While Halloween may be just a few days away, don’t fret if you haven’t put together the perfect fandom costume yet. Our list of last-minute, fandom-themed, cheap Halloween costume ideas have got you covered!
Whether you’re throwing a fandom-themed Halloween party or just looking to come up with the best costume possible, we’ve got some great, cheap Halloween costume ideas for you. The best part about these costumes is not only that they’re homemade, but also that they won’t cost you an arm and a leg to put together.
Yes, movie and TV character costumes from large sellers like Party City and Spirit Halloween look pretty awesome. But who has $50-$60 to spend on an outfit that they will wear only a few times and that may not even fit correctly? Plus, looks aren’t everything. The best costumes are always the most creative. You can’t be creative with a costume if you pull the whole thing out of a bag.
So, if you’re low on time or on cash, check out these thrifty last-minute, fandom-themed Halloween costume ideas.
‘The Hunger Games’
Katniss Everdeen
Throwing together a last-minute Katniss Everdeen costume is actually pretty simple. All you need are a few essentials, including a pair of plain green pants and a plain black shirt. A dark khaki or brown pair of pants will also do. Then, add a pair of brown or black boots (combat or mid-calf boots look the best) and either a brown leather jacket or a black windbreaker, depending on if you want to be pre- or post-reaping Katniss. Finish your costume off with a mockingjay pin. If you happen to have a bow and a quiver, great! Otherwise, just wearing the mockingjay pin will be enough to show people who you’re dressed as.
Peeta Mellark
Not to scare away any of the guys here, but dressing as Peeta is actually pretty similar to dressing as Katniss. Pair a plain black t-shirt with some forest green or khaki pants. Add a pair of brown boots and a black windbreaker and you’re good to go. Or, if you want to portray a pre-Hunger Games Peeta, swap a white shirt for your black shirt and a white apron for your windbreaker, and then just walk around with a loaf of bread all night. Easy.
Going out for Halloween with someone? Katniss/Peeta is a great couples costume!
‘Divergent’
Tris
Dressing as Tris is one of the easiest and most cheap Halloween costume ideas ever. All you need is a pair of black pants and a plain black t-shirt; the more form-fitting your clothes are, the better. Oh, and don’t your “tattoos.” There may not be temporary tattoos for the designs Tris has, so you may have to draw them on yourself with Halloween makeup. Apply three ravens to your collar bone, the Dauntless seal to your right shoulder, and the Abnegation seal to your left shoulder. Complete your costume by lining your eyes with black pencil.
Four
Like Katniss and Peeta costumes, Tris and Four costumes are also very similar. To dress as Four, don all black clothing (preferably of the tighter design to show of your muscles) and apply a few “tattoos.” You can apply as many of his tattoos as you’d like, considering the majority of them will be hidden by your shirt. If you would prefer to apply all of Four’s tattoos and walk around shirtless on Halloween, we definitely support you. After all, his tattoos are pretty badass. Make sure to look at the Divergent movie poster with Four for proper tattoo placement and order before you go drawing all over yourself, though. These two lead characters would also make a great couples costume!
A faction initiate
Dressing like faction initiates is a breeze. For Amity, pair red pants with a yellow top (or vice versa) and giggle uncontrollably all night. If you want to look like a Candor, wear all black and white, talk loudly the entire time you’re dressed, and try to tell the truth all night long. Dress as an Abnegation by donning all grey and styling your hair in a neat manner. For Erudite, wear different shades of blue and a pair of hipster glasses, and then shove a book or something in your back pocket. Finally, to dress like a Dauntless, wear tight black clothing that shows off your muscles and any temporary (or real) tattoos you may be hiding. If you’re a female, put on some dramatic makeup to complete your ensemble.
‘Supernatural’
The Winchesters
Let’s start with the basics. You can never go wrong with jean pants and/or a jean jacket. If you don’t want to wear a jean jacket, go with a leather or green military-style jacket instead. Try to wear a dark shirt under your jacket and, if your jacket isn’t too tight, you can also wear either a plaid or solid color collared shirt. Also, don’t forget to wear a pair of boots. Winchesters wouldn’t be caught dead in gym shoes or Converse. Finally, finish your ensemble with an anti-possession “tattoo,” a smirk, and, if you’re going as Dean, an amulet. Voila. Instant Winchester.
Castiel
When you think about it, Castiel is dressed a bit too swanky for his lifestyle (not that we’re complaining). So, do with what you have or what you can afford for his costume. The costume itself isn’t overly complicated. First, put on a white collared shirt, bright blue tie, black business pants and a black business jacket. Make sure you have a pair of business-like black shoes to match. Then, once you’ve put on all of that, hide it all (except for the bright blue tie) under a large khaki trench coat.
