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Become your friends and family’s worst nightmare this October with our collection of scary costumes.
There’s costumes based on your favourite horror movies and TV shows, plus more traditionally frightening costumes.
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All the Halloween costumes in this round-up can be DIY’d or bought online if you’re strapped for time.
Browse our scary Halloween costume ideas and frighten your neighbours!
13 scary Halloween costumes
1. Creepy clown costumes
Clowns always give us the heebie jeebies! Clowns make the best scary Halloween costumes because you can dial the scare factor up depending on your event.
If you want to make your clown costume truly terrifying, learn how to make fake blood and add it to your costume.
- Scary Halloween costume by Morning Chores
2. Woman in Black scary Halloween costume
The 2012 film Woman in Black is a horror that’s as disturbing as it is brilliant. Dress as the main character, The Woman in Black, this Halloween and give all your neighbours the shivers.
All you need for this scary Halloween costume is lots of black fabric, draped over a black dress to create the desired eerie effect.
Add some white face paint and don’t forget your candle stick! Float along the corridors and you’ll scare everyone in sight.
- Scary Halloween costume by Recipe Magik
Find more freaky ideas!
Check out these easy men’s Halloween costumes for endless spooky inspiration.
3. Petrifying Plague doctor costume
There’s something about the 16th and 17th century plague doctor masks that make us feel uncomfortable.
It might be because of their association with death, or maybe it’s because you can’t see their faces, but whatever it is, we know they’d make fantastic scary Halloween costumes.
We love that this plague doctor costume has been turned into a couple’s Halloween costume. You wouldn’t want these two turning up at your door in the middle of the night!
- Scary Halloween costumes by Bored Panda
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4. Weeping angel Halloween costume
This scary Halloween costume is an ode to the most frightening episode (in our humble opinion) of Doctor Who in history.
The weeping angels, which moved closer every time you blinked, made many people afraid of cemeteries and gave little kids nightmares for months!
Spandex Simplified has created this incredible weeping angel costume entirely by hand. Follow her step-by-step tutorial on her blog to make your own.
- Scary Halloween costume by Spandex Simplified
5. Gruesome Grim Reaper costume
Haunt the halls, looking for your next victim with this scary Halloween costume! Transform yourself into the Grim Reaper this October in just a few simple steps.
For those of you needing a quick, last-minute costume, you can buy a Grim Reaper cloak and scythe on Amazon.
If you have more time, why not DIY it? Heather Handmade has an easy-to-follow tutorial.
- Scary Halloween costume by Checklist Chic Designs
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6. Satanic Priest/Priestess costume
Worship the dark lord himself with this scary Halloween costume. Makeup, horns and white contacts are all you need to turn yourself into one of Satan’s followers.
Make sure you also check out our 22 dog Halloween costumes. We feature some adorable devil horns for dogs, which would match this costume idea. Your furry friend can become your scary sidekick!
- Scary Halloween costume inspiration from Pinterest
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7. Animal mask Halloween costumes
Plenty of horror films and TV shows feature people wearing animal masks. From Wicked Games and Donnie Darko to Black Mirror, being hunted by a crazy murderer in an animal mask is truly a living nightmare.
Despite it being completely unnerving, it’s actually an easy scary Halloween costume to recreate.
Pick up an animal mask, then pair it with a vintage dress or suit. For extra horror points, add rips, dirt and fake blood to the dress/suit.
- Scary Halloween costume by Etere Shop
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8. Scary scarecrow Halloween costume
Scarecrows are another great fancy dress option. They can be scary, silly or cute Halloween costumes. This dark scarecrow is the go-to option if you want to frighten your friends and family.
This one is all about the makeup. A standard scarecrow outfit will do, just be sure to black out your eyes and add menacing eyebrows.
- Scary Halloween costume inspiration from Pinterest
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9. Menacing Mummy Halloween costume
Resurrect your crafting skills to make this scary Halloween costume. DIY your own mummy outfit with strips of fabric, dyed with tea bags to give the dirtied look. Martha Stewart has a chilling mummy makeup tutorial on her blog to help you.
This would make a cool family Halloween costume, too. Dress your partner and kids up as mummies to create a family of the undead.
- Scary Halloween costume by Joanne Howe
10. Mysterious Mothman costume
@justinelucyyink reposting this just in time for spooky season! y'all loved my mothman and every October the original videos get a whole bunch of interaction. ♥️♥️ unfortunately this mothman got destroyed in a mold incident, but fear not, I will be soon remaking mothman, bigger and better. #mothman #mothmancostume #cryptid ♬ FOLLOW ME sarahk1m – hi
This might be our favourite scary Halloween costume in our roundup. Justine Canzonetta shows you how to make this fun Mothman costume in her step-by-step reel.
It’s a unique costume that strikes the right balance between scary and funny. For more silly fancy dress ideas, make sure you check out our funny Halloween costumes.
- Scary Halloween costume by Justine Canzonetta
11. Scary skeleton Halloween costume
Skeleton outfits make spine-chilling group Halloween costumes. Imagine a group of these skeletons walking towards you in the dark!
Wear all black, including a hood to hide your hair, then pop on a skeleton mask. For a finishing touch, add glow-in-the-dark paint to your costume. Trick or treaters will be able to see you coming from a mile off!
- Scary Halloween costume inspiration by Pinterest
12. Samara Morgan inspired Halloween costume
The Ring is a hair-raising horror film which is best known for its creepy main character, Samara Morgan. The Grudge is another famous horror which features a character with similar attributes to Samara – the signature long black hair is one!
For this look, wear a dirtied white nightgown and brush all your hair to the front of your face, or use a long black wig! Carry around an old VHS tape to pay extra homage to The Ring.
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13. Coraline Halloween costume
Finally, we had to include one of the scariest kid’s films we’ve ever seen – Coraline. Those black button eyes and her spider Other Mother were enough to have us hiding behind a pillow when we were kids.
Turn yourself into Coraline, or her Other Mother, for a nostalgic, scary Halloween costume. There’s three main items you need: a little yellow raincoat, a blue wig and button eyes.
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DIY your own scary Halloween costume this October
Take your fancy dress to the next level this year by DIYing your own scary costume. Add lots of gore and grime to your outfit and freak out your friends and family this October.
Discover more creepy costumes with Gathered
Looking more for Halloween costumes? Head over to our collection of the best DIY Halloween costumes, there’s over 200 to choose from.
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