Okay, Halloween is approaching and you have no clue what you should be. You don’t really want to be dressed like everyone else, you might not want to be naked, and you definitely want to look awesome (on the cheap). Impossible! Just playing — it can definitely be done. To do so, I went through the roller decks of my brain and scanned horror movies I have seen for costume ideas. After doing so, I compiled the following list to ensure you’ll find a costume only you’ll be wearing, or to at least inspire you to figure out one of your own. Everything on here you probably already own or can get at most thrift stores.
1. Asami Yamazaki, Audition (Ôdishon), 1999
OK, this is a good one. I haven’t ever seen anyone dress as Asami Yamazaki from Takashi Miike’s slow paced and brilliantly disturbing Audition. It’s been 15 years since Audition came out and I’m not sure if any one even remembers it — so it’s a safe bet that you will not see anyone else in this costume. Asami Yamazaki is a non-assuming, quiet, gentle lady, who turns out to be a sadistic killer that hypnotically saws off her suitors limbs. It’s a pretty simple costume: all you need is long straight black hair or a wig, several rubber tourniquets, a black rubber fishmonger/medical examiners apron, a white dress, long black rubber gloves, and a quiet demeanor.
2. Reverend Harry Powell, Night of the Hunter, 1955
I’m sure someone has dressed as Reverend Harry Powell, who was played with disturbing believability by Robert Mitchum in Night of the Hunter, but I have yet to see it. In the film, Mitchum plays a preacher, serial killer con man who prays on recent widows and steals their money before killing them. The costume is pretty simple: black suit, white shirt, black rimmed hat and a ribbon tied as a bow tie, finished with the words “LOVE” and “HATE” tattooed on each hand. You will definitely scare the shit out of some folks on the train in this get up. Also, this costume would be rad on a girl!
3. Héctor, Timecrimes (Los Cronocrímenes), 2007
Holy shit, Timecrimes is insane! Directed by Nacho Vigalondo, Timecrimes a movie about time travel gone awry, where things keep getting worse for a middle aged guy named Héctor, who just wanted to look at a naked lady. I guess that’s what you get for being a perv. The costume is terrifying: worn out black collared over coat and a bandage stained with blood and rapped around your face like you’re a hobo mummy. If you haven’t seen Timecrimes, check it out! It’s usually streaming on Netflix.
4. Severen, Near Dark, 1987
Long before The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow made a lithe film called Near Dark. It’s a pretty cool vampire movie that follows a group of marauding vampires after one of them turns a new guy. In the film, Bill Paxton plays a sadist punk vampire named Severen. His get up is great: cheap black sunglasses, beaded necklace, leather motorcycle jacket adorned with pins, wild dirty hair, jeans, belt buckle, bloody tank and flannel, cowboy boots equipped with spurs, a little white make up for paleness, and blood around your mouth and face. The vampires were fangless in this one, so no need to wear an uncomfortable pair of plastic vampire teeth all night. Yes, people will think you are zombie Sid Viscous but whatever — they’ll feel stupid when you say you’re Severen and they have no clue who that is. Plus, you’re gonna look cool as shit!
5. Pris, Blade Runner, 1982
Back in 1982, Darryl Hannah played the cyborg Pris in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. Pris was stronger than you, faster than you, and, honestly, way cooler looking. Her get-up was both scary and dope. It’s pretty easy: crazy blonde 80’s wig, make-up, studded dog collar, ripped stockings, black boots, and really any torn up shirt. Why don’t people wear makeup like this all the time?
Article by Timothy White. Find him @TipToTheHip