The best Halloween costume ideas of all time

It’s that time of the year again.

Although Halloween may popularly be one of the best times of the year, it is admittedly a hectic season. From house parties to home decorations, it sometimes feels like we barely have any time left for an epic costume. 

Don’t panic, we’ve got your back. Whether you’re planning for a proper get-up for yourself or some interesting yet easy-to-make costumes for your kids, we have a list of the best Halloween costume ideas of all time, right here!

Beware: Some of these looks could scare the hair off a cat!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Last minute (and super easy) costume ideas
2. Nostalgic vintage costume ideas
3. Kids’ costume ideas
4. Group and couples’ costume ideas

Last-minute (and super easy) costume ideas 

If you’re looking at a blog post for Halloween ideas, then you’re either being really prepared, or you’re really late and desperate for ideas. So, we figured we’d start with the easiest costumes you can whip up at the very last minute and still be Halloween-ready!

1) Shego

 

 

This one looks difficult but isn’t too hard to pull off – you just need a black upper lip, green eyes and sleek eyebrows. If you’re a makeup kind of person, this may be a nice last-minute costume for you.

And if you don’t have a full body suit in green, you can always wear all black 🙂

2) A comic book character

Another one for the makeup geeks! There are tons of tutorials out there, and you don’t even need a special outfit for this. Once you’ve found the look you like, copy it on yourself and call it a day.

3) Scarecrow

This would work very nicely if you’ve got dungarees! Grab some ribbons, string, and put together a fringe for your sleeves and fake scarecrow hair (stick it to a headband and then cover it with a hat over top). 

All you’ll need to complete this look is to draw some fake freckles!  

4) Skeleton head 

 

 

This is one of the classics – the skeleton! Or rather, just the head. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need apt makeup skills to pull this one off. The key is to smudge dark black kohl around the eyes, draw a simple skull nose and teeth lines, and wear light-coloured contact lenses. 

Tip: It also helps to use the same black kohl to draw over your eyebrows, and smudge them over the hollows of your face. 

5) A mummy 

 

 

This is for when you really want to wear a costume, but don’t have much time at all. 

Wear white clothing from top to toe, and then wrap (or glue on) white bandage/tissue paper/gauze around your entire outfit. Don’t forget to also cover your head!

6) Stranger Things characters

 

 

This one’s fun! Depending on the character you want to dress up as, you may either need some sailor’s uniform or old-fashioned clothes. Otherwise, you can always throw on a beard, carry an empty liquor bottle and tell people you’re Murray.

7) Wednesday Addams 

 

 

This one is probably the easiest, most effective costume ever. With a black long-sleeved dress, pigtail braids, and a solemn expression, no one will miss the fact that you’re Wednesday Addams.

8) Bandit

 

 

Now, this one’s easy yet fun. All you’ll have to do is get a black Zorro-looking mask, some black clothes and a burlap sack with a dollar sign on it.

Tip: Black gloves really help too!

9) Cowgirl/Cowboy

 

 

When in doubt, grab your favourite boots, cowboy hat and jeans and call it a day. 

If you don’t have boots or a cowboy hat, don’t worry. It won’t be difficult to find one around the Halloween holidays!

10) Pirate

 

 

Easy yet effective – one of the classics. Wrap a bandana around your head, smudge some dark eyeliner around your eyes and wear some extra gold earrings (if that’s your thing).

Nostalgic vintage costume ideas

Have you ever wished you were born in a different era? Well, this is your one night of the year to catapult yourself (and your friends) to a time once been.

Here are some of the best vintage costume ideas we’ve come up with, inspired by icons and famous looks from the past. From a solo costume to a posse of horror, we’ve got you covered. Here are the most terrifying vintage costumes of all time!

1) Classic pin-up (hair and makeup)

Here are some classic pin-up looks that are achievable through some simple makeup rules and hairstyles.

Pin-up makeup is known for the high-winged eyeliner, beauty mark, porcelain complexion and the iconic bold red lip. The hardest part about nailing this makeup look would be getting the eyeliner just right.

