What We Do in the Shadows: The 11 Funniest Scenes

Table of Contents

What We Do in the Shadows is a mockumentary comedy-horror-fantasy show that answers an age-old question. “What would happen to vampire roommates living in modern-day Staten Island?”

Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi created the series to give us that answer, based on the 2014 film they both starred in.

Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak), Leslie Laszlo Cravensworth (Matt Berry), Nadja of Antipaxos (Natasia Demetriou), Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch), and Guillermo de la Cruz (Harvey Guillén) make up the cast of the series. And while it’s hard to pick the funniest moments from a show that features so many, here are 10 of the funniest scenes from FX’s What We Do in the Shadows.

The 11 Funniest Scenes from What We Do in the Shadows

11. Guillermo Discovering His Family History

Guillermo desperately wishes to become a vampire, just like his roommates. He’s been Nandor’s familiar for years and he wants to be a part of the crew for real. However, he has a tendency to accidentally kill other vampires. This goes unexplained until he submits his DNA to an ancestry website.

Turns out, he’s distantly related to Van Helsing, an infamous vampire hunter. It’s not just a wacky coincidence that he keeps killing vamps; it’s in his blood.

10. Any Scene with Laszlo’s Alter Ego, Jackie Daytona

You know how we always joke that the Marvel “trust me, I’m a civilian” disguise is a baseball cap?

What We Do in the Shadows did something similar and made it a running joke.

When you live forever, it’s easy to hold a grudge. Mark Hamill’s character, Jim the Vampire, certainly does. A century ago, Jim rented Laszlo an apartment and Laszlo skipped town without paying rent. Jim’s been hunting him ever since to get that payment back.

Now that Jim’s caught up to him, Laszlo develops his “foolproof human disguise.” To evade capture, he simply dons a pair of jeans and holds a toothpick in his mouth.

The running joke is that it actually works. He develops an alter ego named “Jackie Daytona,” and embellishes his pretend persona.

9. Nandor vs. Toby

Even if Twilight is the only vampire movie you’ve ever watched, you know that vampires and werewolves don’t get along. That’s the case in What We Do in the Shadows as well. So when Laszlo finds out a werewolf peed in his topiary garden, they need to settle the fight. Under the peace treaty guidelines, they must select one champion from each group to fight to the death.

Nandor goes to fight Toby. When Toby transforms into a werewolf, they discover just how terrifying he really is.

But when Nandor tosses a puppy toy off the bridge, Toby jumps off after it, effectively ending the fight.

8. Guillermo’s Role in the Orgy

Vampire orgies are no laughing matter. They require a lot of planning, and everyone has a role to play.

Unfortunately, Guillermo’s was narrating the evening.

Vampires can’t see themselves in the mirror. So instead of a traditional orgy, they rely on someone to narrate the entire experience. Of course, he was absolutely horrible when he practiced it.

7. The Big Reveal of the Members of the Council

When we discover who runs the Vampire Council, the reveal alone brings some big laughs for vampire fans. Each member is an actor that played a prominent vampire in the past.

Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, and Jonny Brugh, the original vampires from the What We Do in the Shadows movie, lead the group. The list of other famous vamps includes Tilda Swinton from Only Lovers Left Alive, Paul Reubens from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie, Evan Rachel Wood from True Blood, Danny Trejo from From Dusk Til Dawn, and Wesley Snipes from Blade.

Wesley joins the council by Skyping in. The best part is that they reference even more cameos. The no-shows include Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise (Interview with a Vampire), Robert Pattinson (Twilight), and Kiefer Sutherland (Lost Boys).

And they aren’t subtle about the cameos. Each person’s character is named after the actor themselves.

6. Open Mic Night

Laszlo and Nadja have a lot more musical talent than we originally anticipated.

When they get up to perform on open mic night, they go to perform original music. We then realize that they wrote “Kokomo,” the famous song performed by The Beach Boys. It’s a running joke in What We Do in the Shadows that the pair have written countless famous songs over the centuries.

5. Laszlo’s Porn Career

Ever since film was invented, people have been making porn. And apparently, Laszlo’s been starring in porn for just as long.

He wanted to woo Nadja, so he decided to show her the highlights from his collection.

Unfortunately, his performances are…uninspiring. Nadja doesn’t have the heart to tell her husband that he’s a pretty horrible porn star.

4. Nandor’s Chain Email Freak Out

The crux of the What We Do in the Shadows humor relies on ancient vampires living in modern Staten Island. Watching them interact with technology is possibly the best part of the show.

Nandor realizes he has a chain email after not opening his inbox for decades. When he reads “This is not a joke. You are now cursed,” he takes it seriously.

The best part of his freak-out is the line, “Where are we going to get 10 email addresses? The email address shop?” Laszlo answers, “No, that will likely be closed at this time of night.”

3. Colin’s Career Feeding His Powers

Colin gains his powers by draining others. He’s an energy vampire and feeds off of negative emotions. That’s why he thrives in the corporate world. When he gets a promotion, he’s able to feast on the discomfort and boredom of corporate America. It’s practically a buffet.

2. Nandor Becoming a US Citizen

Being immortal has its downsides. For example, you can outlive your country. Nandor discovers that his birth country he once ruled no longer exists (and hasn’t since 1401). So he decides that he will become a US Citizen.

Only it doesn’t exactly go as planned. He wanted to hypnotize the government worker to get what he wanted. But the worker was immune to that power. When he tried to say the Pledge of Allegiance, he struggled a bit. During the part where he had to say “God,” fire came shooting out of his mouth.

1. Creepy Paper

One of the best moments of the series was from the pilot episode. Nador and Guillermo head to the store to prepare for Baron Afanas’ (played by Doug Jones) arrival. What’s on the shopping list? Glitter, for one, so that Nador can sprinkle it on his face and body, like Twilight. And then crepe paper, better known now as creepy paper to all of the fans of the series.

The Best What We Do in the Shadows Scenes

If you’re a fan of What We Do in the Shadows, what do you think ranks in the top 10 funniest scenes? Did your favorite scenes and episodes make the list? What else do you think should have been included? Let us know in the comments!