History YMMV / WhatWeDoInTheShadows

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: While the child vampires could be targeting pedophiles out of simple convenience, some people wonder if they were turned into vampires by a pedophile and are on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge. This alternate character interpretation also applies to a group of similar characters in the sequel TV show.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: While the child vampires could be targeting pedophiles out of simple convenience, some people wonder if they were turned into vampires by a pedophile and are on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge. This alternate character interpretation also applies to a group of similar characters in the sequel TV show.

* MisplacedAccent: Probably intentional. Most main characters have a noticeable New Zealand accent, even though they are old vampires from Europe.

* AcceptableTargets: While the vampires kill plenty of innocent people, two of them also mention that they're going to lure in and kill a pedophile.

%%* TooCoolToLive: [[spoiler: Petyr]].

* TearJerker:
** Nick's transformation into a vampire is half sad and half NightmareFuel. Watching him lose his reflection is particularly heartbreaking.
** Deacon's speech about the brutality of mortality takes a [[MoodWhiplash hard turn]] from absurdly funny to genuinely tragic.
--->"... But even old age is brutal. Watching your friends grow old. They can't piss, and they say stupid things, and their brains go and they can't remember anything. And then, one day, they can't even remember who you are. And you wish they were dead. And then they do die."
** Viago's loss of his true love Katherine comes off as genuinely tragic in spite of the stupid, stupid reason he lost her. The fact that he's pined after her for all these years when reconnecting could have been as simple as learning how to log into Facebook is both silly and very sad [[spoiler:as is the possibility that, since Katherine is now ninety-six years old, he was nearly too late to find her]].
** The reason Viago lost out on Katherine's love the first time? His familiar put the wrong postage on Viago's coffin, and it took him over a year to get to New Zealand, by which time, Katherine had fallen in love with someone else and married him. When Viago talks to his now ninety-year-old familiar for the first time in decades over Skype to tell him this, his familiar [[DespairEventHorizon breaks down in broken sobbing,]] saying Viago promised to turn him into a vampire, wailing that he didn't do anything with his life and that he waited all this time for nothing before Viago awkwardly ends the call.
** [[spoiler:Petyr's]] death hits the other vampires hard. Despite being almost immobile and unable to interact with anyone, they were TrueCompanions.
** A stray dog being blamed for the werewolf attacks, with the cops commenting that they'll have to put it to sleep as a close up of the dog's eyes gets shown.
** A girl Viago drains talking about wanting to go to college and travel the world. Even Viago looks kind of guilty about what he's about to do as she talks.

* NightmareFuel:
** During the chase scene with Nick, we see Vladislav in the form of a cat with his human face on it, screeching. While this has an in-universe explanation meant to be funny (Vladislav's battle with The Beast hurt his ego, the blow to his confidence giving him trouble using his powers), the UncannyValley effect of the clip, as brief as it is, is rather unnerving.
** Nick's transformation. The mirror section is freaky enough, but the detox-invoking sections are extremely unsettling to watch.

%%* EnsembleDarkhorse: Everybody just really loves [[TheEveryman Stu.]]

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Everybody just really loves [[TheEveryman Stu.]]

* TooCoolToLive: [[spoiler: Petyr]].

[[foldercontrol]]

!! For the 2014 film
[[folder: The Film]]

[[/folder]]

