It's October, and that means time to start planning for the most festive and creepy night of the year.
Do you remember when Halloween costumes use to look like this?
When I was a kid, if you didn’t have a crafty mom to make yours, you would go to the local toy store or five-and-dime shop and buy yours in a box. Inside the box would be a disposable costume consisting of a plastic mask and vinyl smock. Silver Shamrock masks these were not.
Today, the prices and quality have risen, while the decision making process is more time consuming and outrageous. What to dress up as on Halloween is a big decision; right up there with what to wear on a first date or even worse, on your wedding day.
If you think Halloween is a silly holiday just for kids you’re greatly mistaken. From decorations to candy to pets and costumes, Americans spend roughly $6.9 billion on Halloween merchandise, with $2.5 of that going directly to costumes.
For many, Halloween is the one day out of the year where you can let your freak flag fly, as they say. You can be sexy, scary, goofy, political or vulgar. Not sure what to be this year? Looking to win best costume at that Halloween party? We’ve compiled the best pop-culture inspired costumes of 2016.
Before we get started...Honorable Mentions:
The Waif – Game of Thrones
New Ghostbusters
Chewbacca Mom
Donald Trump & Hillary Clinton
Landon Meier
With the US election just a month away, the go-to costumes of 2016 are these two fine specimens. Doesn’t matter if you’re team “I’m with Her” or team “Build a wall all around America,” there’s plenty of ways to dress up as your favorite powermonger.
The Hillary DIY route is the easiest way to go for most; as all you need is a pantsuit, sunglasses, short Bob wig and a blackberry. But let’s face it, it’s a boring costume. Trump, on the other hand, offers endless combinations to choose from. From the crappy hair, to the sour facial expressions and anti-everything stance, the man is made for parody, especially on Halloween. Whether it’s Piñata Trump, Third Reich Trump or Sith Trump, have at it!
Deadpool
Being a superhero on Halloween is about as unoriginal as it gets nowadays. But if you must, might as well go as Ryan Reynolds alter-ego, the breakout hero of 2016, whose film made almost $800 million worldwide. A longtime Comic-Con staple, Deadpool is finally reaching the masses as a popular pick, with kids and adults decked out in the classic red and black costume — think Spider-Man but with swords and guns.
Stranger Things – Eleven, Barb and & the Gang
If you and your squad have Halloween goals this year, then the winning choice is going as the hottest TV show of 2016! Stranger Things, Netflix’s surprise hit of the summer that took us back to the 1980s, has a surplus of costume options. The most popular pick will be the Eggo-loving Eleven, as all you need is a blonde wig, pink dress, blue jacket and raggedy shoes. A deeper fan-pick will be Barb. Looking past her sad fate in the Upside Down, you’ll need a red wig, oversized ’80s glasses, a hideous ruffled blouse, and mom jeans to complete the look.
Guys might go together dressed as Mike, Will, Lucas and the lovable Dustin. For that next level detail, get some BMX bikes or Dungeons & Dragons gear. The show has you covered if you’re looking for couples’ options also. You can go as Hopper and Joyce Byers, Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers, or Barb and the monster.
I've seen so many Elevens @DragonCon, it's safe to say that Eleven is the new Harley Quinn. #Eleven #StrangerThings pic.twitter.com/FgTbHzQNQ0
— Chris Gore (@ThatChrisGore) September 5, 2016
Suicide Squad – Joker and Harley
A popular pick last year, as we saw many women wearing short shorts dressed as Harley, while the fellas with tats on their faces went as gangster Joker. This year expect double that, now that Suicide Squad’s been released. Who cares if the movie was a mess. These two iconic characters from Gotham are always in style.
Margot Robbie’s super sexy version of Harley is a hit, with the blue & red hair and barely there attire. If you can pull off booty shorts, have fun. Now you could go as Jared Leto’s Joker, but if you want to stand out, I’d go as Cesar Romero’s version of the Clown Prince of Crime!
