REVIEW | Halloween costumes we need to see this year (and ones we don't)
Photo Credit: Evîn Jaaf
Halloween is approaching fast, and Hamberites have plenty of ideas for their costumes. However, we have our own opinions on what we want to see — and what we’d rather people avoid. Many costumes that are considered classics, such as the Harry Potter trio or Alvin and the Chipmunks, can come off as tired and unoriginal if they’re not done right.
Another classic but all too common costume is Wednesday Addams, the titular character in the 2022 Netflix series. In 2023, we noticed an enormous spike in the popularity of the show and, with it, the costume. Let’s be honest, everyone's a little tired of the outbreak of Wednesdays everywhere on Oct. 31!
Other classic Halloween-themed costumes that might also provoke a sigh this year include witches, black cats, devils, vampires, zombies, and even those skeleton bodysuits. Classics are nice, but creativity is too — so keep in mind that dressing up isn’t just plopping on some cat ears and calling it a day. The best Halloween costumes take effort, time, and originality.
Every year, many couples choose to coordinate their costumes, but many of these duos’ dress-up choices come across as uninspired and basic.
Backtracking to the Addams family, the once original Gomez and Morticia Addams costume has now been widely overdone in the last few years due to the popularity of the show, and it now feels a little rusty. Some other go-to ideas for couples tend to revolve around duos in the universes of Disney, DC, and Marvel — from Spiderman and Mary Jane to Beauty and the Beast. These are too well-known, and their frequency as costumes should be gradually reduced.
If you have even more people you want to dress up with, then friend group costumes are a great way to express shared favourite shows, movies, and books! This year, we’re looking forward to seeing some cleverly-crafted group costumes.
These hopefully won’t include costumes like the Harry Potter trio, or that group of Disney princesses everyone always sees walking around (with or without their princes). Minions also tend to be popular, with the huge goggles and blue beanies, but might be too recognizable at this point, even if they’re adorable to see in large groups.
Alas, there will be tons of people dressing up as the same, overdone character this Halloween. If you don’t want to feel like you’re looking in a mirror everywhere you go, then you should plan to dress up as something fun, innovative, and original.
Some other ideas for less common solo costumes include Katniss Everdeen, the Statue of Liberty, or even a magician, but there are endless creative possibilities that Hamberites could do.
Couples' costumes are notoriously difficult to get right – so this year, think of the newest, most original couples out there! Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, Elphaba and Glinda, or even the dragon and donkey from Shrek would be funny, cute, and not at all cringy.
Finally, group costumes! A fun twist would be the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) athletes, but dressed up as goats with their athletes' famous jerseys! Some other group costume ideas are the Spice Girls, characters from the new Minecraft movie, or the girls from KPop Demon Hunters. At least one of these ideas is sure to have the whole friend group excited.