Fearless Vampire Killers derive their name from the Roman Polanski film The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967) and not the Bad Brains song of the same name.
The film was intended to be about a range of bands from across the country. However, director Lee Keable was made aware of the success of Fearless Vampire Killers, who attended the same high school as him. The band were 2 years below Lee at school. With a nationwide tour commencing days later, production focused solely on them.
The band first watched the film during the sessions for Fearless Vampire Killers: Exploding Heart Disorder (2012) in the hotel room Lee Keable and Thom Clark were staying in. Lee and Thom hadn't shown the band any rushes that alluded to the central narrative being the relationship between Kier and Laurence. They recall this viewing to be a tense experience, as the band had not signed release forms at this point.