One of the toughest pills to swallow for 2020 has been not being able to commemorate holidays the way we normally do: no Easter church services, no big Fourth of July barbecues—and I’m trying to not even think about the repercussions for the December holiday season.
Fortunately, with Halloween just around the corner, there are many ways to celebrate while remaining responsible. We can still put Monster Mash on repeat, carve jack-o’-lanterns, eat plenty of Reese’s, cover every square inch of our homes with skeletons and cobwebs, and—perhaps most fun—slip into our Halloween costumes.
Here are 15 costume ideas for a spooky and safe Halloween this October:
Sheet Ghost
For my first suggestion, we’re going back to basics. Just grab a white sheet, cut some eye holes, and voilá. You can also color on eyes and even a nose or mouth with a black Sharpie. This trend has been all over TikTok, in large part thanks to its ease and affordability.
Mummy
This is a costume you could definitely DIY with strips of white fabric, gauze or even toilet paper, and it would blend it seamlessly with a white mask. If DIY is not your thing, there are cute costumes available online such as this one.
Skeleton
Another spooky classic is the skeleton. You could go for the full face covering such as this or wear a smaller cloth mask with skeleton print.
Cheetah
Pair a cheetah print face mask with a catsuit, tail and set of ears for a cute cheetah look. You could definitely adapt this to leopard or tiger or many other animals as well.
Alien
Just think of all the ways you could use this mask to scare your friends. So worth it.
Ghostface
Speaking of scaring your friends, this mask is downright terrifying. I remember the first time I watched Scream— I may or may not have slept with the lights on that night.
Hannibal Lector
If you’ve seen Silence of the Lambs, you know there’s few people more terrifying than Hannibal Lector. (And if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend putting in on your watch list.) The serial killer’s most well-known look includes a restraint mask. Etsy is, of course, already on it.
Jason
Another masked villain from the horror movie classics is Jason from Friday the 13th. Again, great scaring potential.
Plague Doctor
This is definitely an appropriate costume for this year. I dare you to wear this to class as your mandatory face covering.
Power Ranger
If you were like me and always wanted to be a Power Ranger when you were little, now’s your chance.
Astronaut
Join the Space Force this October. Just don’t forget your astronaut helmet.
Dementor
These soul-sucking creatures from Harry Potter give me the heebie-jeebies just thinking about them.
Money Heist Robbers
Stand out in a bright red jumpsuit and Salvadore Dalí mask inspired by La Casa de Papel on Netflix.
The Mandalorian, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, C-3PO, Storm Trooper
If you’re a Star Wars fan, there is a plethora of options for you. Just take your pick.
Doctor or Nurse
Okay, I’ll admit it. This one is low-hanging fruit. But hey, it works if you’re wanting to go as Meredith Grey or the classic nurse costume.
Of course, there won’t be the normal parties to show off our costumes, but we can still rock them on campus or at work, take Insta pics, have a little get-together with our close circle of friends and family, and maybe even attend some Zoom Halloween parties.
And even if you do none of those things, at the end of the day a Halloween costume is like wearing lipstick under our masks—we do it for ourselves.