Guillermo De La Cruz Costume – Halloween 2026 Guide

Guillermo de la Cruz Halloween Costume Items

Guillermo de la Cruz from What We Do in the Shadows Halloween costume infographic showing striped sweater, glasses, and khaki pants

Guillermo de la Cruz Costume Items

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Guillermo What We Do in the Shadows Familiar Vampire Hunter

1 Vintage Striped Sweater (essential)The piece people notice first. Guillermo wears chunky, muted sweaters that look worn-in, not runway-fitted, since he’s usually just come from cleaning up after a household of vampires. Too clean or too fitted and the look drifts toward “guy in a nice sweater” instead of him.
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2 White Dress ShirtWorn underneath the sweater with the collar peeking out. Any plain button-up in your closet works.
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3 Short Curly Black WigSkip this entirely if your own hair is already short, dark, and curly. If not, pick one that sits close to the head rather than a big, glamorous curl pattern.
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4 Slim-Fit Stretch Khaki PantCheck your closet first, any slim khaki pant passes.
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5 Retro Round Glasses (essential)Round, wire-framed, not square or oversized. Paired with the sweater, this is the detail that pushes the costume from generic to specifically Guillermo. Leave them off and you’re just someone in a nice sweater.
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6 Vampire Stake PropNot required, but it gets the joke across faster: this is the mild-mannered guy who’s quietly killed more vampires than anyone else in the house.
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How to Style the Guillermo de la Cruz Halloween Costume

People clock the sweater first, and it needs to look lived-in rather than freshly bought, since Guillermo is not a man with time for ironing. Without the round glasses on, the whole thing reads as an ordinary sweater fit and nothing about it says vampire household staff. At a crowded party, a costume this plain can vanish into the background entirely unless you’re doing something with it, which is where the stake comes in handy as a prop people can ask about.

Guillermo spends over a decade cleaning blood off the floors, covering windows before sunrise, and getting yelled at by roommates who barely notice him, and then finds out he can kill vampires with his bare hands because he’s a descendant of Van Helsing. He keeps doing chores anyway. That’s the whole character in one contradiction.

Don’t oversell the vampire-hunter half of the costume

The stake works best held loosely, like something you forgot you were carrying, not brandished like a weapon. Guillermo’s fighting skill is a surprise to everyone around him, including himself, so playing it as an afterthought lands better than playing it dramatic.

Order the wig a size up from what you think you need

Curly wigs run tighter than they look in photos, and a too-small cap will pinch by hour two. If you’re not sure, size up rather than down, you can always adjust the fit with bobby pins.

Guillermo de la Cruz Group Halloween Costume Ideas

Couples Idea

Guillermo & Nandor

Strong pairing built on the show’s central relationship, though it leans on people knowing the dynamic rather than reading instantly on its own. Nandor’s ornate, ancient-vampire fashion sense next to Guillermo’s plain sweater sets up a visual gap that fans of the show will get immediately.

Guillermo Nandor

Duo Idea

Guillermo & Colin Robinson

Might work, but this one only lands with people who know the show, since neither costume looks obviously vampire-related on its own. It works as an in-joke about two of the household’s more overlooked members, less so as a costume that explains itself to a stranger at a party.

Guillermo Colin Robinson

Group Idea: What We Do in the Shadows Household

Guillermo, Viago, Deacon, Nadja & Colin Robinson

Might work, but it’s worth knowing this isn’t quite one household. Nadja and Colin are Guillermo’s actual Staten Island roommates, while Viago and Deacon come from the separate 2014 film flat. The honest link is the Vampiric Council, which Viago, Deacon, and Colin all end up serving on, and which Guillermo has personally fought off assassins from. Putting the vampire hunter in a group photo with the council’s extended circle is its own small joke.

Guillermo Viago Deacon Nadja Colin Robinson

Group Idea: Iconic Vampire Hunters and Slayers

Guillermo, Blade, Ash Williams, Van Helsing & Buffy Summers

Excellent group, and the connection to Guillermo is more literal than it looks since he’s a descendant of Van Helsing himself. Blade’s leather and sunglasses, Ash’s chainsaw hand, Van Helsing’s coat, and Buffy’s stake all read as recognizable vampire-hunter silhouettes on sight, and Guillermo’s plain sweater is a funny contrast to how seriously the other four dress the part.

Guillermo Blade Ash Williams Van Helsing Buffy Summers

Guillermo de la Cruz from What We Do in the Shadows Halloween costume styled with sweater and khaki pants

Guillermo de la Cruz Halloween Costume DIY Tips

Building the Look

Most of this costume is stuff you already own or can find secondhand in one trip.

Sweater: thrift stores are full of striped and textured sweaters. Muted colors over bright ones.
Dress shirt: check your closet, any plain white button-up works.
Khaki pants: also easy to thrift, slim-fit is closer to accurate than baggy.
Wig: buy this one if you need it. Skip it entirely if your hair already fits the part.
Glasses: worth buying new. Round wire frames are the one detail people actually check for.
Stake prop: optional but cheap, and it gives you something to hold at a party instead of just your drink.

Playing Guillermo at the Party

Guillermo spends most of the show being underestimated by everyone around him. That’s the whole bit.

Volunteer to do something menial, then look mildly resentful about it the entire time.
If anyone doubts you, mention offhand that you’re descended from Van Helsing. Say it like it still surprises you too.
The stake is more useful as a conversation prop than a weapon. Fidget with it instead of brandishing it.
His go-to line, “I’ve wanted to be a vampire since I was a kid,” works well when someone asks who you’re dressed as.

Guillermo de la Cruz Halloween Costume: FAQ

How do I dress like Guillermo de la Cruz for Halloween 2026?

Layer the vintage striped sweater over the white dress shirt, add the khaki pants, and finish with round retro glasses. If your hair isn’t already dark and curly, add the short curly wig. Carry the stake prop if you want people to get the joke faster.

Is the Guillermo de la Cruz costume still a good choice for Halloween 2026?

Yes. Guillermo is one of the show’s two central characters, not a side player, and What We Do in the Shadows ran six seasons through 2024 with a loyal fanbase that’s still active. The sweater-and-glasses look is also one of the easiest builds on this site, which keeps it in circulation every year.

What are Guillermo de la Cruz’s most famous quotes?

“I’ve wanted to be a vampire since I was a kid” sums up his whole arc in one line. “I’m trying to protect all of you” and “I deserve better than this” both capture the frustration underneath his loyalty.

Is Guillermo actually a vampire?

Partially. In season 5 he finally gets turned, but his Van Helsing bloodline resists a full conversion, leaving him stuck between human and vampire. For most of the show he’s fully human.

Why did it take so long for Nandor to turn Guillermo into a vampire?

Nandor kept stringing him along for over a decade, whether out of habit, denial, or genuine attachment to having Guillermo around as a familiar rather than an equal. The show treats this as the emotional core of their relationship, not just a running gag.

What is Guillermo’s connection to Van Helsing?

A DNA test reveals he’s a distant descendant of Abraham Van Helsing, the vampire hunter. It explains why an untrained familiar can suddenly fight off multiple vampires without breaking a sweat.

Who plays Guillermo in What We Do in the Shadows?

Harvey Guillén, who played the role for all 61 episodes from 2019 to 2024 and picked up three Critics’ Choice Television Award nominations for it (IMDb).