Halloween is one of the most, if not THE most, creative holiday there is. People get to use that energy to create fantastical costumes that wow and delight. I mean, you could head to the store and buy a Halloween costume.
But that’s not as much fun as making your own. And some people really go over the top with their costumes. Not only do they come up with brilliant costume concepts, but they also incorporate electronics, sewing, painting, and other skills to make their Halloween masterpieces.
And these pieces really do impress. It’s a shame that they only get used for a day or a few hours during the holiday season. They should be put in a museum of DIY Halloween costumes. I’d pay to see that exhibit. But since that exhibit doesn’t yet exist, enjoy this slideshow instead.
Here are 50 seriously creative Halloween costumes that are hard to top:
Most people would dress up as Dorothy for Halloween. This person went all out as the twister that brought Dorothy to Oz and killed the Wicked Witch. This thing even spins.
This guy dressed up as a Reddit Snoo. You know the little aliens with the bent antennaes you see all over Reddit. That mask is pretty cool.
Look at this little cutie! Those wings look incredible. They must have taken hours to make.
This is a fairly simple costume to pull off. But it’s looks amazing. You know right away that she’s Tina Belcher from
Bob’s Burgers.
5) Indiana Jones and Short Round
An Indiana Jones costume is pretty simple. And it’s already been done. Even I’ve been Indiana Jones for Halloween. But what’s awesome about this costume is the edition of Short Round. What makes it even more awesome than that is that he dressed up his dog as Short Round.
What’s more horrifying that Pennywise? Pennywise as a child. This is so disturbing.
This is hilarious. This guy is the wrecking ball from Miley Cyrus’ video. She’s the Barbie taped to his head.
8) Ash and Misty from Pokémon
Now this is one good sister. Her little brother wanted to dress up as Ash Ketchum for Halloween. So she promised she would dress up as Misty.
Can you guess who this mystery solving duo is? She’s the Scooby Doo to his Shaggy. Simple to make but super adorable.
10) Westboro Baptist Protesters
These two were going to Cassie’s Halloween party. They dressed up as Westboro Baptist protesters. God hates Cassie’s party… hilarious.
People have seen Peter Pan costumes. But you’ve probably never seen a Rufio costume from the movie
Hook. This is dope!
Check out this awesome family costume! They did a really great job with this. I wonder what those head pieces are made from.
This guy is really a queen. He looks brilliant as Freddie Mercury. He’s got the pose down and everything.
14) Cow Abducted by Aliens
This costume is as random as it is awesome. It’s a nervous cow. He’s being abducted by an alien.
These two run a zombie diner. He’s the zombie chef and she’s the zombie waitress. They’re serving you as tonight’s special.
Here we have a piece of pop art. Just kidding. That’s a real person. I might have to start drawing myself some clevage.
Fancy a cup of tea? This little girl did. Actually she wanted to BE the tea.
These guys were windy for their Halloween costume. That is super clever. How is he get his tie to stand up like that?
It’s just a bunch of Hocus Pocus! These witchy costumes are quite impressive. Here we have all three Sanderson sisters: Mary, Winifred, and Sarah.
This tyke is dressed as Sally from
The Nightmare Before Christmas. The entire costume is homemade. Even the wig!
21) Octopus and His Jack O’ Lantern
These two masks are made from paper mache. They look incredible! Look at the eyes on that octopus!
22) Universal Health Care
This is another really smart costume. She’s dressed like the universe and a nurse. She’s Universal Health Care.
23) Sun-Maid Raisins Lady
Does the Sun-Maid have a name? I feel like her name would be Susan. It’s not she’s actually a real person and the original inspiration for the Sun-Maid Girl was Lorraine Collett. Anyway, this chick thinks she’s related to her. So, she paid hommage to her with her Halloween costume.
This is a winning couples costume. It’s Moana and Maui. Look at how perfect all the drawings are on his body are.
This boss won Halloween. He’s a Sharknado. The best is the shark at the top.
Look at this tiny Mad Hatter. He does look mad, but angry mad, not crazy mad. I love those spools of thread.
27) Missy Elliot Sock It To Me
This is another seriously extra costume. It’s Missy Elliot. From her
Sock It 2 Me video.
My favorite costumes are costumes of secondary or lesser known characters. That’s why this costume wins so hard in my book. It’s Beaker from The Muppets.
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice. You can tell a whole let of effort went into this costume. The suit looks like he literally stepped out of a grave.
30) Tinder Ghost and Someone Who Was Ghosted
This makes so much sense. Online dating is terrifying. It’s the Tinder ghost and the person he ghosted.
31) Jessie and A.C. Slater
I am obsessed with this
Saved by the Bell costume. It’s A.C. Slater and Jessie. But not just any Jessie, the Jessie from the episode with caffine pills Jessie.
I don’t know what these kids are supposed to be. But these costumes are freaking elaborate. Must have taken weeks to make these costumes.
On the left is a Pin Up Frankenstein. On the right is a Pop Up Frankenstein. Pretty cool!
There are a lot of things going on here. But they all go together so well. She is Marie Antoinette and IT combined.
35) Van Gogh Self Portrait
What a neat idea! This guy is Vincent Van Gogh’s self portrait. What a great job recreating those brush strokes.
This 3-year-old wanted to be Frida Kahlo for Halloween. It’s a bold move to put a mustache and a unibrow on a little kid. It all comes together really well.
This team put in a lot of effort. Here we have the entire Rugrats crew. My favorite is Cynthia and Reptar.
Want to truly terrify people on Halloween? Then this costume is for you. This guy has some serious nightmare face going on.
Can you guess what 90s bands these are? It’s Blind Melon and Alice in Chains. This is a great way to repurpose old costumes.
40) The Channel 4 News Team
News Team…. assembllllleeeeee! This is the Channel 4 News team. Lead by none other than Ron Burgundy a.k.a. Poppa Burgundy.
This is such an adorable DIY Queen of Hearts costume. They recreated that hair perfectly. I love the use of actual cards.
Here we have grandma winning at Halloween. She’s is the guy from the game Operation. She even has the light up nose!
This is what a photo looks like with a filter. The right is what it looks like without. Big difference.
KFC is a family business in this family. The parents are the workers, the little baby is the chicken. Their son is the colonel.
45) This Kid Wanted to Be a Sorcerer
There are lots of ways to do a sorcerer costume. But I wouldn’t ever imagine a sorcerer costume like this. Look at that beard!
46) Miguel and Mama Coco from Coco
I love this movie! And these costumes are so well done. Their friends didn’t even recognize them.
Here are some more awesome 90s costumes. Here we have the MTV Moon Man and Bee Girl from the Blind Melon
No Rain video. If you watched MTV in the 90s, you saw these two a lot.
This Ursula costume is spot on. It’s got the tentacles and everything. And it’s not so big so that you’ll be knocking into things all night.
49) The Song That Doesn’t End
It’s Shari Lewis. And don’t forget Lamb Chop. I just realized what a messed up name that is to call a lamb. You’re basically acknowledging that the talking lamb could be food at any moment.
This is a total transformation. She turned herself into Walter Hartwell White Sr. He’s the guy from
Breaking Bad.
