Halloween costumes from film and TV

59 characters, each broken into the pieces that actually carry the look. Filter by how much of it you already own — because most of a good costume is already in your wardrobe.

56 days until October 31 · 13 couples · 8 group line-ups

For two 13 couples costumes Pairs that read across a room For three or more 8 group line-ups Whole households and offices
Mostly in your wardrobe
Two or three things you almost certainly own, plus one signal. This is the tier that saves the 30th of October.
One thing to buy
A single distinctive piece carries the whole look. Everything under it is ordinary clothing.
A real build
Several specific pieces, properly assembled. Worth it, but start now — not on the 30th.

59 looks

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 8 pieces Lisbeth Salander Hard leather jacket, destroyed knit, heavy buckled boots. Nothing new, nothing clean. Shop the look Barbie 4 pieces Ken Denim gilet over a white ribbed tank. That is the entire joke and the entire costume. Shop the look Mean Girls 4 pieces Regina George Low-rise mini and a cut-out tank. The cut-out was the point. Shop the look Stranger Things 4 pieces Steve Harrington A vintage striped polo and a Members Only jacket. The hair is free. Shop the look The Hunger Games 9 pieces Katniss Everdeen Brown leather jacket, dark utility trousers, the braid over one shoulder. Shop the look Breaking Bad 9 pieces Jesse Pinkman Oversized graphic hoodie and a ribbed beanie. Baggier than feels right. Shop the look Buffy the Vampire Slayer 4 pieces Buffy Summers Floral slip dress, black leather jacket, chunky platform boots. Shop the look Friends 9 pieces Rachel Green Cropped cardigan, plaid mini skirt, white knee socks. Shop the look Gossip Girl 4 pieces Serena van der Woodsen Slip maxi, tan leather jacket, layered gold chains. Shop the look Euphoria 4 pieces Rue Bennett The maroon hoodie, an open plaid shirt over it, worn Converse. Shop the look Euphoria 8 pieces Cassie Howard Pastel cardigan, small floral dress, a ribbon in the hair. Shop the look Euphoria 8 pieces Fezco Durag, oversized patterned knit, one gold chain. Shop the look Skins 4 pieces Effy Stonem Black on black, smudged, a studded belt holding it together. Shop the look The Bear 8 pieces Carmy Berzatto Heavyweight white tee, straight Levi's, blue work apron. The apron is the costume. Shop the look The Last of Us 9 pieces Ellie Williams Faded denim jacket, graphic tee, worn lace-up boots. Shop the look The Batman 5 pieces Bruce Wayne Heavy charcoal knit, black raw denim, a long dark overcoat. No cape. Shop the look Saltburn 9 pieces Felix Catton Rugby shirt, chino shorts, a gold signet ring worn like it was inherited. Shop the look Challengers 9 pieces Tashi Duncan White polo dress, visor, clean white trainers. Shop the look Style File № 02 4 pieces Wednesday Addams The detachable white pointed collar on a plain black dress. The collar is the costume; the dress is just a dress. Shop the look The Addams Family 9 pieces Morticia Addams A black column dress that reaches the floor, sleeves to the wrist. Length does the work, not lace. Shop the look Barbie 5 pieces Barbie One saturated pink, head to toe, with no second colour anywhere. Restraint is what makes it loud. Shop the look Clueless 4 pieces Cher Horowitz Jacket and skirt in the same plaid, knee-high socks. Matching check or it is just a skirt. Shop the look Clueless 8 pieces Dionne Davenport A structured hat, worn completely seriously. Everything else can be leopard. Shop the look Legally Blonde 4 pieces Elle Woods Pink that is tailored, not costume-pink. A shift dress beats a novelty dress every time. Shop the look Grease 9 pieces Sandy Olsson Black satin trousers and an off-shoulder top — the end of the film, not the cardigan. Shop the look Pulp Fiction 8 pieces Mia Wallace The blunt black bob. Cropped white shirt and black cigarette trousers under it are things you own. Shop the look The Matrix 8 pieces Neo The floor-length black