews with some vampires."
• Viago’s appearance is based on Louis de Pointe du Lac.
• In a scene referencing Louis viewing the sunrise on a cinema screen, Stu allows the vampires to watch the sunrise via an internet video.
• Guillermo became interested in vampirism after watching Antonio Banderas portray the first Hispanic vampire in mainstream popular culture, Armand.
• ’Tom’ (Tom Cruise) and ‘Brad’ (Brad Pitt) were absent members of the Vampiric Council.
• Nandor, Nadja and Laszlo are sentenced to death by being exposed to sunlight in a well in a scene almost identical to one appearing in Interview with the Vampire.
• The final episode of Season 2 involves the Nouveau Théâtre des Vampires, a reference to Interview with the Vampire's Théâtre des Vampires, both in name and in the style of the performance. Both depictions feature a narrator describing a series of theatrically comedic parables performed by actors, followed by a live onstage execution (an attempted execution in the case of WWDITS).

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

• Danny is played by Danny Trejo, who played vampire characters in this film and its sequel.

Blade (1998)

• Deacon insists that Viago dressing as Blade to the Unholy Masquerade would be inappropriate.
• One of the members of the Leather Skins is Wesley Sykes, a parody of Blade actor Wesley Snipes.
• Wesley is played by Wesley Snipes, and like Blade, is also a half-vampire daywalker who works as a vampire killer.
• Jenna suggests that she and Nadja use motorcycle helmets to protect themselves from the sunlight, like the vampires in Blade.

Let the Right One In (2008)

• Laszlo is attacked by cats that cling onto him as he runs away, referencing a scene in the film in which this happens to another vampire.

Twilight (2008)

• Nick resembles Edward Cullen, and at one point refers to himself as ‘Twilight’, much to Deacon’s annoyance.
• In anticipation of meeting Baron Afanas, Nandor wears body glitter on his face to resemble Edward Cullen.
• The Staten Island Werewolf Support Group express frustration at the stereotype of all werewolves supposedly being Native American, caused by the popularity of Twilight.
• ’Rob’ (Robert Pattinson) is an absent member of the Vampiric Council.

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)

Tilda, played by Tilda Swinton.

• Tilda is played by Tilda Swinton, who also played a vampire in this movie. Her appearance in both Only Lovers Left Alive and the What We Do in the Shadows TV Series are very similar.

Other movies

The Exorcist (1973)

• Josephine bullied Jackie in school by encouraging others to refer to her as "The Jexorcist".
• Much of the behaviour Bazu'aal demonstrates while possessing others, such as projectile vomiting, spider-walking, turning their head 180° and insulting Minogue's mother, references that of the possessed girl from The Exorcist.

Star Wars (1977)

• Nick attempts to hypnotise O'Leary and Minogue by waving his hand in front of their faces, only to be told that he's "not Obi-Wan Kenobi".

Sister Act (1992)

• Viago previously attended the Unholy Masquerade dressed as Whoopi Goldberg’s character from Sister Act.

Titanic (1997)

• When the Wellington Police Paranormal Unit and Parker are controlling zombies Donovan and Laupepe by radio, they demand they renact the 'flying' scene from Titanic.

Inception (2010)

• Deacon and Nick defy gravity and bounce off the walls and ceiling when they fight in the flat, referencing the hotel fight scene in Inception.

The Babadook (2014)

• One of the guests at the orgy is The Badabook, who also resembles the horror film's titular monster.

Vampire and Werewolf TV Shows

Salem's Lot (1979)

• Nick hovering outside the window (in both the short film and feature-length film) parodies a scene in which a vampire child hovers outside a window in this TV miniseries.

True Blood (2008)

• Evan was played by Evan Rachel Wood, who played a vampire in this TV series.

From Dusk Till Dawn (2014)

• In addition to appearing in the From Dusk Till Dawn movies, Danny Trejo, who plays Danny, was a character in this vampire TV series.

Other TV Shows

Only Fools and Horses (1981)

• Laszlo refers to Jeff Suckler as "Del Boy" due to the similar jacket he is wearing.

Seinfeld (1989)

• One of Laszlo's pornographic movies he starred in, Seinf**k, is a parody of this sitcom.

The X-Files (1993)

• Minogue considers his partnership with O'Leary to resemble that of Mulder and Scully due to their personalities and appearance.

Maaka's underwear.

• Maaka is seen wearing underwear with a waistband saying "THE TRUTH IS IN HERE".

The Walking Dead (2010)

• Maaka says he learned all about zombies from watching The Walking Dead.

Stranger Things (2016)

• Confused about which room he is in at 23 Tukariri Street, Minogue wonders if he's in "The Upside-Down".