The weather’s turned a little chilly, the leaves are starting to fall and there seems to be an abundance of pumpkins in the shops. It can only mean one thing – Halloween is almost here! We love this fun and spooky occasion and have all kinds of Halloween cards available, ranging from the cute and funny to the rude and cheeky.
Dressing up as spine-tingling and hilarious characters definitely isn’t just for kids, so we’ve put together some ideas for scary Halloween costumes for adults that you can make yourself.
Halloween costumes for couples
Men In Black
Let’s start off with a super easy adult Halloween costume idea, as it simply requires a black suit and tie. Oh, and a cool pair of shades too, of course.
All you have to do then is agree on who’s going to be Jay and who’s going to be Kay, which can actually be a pretty difficult decision to make. Let’s be honest – we’d all rather be Will Smith than Tommy Lee Jones, right?
What you’ll need for this costume
- Black suit jacket and trousers
- Black tie
- White shirt
- Black sunglasses
- A cover story for what people thought was an alien encounter
Bonus points: Use an electric toothbrush as a Neuralyzer.
Snapchat filters
Adult Halloween costumes can be as creative and silly as you like, so how about dressing up as your favourite Snapchat filter? This could be the happy dog with its long tongue and floppy ears, the classic flower crown with glowing cheeks, or even the full-body hotdog.
What you’ll need for this costume
It completely depends on which Snapchat filter you choose, so we recommend grabbing some thick cardboard, poster paint, a few different fabrics and lots of felt tip pens and seeing where your imagination takes you.
Bonus points: You and your partner could print masks of each other’s faces and become the Face Swap filter.
Bob Ross and his happy little tree
Are you a big fan of soft-voiced Bob Ross and his vintage TV show The Joy of Painting? Pay tribute to the beloved art instructor and one of his “happy little trees” with this amazing Halloween costume for couples.
What you’ll need for this costume
- Bob Ross: Light blue shirt with top two buttons undone, blue jeans, brown beard and curly brown wig, artist’s palette and paintbrush, a calm and soothing demeanour.
- Happy little tree: There are loads of ways to achieve this – it could be as simple as a brown jumper or hoodie covered in leaves made from green paper, or perhaps you want to really commit by creating a realistic tree costume?
Bonus points: If you’re taking your kids trick-or-treating, dress them up as happy little clouds.
Halloween costumes for women
The classic bat
Making your own adult Halloween costumes is a great opportunity to have fun and repurpose unused items. The classic bat costume is a great example, as you can use an old umbrella to make the wings.
Simply cut the umbrella in half and attach the two pieces to the sleeves and sides of a black top using a glue gun or safety pins. To make sure it’s safe to wear, fully cover any exposed metal parts with black tape. You’re then all set to fly into Halloween parties in style.
What you’ll need for this costume
- A black top (preferably one that you don’t wear anymore)
- An old black umbrella
- A hot glue gun or safety pins
- Black electrical tape
- Black leggings or jeans
- Black foam or cardboard and paint for making the pointy ears
Bonus points: Pop a pair of plastic fangs in your mouth, unless of course you’re a vegetarian fruit bat.
Sea anemone
This adult Halloween costume idea is so wonderfully mad that we know you’ll love it. If you haven’t seen a sea anemone before, it’s basically a bunch of wavy tentacles that kind of look like an underwater flower.
Many sea anemones are bright pink, although they also come in yellow, blue, green and a few other colours (obviously we recommend going for pink because it’ll look utterly fabulous).
What you’ll need for this costume
- A comfy outfit that you can spare, such as a T-shirt and joggers
- Enough long balloons to cover your body and legs (as many as possible, as some will probably get popped during the party)
- Safety pins for attaching the balloon knots to the clothing (for added safety, cover the pins in electrical tape)
- A few extra balloons to create a tentacle crown
Bonus points: Craft some small fish and seahorses out of cardboard and attach them to a few of the balloons with sticky tape.
Halloween costumes for men
Robo-dancer
Whilst a classic robot is very popular for adult Halloween costumes, we suggest switching things up and bringing the party to life by becoming a robo-dancer!
What you’ll need for this costume
- Large cardboard boxes for the head and body
- Cardboard sheets wrapped around your arms and legs, attached together with strong tape with enough room to strut your funky stuff
- Paint the costume in bright and lively colours
- Use silver duct tape for adding metallic dials and buttons
- A pair of dancing shoes that will last you into the early hours
Bonus points: Really want to commit to your costume? Make sure to practice the good old robot dance before the party.
Lumberjack
If you’d rather go for something a bit simpler, how about a manly lumberjack costume? This is also your chance to talk with a gruff voice all night and tell stories about how you’ve scaled mountains and wrestled with bears.
What you’ll need for this costume
- A plaid (tartan) shirt with braces
- Blue jeans
- Thick boots
- Either a trapper hat, which has flaps to cover the ears, or a classic beanie
- Bushy beard (either your own or a fake one – the bigger, the better!)
Bonus points: Where would a lumberjack be without his trusty axe? Just make sure it’s of the plastic variety.
Warning: If someone else at the party is dressed as one of Bob Ross’s happy little trees, you could have a problem on your hands.
Hopefully you’re feeling inspired with these adult Halloween costumes that won’t scare you away from a little DIY! We’ve also put together some kids Halloween costume ideas and tips for having a cheap Halloween party. You now have everything you need to celebrate this creepy occasion and look after the pennies in the process. For more DIY inspiration and party tips to make this spooky season the best ever, head to the thortful blog.