coat and small oval sunglasses. Length and lenses, nothing else. Shop the look The Matrix 8 pieces Trinity Patent black, high shine, rectangular sunglasses. Matte kills it. Shop the look Back to the Future 8 pieces Marty McFly The orange down gilet worn over a denim jacket. Both layers, or it is just a boy in denim. Shop the look Stranger Things 5 pieces Eleven Pink pinafore over a white collared shirt, white knee socks. Deliberately too neat. Shop the look Harry Potter 10 pieces Hermione Granger Grey pleated skirt, house stripe tie, black robe over the top. Shop the look Sex and the City 4 pieces Carrie Bradshaw The tulle midi skirt with a plain grey tank. Undressing the top half is what sells it. Shop the look Breaking Bad 5 pieces Walter White Black porkpie hat and wire-frame glasses, over black on black. Two objects, whole character. Shop the look The Sopranos 9 pieces Tony Soprano The gold curb chain over an open camp collar. Without the chain it is a man in a bowling shirt. Shop the look John Wick 6 pieces John Wick Black on black, buttoned to the throat, no tie and no contrast anywhere. Shop the look Fight Club 8 pieces Tyler Durden The red leather jacket over a printed 70s shirt. The jacket is the entire budget. Shop the look Killing Eve 3 pieces Villanelle The pink tulle dress with black combat boots. The boots are the character. Shop the look Annie Hall 9 pieces Annie Hall Men's waistcoat, oversized blazer, black felt hat. Borrowed, not fitted. Shop the look Almost Famous 8 pieces Penny Lane The fur-collar Afghan coat and round tinted sunglasses. Shop the look The Queen's Gambit 8 pieces Beth Harmon A sixties shift dress in a flat colour, white wool coat over it. Shop the look The Devil Wears Prada 8 pieces Miranda Priestly Faux fur coat over a black fine-knit turtleneck. Silence, in clothing form. Shop the look Empire 4 pieces Cookie Lyon Faux fur coat and leopard, worn without a single apology. Shop the look Gossip Girl 5 pieces Blair Waldorf The wide velvet headband. Everything under it is school uniform. Shop the look Gossip Girl 8 pieces Chuck Bass A coloured three-piece suit and a silk scarf indoors. Shop the look Mad Men 9 pieces Joan Holloway The wiggle dress and the pen necklace. The pen is the punchline. Shop the look Mad Men 8 pieces Peggy Olson A-line shift dress and a bow blouse, both slightly too careful. Shop the look Euphoria 9 pieces Jules Vaughn Pastel colour-block, a star choker, glitter on the face. Shop the look Euphoria 3 pieces Maddy Perez Cut-out top, leather mini, visible hardware. Shop the look The Addams Family 9 pieces Gomez Addams Pinstripe, and the tie tied in a full knot. The knot is the tell — a thin one reads as a job interview. Shop the look Birds of Prey 10 pieces Harley Quinn Two-tone hair ties and the caution-tape jacket. Skip either and it stops reading. Shop the look Breakfast at Tiffany's 9 pieces Holly Golightly Black column dress, multi-strand pearl choker, opera gloves. The choker is non-negotiable. Shop the look Peaky Blinders 3 pieces Thomas Shelby The flat cap and a collarless grandad shirt. Everything else is a tweed suit doing its job. Shop the look American Psycho 9 pieces Patrick Bateman Contrast-collar shirt, braces, and the long belted raincoat. Tidiness is the horror. Shop the look Skyfall 9 pieces James Bond Slim navy suit, knitted tie, steel dive watch. The knitted tie is the detail people miss. Shop the look Poor Things 8 pieces Bella Baxter Leg-of-mutton sleeves and visible bloomers. The proportions are the whole idea. Shop the look Mad Men 9 pieces Don Draper Grey two-button suit, narrow dark tie, felt fedora carried rather than worn. Shop the look Mad Men 8 pieces Betty Draper Full-skirt day dress over a petticoat, day gloves on. Shop the look Bridgerton 3 pieces Daphne Bridgerton Empire-line gown and long satin gloves. The waist sits under the bust or it is fancy dress. Shop the look Bridgerton 3 pieces Kate Sharma Jewel-tone taffeta under a short spencer jacket. Shop the look