‘Orange is the New Black’
Dressing as an inmate from Orange is the New Black is a great Halloween costume idea for this year because it’s so popular right now. You don’t even need any sort of special “tell” (like a mockingjay pin, for example) for people to know what you’re dressing as. For your costume, all you really need is a pair of orange or khaki scrubs (which you can easily find at a second hand store) and a white shirt to go underneath (short or long sleeve; it’s up to you).
If you have the chance, attach an inmate name tag to the pocket of your scrubs so that there is zero chance of you being mistaken for a nurse. Finish it off with a pair of black boots or blue canvas shoes and, if you want to be Laura Prepon’s character, a pair of hipster glasses and you’re all set! Couple costume edition: You and your friend can go as Laura and Piper!
‘Doctor Who’
The Doctor
Now, because there are quite a few incarnations of the Doctor and they all have their own sense of style, there is no right or wrong way when it comes to dressing as the Doctor. If you want to dress as Matt Smith’s Doctor, outfit yourself with a brown tweed jacket, a reddish-burgundy striped collared shirt, and a burgundy (or other color) bow tie. The red fez is optional but encouraged. To dress as David Tennant’s doctor, pair a blue suit (or blue vest and blue jeans) with a white shirt, red tie, and Converse. Complete the look with a long brown trench coat and some spiked hair. If you’re feeling more like Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor, simply put a dark V-neck shirt under a black leather jacket. Done.
Oh, and for all of these costumes, don’t forget your Sonic Screwdriver!
A Dalek
Sorry guys, this costume works best for the ladies. Dalek costumes have become increasingly popular lately, so make your own at home using whatever you have available to you. You may prefer to keep it pretty simple considering that box-shaped costumes are hard to maneuver in, and aren’t that great for parties. Simply attach spherical shapes (or just plain cut out circles) in rows and columns onto the skirt of a dress. Then, add a few stripes to the top part of the dress and fashion yourself a headband that looks like the top of a Dalek. Complete your ensemble by walking around with a plunger.
Percy Jackson
It’s really easy to put together a last-minute Percy Jackson costume (as you can see from the photo of Rick Riordan above). All that you need is a pair of blue jeans and an orange t-shirt. If you can somehow get an iron-on Camp Half-Blood symbol for your shirt, that would be even better. Then, finish off your Percy Jackson costume with a ball point pen poking out of your pocket & ta da! Instant demi-god.
On page 2: Harry Potter, The Avengers, and more
‘Harry Potter’
Chances are you don’t have a storebought Harry Potter costume just lying around. Therefore, the easiest last-minute Harry Potter costume to put together is to dress as one of the trio in normal clothing. Think movies three through eight. No black robes or stuffy collared shirts. You don’t even have to go out and buy yourself a Gryffindor tie! Just try to mimic one of Harry, Hermione, or Ron’s normal muggle-like outfits and carry a “wand” in your back pocket.
To make it clear who you’re dressed as to the minority of people who aren’t Harry Potter fanatics, try to accessorize with some sort of character “tell.” For instance, a scar and round glasses for Harry, a time turner and small book for Hermione, or a red wig and some sort of portable food for Ron.
‘The Avengers’
A SHIELD agent
The premiere of Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD has made being SHIELD agent a great Halloween costume idea, last minute or not. The first step in looking like a SHIELD agent is acquiring your own badge. Lucky for you, the Agents of SHIELD website has you covered. Just choose a photo of yourself and your specialty, and then print it out. It’s just that easy.
Because there is not a set SHIELD agent uniform, you have a few options. You could go the FitzSimmons route and have more of a laid-back, intellectual style with some jeans and a button up shirt. Another option you have is dressing classy in a black suit and tie like Agents Coulson and Ward. Lastly, you could go the route of Natasha Romanov, Melinda May, and Nick Fury by dressing in stealthy black clothing. You’re essentially dressing up as a spy, after all. Any one of these options would make for a great SHIELD agent costume, just as long as you have your badge!
One of The Avengers
The majority of the Avengers’ uniforms are pretty intricate and would probably cost you a lot of money and energy to make. Ain’t nobody got time for that. Instead, be creative and try to replicate some of their more notable street clothes outfits. You could go with Steve Rogers’ khaki pants, white shirt, and boxing gloves, or Tony Stark’s classy black suit and iconic facial hair. Heck, if you dressed as Tony Stark, you could carry Monopoly money around with you and blow your nose with it or something just to show that you’re rich. Anyway, just keep it simple. The Avengers are heroes in our universe too (not just the Marvel universe), so it’s pretty safe to say that people will recognize you.
