Halloween costumes are a wonderful chance to show off your ingenuity. Whether you don’t want to buy a costume that you’ll wear once or you just forgot about the upcoming holiday, here are some options for easy but creative last-minute costumes.
Carrie / Jennifer Check from Jennifer’s Body / Killer Prom Queen
If you have an old prom dress, Carrie White from Stephen King’s Carrie is a highly recognizable option. Other possibilities include Jennifer Check from Jennifer’s Body, or just a generic Killer Prom Queen. All you need is a bit of fake blood and maybe some fangs for Jennifer Check.
If you don’t want to ruin your dress with fake blood, find a fictional character who resembles your prom outfit and try to add a few accessories to complete the look.
Pumpkin Head Dwight from The Office / People from Over the Garden Wall
If you have a plain brown suit, just get a fake pumpkin big enough to get on (and off) your head and you can be Pumpkin Head Dwight from The Office. You could also be a character from Over the Garden Wall, or Pumpkin King Jack Skellington from the opening of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Might be best to have someone around to make sure you can walk safely.
The French Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail
I’ll admit, I was mostly inspired by this TikTok. Being a French knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail might require a few things—namely a helmet, tunic, and gloves—but if you have a decent-sized cardboard box available, you can easily cover your lower half with a cardboard castle wall (just please wear pants with it). Be sure to practice your terrible “French” accent and raspberry-blowing.
Funko Pop
If you have an old costume that you want to revive, just get a blank, skin-toned mask to cover the lower half of your face and make you look like you have no mouth. Add some black contact lenses and you’ve turned yourself into the Funko Pop version of that character.
Group costumes
Bridesmaids
Bridesmaid dresses are infamous for being outfits that you wear once and then never again. If you have one in the back of your closet, maybe bring it out and turn yourself into a Bridesmaids character. Even better if you get together with the other bridesmaids and make a game of trying to catch a candy bouquet.
The Secret Service
If you have a big group of friends who want a fun and easy costume, having a designated President and then the rest of the group be the Secret Service is a fun possibility. All you need are some suits and some aviator sunglasses. You can also throw in a round of the game “Get down, Mr./Ms. President!” if you want to make it really authentic.
Paparazzi
In a similar vein to the previous idea, if you have a bunch of photographer friends, you can have a designated celebrity and a person or people go around as the paparazzi trying to get photos of them. You can also go around taking pictures of other Trick-or-Treaters or partygoers (with their permission, of course).
The Ghost of Student Debt
Student Debt will haunt most of us for the rest of our lives. Might as well make a joke out of it. Use your graduation robes, a ball and chain, and a scythe to become The Ghost of Student Debt or the Debt Reaper. This can also be turned into a couples costume with one person being the student and the other being the reaper.
Halloween vs. Christmas
Another fun idea could be to turn the struggle between Halloween and Christmas into a couples costume. Have one person blasting Mariah Carey and wearing ugly Christmas sweaters while the other is decked out in pumpkins and spiders.
Kids costumes
Sid from Toy Story
If you have a child who hasn’t decided what they want to be yet, turn them into Sid from Toy Story with an easy costume. Just give them a black t-shirt and tape together some broken toys and you’ve got it.
Even better if the parent(s) go as Toy Story characters or Weird Barbie, another toy who has been played with a little too hard.
Cabbage Patch Kid
If you have a baby but don’t have a costume for them yet, put them in a cute outfit and place a few cabbage leaves in their stroller to turn them into a Cabbage Patch Kid. If you have time to make a wig out of yarn, even better.
(featured image: Paramount Pictures / Apple TV+)
