Halloween Costume Ideas

October 28, 2004 10:09 PM

I have a Halloween party to attend on Saturday night and need a costume idea! Cheap and easy is the key!
posted by amandaudoff to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (23 answers total)

Did you take science in high school/college/university and have an old lab coat? Have some hair gel? Mad scientist is a quick and easy fallback costume - works particularly well if you have full-on goggles you can wear at an angle on your head, but they get a bit sweaty. I have used this one if I need something comfy and I just can't face doing the catholic school girl getup for another year.
posted by Cyrie at 10:13 PM on October 28, 2004

In my attempt to actually be something scary, I was a suicide bomber last year:

1) wrap some tubes (cookie dough, paper towel rolls, whipped cream, whatevers handy) in brown paper bags, and strap them to your chest. Write "C-4" on them.

2) get a black t-shirt, put the head-hole over your eyes and tie the sleeves in the back

3) additional accessories (headband with arabic writing, wiring for the "bombs," a detonator or timer of some sort, a copy of the Quran) are plentiful and encouraged.

4) enjoy!
posted by ChasFile at 10:20 PM on October 28, 2004

I got a fair bit of mileage out of a tinfoil hat (well, aluminum) and a shirt about aliens once.

There's always all black, stocking cap and crowbar... you're a burglar!

Or same outfit, but with Bic pens... bike thief!
posted by codger at 10:20 PM on October 28, 2004

Black shirt, black trousers, flip-flops, pinned-up bit of white card under the collar in front, bottle of whiskey, Irish accent, a collection of colourful curses/blessings ('...in the name of the whiskey, and the beer, and the holy smokes' etc), and you're a Graham-Greenesque fallen priest.

Works best if you live in Mexico, and the whiskey bottle goes progressively from full to empty over the course of the evening. One of the very few times I did anything for Halloween, back when I lived in La Paz, BCS one year.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 10:47 PM on October 28, 2004

Get a white t-shirt and write the following:
I.O.U. $5.6 Trillion
Drink lots of beer.
Start the evening as a deficit and end it as a staggering deficit!
posted by arse_hat at 11:00 PM on October 28, 2004

Zombie!
posted by SPrintF at 12:52 AM on October 29, 2004

Favorite cheap costume ever:

$2 black and red thrift store DARE t-shirt, paired with black miniskirt, tights, and ridiculously high heels that I already had.

$2 devil horns.

And voila, you are a daredevil. If you are groaning and thinking this is the lameness, you should know I wore this to a George Clinton show a couple of Halloweens ago, and I got far more treats than tricks.
posted by melissa may at 1:18 AM on October 29, 2004

I've always been desperate to go to one as Bart Simpson dressed as Alex the droog from A Clockwork Orange.

You will need:

One Bart Simpson Mask
One Black Marker Pen (to modify the mask's eye make-up)
White clothes
Black bowler hat

Not beyond the realms of possibility, I feel.
posted by nthdegx at 3:26 AM on October 29, 2004

In case you missed it...
posted by Galvatron at 5:11 AM on October 29, 2004

We're in luck! The Morning News covered this today.
posted by rschroed at 6:41 AM on October 29, 2004

Wear all black. Tape a circular piece of paper with the number 8 on it to your back and a triangular piece of paper with "MY SOURCES SAY NO" on your chest. Instant Magic 8-Ball costume.
posted by Johnny Assay at 7:23 AM on October 29, 2004

If you already have an ipod, wear all black, blackface, and black hair dye, and affix a large piece of colored cardboard to your back. (Stolen from Mitch Mills.)
posted by kenko at 8:24 AM on October 29, 2004

Wear all black, and attach popcorn and candy wrappers all over yourself. You're a movie theater floor.

Or, if you would prefer to make it dirty, attach condoms and KY tubes and you can be an adult movie theater floor.
posted by gatorae at 8:54 AM on October 29, 2004

Two years ago I went to a party dressed in medical scrubs, mask and gloves, all of which were smeared with chocolate frosting. I had a homemade nametag with "Dr. Ben Dover, Chief of Proctology" For women I think "Ann L. Exam" would be a good name.
posted by m@ at 9:57 AM on October 29, 2004

Color one eye black and wear the letter "P" on your chest.

Instant Black-eyed pea.

Another one is to get a disposable white coverall and some pens - a white lie. The pens are for writing your favorite white lies on the coverall.

Cheap and easy.
posted by Icky at 10:23 AM on October 29, 2004

Got Cauliflower?

Be a Brain Donor!
(Scroll to the bottom of the page)
posted by sonicgeeza at 10:24 AM on October 29, 2004

Go as your evil twin.
posted by transient at 11:03 AM on October 29, 2004

In my attempt to actually be something scary, I was a suicide bomber last year:

Yeah, and be sure to ride the subway or some other public place.

Seriously, don't do this if you live in Washington, DC or you won't be attending any parties for a while.
posted by terrapin at 12:43 PM on October 29, 2004

Take a pizza box or other large square of cardboard and cut a whole/afix it around your nexk with your head in the center. Glue a condom to the corner of the square. Put lampshade on head. Voila: you are a one night stand.
posted by donovan at 2:37 PM on October 29, 2004

Blue sweatshirt. Cotton balls. Tape. Go as the sky.
posted by pieoverdone at 2:55 PM on October 29, 2004

I wouldn't recommend pieoverdone's suggestion unless you want to look very similar to someone else at that party who totally found that idea earlier this week.
posted by LeiaS at 3:10 PM on October 29, 2004

Speaking of blue, last night a friend at a party wore a blue wig, shirt, pants, had a telephone cord wrapped around her neck with a small rubber chicken hanging from it. She was Chicken Cordon Bleu. (Obviously: Chicken cord, on blue.)
posted by bkeaggy at 10:20 AM on October 31, 2004

Holy crap, it's Sunday already! Oops.
posted by bkeaggy at 10:20 AM on October 31, 2004