Pokémon Go
Nathan Rupert/flickr
No matter what you do, you can’t escape this year’s biggest addiction and phone vice. “Pokémon Go,” the global phenomenon game app that had people swarming streets and falling off cliffs, is sure to be a popular Halloween pick.
Just like the game, variety is key with the themed costumes for individuals or groups. If you’re hitting the party circuit solo, you can go dressed as a trainer, such as Ash Ketchum or the poke ball itself — if you’re crafty. Want to standout and attract new people? Then going as a Lure is the best option. Streets and Halloween parties will also be packed with groups of friends dressed as the virtual monsters like Pikachu, Jigglypuff and Squirtle. Gotta catch ‘em all, right?!
The Walking Dead – Negan
Every year you’ll find characters from TV’s The Walking Dead on Halloween costume lists. This year’s entry comes in the form of the new baddie Negan, leader of the Saviors and homicidal foil to zombie-killer Rick Grimes. To pull off this post-apocalyptic look, you’ll need a cool leather jacket, a burgundy/red scarf and motorcycle boots. Getting a baseball bat for ‘Lucille’ should be easy but if it’s a Louisville Slugger, you’d be a lot cooler.
Star Wars – Rogue One & The Force Awakens
The world we’re living in is like that old SNL skit with Bill Murray singing “Star Wars, nothing but Star Wars.” 2015 was ruled by The Force Awakens, and this year we have the highly anticipated Star Wars: Rogue One, set to come out in December. Both of these movies offer cool new heroes and villains that Star Wars fanatics can dress-up as. Last year Kylo Ren & Rey were trick-or-treat fixtures.
Just going off trailers and toy packaging, most hardcore fans have been working on their custom Rogue One costumes. Because what’s the point of making it, if you can only wear it at Cons?! Felicity Jones’ Jyn Erso character is sure to be a popular pick, but next-level selections are the all-black Imperial Death Trooper or Donnie Yen’s blind kickass fighter.
David Bowie & Prince
A/P
2016 has been ruthless when it comes to the passing of celebrities and legends. Seems like every week we’re marking the death of a cherished talent. The two most unexpected and painful losses came when we said goodbye to David Bowie and Prince. Fans looking for costume inspirations can turn to these men and pay tribute by dressing as the style icons.
If you’re thinking Bowie, you’ll really have to give it some thought considering his various looks. Known as a human chameleon, Bowie’s outrageous style fits right in with Halloween. There’s Ziggy Stardust, New Wave Bowie, Jareth the Goblin King (Labyrinth) and The Man Who Fell to Earth Bowie. If you’re thinking of going as Prince, first you have to love purple, then you also have to think of which era and gender-bending look to go with. There’s Purple Rain Prince, ‘90s body suit Prince, The Artist Formerly Known as Prince symbol, Batdance Prince and Super Bowl Prince.
Wonder Woman
I totally understand your boos and groans. Every year, women from all over the world go dressed as Wonder Woman on Halloween. It’s easily one of the “Top 10” women go-to costumes. This year, however, things are a bit different as women (young and old) are choosing her more because of being a badass warrior and less for being a sexy superhero (which you can still be if you like).
As bad as Batman v. Superman was, the light out of that darkness was the big-screen debut of Wonder Woman, played by Gal Gadot. Fierce and cool, this 2016 version of Wonder Woman was a major hit. With her solo film coming out in 2017, expect to see an army of Wonder Women hitting the streets on October 31. If You’re lucky, you could run into Sofia Vergara:
KFC - Colonel Sanders
It seems like Halloween is a year-round event for the folks at KFC, as they keep switching actors to portray company founder, Colonel Harland Sanders.
There’s been creepy Colonel Sanders played by Darrell Hammond:
Or maybe you prefer your Colonel burnt and crispy like the George Hamilton version:
Now laziness might have you leaning towards buying a store bought costume but for true lovers of fried chicken, DIY is the only way to go. The original Sanders had style and so should you. Track down a slick white suit, dye or spray paint your hair white, find a cane and eat about 10 buckets of chicken to give you that glowing pudgy look.
