Horror Movie Fancy Dress Ideas

Spooky Season is upon us, which begs the question… What are you going as for Halloween this year? If you haven’t decided yet, then don’t worry, we’re here to help. A great place to pull inspiration for Halloween costumes is from the kings and queens of Halloween themselves, horror movie characters. We’ve got Halloween costume ideas from all the great horror films, from throwback frights to modern delights! So, if you’re ready to unleash your inner monster this Halloween, buckle up, we’re in for a SPOOKY ride…

Classic Horror Movie Costumes

Whether you’re going for a cult classic or a big-screen hit, the classic horror movie range has plenty of villains you can copycat for a scary Halloween costume. For the minimalists amongst us, most classics can be recognised solely with a mask. Classics are classic for a reason.

The Grady Twins Costume

Remember The Shining? Of course, you do. Well, the iconic set of twins that are victims are their father’s murderous impulses and so, trapped forever at the Overlook, are undeniably a creepy duo. Encountered just once by Danny, their creepy mantra of asking Danny to play with them “forever…and ever…” has haunted many a nightmare. However chilling as the twins may be, they make for a great Halloween couple costume! 

Grab a friend or partner and stare ominously at party-goers, whilst standing hand in hand. You can channel the sisters with our creepy sister costume has a blood-splattered sage green dress, a bow headband and bloodstained socks. While this is a great adult Halloween costume, it works even better on younger kids. Try the look with the children’s version of the Grady Twins costume. Parents with twins – we’re looking at you!

Chucky Costume

What happens when a child’s favourite toy is possessed by the spirit of a serial killer? You might not know the Child’s Play story, but you can probably guess it isn’t going to end well! 

Our killer doll costume is a perfect one for kids, but don’t worry, they don’t need to know the reference to love their creepy costume! As scary Halloween costumes for kids go, this is a winner. The “Good Guy” doll-inspired outfit comes with a dungarees style one-piece, yet the choice is yours whether you want to keep them looking sweet or give them a few fake scars to give them that slasher film edge. The killer doll costume also comes in a toddler costume for your littlest terror!

Bride of Chucky Costume

The not-quite bride of Chucky, played by Jennifer Tilly, is almost as recognisable as her beau, despite only appearing in the sequel movie, Bride of Chucky. The bleach-blonde hair, the white wedding dress and the biker jacket are all essential components that make this look. Whether you’re looking for a children’s Halloween outfit or a women’s Halloween outfit, we have something for both generations to channel Tiffany Valentine. 

Our kid’s Bride of Chucky costume consists of a tattered white dress, waist belt and a faux leather jacket, just add your own (FAKE) knife! The women’s Tiffany Valentine costume is similar, yet with a shorter dress. Both costumes can be enhanced with blood spatters for further slasher movie effects. A shoulder-length blonde wig would be the perfect addition, whether it’s a plain blonde look or this bloodied version. Don’t forget that gothic makeup!

Jason Voorhees Costume

The man, the myth, the legend: Jason Voorhees. The almost silent antagonist of the Friday 13th franchise. The iconic killer, who haunts Camp Crystal Lake is unmistakable for horror film fans, despite being a man behind a mask. Our masked madman Jason is a great character to dress as for Halloween as we rarely see his face, instead, we recognise him mainly from his hockey mask, making it an easy Halloween costume to replicate.

Jason’s look changes throughout the films, but always retains a recognisable consistent creepy vibe. Our officially licensed Jason Voorhees costume has a blood-spattered, ripped tan jacket top and of course, the infamous hockey mask. Pair this with some work boots and a toy weapon, we’re thinking maybe his classic slasher machete. 

Classic Pennywise Costume 

This cult classic movie, IT, instilled a fear of clowns in entire generations of viewers. Although it might seem a little dated now, too many Pennywise the Clown (original version) is still as terrifying as ever! Going old school with a costume never hurt and our officially licensed, Tim Curry version, Pennywise costume is the ultimate scary clown Halloween costume. The yellow jumpsuit, collar and wig with its big forehead will have your friends quaking.

The makeup is fairly simple to recreate, use white face paint to cover your face, draw on red lips, ring your eyes in black and draw two lines of blue above and below the eye. Finish with some swooping black eyebrows and maybe pop in a set of these horrifying evil clown teeth. Go full creepy clown with your own supply of multi-coloured balloons!