Nothing matches that combination — try clearing a filter.

When it really is a costume

Most looks on this page are clothes. These 10 are not — not at any point — and for them the bought costume piece is the right purchase rather than a waste of one. Everything else in each look is still ordinary clothing.

  • Barbie

    Long blonde wig, if your own hair will not do it

    The pink is clothing and stays clothing. The hair is the only part of this that is a costume, and only for some people.

    Find it on Amazon
  • Eleven

    Short blonde wig

    The pinafore, collared shirt and knee socks are ordinary clothes. The crop is the recognition, and shaving your head is a great deal to ask of a Thursday.

    Find it on Amazon
  • Ken

    Blonde wig — genuinely optional

    The denim gilet over a white tank does the whole joke on its own. This is the one entry here where we would rather tell you to skip the costume piece than sell you one.

    Find it on Amazon
  • Walter White

    Yellow hazmat coverall, plus a half-face respirator

    The clothes on his page are what he wears to teach. Nobody recognises those at a party. The lab suit is the costume, and this is one of the few looks on this site where the bought version is the correct buy.

    Find it on Amazon
  • Wednesday Addams

    Long black wig in twin braids

    The dress and the white collar are genuinely wearable afterwards. The braids are the outline people recognise from the other side of a room.

    Find it on Amazon
  • Harley Quinn

    Half-red, half-black wig — or the dye job, if you are committed

    The jacket, shorts and boots are clothes you can buy and keep wearing. The two-tone hair is not, and without it the rest reads as nothing in particular.

    Find it on Amazon
  • Hermione Granger

    Plain black hooded robe

    The uniform underneath is real clothing — grey pleated skirt, white shirt, striped tie — and it stays in the wardrobe. The robe never will be, so buy it as what it is.

    Find it on Amazon
  • Jesse Pinkman

    The same yellow coverall, worn worse

    Bought as a pair with Walter this is the cheapest two-person costume on the site. The only thing separating you is how badly you wear it.

    Find it on Amazon
  • Mia Wallace

    Blunt black bob wig with a fringe

    Already a slot on her page, and the single most load-bearing object in the look. Everything else is a white shirt and black trousers you own.

    Find it on Amazon
  • Morticia Addams

    Long straight black wig, centre parted

    The column dress does half the work. The hair does the other half, and it has to be longer than yours probably is.

    Find it on Amazon

We choose the garments first and find where to buy them second. These are unbranded picks, not licensed merchandise — they are cheaper, and we have no affiliation with any of these productions.

Why we all dress as characters

The costume aisle is a recent invention. Dressing as someone off a screen is older than the aisle.

Halloween costumes were homemade for most of their history. Not out of craft-fair sentimentality — out of the plain fact that there was nowhere to buy one. What you wore was assembled from what the house contained, and what it contained was clothes.

The bagged costume changed that, and it changed the economics in a specific way worth understanding before you spend anything. A packaged costume is sold against a fixed date. That is the one condition under which a seller never has to discount: demand is guaranteed, it expires on a known day, and the buyer has no option to wait. So the price holds through October and the quality is engineered down to a single wear. You are not buying clothing. You are renting a silhouette, badly, at full price.

Meanwhile the thing the costume is imitating is almost always ordinary garments. A screen costume designer is not building a novelty item; they are dressing an actor in clothes, and the clothes have to survive filming, continuity and close-ups. That is why screen looks decompose so cleanly into a shopping list — a coat, a knit, a collar, a pair of boots. The recognisability lives in one or two decisions, not in the whole outfit.

This is the part the listicles skip. Almost every famous screen costume has a single load-bearing element. Wednesday Addams is a white pointed collar. Marty McFly is an orange gilet. Walter White is a hat and a pair of glasses. Everything underneath is a black dress, a denim jacket, black trousers — items with no costume premium attached, because on any other day of the year they are just clothes.

There is an exception, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest. A few screen looks are not clothes at any point: a yellow hazmat coverall, a school robe, a wig that stands in for your own hair. For those the bought costume piece is the right purchase, and this page names which ones they are rather than sending you off to assemble something that cannot be assembled.

Which produces the only genuinely useful advice on this subject: identify the signal, buy the signal properly, and let your own wardrobe do the rest. It costs less than the bagged version, it reads better in a room, and on November 1 you own a coat instead of a bin bag.

That is the whole method behind this page. Every look above is broken into the pieces that actually carry it, sorted by how much of it you probably already own.

Written and edited by

Questions people actually ask

What is the easiest Halloween costume to put together from clothes I own?

Filter this page to "Already own it". Those looks are two or three wardrobe staples plus one recognisable signal — Rue Bennett is a maroon hoodie and worn Converse; Carmy Berzatto is a white tee, straight jeans and a work apron; Ken is a denim gilet over a white tank. None of them need a costume shop.

Are screen-character costumes cheaper than buying a packaged costume?

Usually, and the reason is structural rather than seasonal. A packaged costume is priced against a fixed deadline, so it does not have to discount in October. The garments a screen look is actually made of are ordinary clothing, sold on ordinary clothing markdowns, and they stay in your wardrobe afterwards.

Is there ever a good reason to buy an actual packaged costume?

Yes, for a small number of looks, and we list them. A few screen costumes are not made of clothing at any point — the yellow hazmat coverall, a school robe, a wig that replaces your own hair. Buying the costume piece for those is simply correct. The mistake is buying a bagged costume for a look that was only ever a coat and a pair of boots.

When should I start putting a costume together?

It depends on the tier. A "full build" — Don Draper, the Addams Family, Bridgerton — wants early October, because you are ordering several specific pieces and sizes run out. A "one buy" look can be left until the week before. The "already own it" tier is genuinely a same-day proposition.

What makes a good couples costume?

Contrast that reads from across a room. The pairings on our couples page are built on opposing silhouettes or finishes — matte against patent for Neo and Trinity, all angles against one long line for Gomez and Morticia. Two people in similar outfits reads as a dress code, not a costume.

Can I dress as a character of a different gender?

Yes, and the effort tiers are the useful filter here rather than the gender chips. What makes a look land is the signal — the collar, the hat, the coat — not who wore it on screen.