!!For the 2019 series

[[folder:The Series]]
* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: For the witch hunter who Laszlo killed, the original owner of the witch-skin hat:
** Laszlo mentions he noticed the hunter saw him admiring the hat. Was he trying to ''warn'' Laszlo of the hat's destructive power? Or, with his dying breath, was the witch hunter the one putting a curse on the hat to get back at the man who killed him?
** One may argue that the act of being killed by a vampire was pretty bad luck...
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The series, like the film, has "You're Dead" by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norma_Tanega Norma Tanega]] as opening title music, and has also introduced several awesome songs to its audience as end credits themes (most notably "Gather Up" by [[TheCastShowOff cast member]] Creator/MattBerry as the ending theme for "Witches"). Much praise has also come in for Mark Mothersbaugh from Music/{{Devo}}'s work on the score.
* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** Jenna is well-loved for her charming personality.
** Jim the vampire is also quite beloved for being an excellent and [[CloudcuckooLander suitably wacky]] SitcomArchNemesis for Lazlo. Creator/MarkHamill's [[LargeHam hilariously hammy performance]] also helps. Many fans hope that he'll return to face off against Cravensworth once more.
** Evie, the Emotional Vampire Colin faces off against in an episode of Season One.
** UndeadChild Houston is only in two scenes of one episode, but is well-regarded for her PaedoHunt choice of targets and her humorous (albeit scary) reaction to her familiar throwing a party in her house while she's gone.
** HeroAntagonist vampire hunters Claude and Shanice, due to being incompetent but fairly likable.
** Garrett, a prisoner of the Vampiric Council, really milks his brief screen time by being a good listener for the main characters and then getting a (truthful) rant about how he was WrongfullyAccused. It also helps that he's played by Creator/DaveBautista.
** The Baron is popular for being a really nice guy when not trying to take over the world. Bonus points for being played by Creator/DougJones. [[spoiler: Fans were quite happy to see him BackFromTheDead in Season 3.]]
* FoeYay: The Guide in season 3 sometimes seems to want to scare Guillermo, but she also gets really handsy and suggestive about sexually harassing him during the mandatory Vampiric Council training video about sexual harassment.
* GeniusBonus:
** The vampires select "Time of the Season" for karaoke, by the band The Zombies.
** When Nandor and Laszlo over-hypnotize their neighbor in season two, the man begins speaking gibberish, which includes "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_soap_radio No soap. Radio!]]" This is the "punchline" of an old practical joke.
* HoYay: A lot, [[EveryoneIsBi given everyone in the show is confirmed bisexual or pansexual]].
** Guillermo's loyalty to Nandor seems strange given how his vampire master often makes his life more difficult and is often on the receiving end of coldness or casual flippancy. It makes more sense when you consider Guillermo's feelings might be stronger than just friendship.
** Episode 9 of season 2, we learn [[spoiler: that Nandor and Laszlo have indeed slept together, and [[ADateWithRosiePalms they end the episode secretly relieving each other behind closed doors]].]]
** Nadja's affections for Jenna stand out, although aside from the neck-biting their relationship has been more of a mentor and student than lovers.
* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: The final shot of [[spoiler:the Baron's familiar]] in Episode 6 and the title and description of Episode 7 ([[spoiler:The Trial]]) imply the main trio are going to get into serious trouble for [[spoiler:the death of Baron Afanas]]. However, because [[NotSoFastBucko this is Episode 6]] of a ten-episode season, and because the titles and synopses of all but the season finale have been released at that point, pretty much everybody believed the main characters would survive. This was proven correct as none of the vampire cast die in episode 7. However, Season 2 reveals that various assassins were sent after them by the council.
* MagnificentBitch: "[[Recap/WhatWeDoInTheShadowsS1E3WerewolfFeud Werewolf Feud]]": [[MasterActress Evie Russell]] is an Emotional Vampire, a type of energy vampire that [[EmotionEater feeds on the pity of others]]. Joining Colin's workplace, she comes up with sob stories to make her coworkers sympathize with her, draining their energy in the process. After Colin confronts her and engages in a [[WizardDuel psychic vampire duel]] with her, they agree to work together to acquire sustenance. This partnership lasts for a few weeks, till Colin realizes that their relationship is unhealthy and breaks up with her. She accepts this, though not before taking an opportunity to feed off of him one last time.
* MemeticBadass: Jackie Daytona; Lazlo's human alter ego who manages to take over an entire town just by being a swell guy.
* NightmareFuel:
** The scene where the main characters are being [[spoiler:burned alive by the sun]] is terrifying.
** Jenna's transformation into a vampire from her and others' point of view, especially her roommates. Jenna thinks she is merely sick. Her roommate comes across her supposed corpse and is visibly distressed. As she is being wheeled away by paramedics, under a sheet, she suddenly sits up and scares the shit out of the paramedics. This drives [[spoiler:Jenna's roommate to become a vampire hunter]].
** The teleportation of the vampire children in "The Curse". Not only is the effect itself eerie, the camera is focused on Guillermo finally convincing Shanice that they've broken into a normal human house--so it takes a second for the viewer to realize [[SignificantBackgroundEvent that he's very wrong]].
** Season 3 introduces the Sire, the oldest and most savage of all vampires, unseen behind a chained door and only heard by its monstrous roaring... [[spoiler:Until it escapes]].
** Cult leader Jan. As hilarious as it is to watch Creator/CreeSummer ChewingTheScenery in a rare live-action role, the fact remains that she's dangerously charismatic to the point of convincing an entire commune of vampires to walk into open sunlight--to their deaths--by making them believe they were on a path towards becoming human again. It's not unlike how real-life cult leaders have operated.
** Laszlo suddenly [[spoiler: shoving the human Guillermo into a shipping coffin and closing the lid]] is terrifying, mitigated only slightly by the reveal he [[spoiler: put "a hole" in it somewhere]], and only made worse by Guillermo's panicked screaming.
** Carol looks like a shriveled, subhuman cave creature, has bulging white eyes, acts feral, and speaks in an otherworldly hiss.
* TearJerker:
** While some characters like Nadja and Colin are very over-the-top or ComicallyMissingThePoint, Guillermo's more subtle reactions to Nandor [[spoiler: going into Super Slumber]] are very sad, especially when he snaps at the camera crew to give him a minute while TryingNotToCry. [[spoiler: Thankfully, it doesn't last.]]
** The ending of the Season 3 finale, "The Portrait". Laszlo makes a unilateral decision to [[spoiler: abandon Nadja]] so that he can take care of the [[spoiler: reincarnated Colin Robinson]], writing a touching letter explaining his actions. Guillermo and Nandor are affected by this as well, as Laszlo [[spoiler: kidnapping]] the former results in the latter believing [[spoiler: he was StoodUp on their planned world trip]], as they both vainly cry out for each other, before Nandor defeatedly boards a train alone.
* UglyCute: The Sire is as frightening as he is adorable.
* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: In spite of the limitations of time and budget a TV show would have, this series has had stunning special effects. From spell casting witches flying on broomsticks, to Nadja's living doll, to Nandor's mouth burning from trying to say the word "god".
* TheWoobie:
** ''Guillermo''. Poor guy just wants to be a vampire...[[spoiler: And then he finds out that he has [[VampireHunter Van Helsing]] blood in him...]]
** [[spoiler:Jenna's roommate.]]
** [[spoiler:The baby Laszlo turned.]]
[[/folder]]

