What We Do in the Shadows has not only given audiences the best new vampires to hit screens but one of the most dangerous vampire killers to ever live: Guillermo de la Cruz. First introduced to audiences as the mild-mannered familiar of vampire Nandor the Relentless, Guillermo’s personality has changed dramatically over the last four seasons. This is in part due to his (spoiler alert!) vampire hunter lineage linking him back to Abraham van Helsing, the original vampire killer.
Due to his heritage, Guillermo has some killer instincts when it comes to getting rid of vampires. Before he even knew he was a vampire killer, he was accidentally killing them by opening doors to the daylight and scaring them onto stakes. Since then, he’s been busy protecting his Staten Island vampires from vampire assassins. So far, he hasn’t been beat, proving himself again most recently in ‘The Night Market.’ And while pop culture is full of strong, scary vampires, many would still meet their demise at the hands of Guillermo de la Cruz.
Dracula (BBC’s ‘Dracula’ & Other Adaptations)
The most infamous vampire of them all is Dracula. First created by Bram Stoker in 1897, he preyed on Jonathan Harkness, his wife Mina, and her friend Lucy. He has the ability to turn into a bat, hypnotize his victims and drain them of their blood. But this vampire never really got to tell his side of the story, with the entire novel being told in letters, so the lore has changed a lot since his creation. Although he wasn't the first vampire, Dracula has become an inspiration for the undead who have come after him, and there have many great versions of Dracula on the screen.
Dracula is very similar to the vampires in What We Do in the Shadows, so he may fall prey to Guillermo during the first meeting. Throughout WWDITS season 1, there are hints that Guillermo could be unintentionally deadly to his roommates. While he might believe that, like Nandor, Dracula would try to change him into a vampire, Guillermo could simply stake Dracula like all the rest, as Dracula has the same weaknesses as The Baron Afanas. The Baron was the strongest of all the vampires Guillermo encountered and was the first to meet his demise at the vampire killer's hand.
Edward Cullen (‘Twilight’)
After becoming a vampire during the Spanish Flu era, Edward Cullen lived out his teen years... forever. He gains the ability to read minds and a new family with the Cullens, who only feast on animals, making them a bit different from the other vampires who eat humans. Despite feeling invincible, Edward realizes that he's not always powerful when he meets Bella Swan, a 17-year-old girl whose mind isn't as accessible to him. She doesn't think he's the monster he believes he is, and they fall in love. Despite Twilight's cringey dialogue, the film series in beloved and Edward Cullen is a household name.
The vampires in The Twilight Saga do not follow the conventional rules of being undead bloodsuckers. They do not burn in the sun, do not need to be invited into a home, can't hypnotize anyone, and won't die if they feast on animals. So, it would be difficult for Guillermo to kill Edward. But with vampire killer instincts, he would find ways to trap and then cut Edward into pieces to burn him into ashes. The fire would fit nicely in the fireplace in his Staten Island home.
Katherine Pierce (The Vampire Diaries)
Katherine Pierce was the doppelgänger of Elena Gilbert, the protagonist of The Vampire Diaries series. In 1490, at 17 years old, Katherine gave birth to a daughter out of wedlock and was exiled to England. She encountered Klaus Mikaelson and after learning that she is a Petrova doppelgänger, becomes a target for Klaus. He hoped to sacrifice her to cure his werewolf side, but Katherine escaped and became a vampire to survive. When she meets Stefan and Damon Salvatore, she has a mad love affair with them and becomes the main antagonist of The Vampire Diaries after Elena Gilbert falls in love with the brothers too.
Guillermo could beat Katherine because she was always bested by Stefan, Damon, and Elena. In The Vampire Diaries, vampires survive in the sun due to enchanted amulets made of lapis lazuli. Guillermo may not even need to stake Katherine, just carry out a bit of pickpocketing. She won't have time to realize her amulet is gone until the sun hits her.
Bill Compton (‘True Blood’)
Bill Compton was the main love interest of the True Blood series. He became a vampire after the Civil War, having been a Confederate soldier now living in small-town Louisiana. After several years, he becomes the King of Louisiana, giving him the power to rule over vampires kind in that state, like a sort of vampire mayor. Bill lives out a strong love life with Sookie Stackhouse, a woman who is half human, half faerie, and does anything to protect her. After contracting Hepatitis V, Bill almost dies and is released by getting staked by Sookie herself.
While True Blood boasts one of the best TV witches, its vampires have many gory weaknesses that Guillermo could take advantage of. Like most other vampires, Bill can be staked. Or it could be a similar situation to The Baron’s death where Guillermo intoxicates Bill with too much blood and then sends him into the sunlight or sets him on fire. He could also find a necromancer to control Bill to destroy him. It’s obvious that the True Blood vampires have many weaknesses Guillermo could exploit if he’s strategic about this kill.
Claudia (Interview with the Vampire)
Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire gave audiences one of the youngest yet wisest vampires to ever live: Claudia. After almost being drained of her life by Louis, Claudia is reanimated by Lestat. For 65 years, she stays in the form of a young girl, resenting Lestat for keeping her this way. Eventually, she takes it out on her found family and in turn, they kill her for her many betrayals.
Claudia’s weakness is her desperation to become a vampire at only five years old. Perhaps she may tempt Guillermo by offering to convert him into a vampire, but he seems to have reserved that for Nandor. Guillermo could come to her offering some kind of cure that could turn her human. Despite being wise beyond her years, the desperation she has could be her only weakness before Guillermo could stake her. He’s taken on child vampires before, and they did not survive.
Drusilla (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Drusilla from Buffy the Vampire Slayer held the affections of both Spike and Angel. Angel sired her in the mid-19th century after killing her whole family in order to have her as his “masterpiece.” Eventually, she encounters the poet William Pratt and falls in love with him. When she sires him into a vampire, he takes on the name Spike. All three vampires later encounter Buffy in Sunnydale, and she has romantic relationships with both Angel and Spike. Knowing this, Drusilla becomes an antagonist in the series.
As a psychic in her human form, Drusilla developed the power of hypnosis as a vampire. Fortunately for Guillermo, he’s been hypnotized by the vampires he lives with so many times, that he is now immune to it. So, if Drusilla attempts to hypnotize Guillermo, he could pretend to be affected and then surprise attack her at the last minute. She would never really see him coming since he is typically underestimated.