Halloween is nigh, and it’s time for us to start thinking about our Halloween costume ideas.
For those of us who take the holiday seriously, selecting the proper Halloween costume is a tricky affair. There are so many unwritten rules. You can’t repeat a costume you already did. You want to be clever, but not too clever; dressing up as a pun is always a bad thing (i.e. a “pink slip” or a “one night stand”). You want to be topical, but you also want to ensure that no one else will dress the same as you at the party you’ll be attending.
And, most importantly, you don’t want to spend a lot of money. Oh sure, there are some of us who have a high Halloween costume budget, and can probably whip up a screen-accurate, life-size Groot costume, but most of us don’t have that kind of time or disposable income. Also, I know you liked Guardians of the Galaxy, but consider how many of your friends will also dress as Peter Quill before you start cobbling your own costume together. Timing is important.
Check Out: 10 Easy Halloween Costume Ideas for Movie Lovers
We here at Crave are uniquely qualified to give you advice on your Halloween costumes: For one, we love Halloween. As such, we know proper Halloween costume etiquette. We’re also budget conscious over here, and understand that dressing as Pinhead might not be feasible for most of us. Luckily, there are all kinds of movie-related costumes that can be done quickly, easily, and with a great deal of wit.
Let us suggest the following costumes as viable Halloween options. Some of these may be obscure, and are for real movie-lovers only. Others may be instantly recognizable. Some of these Halloween costume ideas are for groups, one is for a couple, and they’re all witty.
Slideshow: 10 More Easy Halloween Costume Ideas for Movie-Lovers
Witney Seibold is a contributor to the CraveOnline Film Channel, and co-host of The B-Movies Podcast. You can read his weekly Trolling articles here on Crave, and follow him on “Twitter” at @WitneySeibold, where he is slowly losing his mind.
10 Easy Halloween Costume Ideas for Movie-Lovers
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Emmet
What You'll Need:
A red helmet
An orange safety vest and pants
A blue shirt
A nametag
A red box
Yellow makeup
The LEGO Movie remains one of the biggest hits of the year, and while the characters in it were all yellow-faced plastic dolls, it would be easy to recreate that look in human form. You can find orange safety clothes at hunting and sporting stores, blue shirts are plentiful, and red helmets are to be found at hardware stores. Now just strap a red box to your back for the Piece of Resistance. If you really want to go the extra mile, you can paint your face yellow. You are now Emmet, the hero.
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Rocky
What You'll Need:
Two gray sweatsuits
A knit cap
A blue hankie
Gonna fly now. Rocky Balboa is a classic movie character who famously ran up the steps to the Philly art museum. If you live in a cold climate, this costume is ideal. Put on a gray sweatsuit, cut the arms off of a second and put that one on top. Wear a black knit cap, and be sure to stuff a blue handkerchief in your collar to simulate the undershirt Rocky wore. You'll be recognized and comfortable.
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Kilgore
What You'll Need:
A large, Civil War-era hat (available at a costume shop)
Dark green pants
Army boots
Cool shades
Dogtags
Robert Duvall famously strolled across a battlefield during a napalm attack in Apocalypse Now. Some amateur film historians have said that it was this character that pioneered the now-clichéd notion of walking away from an explosion in slow-motion without looking at it. Why not dress that cool? If you don't mind taking to the streets without a shirt, Kilgore would be perfect.
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Alien and The Spring Breakers
What You'll Need:
For Alien: Fake teeth, fake handguns, cornrows, shades, Hawaiian shirts, and shorts
For the Spring Breakers: Neon colored bikinis, ski masks, fake guns
Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers gave us an indelible character in Alien, James Franco's amoral criminal creature. He's fun to play, and would likely be fun to dress as. You might have some trouble tracking down shiny teeth, but a good costume shop might have some. If you don't mind walking around all night in a bikini, then you can go as one of the Spring Breakers themselves. Just be sure to wear a ski mask and carry a gun so you don't just look like some random person in a bikini.
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“David”
What You'll Need:
A really cool jacket and nice shirt
OR
A black hoodie and a khaki satchel
A fake butterfly knife
Blonde hair
The Guest is most certainly one of the best films of 2014, and those who have seen it adore it. Why not dress as the central character “David?” If you're a svelte blonde dude (like Dan Stevens), or you're willing to dye your hair blonde for a costume, then you're set. Get a really cool black leather jacket. If you can't get a hold of one, get a black hoodie. Be sure to wield a butterfly knife. A lot. Don't use a real butterfly knife. Last we checked, those things were illegal. Now smile a lot and look generally creepy. You just won.
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Henry Spencer
What You'll Need:
A gray or black suit with a skinny tie
Hairspray
White makeup
There are few more striking cult movie images than the face of Henry Spencer, the main character from David Lynch's debut film Eraserhead. Henry is an easy costume, provided you already have a black or gray suit. Just tease your hair up as high as it will go, and you're ready to hit the town, terrifying everyone. If you're feeling particularly ambitious, you can paint your face white to match the black-and-white photography of the film.
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Hazel Grace
What You'll Need:
An oxygen tube and tank
Short hair
A sensible denim coat
Blue nailpolish
The teens-with-cancer romance The Fault in Our Stars was beloved by young girls everywhere, largely because the heroine was so strong and stalwart, while still being loving. She's not “cool,” per se, but she is an admirable heroine. If you're in a place where you can carry around an oxygen tank, then you're good to go. The plastic tubes should be easy enough to find at drug stores. If you can't get a real oxygen tank, find a really big plastic soda bottle and paint it dark green. You're ready to break some hearts.
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Reiner and Malkina from 'The Counselor'
What You'll Need:
For Reiner: Pink sunglasses, spiky hair, a particular shirt
For Alkina: Leopard spot makeup, blonde hair, heavy eye makeup, a drapey, black-and-white ensemble
Ridley Scott's The Counselor was one of the worst films of last year, but it was loaded up with numerous memorable characters that would be fun to play around in. The main “villian” couple, played by Javier Bardem and Cameron Diaz, were striking to say the least. He was wild-haired and silly. She was cat-like and painted. You might have to scour thrift stores for just the right shirts, but if you can find them, you've got this one nailed.
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Bobo, Klara, and Hedvig
What You'll Need:
For Bobo: A heavy drab sweater, round glasses, spiked hair
For Klara: A faux-hawk, a heavy red sweater, light eye makeup
For Hedvig: Blonde hair, beige coat, yellow scarf
Not too many people saw Lukas Moodysson's girl punk movie We Are the Best!, but ask any critic, and they'll tell you it was one of the best films of the year. It was a movie about three 12-year-olds who form a punk band in early-'80s Sweden. If you are a trio of young girls, you would knock it out of the park as the girls from We Are the Best! If you're especially ambitious, add a guitar. Hedvig played acoustic. Klara played bass. Bobo got stuck at the drums.
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Frank
What You'll Need:
A long-sleeve baseball t-shirt
Papier-mâché
Michael Fassbender starred in this little cult oddity a few months ago, and gave us a great costume idea for those who were ambitious enough. Frank was a musician who constantly wore a giant fake head over his real head. All you would need to do is make the head, really, and you'll be good. If you're the type who can craft out of paint and papier-mâché, making a large fake head shouldn't take more than a few days.
