How to get creative with a zombie costume?

October 17, 2018 11:28 AM

I'm low on cash and in possession of a standard issue Walmart zombie costume + duct tape + assorted items such as one might find lying around the house, like cheerios. I need ideas to level my costume game way, WAY up.

I'm hosting my annual halloween dinner for six friends and self on Friday. My guests have INSANE costume game. Though I am resigned to my fate as the boringest-dressed of the bunch (my contribution to this party is hostessing and cooking dinner, which I do very well), I nevertheless feel like there is something unbearable about giving up to such an extent that I simply put on a walmart zombie costume that no longer fits my son.

Who has ideas to creativity-zap my costume? Slight complication: I just lost my job so please don't make me spend more than $20 bedazzling it. You may assume that I have plenty of cheerios and paperclips and whatever McGyver-type accessories at home already. This place is bursting with Stuff, ugh.

Thanks in advance!

posted by MiraK to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (10 answers total)

A gauze bandage stained with tea (then dried) makes a few good flappy wraps to hold the bits of your bod together.
posted by anadem at 11:30 AM on October 17, 2018 [1 favorite]

You can make some pretty great zombie wound/decomposing flesh effects out of gelatin, glycerin, and corn syrup! Here's a recipe for gelatin skin base. And a how-to guide for fake wounds (cw: realistic gore). This version relies on tea or coffee for tone-matching, although if you have it, a bit of acrylic paint may work better. An in-depth guide for moulds/prosthetics if you wanna get fancy.
posted by halation at 11:39 AM on October 17, 2018 [2 favorites]

Maybe paint on a bite wound and then have fever and blurred vision? "It's all right - I've run it under a cold tap."
posted by turkeybrain at 11:44 AM on October 17, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: What about a box of strawberry jello and some marshmallow fluff (or whipped egg whites) to serve as BRAINS?
posted by Autumnheart at 11:47 AM on October 17, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: When in doubt: turn to puns.
You could be a mediocre regular zombie. Or you could...

-Make wings and antennae, wear black and yellow: a zom-BEE.

-Do yourself up super femme (have any old bridesmaid dresses?) and a wistful expression, but also zombie stuff: a rom-com-zom-bie.

-Wear clothes you'd wear in the tropics, carry a protest sign that says VOTING RIGHTS NOW: a GUAM-bie

-If you have a suit and fake beard and an orchestral instrument: a BRAHMS-bie

-Red hair if you can manage and drawn on freckles (maroon sweater if you have it) and a magic wand: a RON-bie

-Carry around a zombie-fied thrift store doll: a MOM-bie

-Shirtless with a bass guitar: a zomb-FLEA

-Only your knee is infected: a zomb-KNEE

(These will only get worse if I continue, you get the idea though.)
posted by phunniemee at 11:53 AM on October 17, 2018 [17 favorites]

Response by poster: I HAVE bee wings already!! Omg! I'mma be a zombee.
posted by MiraK at 12:02 PM on October 17, 2018 [20 favorites]

Best answer: Ok ok I know you've already decided but for future readers...

-Preppy clothes with a popped collar: aberzombie & fitch

ok I'm done
posted by phunniemee at 12:04 PM on October 17, 2018 [12 favorites]

Zombie costumes are so much fun, and Zombee sounds great! For other folks who find this thread and want to go with a "realistic" look, I have a really simple, great-looking method for a zombie costume. (But it is time-consuming, so probably not great for the person hosting the party.)

I used to do two kinds of blood... the wet stuff is just standard theatrical blood made w/ corn syrup and dye that I got for $5 at the Hallowe'en shop, but for the dried stuff I use a homemade mix of water, soy sauce, blue and red food colouring, and a touch of flour. It doesn't look right when it's wet, but when applied to fabric it dries *exactly* like real blood.

I applied the homemade blood the night before to some old clothes I knew I didn't want to keep, with a big stain down the front of the shirt and some random stains splatter across the rest of the shirt and the pants. The day of I rubbed damp potting soil in my hair and on the clothes (plus a little dirt from the backyard), cut small holes in the front and back of my shirt and then applied theatrical blood on the *inside* around the holes to make them look like through-and-through bullet holes.

I spent $10 on a kid's zombie makeup kit (with a grey base, not green), but rather than following the directions on it, I followed the same method I'd previously used from an *aging* makeup kit. (Pale skin w/ dark eyes and deeply accented facial lines that were then blended, reapplied, blended again, etc. I didn't use powder, which means the makeup didn't last long, but if you do use it, go very light or it will just make you look like a bag of flour exploded on you.)

I then gargled w/ the theatrical blood and let it pour out my mouth and down my chin, and then I rubbed some of it strategically on my clothes and in my scalp/hair. People won't even look anywhere but your face for the makeup, so just make sure it blends down to your neck and you don't have to worry about your hands or anything.

It's much easier than it sounds, and very simple/cheap - it just takes time. Prepping the clothes the night before took about 45 minutes, and the face makeup/getting dressed took about three hours, but it was well worth it.
posted by Fish Sauce at 12:39 PM on October 17, 2018 [2 favorites]

Yeah, spending some time with fairly cheap costume blood can get you a long way. One year my wife and I were zombie JFK (head wound) and Marilyn Monroe. We made a couple groups of trick-or-treaters cry when we answered the door.
posted by craven_morhead at 12:58 PM on October 17, 2018

-Preppy clothes with a popped collar: aberzombie & fitch
Aberzombie & Lich, surely!
posted by Adridne at 10:26 AM on October 18, 2018