How Have Halloween Costume Ideas Evolved?

This publication is also available in: Français English (UK) Deutsch Italiano Español

Once meant to frighten, Halloween costume ideas have indeed evolved over the years, even losing some of their terrifying character. After a golden age for all things sinister, it is now pop culture cosplays that are all the rage. Let’s take a look back at the origins of these costumes and their evolution over the last few centuries!

What are the origins of Halloween costume ideas?

Before discussing Halloween costume ideas, let’s return to the origins of this celebration!

We must go back more than 2500 years to discover the beginnings of this holiday. And it’s not in America that we should look, but in Ireland. Indeed, although the USA is often highlighted as one of the places most celebrating Halloween, it is on the green plains of Ireland that this celebration was born. And let me tell you, at that time, there was no talk of Barbie costume contests!

How did the pagan festival of Samhain give rise to Halloween?

Halloween actually developed from another, much older celebration known as Samhain. Etymologically meaning “the end of summer,” this Celtic festival highlighted the transition from one period to another. Specifically, it marked the end of the summer season and the arrival of winter, with its shorter and darker days. This was a time felt as a “between time”, a moment that belonged neither to the “light” past season nor to the “dark” coming season, which are the only two seasons present in Celtic mythology.

Celebrated over several days, corresponding to the last harvests of the year, it was believed that this period was conducive to an thinning of the boundary between the real and the beyond, and to the opening of the gates of the Sidh (the Otherworld in Celtic mythology). This, in turn, provoked the return of malevolent spirits to earth.

To avoid confronting them, the inhabitants would light great bonfires to protect the community and… wore frightening outfits to drive them away. The villagers and druids, who adorned themselves in these frightening creature costumes, believed that by doing so, potential harmful souls wanting to return to earth would refrain from doing so, thinking that others were already present.

The creation of the Halloween holiday can be explained by two factors.

In 835, the Catholic Church decided to move the celebration of All Saints to November 1st, coinciding with the pagan festival of Samhain. This celebration, known as All Saints’ Day in French, is referred to as “All Hallows” in English. The eve of this holiday, October 31st, thus carries the English name “All Hallows Eve”, which has, as you can guess, evolved over the years into “Halloween.” Here’s a little history behind the name!

Furthermore, the migration of the Irish to the United States in the 18th century contributed to the spread of the pagan festival across the territory. However, it quickly transformed into the Halloween celebration we know today. Specifically, a more popular holiday that departs from Celtic tradition and the associated rites.

Thus, Halloween became a standalone holiday, separating itself from Samhain, although it drew much inspiration from this celebration. The pagan festival continues to be celebrated every year around the world as well.

Halloween costume ideas to scare!

When we look into the various traditions related to Halloween, we notice that many of them root back to the pagan festival of Samhain. On one hand, the trick-or-treating that takes place on October 31st directly draws inspiration from a Gaelic tradition. This tradition occurred a few days prior to Samhain, where, depending on the region, either the poor would accept cakes from wealthier families in exchange for promising to pray for their deceased or children in costumes would come to sing songs or tell jokes in exchange for candy.

Moreover, the famous illuminated pumpkin is actually a distortion of another tradition. Originally, the legend of Jack O’Lantern highlighted that he, condemned to wander between the world of the dead and the living, had put an ember inside a turnip to light his way. A turnip, which was later replaced with a pumpkin as the Halloween festival developed.

Now, let’s talk about the Halloween tradition that interests us the most: the costumes! And here too, as you may have understood, it derives its inspiration from Samhain.

Halloween costume ideas stem from, on one hand, the creature costumes worn by villagers and druids themselves to ward off malevolent spirits. These were designed to create terrifying silhouettes intended to frighten any potential spirits returning to earth. These costumes took the form of creatures or animals and were often made with animal skins or even the heads of dead animals.

On the other hand, these infamous malevolent spirits also represent a rich source of inspiration for Halloween costume ideas. Indeed, many diabolical figures are linked to this celebration and Celtic folklore, such as the fairy creature Puca, capable of taking on various appearances.

Thus, these costumes had the primary purpose of scaring. Over the years, we have also seen costumes representing religious figures added, particularly among children going trick-or-treating or participating in choirs.

How has popular culture evolved Halloween costume ideas?

Starting in 1920, the tradition of dressing up gained momentum, with the organization of parades for both adults and children. Costumes then primarily catered to children by the mid-1940s. It wasn’t until the 1970s that we began to see a resurgence of Halloween costume ideas among adults. This was largely due to the influence of pop culture.

Indeed, with the rise of horror cinema and the release of classics by John Carpenter, George A. Romero, Dario Argento, David Cronenberg, and Brian De Palma, the world of Halloween was more prominent than ever. Gradually, Halloween costume ideas that once drew from witch or vampire legends turned towards the big screen.

Over the years, films and series have become an endless source of inspiration for Halloween costume ideas. Stores quickly filled their racks with costumes from Scream, Chucky, wigs from The Grudge, chainsaw replicas, and other dresses of the twins from The Shining and masks from The Silence of the Lambs…

How did cosplay enter Halloween costume ideas?

Gradually, it was not just the terrifying figures from films that began to feed Halloween costume ideas, but all the iconic characters from the film and series sphere. Consequently, the desire to scare has slowly taken a back seat to a new primary desire: to create outfits identical to those in films to make a statement.

While some films and series are rooted in a theme of mystery, like Stranger Things, others belong to completely opposite genres. Cosplays are a way to pay tribute to a film or series, and to celebrate the impact they can have on society. Thus, more than ever, it’s an opportunity to become your favorite characters for an evening!

Therefore, it’s no longer surprising to encounter a replica of the Annabelle doll on the same sidewalk as a group of friends dressed as Hocus Pocus! Here’s a small selection of gems found on Pinterest!

In recent years, these Halloween costume ideas have truly taken over and are an ultra-creative playground! Additionally, we have seen some fun nods, such as last year with Paul Mescal, the new Gucci ambassador, who dressed up with Daisy Edgar Jones (his co-star in Normal People) as Fleabag and Hot Priest (from the series Fleabag). Notably, a crossover had been created between the two award-winning series!

With the number of series and films coming out, there is no shortage of ideas! Whether it’s a touch of nostalgia by embodying characters from our childhood or Halloween costume ideas related to recent releases… You can choose between a Nanny McPhee or Barbie! By the way, our article on Wednesday Addams can help you find pieces!

However, given the current context of the actors’ strike, SAG-AFTRA has asked them to not dress up as fictional characters to avoid promoting them. As a result, witch and vampire costumes may make a comeback!

Additionally, find our makeup ideas and discover the trendy nail polish to adopt for Halloween!

Photos: Pinterest