37 (Relatively Easy) Halloween Costumes Inspired by Pop Culture
Vogue
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37 (Relatively Easy) Halloween Costumes Inspired by Pop Culture
Sometimes the easiest place to find Halloween costume ideas is by looking back at your favorite films and TV shows.
37 Halloween Costumes Inspired by Movie and TV Characters Inline
Cher from Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
We're aware that Cher's character in this movie has a name that is not "Cher", but the Cher-ness of it all renders that point technically moot. Slink into a white suit, get thyself a chic platinum bob and a pair of big sunglasses, and you're good to go.
Photo: Courtesy of Universal Studios / Everett Collection
Everybody else from Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Grab your pals, toss on some resort wear and some fringe ponchos, brush up on your ABBA and pretend you’re washed up on Meryl Streep’s island—is there somewhere else you'd rather be on October 31st? We thought not.
Photo: Jonathan Prime / Courtesy of Universal Studios / Everett Collection
Ma Anand Sheela from Wild Wild Country
An easy yet terrifying costume that keeps up with the zeitgeist is Ma Anand Sheela, the former spokesperson of the Rajneesh movement who participated in Wild Wild Country, the Netflix documentary series about the cult, in which we learned, among other things, that crazy never dies. To achieve this look, wear several shades of reds and magentas (whether in gauzy, flowy layers, or to the more polished separates she favored after her power grab is up to you), a long necklace, and talk about the Bhagwan... a lot.
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix
Rey from Star Wars
Rey, Daisy Ridley's character in Star Wars, is one of this year's most captivating strong female characters on the big screen. A simple, linen wrap-dress in a beige hue will do the trick. And, of course, a glowing light saber as accessory. May the force be with you.
Photo: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios / Alamy
Pennywise from It
The remake of Stephen King's renowned novel has proven to be a box office success--showing that Pennywise remains as scary as ever. The character's signature red hair and clown's collar are not to be missed, but the key accessory will be his unnerving smile.
Photo: Brooke Palmer / Courtesy of Warner Bros / Everett Collection
Wonder Woman
We could all use some female empowerment in our lives, so why not dress up as Wonder Woman to bring the point home?
Photo: Courtesy of Warner Brothers / Alamy
Wednesday Addams
The grim stare, the heart of evil, the saddle shoes—what’s not to love about Wednesday Addams?
For Agatha from Wes Anderson's 2014 hit The Grand Budapest Hotel, all you need is a trench coat, a milkmaid braid, and a tower of pink-frosted cakes!
Photo: Everett Collection
Tippi Hedren in The Birds
Mostly it's just a great excuse to wear a vintage skirtsuit and a chic chignon.
Photo: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Natalie Portman in Léon: The Professional
"I do love Natalie Portman in Léon: The Professional," says Vogue's Chioma Nnadi. And with the right haircut/choker combo, it can be one of the easier costumes to pull together in time for a party.
Laney Boggs in seminal late 90s rom-com She’s All That is probably best achieved using paint-splattered overalls, glasses and pinned-up braids. Glasses removal and dramatic hair unpinning is optional, though best achieved to a soundtrack of Sixpence None the Richer.
One of my favorite movies growing up was Dr. No, the original James Bond film starring Sean Connery, so when I was ten or eleven, I put on my Savile Row finest (or rather a suit from Brooks Brothers). Accenting the look were a tie and pocket square and, at the time, the most advanced cell phone, a Motorola StarTAC. No doubt Q would approve.
All of Hayao Miyazaki’s dreamy, impressionistic films feature strong, sartorially fun heroines, but in Kiki’s Delivery Service, Kiki’s black shift dress, tangerine flats, and floppy red hair bow are the most iconic—and easy to assemble!—Halloween look, says Vogue's Monica Kim. Bonus points if you go for the couple’s costume: Tombo’s black specs, striped tee, and rolled-up jeans are equally chic.
La Saraghina from Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2 is both terrifying and gorgeous (in an appropriately strange way), says Vogue copy editor Susan Gordon. And that rhumba on the beach!
I was Mia Wallace from Pulp Fiction for two years in a row. I bought my wig at Ricky’s and cut it myself. It was a masterpiece. (Later, it doubled as a Cleopatra moment.) Then all I needed was a white shirt, short black pants, gold flats, and some wine-colored lipstick. It was the world’s best (and most comfortable) Halloween costume.
Dressing up as a mistreated dolphin from hit documentary The Cove would be both terrifying (one of nature's smarter creatures returns for revenge!) and technically impressive.