Scream Slasher Killer Costume

What’s your favourite scary movie? Ours is the one where a cheap Halloween costume becomes the most infamous Halloween costume of the 90s. The beauty of Ghostface is that they are more a costume than a person, in fact, the costume is adopted by 11 characters across the Scream franchise! This makes it a particularly easy Halloween costume to recreate, all you need is a long black hooded robe and anguished ghostly face mask. The costume featured in Scream was actually a real one, based on Edvard Munch’s The Scream, created by an American fancy dress company and licensed to Wes Craven for the movie.

The Ghostface costume is a classic for Halloween and our slasher scream killer costume makes it easy to mimic. The outfit consists of the iconic tattered hooded robe and the ghoulish mask we know all too well. Ghostface only uses one weapon across the franchise, the signature knife, so your prop selection is easy. Our bleeding knife prop has liquid blood that looks like it’s straight from a crime scene. Slasher movie costume? Completed it.

Halloween H20 Michael Myers Costume

Arguably the inspiration for dozens of horror villains that would follow, Michael Myers is an undeniable killer costume for Halloween. The lumbering, seemingly immortal killer from the Halloween film franchise is another one that’s simple yet effective. Michael is often shown wearing a blue boiler suit and his infamous creepy mask, which is actually a Captain Kirk/William Shatner mask, of Star Trek, painted white. 

To emulate the Michael Myers look for your Halloween costume, all you need is our Halloween H20 Michael Myers costume, based on the 1998 movie. The outfit comes with a blood-spattered blue boiler suit, a bloody knife prop and of course, the mask we all know and love (hate). To make it a gruesome twosome adult and child costume, you can also transform your child into the silver screen killer with our children’s Michael Myers costume!

Freddy Krueger Costume

One, two, Freddy’s coming for you… Three, four, better lock your door…! You can’t have a list of horror movie mavericks without the master of nightmares himself, Freddy Krueger, of A Nightmare on Elm Street. Freddy was burned alive after evading prison for murder and so the twisted face the children see in their dreams is one you can’t forget easily. His tatty striped knitwear, trilby hat and bladed finger gloves are also synonymous with the Freddy Krueger brand.

You can transform yourself into the man of your nightmares with our officially licensed Freddy Krueger costume. The outfit comes with the red and green striped jumper, bladed finger gloves and a mask depicting his gnarled face.

Modern Horror Movie Fancy Dress

Annabelle Costume

The Conjuring franchise has played a major part in the 21st century horror movie space and has brought us nearly ten movies. Our next Halloween costume idea comes in the form of a central antagonist of The Conjuring universe, so integral to the zeitgeist of the time, earned her own spin-off series. Meet Annabelle, the creepy porcelain doll who you really don’t want to play with. The Annabelle film series is based around a real Annabelle doll, who was a Raggedy Ann doll that wreaked havoc in the 70s. 

Our demonic doll outfit is one for the kids, the children’s Annabelle costume will induce chills this Halloween. The long white Victorian-style silk dress has red ribbon detailing, this look works well with plaited hair and some more red ribbon tied to the ends of the hair. Add some creepy doll makeup and you’ve got yourself a life-sized Annabelle!

The Nun Costume

Another from The Conjuring Universe comes The Nun. Although not particularly underrepresented within the horror genre, The Conjuring universe’s nun is particularly horrifying. The nun first appeared in The Conjuring 2 before getting her own spin-off, where we get to see more of the demon Valak in the form of a Catholic nun.

Our officially licensed The Nun Halloween costume features a nun’s habit-style robe and headpiece, plus the scary mask of The Nun’s face. You definitely wouldn’t want to meet this one in a dark alley.

You could also opt for our sister nun costume, which again mimics a nun’s habit. As this comes sans mask, it’s an opportunity to test your makeup artistry skills and try out your own demonic nun look.

Pennywise Costume

We’ve had the old and now it’s in with the new. Here we have the IT remake’s Pennywise or Bill Skarsgård’s version of Pennywise. This terrifying clown goes against the norm, instead of a colourful outfit, this Pennywise has a sombre, dusty grey costume with red detailing. The ruffled outfit throws us back to the Victorian era of clownery, giving it an even scarier edge.