When in doubt, follow these steps:

1. Using a pencil liner, start with making a very thin line across your entire eyelid, sticking very closely to the eyelashes. Don’t stray too far from above your lashes. 
2. Once you’ve created a nice neat line, go over it again, just a little thicker. 
3. Using a fine-tip liquid liner, extend the tail of your eyeliner even longer, so that it goes past the end of your lash line. You may start with a short tail on each side first. 
4. Working on both sides simultaneously, keep a cotton swab with some makeup remover to erase any mistakes you make along the way. Once you’re happy with the length of your eyeliner wings, apply some mascare (or falsies). 
5. Using the same liquid liner, carefully make a dot either above your lip or below your eyes near the cheekbones to make a beauty mark. 
6. Apply some light foundation and powder to your skin, focusing more on any area that needs more coverage. 
7. Apply your favourite bold red lipstick and be careful not to smudge! 
8. The next order of pin-up business would be hair! It involves a lot of styling, hairspray, and pins, but you could also opt to have a wig styled for you.

Here are some looks to try out:

2) Rockabilly style pin-up

This one’s for the ladies with tattoos and a whole lot of edge! 

The key to a Rockabilly look is to add elements of toughness to a classic pin-up look. Switch it up with some arm tattoos (either real or fake), bandanas in the hair, a leather jacket, some animal-print pants, or even frayed denim shorts.

3) 40’s sailor women 

POV: It’s the 1940’s, you are on a yacht with your Captain husband, kids, and friends on a nice summer day.

The key to this look is not just following an old-fashioned pin-up hairstyle and makeup look, but of course, wearing spot-on nautical outfits.

Shirts with large v-collars and a matching scarf around it, sailor dresses with midi-length skirts, sailor shirts paired with shorts and even wide-legged pants, finished off with some tennis-style shoes, summer shoes, or Donna heels. 

Top this off with some light daytime makeup, pin-up curls with a ribbon, and you’re done.

4) Era: WW2

If you’re not feeling a sailor vibe from the 40s, then you might consider a more classic look that was worn during the World War II era.

For women:
The look encompasses old-fashioned pin-up hairstyles, hats and scarves, formal collared dresses or suits, and Donna heels.

For men: 

The look encompasses an old-school suit and slicked back hair. And of course, old-fashioned dress shoes.

Bonus: did you know that it was common for ladies’ handbags in the 40s during WW2 to have a compartment for gas masks?

5) 40’s kids’ fashion

Make it a family event and dress your kids in some 40’s getup, and go trick-or-treating together!

There were apparently many rules on dressing children appropriately, but we’ve narrowed this down without complicating things too much.

For boys: 

1. This was simple – they were dressed in very similar attire as their fathers’ or men in general, with the exception that most boys wore shorts instead of pants with their shirts and suits. 
2. Dress shoes were always worn with long socks, never without it. 
3. Suits and clothes were never made too tight, they were supposed to fit comfortably without creasing too much. They were also frequently worn with walking hats or fedoras – which you may get off Amazon!
4. The hair was combed back and slicked with gel.

For girls: 

1. Girls were dressed in many different outfits, but among them, jumper skirts and shirtwaist dresses were considered outstanding outfits. 
2. Girls too, wore dress shoes with long socks. 
3. Party dresses were worn with feathered bonnets. 
4. The hair was curled and pinned to the sides at the very least.

6) 1930’s men’s fashion

This goes all the way back to an era of working-class men who had responsibilities to their home and country, who were conservative, practical, and confident as they worked hard to overcome a recovering economy. 

The look seems to be driven by suits that were made slightly oversized, paired with matching pants and finished off with dress shoes.

The finer details of this look include slicked back hair, the use of various kind of hats (eg. fedoras, walking hats, boaters, etc.), broad and short ties, bows, and a cigar. 

7) Bruce Lee

This is one martial arts legend that would be unmistakable anywhere, so you’re sure to be a hit with this. Whichever outfit you decide to wear, just always remember to style your hair to Bruce Lee’s signature hairstyle.

Bruce Lee’s iconic yellow jumpsuit from Game of Death is easy to recreate – the costume is available on Amazon along with other stores both online and offline. Just wear this with yellow and black sports shoes and yellow nunchucks to match.

Here is another iconic look by Bruce Lee, featuring a simple white wife-beater, black slacks that tie around the waist, black kung fu shoes and black nunchucks.

Something that will not go unnoticed would be Bruce Lee’s martial arts Wing Chun uniform, which features a black traditional Chinese kung fu top, black pants, black kung fu shoes, and white socks.

And if you really want to capture Bruce Lee in the 70s, you may also cop one of his looks which involve bell-bottom pants, bright brown heeled shoes, an almost neon green collared shirt, and a colourful jacket with large collars.

In most of these kinds of looks, he also wore large brown sunglasses.