‘Fifty Shades of Grey’
Now listen up because this is probably the easiest and most hilarious Halloween costume ideas of all time. Visit a paint or hardware store and stock up on grey paint swatches. Then, on Halloween, make sure that you only wear clothes that are either grey, white, or black. You can even take it a step further and wear dramatic black and grey makeup and accessories (like a pair of metal handcuffs). Once you’re dressed, pin the paint swatches all over your clothes. You’ll most likely end up with more than 50 shades of grey but, hey, who’ll be counting when you look as awesome as this guy?
‘Breaking Bad’
You don’t have to break the bank in order to dress like a Breaking Bad character for Halloween. If you would prefer to go as Jesse, all you really need to do is dress like a hoodlum and carry some blue rock candy around with you. For those of you who would prefer to go as Walt, you could channel your inner Risky Business. Grab a dress shirt, some tighty whities, tall socks, and a pain of comfortable brown shoes. If you’d prefer to be fully dressed for Halloween, simply add a pair of pants and a black jacket.
If you’re still not satisfied with these Breaking Bad costumes, there is another option: HazMat suits. But that may be a bit out of the average person’s price range.
‘Teen Wolf’
Allison
An Allison costume is easy enough to come up with. Grab a red shirt (any style), black pants, and a pair of boots. Make sure to accessorize with a long necklace and a black leather jacket. Because Allison is still a teen, you don’t need to worry about wearing the right things. She honestly probably has as much money in her pocket as you do.
Derek
Again, another super easy Halloween costume idea. In fact, you could probably choose to be a Dauntless initiate for one Halloween function and Derek for another. All you have to do is dress in all black and finish off the ensemble with a leather jacket. To make sure people know that you’re Derek for Halloween, maybe wear some fake teeth. Those cheap plastic vampire teeth could probably pass pretty well for werewolf teeth.
Stiles
Perhaps you want to dress as the fan-favorite Stiles for Halloween. Not a problem. Pull on your favorite pair of jeans and pick out the snarkiest t-shirt that you own or that you can find. Then, pull a plaid shirt over said snarky t-shirt and BOOM. Instant Stiles.
‘Once Upon a Time’
Emma Swan
Because Emma seems to wear the same outfit over and over again, you’ll find it pretty easy to dress like her for Halloween. Honestly, the hardest part about putting an Emma Swan costume together will be finding a red jacket, leather or otherwise. Even though a leather jacket it true to her character, it’s pretty hard to find one in the real world. Aside from that, all you’ll need to imitate the Savior is a gray tank, blue jeans, and tall brown boots. Maybe add a plastic sherriff’s badge for good measure.
Ruby
What better way to demonstrate how much you miss Ruby’s presence on Once Upon a Time than by dressing like her for Halloween? All you really need to do is dress in all black and red. The brighter the red, the better you’ll look. For instance, you could try to model your costume after this outfit she wore last season. Pair some black pants (leather or pleather if you’ve got them) with a bright red top, a few bangles and long necklaces, and a black hat. Add a few dog-like accents (like a dog tag or a dog-shaped pin) to complete the outfit and better convey who you’re dressed as.
Snow White
During Snow’s days as an outlaw, she wears a pretty simple outfit that you could easily replicate. First, grab a brown vest with faux fur. If you don’t already own one, you’ll probably be able to find one for pretty cheap at a Forever 21 or thrift store. Wear the vest over a plain white long sleeve shirt. Then slip on a pair of white pants and tall brown boots. Tease your hair a bit to make it look like you’ve been living as a nomad and scurrying through the woods for a few months, and you’ll be Halloween party-ready in no time.
‘The Vampire Diaries’
Like we suggested for a last-minute Harry Potter costume, your best option for dressing as one of the trio members on this show is dressing like a normal, slightly sexualized teenager. So mix and match your favorite pair of jeans with your favorite leather jacket and find a form-fitting shirt to match.
From here, you have a few options on how to make sure people know you’re Stefan, Damon, or Elena. With a red pencil or Halloween makeup crayon, draw some red “veins” around your eyes, as if you were starting to vamp out. You can use that same pencil to draw a few lines from the corners of your mouth down your chin, to look as if you had just finished feasting on some poor, innocent bystander. Add a pair of plastic vampire teeth if you would like, but we don’t think it’s all that necessary if you already have “blood” on your face. Finally, make sure to wear your class ring (or the largest ring that you can find) as your daylight ring.
‘Grey’s Anatomy’
Step one: Make a trip to a Goodwill-like thrift store.
Step two: Buy a pair of scrubs.
Step three: Make a name tag for yourself with a name that has “Mc” as a prefix.
Step four (optional): When wearing the costume, make sure to look a bit disheveled. After all, the characters almost always look like they either just hooked up or had a bad day at the hospital. People will be able to tell that you’re a Grey’s doctor almost right away.