Top 10 Traditional Halloween Costumes

If you were to dress up as the devil any other night of the year, people may think you have serious issues. On Halloween, however, you’re free to embrace Satan. The best part about dressing as the devil is that there are many different ways to interpret this malevolent icon. You can go the old-fashioned route with cartoonish red horns, a pitchfork, and cape. If you really want to get creative, however, you can create a truly terrifying prince of darkness. Either way, you’re sure to have a sinfully good time.

If you put getting a Halloween costume off until the last minute and need to improvise, the mummy look is probably your safest bet. All you need to do is grab a roll of toilet paper and wrap it around your body. BTW, the TP mummy also makes for a great party activity. If you have the time, though, you can go all out in the mummification process. Apply some with deadly makeup to your flesh, drape yourself in rags, and you’ll fit right in with the ancient Egyptian crowd.

Since Halloween allows people to become whatever their heart desires for one night every year, it isn’t surprising that so many girls like to live out their princess fantasies. While the warrior princess and video game princess costumes are popular, Disney primarily runs the princess racket. For generations, females of all ages have dressed as Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, and other royal Disney icons. Seeing how the world is currently overcome with “Frozen” fever, you can count on seeing plenty of Elsa and Anna costumes for years to come.

If being a princess is every little girl’s dream, then a pirate’s life is for every little boy. Gee, Disney certainly knows what the kids want, huh? The pirate ensemble encompasses everything a boy could desire: swashbuckling swordplay, a great sense of adventure, and a total disregard for hygiene. Girls have been known to put their own spin on the pirate look too, making this a gender-neutral costume idea. Even if you’re an adult, dressing as a pirate will certainly take you back to the glory days of your youth.

Zombies are among the many staples that we’ve come to associate with the Halloween season. When giving out candy, you can count on seeing at least a couple of these undead fiends assorted among the other trick-or-treaters. There are numerous different variations you can do on the zombie costume. However, there are several key elements that no zombie ensemble would be complete without: ripped clothing, decrepit makeup, and gore galore. Stick a fake knife in your head for good measure and you’re ready to join the zombie apocalypse.

There was a time when vampires were nefarious monsters. Now thanks to “Twilight,” they’re widely seen as wimpy dreamboats. Whether you go as a scary vampire or an emo vampire for Halloween, though, getting dressed up is guaranteed to be a gothic good time. Plan on purchasing a pair of fake fangs, pale foundation makeup, and a couple bags of blood. Oh, and don’t forget to make a couple bite marks on your neck. Just lookout for anybody carrying garlic or crosses and get home before the sun comes up.

Superheroes are all the rage right now, making them an especially popular costume concept come Halloween time. There are a variety of celebrated crime fighters to don the mask of - from Batman to Spider-Man and the Flash. The wide range of superheroes and superheroines also makes this great for group costumes, whether you and your friends wish to go as the Justice League or the Avengers. If you still have a superhero costume leftover from Comic-con, break out the cape, cowl, and spandex for a night of candy and cosplay.

There are two routes you can take a clown costume. On one hand, you can try to make people laugh with your frizzy hair, red nose, and flamboyant jumpsuit. The alternative would be adding a butcher knife into the equation and making everybody float with dread. Of course, since some people are just naturally afraid of clowns of all kinds, you’re inclined to frighten a few folks no matter what. Whether you make them laugh to death or scare them to death, a clown costume is the perfect trick-or-treat for Halloween.

A ghost is probably the most straightforward costume you can assemble for Halloween. All it takes is a bed sheet and a pair of scissors to cut eyeholes. Anybody can make a basic ghost costume, except maybe Charlie Brown. This is a costume for people that want to keep it simple, but there are also plenty of extravagant and gruesomely inventive ghost costumes out there. With hollow eyes, messy hair, and a physical appearance that tells your grim backstory, your ghost outfit can make for one haunted evening.

Before we dress up our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Cat
- Frankenstein’s Monster
- The Joker
- Grim Reaper

When we think of witches, Halloween instantly comes to mind. They’re practically the mascot for the holiday. Most witch costumes come complete with pointy hats, sharp fingernails, and a broomstick. If you want to look extra wicked, though, be sure to throw on some green face paint. You may prefer to go as a good witch, but Halloween is the night for double, double toil and trouble. Why not let out the cackling, maleficent creature inside you? What’s the worst that could happen, aside from being burned at the stake?

Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite traditional Halloween costume? For more entertaining Top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.