Halloween Costume Guide
Colin Robinson is the energy vampire of FX’s What We Do in the Shadows, feeding on people by boring them in meetings, reply-all emails, and painfully long conversations instead of drinking blood. The bald cap and round glasses are the two details that actually make this look like Colin rather than any nondescript coworker, since his entire design is built around being instantly forgettable. Recognition is broad within the show’s fandom, since the series ran six seasons through 2024 and Colin was a consistent fan favorite (Wikipedia), though anyone who hasn’t seen it will just see a guy in a cardigan.
Affiliate links. We may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
The bald cap and glasses are what people notice first, mostly because there’s so little else in this outfit to notice. If either one looks off, a shiny cap edge or trendy glasses frames, the whole thing stops reading as Colin and starts reading as “guy who lost a bet.” At a party, this costume works best next to something visually loud, since the entire joke depends on looking deliberately unremarkable in a room full of people trying to stand out.
Colin once got a promotion at work and briefly gained enough power to fly and split himself into multiple copies, which nearly killed his roommates before his duplicates accidentally drained each other. He can also turn into a gecko, a detail the show never explains and never needs to. Committing to flat, monotone delivery, rather than any obvious costume energy, is closer to the character than performing “boring” with visible effort.
Prepare two or three genuinely tedious facts in advance
This is the one costume on the site where being annoying at the party is period-accurate character work. Zoning regulations, printer maintenance, and the history of the stapler all work well. Don’t overdo it, three good ones beat ten mediocre ones.
Skip the bald cap if you’re already bald
An obvious one, but people forget it every year. If your own hairline already does the job, save the money and the itching.
Couples Idea
Strong pairing, not romantic, but the visual joke lands on its own without any context. Nadja’s dramatic, glamorous vampire look next to Colin’s deliberately bland cardigan is funny before anyone even explains who either of them is.
Duo Idea
Might work, but neither costume actually looks like a vampire on its own, Colin’s an office worker and Guillermo passes as an ordinary guy too, so this duo depends entirely on the crowd knowing the show. It’s a fun in-joke for people who get it and a confusing pairing for everyone else.
Group Idea: What We Do in the Shadows Flatmates
Might work, but worth knowing this isn’t Colin’s actual household, Viago and Deacon are from the original 2014 film’s separate New Zealand flat, not the Staten Island house he shares with Nandor and Laszlo. The honest connection is that Colin, Viago, and Deacon all later serve together on the show’s Vampiric Council, so this reads better as “vampire council reunion” than “flatmates” if anyone asks.
Group Idea: Iconic Mundane TV Characters
Excellent group and a genuinely clever theme, since every one of these characters turns ordinary office or workplace life into comedy gold. Dwight and Michael are instantly recognizable from The Office, Lumbergh anchors the deadpan Office Space crowd, and Ron Burgundy adds a loud contrast to all the quieter office energy. Colin fits right in as the one who’s secretly a vampire the whole time.
This is one of the cheapest costumes on the site. Most people already own half of it.
Colin’s power is talking at people until they leave. Lean into it, gently.
Put on the white dress shirt, khaki pants, and brown cardigan, then add the thin necktie and brown leather shoes. Finish with the bald cap and round glasses, the two details that actually make this Colin instead of any other office employee.
Yes, within the show’s fandom. The FX series ran six seasons through 2024 and Colin was consistently one of its most quoted characters, but the outfit itself is intentionally forgettable, so it needs some in-character behavior to land instead of just standing there in a cardigan.
“I’m an energy vampire. We feed off people by boring them” is his defining line. His two go-to conversation openers, “Actually…” and “Did you know…”, are just as recognizable to fans of the show.
A type of vampire that feeds on mental and emotional energy instead of blood, usually by boring, annoying, or frustrating people until they’re drained. Colin Robinson is the only one in his household.
He used to go by Arthur Simon Santino, but dropped it once he realized the initials spelled an unfortunate acronym. Colin Robinson draws a lot less attention, which is exactly what he wants.
Energy vampires apparently die and are reborn around that age. Colin’s body dies, an infant version of him emerges, and he grows back to adulthood within months with no memory of his previous life.
No. He’s completely unaffected by sunlight and holds down a normal office job, feeding entirely on boredom and attention instead.
What animal can Colin Robinson shapeshift into?
What temporarily happened to Colin’s powers after he got promoted at work?
Which group do Colin, Viago, and Deacon all eventually serve on together in the show?