8) James Dean

There’s nothing more poignant and nostalgic than watching Rebel Without A Cause as a child (in present times), discovering, and falling in love with James Dean for the legend that he is, and then finding out right after that he had died 50 years before you ever watched the movie.

James Dean was known for his insanely authentic method acting, his dashing looks, and his reckless abandon. This was all portrayed perfectly in one of the most iconic movies of all time, Rebel Without A Cause.

For this look, all you’ll need is some blue jeans, a white shirt, a red bomber jacket, black boots/shoes, slicked back hair, and a cigarette.

Tip: You can also get a fake cigarette prop and hold on to it all night as part of the costume without worrying about it burning away!

9) Charlie Chaplin

This is yet another icon – a true legend of the age of silent movies. 

To dress as the famous Charlie Chaplin, you’ll need a suit consisting of an inner white shirt, a tie, a loose button-down long sleeve outer shirt, and loose slacks. You will also need a bowler derby hat and a walking stick, and some plain black shoes to go with the entire outfit. 

However, the hallmark of Chaplin’s look isn’t just in his dressing; it’s his thick dark eyebrows and short, curt moustache. For this, you may shave to fit yours – or just get a stick-on moustache from Amazon.

10) Archie comic characters 

This is for those of you who are fans of old comics – Archie is a timeless comic series from those days that is still enjoyed even now.

Using similar pin-up makeup steps, you may dress as any of the Archie characters and put together a similar outfit as what is typically illustrated in the comics. 

You could also draw inspiration from the TV series Riverdale, since it is the live action of the comics. 

If not, you could approach a whole different look by following some step-by-step comic style makeup tutorials on YouTube and then dressing up in Archie character costumes.

Kids’ costume ideas

Young children often have wild and vivid imaginations, which often lead them to come up with the most creative ideas. When Halloween comes around, it becomes our job as parents (or older siblings/cool aunties and uncles), to keep up with them and make their vision come true. 

Here are some of the simplest yet most creative kids’ costume ideas for Halloween.

1) Creepy-crawly

Pool noodles, a bath mat and some black tape can suddenly become a creepy-crawly spider costume! 

This spider leg costume may be slightly bulky, but it is guaranteed to be worth the effort. Cut pool noodles into 3 parts, and then connect them using string or pipe cleaners.

Then, attach them to a bath mat using a hot glue gun. Cut a hole around the middle of the mat so that a child can wear it.

Once this is done, just stick black tape around the spider legs to make the spider stripes. Don’t forget to do the same to the sleeves of the costume! Top it off with some makeup or face paint and viola!

2) Three-headed four-armed monster

A unique and very creative costume that is unlikely to be worn by anyone else.

To create this costume, here’s what you’ll need: 

Materials:

Knee-high stockings
Polyester fiberfill stuffing
2 rubber full-head masks
3 black knit ski caps
Needle and thread
Scissors
Hot-glue gun
2 red sweatshirts
2 pairs of blue knit gloves
Red sweatpants
Safety pins
Bandanna (optional)

Directions:

Stuff stockings with fibre fill; tie the ends. Place the masks over them to form monster heads.
Glue a cap onto each head (child will wear remaining cap).
Hand-stitch a monster head to each side of child’s cap.
Cut arms off one sweatshirt. Glue wrist ends shut. Stuff arms with fiberfill; glue upper ends shut to make fake arms.
Stuff 2 gloves with fiberfill; glue over wrist ends of fake arms.
Sew fake arms to sides of remaining sweatshirt, under sleeves.

Dress child in sweatshirt, sweatpants and remaining gloves. Place middle cap on child’s head; pin fake heads to shoulders of the sweatshirt. If using, tie bandanna around neck.

3) Swamp monster

Probably the sweetest swamp monster you’ll ever see around! 

You’ll need a white top and bottom, some fabric green and blue dye, thin white fabric, plastic insects, a hot glue gun, and face paint. 

Dip-dye the white top and bottom in the fabric dye. Cut the thin white fabric into random strips and dye those too, separately. Once dried, glue the plastic insects all over the fabric strips. Wrap the fabric strips all over – or sew them to the dip-dyed outfit. Save some strips to place over the head, too.

4) Spotted octopus

This costume is so easy to make it’s almost a cheat!

You’ll need some long athletic socks, batting, a hoodie (in a complimenting colour), hot glue gun, white round adhesive stickers, sweatpants and shoes.

