5 Superb Halloween Costume Ideas in 2012

For those of you that dress up for Halloween it can be a tricky choice trying to decide what to wear when October 31st comes round. If like me, you are passionate about films, chances are that you’ll want to don one of the horror movie costumes that have become so readily available over the last decade. Personally, since I have been working within the costume industry I have seen the amount of licensed movie costume increase greatly, this is great news for the consumer, offering new and exciting outfits and also, because I know why you’re here, more importantly, an influx of horror film costumes are now viable options for you to wear and you can buy them right now either online or from your nearest party or costume store.

I have selected my top five horror movie Halloween costumes for Halloween 2012 and why I think you should be wearing them. They are in no particular order as I feel they all balance on the same level of awesomeness.

Carrie costume – Carrie

Carrie Costume

Carrie is the Brian De Palma directed 1976 film based upon the Stephen King novel of the same name. The film revolves around a girl with telekinetic powers and documents the startling results that a young girl can go to on prom night. It features Sissy Spacek as Carrie and also a young John Travolta in one of his first film roles.

As far as I’m aware, this is the only official Carrie costume. There’s been loads of similar designs over the years but this is the first official costume that is licensed by MGM. The outfit comes with a long white prom dress with a drenched in blood printed design, long blonde bloody wig and a tiara.

A good reason for the girls to wear this for Halloween is that it is new. Sometimes you see the same tired old costumes and it really looks like people are lacking originality in their costume ideas. This one, my friends, screams originality.

Pennywise costume – IT

Pennywise Costume

Here’s the second of two appearances made by a Stephen King inspired novel. IT was a TV movie that first aired in 1990. If you have a mortal fear of clowns you’ll want to stay away from this one. Set in the sixties, it is the tale of seven outcast kids known as ‘The Loser Club’ that come to fight a demon who poses as a clown. The children share the story of a killer clown, which seems unbelievable to the grown-ups. Thirty years later, they discover that the clown has returned.

Here’s one of the more authentic horror film costumes that is available today. Definitely true to the character. This scary Halloween costume includes a multi-coloured jumpsuit and a terrifying Pennywise face mask with attached bright red hair.

This costume is new for Halloween 2012 and will be an original outfit to through on. It’s also taken from a film that is over 20 years old so, if you’re going to be around younger people, you’ll get to tell them about the scariest clown ever. Failing that you can terrorise the people who are afraid of clowns, which seems to be a lot!

Sally costume – Nightmare Before Christmas

Sally Costume

One of Tim Burton’s earlier works, and, if I may thrust my opinion in, a little overrated. Still, it is definitely worth a watch. Consider this one, more of a horror movie for kids. This stop-motion piece is the story of Jack Skellington, king of Halloween Town and how he accidentally discovers Christmas Town, and then, wants to rule it! A wonderfully score by Danny Elfman, yet not exactly scary.

The Sally costume comprises of a combination of long patchwork design dress, elbow length glovelets and a long red wig. You’ll need to add a little black and white make-up with this one to complete the look.

I read on Twitter that there are far too many ‘sexy’ costumes that are just too revealing. If you are a woman and you stand by this view point, I believe this to be an ideal Halloween solution for you. It’s a great character to portray, it comes in various sizes and can be part of a couple combination with your man dressing as Jack Skellington.

Chucky costume – Child’s Play

Chucky Costume

The original Child’s Play was released in 1988 and has since spawned four sequels. There is currently a fifth called Curse of Chucky, in development. The original and debatably the best is about a mothers gift of a Good Guy doll for his birthday. However, the doll is possessed with the soul of dead serial killer Charles Lee Ray, who tries to put his soul into the boy’s body in order to again become human.

This I believe, is the best Chucky costume so far. It includes a set of replica dungarees, a stripy long-sleeved shirt, and a latex crafted and hand-painted Chucky face mask with hair.
This outfit, as far as horror movie costumes go, it pretty scary. Imagine you are in a bar and this guy walks in. Come on, you’d be a little freaked out. There’s great news for the girls with this one. There is a similar female version with a skirt if you don’t fancy dungarees. Although, this costume is effectively unisex.

Leatherface costume – Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Leatherface Costume

I’m going to assume that this is the most recognisable character in my list due to the most recent cinema offerings in both 2003 and 2006. There’ll also be a new episode in the form of Texas Chainsaw 3D, which is due to come out next January. I’m actually really keen on the original and I don’t even want to spoil a second of it for you. If you haven’t seen it, get watching this Halloween night.

The official Leatherface costume is based upon the original and best incarnation of the character in my opinion. The Leatherface costume comes with a collared shirt with an attached apron and a creepy looking brown neck tie. There’s also a pretty cool soft foam face mask with hair.

This is one of the great horror film costumes to wear for Halloween this year. With the new film coming in 2013 you should aim to beat the crowd and wear it this year. Also, there is a female version available too, so, if you have a girlfriend or wife that you are going to a party with, everyone will know that you are a couple.

I would like to hear your opinions and thoughts on my selections. What do you think of each of my chosen horror movie costumes? Would you wear them? Which is your favourite? Discuss below in the comments.

Author Bio: This post has been compiled by Ian Tomkins from Jokers’ Masquerade, an online Halloween costume retailer in the UK. Ian has an in-depth knowledge of horror movie Halloween costumes so much so, that he hides from his friends that like to dress-up for the duration of October.

Read more Halloween lists on Taste of Cinema by clicking the pumpkin image below!