From ghastly ghosts to scary skeletons, costumed characters have an important place in any haunted house. Finding the best outfits for these characters is important since people coming through the house will be seeing them up close. Whether you are making you own costumes or buying them, it's essential that you choose some great looks.
10 Costumes for Haunted House Characters
Costumes for Ghosts
Making your own ghost costume is easy and affordable. With a little fabric, face paint, and a few other basic supplies, you can easily craft a creepy-cool costume to entertain everyone who comes through your haunted house.
You can also buy a ghost costume if you're short on time. There are lots of great options out there:
- For female ghosts, consider the Women's Ghostly Gal Costume from Halloween Express. It comes with a dress, cape, gloves, hat, and belt, so all you'll need to do is add makeup and a ghostly attitude. This costume is one size and retails for about $60.
- A great option for male ghosts is the Ghostly Gentleman Costume from Costume Discounters. It includes a top hat, frayed scarf, and jacket and is one size fits all. It retails for about $35.
Vampire Costumes
You can't have a haunted house without a vampire or two. Whether you choose to sew your own costume using a pattern or purchase an outfit, there are lots of great vampire costume options.
Keep in mind that accessories are important for this look, so consider realistic fangs, long fake fingernails, and even vampire contact lenses.
Costumes for Mummies
Having a mummy or two in your haunted house is a great way to scare and impress anyone daring enough to enter. Mummy costumes are easy to make, although wrapping the costume can be time-consuming. You'll need several yards of plain white cotton fabric, a brown ink pad, some safety pins, and plenty of makeup. Make sure you are wearing old clothes under your costume.
- Start by tearing the fabric into long strips about six inches wide, making sure each strip has ragged edges. The amount of fabric you need will depend on your size, but expect to use at least three yards.
- Have a friend pin the first strip on your clothing and wrap the fabric around you. Use safety pins to add more strips as needed so that you can wrap your entire body. Make sure the pins are hidden beneath the fabric.
- Stand with your arms and legs out and have a friend lightly brush the brown ink pad over the costume. The ink will transfer to the areas that stand out, giving the fabric a worn and dirty appearance. Let the ink dry thoroughly.
- Apply makeup to your face to give it an undead appearance. You'll want dark circles around your eyes, as well as pale green or gray skin.
You can also buy a mummy costume if you're in a hurry. There are plenty of options out there for men and women:
- The Mummy Scary Egyptian Costume from Wonder Costumes is a great option, especially when paired with creepy makeup. This outfit includes a bandage jumpsuit and a matching hood, and it comes in men's sizes large and extra large. It retails for about $45.
- The Mummy Queen Costume from HalloweenCostumes.com is a fun choice for female mummies. This outfit includes an eye mask, vest with bandages, tattered dress, and hood. It comes in one size to fit most people, and it retails for just under $40.
Outfits for Witches
A witch or two adds a fun, dark flair to your haunted house, whether they are outside stirring their cauldrons or indoors casting spells. You can buy a witch costume or make your own from clothing and accessories you have around. Remember to add a little green face paint to give your outfit the final touch.
Werewolf Costumes
Whether or not there's a full moon on the night of your haunted house, adding a werewolf to the mix is always a good choice. You can make your own werewolf costume by adding fake fur to your clothing and purchasing a werewolf mask.
You can also buy a complete werewolf costume if you're short on time. Consider one of these options:
- The Werewolf Full Moon Madness Costume from Spirit Halloween is perfect for your haunted house. It includes a plaid shirt with attached fur chest piece and wrist covers and an Ani-Motion mask that actually moves when you do. It comes in adult medium and large and retails for about $60.
- If you prefer to transform into a lighter hue, try the Adult White Werewolf Costume from Party City. This costume also features an Ani-Motion mask and a plaid shirt with attached fur. It comes in sizes small/medium and large/extra-large and retails for about $70.
Zombie Get-Ups
Figuring heavily in many recent books, TV shows, and movies, zombies are enjoying an "it" moment, and they definitely have a place in your haunted house. Since they mostly rely on tattered clothing and makeup tricks, zombie costumes are almost as easy to make as they are to buy. Be sure to practice your shambling corpse walk and your undead groan in order to complete the look.
Outfits for Mad Scientists and Their Victims
A mad scientist is another awesome character to include in your haunted house, especially if you also include a few people he's been using for experiments. Making a mad scientist costume is fairly easy if you pick up a wig and a white lab coat, and buying a costume is simple too.
For the lab victims, you can assemble this type of look by wearing tattered clothing and adding a few accessories:
- Use some monster neck bolts, available from Amazon.com for about $5, to indicate that the scientist used electricity in a creepy way.
- Indicate that the scientist got a little carried away by adding a fake knife through the head of his victims. The knife headband sells for about three dollars on NewEgg.
Also consider the Expirment Lab Rat Costume from Online Fancy Dress. It includes a disturbing rat mask, stained lab coat with tail and furry cuffs, and lab rat name tag. This outfit comes in men's size large and retails for about $65.
Evil Clown Costumes
You can add a carnival atmosphere to your haunted house by including a scary clown, perhaps as a greeter at the door. Buying or making an evil clown costume is easy, and many adults and children will be creeped out by this character. Be sure to practice your disturbing laugh before the big event.
You can purchase an evil clown outfit online if you don't have time to make one:
- The Last Laugh Evil Clown Costume from Party City is a chilling option. It includes a black clown jumpsuit, white puffy gloves, a red frilly clown collar, and an Ani-Motion mask that moves when you do. It's one-size-fits-most and retails for about $75.
- The Smiffy's Men's Classic Horror Clown Costume from Amazon.com is another good choice. This colorful outfit includes a yellow, red, purple, and green jumpsuit and a super creepy red-haired clown mask. It comes in sizes medium, large, and extra-large and retails for about $60.
Skeleton Outfits
A skeleton is another classic haunted house character to include. To make your own costume, you'll need a black shirt and pants, some glow-in-the-dark craft paint, some freezer paper and an iron, and a template like the one from CraftPassion. You can print the template, transfer it to the freezer paper, and then use that as a stencil for painting a skeleton on the black clothing.
You can also buy a skeleton costume online:
- The Skeleton Morphsuit from Morphsuits.com is a simple option that is perfect for a haunted house. The suit is a stretchy material that covers your entire body. This outfit comes in medium, large, and extra-large and retails for about $40.
- The Skelebones Women's Costume from Amazon is another fun choice. It consists of a stretchy long gown with a skeleton printed on it, and it comes in sizes small/medium and medium/large. The outfit retails for about $50.
Grim Reaper Costumes
Every haunted house needs a grim reaper whether you make the costume yourself or purchase it. If you plan to make the costume, use a pattern like Simplicity 1349, which sells for about $14. Don't forget the necessary accessories like the 80-Inch Stainless Steel Scythe, which sells for about $45 on Amazon.com.
You can also purchase a complete costume from an online retailer if you're short on sewing time:
- The Demon of Doom outfit from Pure Costumes is an affordable choice. It includes a mask, robe, belt, and gloves and is one-size-fits-all. It retails for about $20.
- The Adult Grim Reaper Costume from Halloween Express is another good choice. It includes a robe, skeleton gloves, and a mask and fits adults up to 200 pounds. This outfit retails for about $35.
Give Your Haunted House an Edge
Choosing high-quality, exciting costumes is a great way to give your haunted house an edge. Whether you choose to get creative and make your own costumes or purchase complete outfits, your house will be the scariest on the block.