Stuff batting into the socks and sew the ends shut – these make the tentacles. You may make as many as you’d like, though 4 is recommended. Stick the white adhesive stickers all over the tentacles and then sew them or hot glue them to the hoodie. 

Stick the rest of the white adhesive stickers all over the rest of the hoodie and pants and you’re done!

5) Peter Pan’s shadow

Halloween is when shadows become mischievous! This shadow costume involves 100% fun and 0% sewing. 

You’ll need to get a black morphsuit and some black felt, a hot glue gun, scissors, and a single black feather. 

Cut out a tunic, a dagger sheath, and a single long strip to make a belt. Then, make Peter Pan’s hat and hot-glue it together. Don’t forget to also attach the black feather. 

That’s pretty much it. Your kiddo will have so much fun being a mischievous shadow, you’ll find it difficult to get them to take the costume off! Good luck.

6) Baby scarecrow

Similar to the adult scarecrow costume, this tiny counterpart is almost as easy – and so much more fun to make! 

You’ll need some felt, burlap, a spare plaid shirt or table cloth, hot glue gun, fake flowers and leaves, raffia, denim overalls, and some brown eyeliner. 

Cut up some scrap pieces of burlap and plaid fabric into little squares (or any shape you want). Using the hot glue gun, stick the fabric scraps onto random places on the denim overalls. Follow with the fake flowers and leaves, and fringes of raffia. 

Using more felt, some raffia string and the hot glue gun, make the scarecrow’s hat. Finish the look off with some fake freckles and lines on your child’s face.

7) Werewolf

While this looks cool, it definitely comes in handy as a last-minute costume. To really make this look come to life, be sure to use pigmented face paint that is guaranteed to last all day (or all night!). 

You’ll need some face paint in black, brown, and white, some hair gel, and a vampire teeth and nails set. You’ll also need a typical werewolf outfit (plaid shirt, turtleneck, jeans and boots). 

Draw the furry eyebrows on your kiddo and smudge the brown face paint around the eyes. If they aren’t comfortable wearing vampire teeth (which is highly unlikely), then paint the fangs white on the face. Don’t forget to attach the fake vampire nails!

8) Knight in shining (tinfoil) armour

Warning: this costume involves a LOT of tinfoil. 

Using cardboard, cut out the shapes of a sword and a shield – and then cover it in foil. It can either be hot-glued or simply wrapped. Do the same with a bicycle helmet. If you’re feeling extra handy, cut out an armour vest and finish with foil to complete the look!

9) Robin Hood and Marian

This adorable couple costume is ideal for siblings that fight a lot – they’ll HAVE to settle down and be a team for this one night!

For Marian’s costume, prepare a long pink dress with loads of ribbons and a veil to decorate with. For Robin’s costume, you’ll need a toy bow & arrow set, a brown belt, a green tunic and hat set. 

You can also always include makeup to make the moustache on Robin!

10) Harry Potter and Hermione Granger

Are your kids Potterheads? If so, then this costume may be perfect for them…and it may be the one time they enjoy wearing school uniforms. 

You’ll need some Harry Potter robes, the magic wands, Harry’s glasses, some brown eyeliner, collared shirts, Harry Potter-themed ties, school shoes, school vests/sweaters, pants and a plaid skirt. Oh and don’t forget their house scarves! 

The look is pretty simple, all you need is the props. And of course for Harry, you’ll want to draw his scar with some brown or red eyeliner.

Group and couples’ costume ideas

Most times, wearing a couple’s costume means having to stick by each other all day or night in order for others to understand the costume. Unless you’re dressed as a corpse bride; in which case, you would clearly be a corpse bride no matter where your rotten other half is. 

Whether it’s platonic or romantic, here are our favourite couples’ costumes – some are also expandable to become group costumes!

1) The Shining twins

Wearing this also requires a solemn expression and hardly any talking (other than “come play with us”).

This one’s perfect for identical twins, but really, anyone can do it. Just grab 2 identical old-fashioned bright blue dresses, 2 pairs of long white socks, 2 pairs of the same type of dress shoes and tie your hair into pigtails. 

You can always put your own spin on it by adding some dark circles under your eyes or wear identical wigs!

2) Morticia and Gomez Addams

A classic! Who doesn’t want to be this couple? All Halloween lovers understand that Morticia and Gomez are the dream couple of all time.

A sleek, long-sleeved black dress, red lips, smokey eyes, and long black hair makes the perfect Morticia. Gomez wears dark and dreary yet classy suits that are either B&W-striped, black and maroon, and always pairs them with either a bow or a tie. He also has his black hair slicked back with a middle parting, and a long black moustache. 