Our officially licensed IT Pennywise clown costume comes with the ruffled grey tunic and trousers, with blood-red accents, plus an extremely scary plastic Pennywise mask. If you prefer the makeup look and want to give the mask a miss, then we have an easy Pennywise makeup tutorial for you here. Finish it off with a pair of white gloves and a red balloon that’s floating with helium.

We also have a range of kids' Pennywise costumes, with trousers or a dress. This year, why not scare the neighbourhood and dress as a family of Pennywise clowns?

Billy the Puppet Costume

Do you wanna play a game? The Saw movie franchise has been said to have sparked a cultural shift in horror films, whether that’s true or not, the Saw films are certainly burned into the psyche of many of us. Though we get acquainted with him later on in the franchise, the killer barely appears in the first movie, however, we do have some notable appearances from Billy. Who’s Billy? Billy is a tricycle-riding puppet, who is also known as Jigsaw or Billy Jigsaw. The creepy puppet is used by the killer to communicate with his subjects by delivering messages… No more spoiler alerts!

Our killer tricycle costume is a great take on a Jigsaw Halloween costume, complete with an attached tricycle, the outfit has a jacket, a purple bow and trousers. The kid’s Jigsaw costume killer tricycle outfit matches the adult one, however, instead of a purple tricycle and accessories, it has red! What’s creepier than the Jigsaw puppet? Two Jigsaw puppets…

Both costumes can be amplified with plenty of white face paint or a Jigsaw mask and white cotton gloves for kids or adults.

For something a little different, yet still, on the Saw theme, try a latex pig head mask combined with a long black wig and become Jigsaw or one of his minions as they kidnap their next victim.

The Purge Costume

Imagine an alternate reality where the government sanctions a 12-hour period each year where all crimes become legal – including murder! As one of the latest great horror anthologies, we had to include a few costumes from The Purge in our list. Considering that many of the most notable characters are a simple combination of mask and weapon, we have a whole medley of character options for you!

One of the most recognisable looks is Candy Girl’s creepy ballerina and it’s easy to recreate for your purge Halloween costume. Pair our Kiss Me mask with a white tutu and wield a fake Tommy Gun to display that killer instinct 

The Polite Leader is another simple costume to do – all you need is one of our Evil Grin masks and a suit. You might also need a machete. Fake ones only, please. 

Gender Swapped Villain Costumes

The horror movie antagonist space is pretty male-dominated – fear not though ladies! You can put your own stamp on some of your favourite horror heroes with some Halloween villain costumes that are styled for you.

Women’s Pennywise Costume

Given that Pennywise is a shapeshifting ancient cosmic evil, we don’t think they should be constrained by the limits of gender. If you’re a fan of the It films, then this is the costume for you! Our women’s Pennywise costume is modelled on the modern interpretation of the film. The fancy dress outfit is an ash-grey dress with long sheer sleeves, shoulder puffs, a neck ruffle and a bubble skirt. The blood-red accents really make this outfit pop – and it even comes with the perfect shade of grey tights. 

Don this long red curly wig for your look as it’s just the right colour and length to make the perfect finishing touch, or you could go for our classic red crimped wig for a more clownish appearance. 

Freddy Krueger

Freddy, the undead antagonist of A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, has a simply iconic look. However, nothing is to say he’s not above a slight transformation! Our officially licensed women’s Freddy Krueger costume puts a twist on a classic and turns that striped jumper of his into a jumper dress. What’s not to love? The dress comes with a hat and bladed gloves and has a ripped and burned look to it – perfect for someone who died in a fire, don’t you think?

Move over Freddy, we’ve got a new girl of our dreams!

Jason Lover

While anyone can wear our classic Jason Voorhees costume, we’ve got something a little different for you. This Jason Voorhees dress takes fangirling to a whole new level! 

This black and red hockey-style dress has the unlucky (for some) number 13 on each shoulder and Jason’s infamous hockey mask plastered on the front. Another 13 appear in a blood splatter on the back of the dress and the name “Jason Voorhees” is printed above. Go team, Voorhees! (?)

Wear it alone or become your own kind of Jason with a deluxe Jason Voorhees hockey mask. Jason uses many weapons across his twelve films, novels, comic books and video games, but the machete is by far his most iconic.

That’s it for horror movie-inspired costume suggestions… For now! For more Halloween costume ideas, visit our Halloween fancy dress shop. Get fully prepared for Spooky Season with more of our Halloween blog posts.