These horror icons serve up some killer looks that work perfectly for Halloween, with the added bonus of doubling up as year-round closet staples. Where horror meets fashion, and we’re not talking about very cool outlandish shit, we’re talking about stuff you could wear to the grocery store and maybe not get looks any weirder than you usually do.
Severen – Near Dark
We love a classic black leather jacket. Pair it with a white t and jeans, and you’ve got yourself a timeless look. Now throw some blood on that baby, add a pair of Ray-Bans and a devil may care grin, maybe a rifle over the shoulder for bonus points and BAM you’re channeling one of our favorite vampires. Lose the blood and you’re a James Dean-esque style icon. Or keep the blood, whatever. We’re into it.
Freddy Krueger – A Nightmare On Elm Street
He’s been our cover boy more times than I can count for a reason. There’s no arguing Freddy cuts a figure, be it in silhouette or full on lights, camera, action. If you’ve got a a striped sweater (that you can also whip out during Christmas if you’re so inclined) and a brown fedora, that’ll do. Obviously, if you want to serve the full look you’ve gotta go glove and burned face. But even if you’re not screen accurate, if you can manage to rustle up a striped sweater and fedora during your closet raid, it’s passable.
Ashley Williams – Evil Dead
This one is fun because you’ve got some options here, and you can get real specific. Do you want to emulate bloody Ash or clean Ash? Chainsaw hand Ash or two hands Ash? Depending on which iteration of Ash iconography you choose, the movie you’re homaging may change — Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness. But don’t let that deter you! Start with basic bare bones Ash and then accessorize based on your filthy soul’s content (or don’t!) Either way, you’re gonna need a long sleeve, button-down, blue shirt, brown pants, and brown boots. We won’t get into the particulars as to how Ash’s boots morph a little as we get into the sequels, we’re coming at this from the “raid your closet” angle. So stick with that blue and brown color palette, throw some blood on your face for a dash of crimson to offset the blue and from there, the boomstick, chainsaw hand, etc optional.
The Masked Killer – Blood And Black Lace
Ok, obviously this movie oozes gorgeous fashion. Style drips in every frame as much as the blood does. But I don’t know that dressing as one of the 1964 Italian fashion house models would be instantly recognizable for the average Halloweener. But the killer on the other hand… he’s giving us sleek trench coat, classic fedora (you know we love a good hat), leather gloves (it’s a giallo), and white stocking over the face. Will you be mistaken for the invisible man? Probably more times than you can count. But that’s ok. Brandish your straight razor, and appreciate that you’ll know in your little yellow heart you’re repping Bava. And you’ll have a trench coat and fedora ready for a stylish winter night on the town.
Ellen Ripley – Alien
Jumpsuits seem to be filling more and more closets these days, so if you happen to have one in yours, have we got a LOOK for you. Ellen Ripley, epic alien-slaying final girl, proving jumpsuits are both functional and fashionable. Ingredientes: Green jumpsuit. Bonus points for patches, feline friend, and curls for days.
Alice – Resident Evil
Like some other icons on this list, Alice has multiple looks, but this is by far the most recognizable. Requires: Red spaghetti strap dress, black skirt for that layering action, black boots for ass-kicking, and bonus for that massive “is that a gun in your gown, or are you just happy to see me?”
Rose The Hat – Doctor Sleep
As her very name suggests, the real selling point here is, yes… the hat. I’m going to take that a step further and say the head as a whole is what really delivers the Rose The Hat vibe, as the hair might be just as important as the hat in this instance. Rose has this vibe of, maybe when she’s not sucking the souls of children she’s maybe touring with Fleetwood Mac. A ’70s band shirt or better yet, flowy long-sleeve button down, + THE HAT — a top hat, but not too tall. We’re not reaching for Lincoln territory here, just a low top hat paired with those wavy locks, throw a tiny braid or two into the mix and you’re good to go. A shawl will also work, but just be sure to incorporate the hair and the hat, and maybe a little jar of that sweet, sweet soul juice.
Pamela Voorhees – Friday the 13th
We love a good cable knit sweater. A smile that indicates the gnashing of teeth and a knife that gleams like justice when it catches the light. Hair is a big selling point in this one as well, so if you’re not sporting a Pamela Voorhees close crop, grab a wig. Pamela’s head is a pretty prominent icon in itself, especially in Friday The 13th Part II if ya’ know what I mean. Bryan Fuller’s rendition of Mrs. Voorhees is still my favorite.
Jennifer Check – Jennifer’s Body
Jennifer’s got multiple looks that would be recognizable from across the room at a Halloween party, but I don’t know how many of you have a purple and yellow Devil’s Kettle cheer uniform in your closet, plus there’s something just so gosh darn couture about blood and a gown. So we’re going with this look. Bonus points if you can levitate above a pool and eat some boys while you’re at it. Just kidding, we do not actually condone one of those aforementioned things.
Millie Kessler – Freaky
Did we mention we love a good leather jacket moment? While our Severin nod above goes with a classic black, Freaky switches it up with a bold red. Vince Vaughn as The Butcher choosing an outfit for his stint as a high school girl is a wonderful scene, and we have to say… he chose well. Pair some light jeans with a black top and add a red leather jacket for the crowning glory. The Butcher chose wisely.
Jack Torrance – The Shining
Heeeere’s your costume! Blue jeans, plaid shirt red jacket and you’ve got an insta-Torrance look. Accessories are key here- namely an ax, a bottle of whiskey would be ideal, and a maniacal gleam in the ey with an off kilter smile to really bring it home. You won’t win any Parent Of The Year awards, but maybe you’ll win a costume contest or two, and if you ditch the ax and bottle of booze, you could wear this to pick up your kid from school, likely without getting any weird (er than usual) looks.
The Droogs – A Clockwork Orange
Does everyone have a jockstrap in their closet? I don’t know. But if you raid your closet (or the closet of a loved one, with permission of course) you’re likely to find a white button-down, and maybe some white pants if you’re the adventurous sort. In which case, a jockstrap and a pair of white suspenders are pretty cheap added accessories to bump it from Labor Day faux pax to Halloween costume. False lashes are also pretty cheap and readily available, and while I realize maybe not everyone has a staple hat collection, you can come by a black bowler pretty easily, too.
Carrie White – Carrie
Jennifer Check is not the only feral formal option on our list. Carrie is a classic icon for a reason. Pink spaghetti strap gown, diamond tiara, and a generous dousing of blood make for an instantly recognizable look, so long as you don’t mind being a bit sticky all night. Ok, so this one might be a bit of a stretch as it is almost entirely dependent on the blood and I prefaced this thing by saying you could wear it to the grocery store. But hey, I’m not here to yuck anyone’s bloody yum.
There are tons more but hopefully this jump-starts your creepy couture brainwaves and maybe inspires you to sport some nightmarish fashion year-round (if you’re not already!) And most importantly, never underestimate the power of a leather jacket or a bottle of blood forever at the ready.