* WhatAnIdiot: Really, Nick, just keep mouthing off that you're a vampire to anyone you meet. And what do you expect when [[spoiler:you take your human best friend to a party full of undead creatures that feast on humans]]?

%%* FanPreferredCouple: Jenna/Nadja -- at least, until Episode 8, at which point fans latched onto the new familial aspect of the relationship and abandoned the romantic angle.
%%** Nandor/Guillermo, given WordOfGod had confirmed romantic feelings on the latter's side as well as [[MoralityPet the former's soft spot for his familiar]].

* FanPreferredCouple: Jenna/Nadja -- at least, until Episode 8, at which point fans latched onto the new familial aspect of the relationship and abandoned the romantic angle.
** Nandor/Guillermo, given WordOfGod had confirmed romantic feelings on the latter's side as well as [[MoralityPet the former's soft spot for his familiar]].

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: In spite of the limitations of time and budget a TV show would have, this series has had stunning special effects. From spell casting witches flying on broomsticks, to Nadja's living doll, to Nandor's mouth burning from trying to say the word "god".

* MoralEventHorizon: Laszlo crossed it by turning a baby.

* MST3KMantra: Fans have noticed that there's a lot of handwaving between episodes about the overall continuity of the setting, especially about details like how old exactly the vampires are and what time period and culture they come from, how exactly their powers work and [[ForgotAboutHisPowers how effective they are]], [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob how the hell the vampire house stays afloat financially]], and just how seriously on the outs they are with the Vampiric Council and how much danger they're in at any given moment. A lot of this is openly DependingOnTheWriter and RuleOfFunny -- notably, anything there isn't "vampire lore" for, like how Colin Robinson's "energy vampire" nature works, is up for grabs.

* BreakoutCharacter:
** Guillermo was always intended as a major character -- and, indeed, the primary viewpoint character as the AudienceSurrogate for the vampires' antics -- but the audience has latched on ''wildly'' to him, leading to him steadily growing in importance from the ButtMonkey he was conceived as, until TheReveal of his [[spoiler: vampire slayer heritage]] at the end of Season 1 became the primary MythArc of Season 2. It's reached the point where some fans have expressed support for a full-on ReTool of the show where [[spoiler: Guillermo and the vampires become enemies and [[https://www.cbr.com/what-we-do-in-the-shadows-guillermo-vampire-hunters/ the show follows his POV as he becomes a vampire hunter]] as a PerspectiveFlip, effectively making the show into his OriginStory.]]
** To a lesser degree, Guillermo's fellow StraightMan Colin Robinson. His fans love how Mark Proksch's acting and the new situations the writers find to put him in have made him far more than the one-note RunningGag he initially seemed to be.