I've been Kelly Kapowski from Saved by the Bell. All you need is a loose gray sweatshirt you can wear off one shoulder (if you're feeling crafty, stencil "Bayside High" on it in maroon), jeans in a very light wash, and keds. Do an aggressive side part and lipgloss and you're all set.
For the Mad Hatter all that's really required is a top hat and a teapot and some blithely tossed off aphorisms like “You’re entirely bonkers. But I’ll tell you a secret. All the best people are.”
John Waters once said that if you wanted to dress like a true rebel these days, you’d have to dress like a hacker. So why not be Jonny Lee Miller in Hackers? The box-dyed blonde hair, the little mirrored sunglasses, the cheesy leather jacket isn't that far off from the street style of the best dressed, these days.
Twin Peaks recently returned, but it's always a classic. Put on a tight sweater, pleated skirt, and start practicing your sultriest cherry-twisting moves for the perfect Audrey Horne. Or wrap yourself in plastic, add beach hair and blue lips, and go as Laura Palmer. And if you’re costuming as a pair? You can go broken-hearted biker cool (Donna and James) or beauty and the creep (Shelly and Leo).
It’s one of the easiest costumes in the world (one red beret, a pair of glasses, and a schoolboy tie) and it goes so well with a tumbler full of whiskey. Make sure to practice your teenage angst when reciting: “I can write a hit play. Why can’t I have a little drink to unwind myself?”
—Jessie Heyman, Vogue Executive Editor
Photo: Photofest
Joanna Stayton from Overboard
This year I’m going as Goldie Hawn in Overboard (and forcing my boyfriend to be Kurt Russell!).
—Zoe Ruffner, Vogue.com Photo Researcher
Photo: Photofest
Martha from Baskets
Vetements dress, Keds, arm brace, and neon traffic vest: done.
Photo: Photofest
Debbie Eagan in GLOW
Halloween is the perfect occasion to don that '80s leotard that's proven to be a bit too tight for your yoga-class. Debbie Eagan, GLOW's all-American star, has sported some of the finest costumes of the first season, including this golden number that will surely catch attention in- and outside the ring.
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix / Everett Collection
The cast of The Beguiled
Though we can't entirely say that the costumes in Sofia Coppola's Southern Gothic feature are scary, they sure are desirable. Besides, this lends itself well for a group costume opportunity, where everyone can show up in matching whites donned in the film by Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning, and more.
Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / Alamy
Zula from Paweł Pawlikowski's Cold War
The movie that has had the biggest impact on me this year hasn’t even been widely released. And it’s a black and white Cold War drama entirely in Polish and French. But if you can get beyond all that pretension, the female lead, Zula, provides excellent Halloween inspiration—she’s a vampy, unstable knockout who seems like she’s stepped out of a noir classic. All you need is a wraparound black dress, Soviet cigarettes, and an aura of angry ennui.
—Chloe Schama, Vogue Senior Features Editor
Photo: Courtesy of Amazon Studios
Mr. Rogers
A cardigan, some simple sneaks, and a genuinely heroic sense of kindness will have everyone at your Halloween party weeping nostalgically.
Photo: Everett Collection
Mary Poppins (Original Version)
A new Mary Poppins may be nigh, but why abandon an old favorite? It actually works just as well—and is so seasonally appropriate. If it rains, you even have an umbrella!
Photo: Everett Collection
Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong in First Man
Damien Chazelle's 2018 Academy Award contender features a very stoic, very 1970s attired Gosling as American hero Neil Armstrong. Get yourself a flight suit and some Apollo 11 patches and go for it. (Haunted gaze: optional.)
Photo: Courtesy of Universal Pictures / Everett Collection
While it may be tempting to simply buy a pair of black cat ears and call it a day, crafting an original Halloween costume can also be incredible gratifying. If you're still struggling to come up with a truly special idea, sometimes the easiest place to find Halloween inspiration is by looking back at your favorite movies and television shows. And there have been plenty of excellent additions in the world of film and TV recently. Think: Ma Anand Sheela from Netflix's cult favorite Wild Wild Country; Zula, the vampy, unstable knockout from Poland's Oscar entry, the forthcoming critically lauded Cold War, or anyone, really, from Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (but perhaps especially Cher) . You can choose a costume from the hottest new characters in the zeitgeist, or go with a classic, like Wednesday Addams or Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany's. Here, our editors pick the most iconic film and TV characters that you can easily recreate just in time for that upcoming Halloween costume party.
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