Despite the tremendous growth in popularity of vampires over the past several years, choices in ready-made vampire costumes for men still tend towards variations on the classic Dracula look. It still works, so it's a great option, but some men prefer to change things up and fortunately, there are plenty of options for doing that as well.
The Classic Dracula Look
For decades, despite some female vampire characters in books and movies, it was only men who dressed up as vampires for Halloween. The character of Dracula was so iconic that it lent itself easily to both store-bought and homemade costumes. Sometimes simple, sometimes elaborate, the costume consists of a vest, tie or jabot, black trousers and the iconic black, high-collared cape. The look is 19th-century and elegant, rather than terrifying. You can now get fangs of excellent quality to make you a bit scarier and of course, you can add blood.
Modern Options in Vampire Costumes for Men
Lestat
The next major male vampires to take hold in pop culture were Lestat and Louis from Anne Rice's hugely popular series of novels, beginning with Interview With a Vampire. They date to the 18th century and Lestat has distinctive blond hair.
Spike
However, the blonde vampire whom men are more likely to dress as for Halloween is Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Spike, with his punk rock hair style and long black leather coat, is supremely cool. He also pairs well with his insane girlfriend Drusilla, making for a fun couple costume. You can rent the coat and wear it over black jeans, black books and a black T-shirt. Spike often wore black nail polish as well.
Angel
The other vampire costume for men yielded by Buffy is, of course, the title character's vampire love Angel, who later had his own show. Angel wears mostly black as well, although he often dons a white, button-down shirt. He favors a black leather, knee-length coat and has dark hair that he spikes. If you prefer a scary look, you can be Angelus, his evil vampire self. Buy Costumes has an Angel prosthetic that you apply with spirit gum. Unlike the makeup worn by the actors, once you have it properly applied, you can still eat and drink in comfort. Be Angel with a Buffy, and be sure she carries a prop stake.
Edward Cullen
Girls go crazy for Twilight's Edward Cullen, and he can partner with a Bella for another couple costume. To be Edward, you have to have reddish-brown hair that you can wear spiked, though it's more New Wave than punk. You need a heavy gray trench coat with a belt, solid color shirt and amber eyes. Of course, you may not want to invest in color contacts, so just do some reddish eye makeup. For a daytime event, you can get body glitter that makes you sparkle. You can buy the appropriate wigs for Edward and Bella, as well as Alice Cullen, on Amazon.
Where to Find Male Vampire Costumes
If you prefer the retro vampire, you have many options from which to choose. You can buy a ready made costume or create something for Cosplay. Annie's Costumes has a good selection of stylish vampire costumes for men. These include:
- Vampire Gothic Costume: Comes with velvet vest with attached shirt sleeves and collar, full-length black cape lined in red, white gloves and a medallion on a ribbon.
- Count of Transylvania: Black velour cape lined in burgundy with large collar, burgundy and black best with attached sleeves and jabot.
- Major Vampyre: For those who want to go the sexier route, this is a black winged jacket designed to look like leather and open to mid-torso. It's trimmed in red and has a belt.
- Lord of Blood Castle: More of an 18th century look, this features a longer black jacket, red scarf, red knickers and a broach.
Don't Forget Your Fangs
Whichever option you choose, be sure to add deathly pale makeup and fangs if you like. Even a funny vampire should have some bite!