To keep in character, show everyone how much you simply adore each other just like Morticia and Gomez do in the movies!

3) Wednesday and Pugsley Addams

 

 

Here’s an extension of the Addams Family! Perfect for siblings, besties, and anyone else who is a fan of this iconic duo.

The outfits are pretty simple – a black long sleeve dress with a round white collar (and pigtailed braids) for Wednesday, and a B&W striped t-shirt with black shorts for Pugsley.

4) Beetlejuice – and Lydia Deetz!

Now you might need a wig for this one. 

The iconic Lydia Deetz look, fashioned with a jet-black fork-fringed wig, a black choker, a large black sun hat, and a long-sleeved black dress would stand out on its own. It would be near impossible for people to not know who you’re dressed as! But if you’re a couple, consider going as Lydia and Beetlejuice. 

As Beetlejuice himself, be prepared to sport a bright maroon suit with a gold ruffled shirt and a black bow, along with some ghastly makeup and a wild yellow-green wig. This will be one whacky couple that will definitely not go unnoticed!

5) Chucky and Tiffany

Another iconic duo! Chucky was the toy character that made up all children’s nightmares. We watched the movie, we remembered the killer toy doll that snuck around and murdered everyone in the most gory ways. And then Tiffany came along, and then there were two…

To be Chucky, you’ll need dungarees, a colourful striped long-sleeve top, sneakers, a (blunt) kitchen knife, glassy contact lenses, makeup stitches, and wild red hair. To be Tiffany, you’ll need a white wedding-like dress, a leather jacket, black heeled boots, black stockings, very dark eye makeup, and black lipstick. Don’t forget to draw the heart-shaped tattoo on your chest!

6) Zombie couplet

Resident Evil, anyone?

This has got to be one of our favourites, as you can go as mild or as crazy as you want. Of course the crazier, the better. This takes the least amount of effort and gets you the best results – just rock some fake blood and wear literally anything you want. A suit? A wedding dress? A school uniform? Pyjamas? They all work just the same. The key is to get the most realistic looking fake blood. 

Tip: You can make your own fake blood. My personal favourite recipe involves instant coffee powder and red food colouring. That’s it! This combo gets the blood looking wet when it dries, and it sticks on ALL day. It’s even edible, tastes great and smells wonderful (and sure scares the heck out of everyone!).

Tip #2: Wear white contact lenses, it really pulls the look together.

7) Rockstars

Dressing up as your favourite rockstar has got to be one of the most fun-filled ways to celebrate Halloween. It’s even a great conversation starter at parties!

Taylor Momsen, Hendricks, Elvis, Freddie Mercury, The Cranberries, Kiss….the possibilities are endless! For this look, you’ll have to get a photo of your favourite rockstar and recreate their outfit from head to toe. Feel free to improvise with accessories and materials or even clothing that you already have!

8) Greek Gods

What’s the best thing about Greek Mythology? They’re all cool, they’ve got powers, but most of all; they’re one BIG family.

This means you can either go as a Greek God on your own – or with a special someone – or with your whole family! 

It’s not so difficult, either. Just sport some white or gold fabric (into a toga), and then get matching accessories to go with it. Wear them in your hair or around your arms/waist/legs. And of course, don’t forget to grab a signature weapon according to who you’re going as 🙂

9) Alien Family

Think of the Jetsons, but totally silver.

There are many ways to go about this, but the key is to follow the space-themed outfit designs and keep them all in one colour. Silver works nicely – plus you can use tinfoil for most of it! And who wouldn’t want to rock silver hair, silver lips, and silver boots? 

Of course, feel free to mix and match any combination of colours you want. We just like the idea of a colour-coordinated family from outer space!

10) The Royal Deck

You know what they say; always save the best for last.

This has got to be the awesomest couple/group Halloween costume theme, ever. You can even go solo on this. 

The rules are pretty simple; choose a card out of the classic deck of playing cards, and then dress accordingly. You can be as simple or as creative as you wish. The most common theme would be the royal suit, but you could always go as a number if you wish!

You’ll just need to colour-coordinate your costumes in red, black, and white, and display your suit symbols somehow.

And there you have it! These are some of our top favourite looks for Halloween. We hope there’s something here for everyone. 

Wearing the best Halloween costume isn’t enough. Take a look at the best Halloween food recipes that you can make on your own for your guests!

Best Halloween food recipes