With the beginning of fall sneaking in, the spirit of Halloween lingers just around the corner. Given how quickly items fly off the shelves and parties are planned, it is never too early to start planning your Halloween costume. Whether you plan on dressing up by yourself, with your partner or your entire friend group, dressing up can be the most exciting part of the spooky season. That said, coordinating a costume is no easy task. The process of planning and buying the perfect costume can be overwhelming for some, but look no further because it doesn’t have to be. Here you’ll find a guide to Halloween costumes compiled of the best characters and looks from the cinema hits of this year and years prior.
Clark Kent and Lois Lane, the iconic superhero couple most recently appearing in James Gunn’s 2025 “Superman,” is the perfect costume for you and your partner. Lois, a journalist for the Daily Planet, can be seen wearing a simple white t-shirt, black vest, black wide-leg trousers and brown 1461 platform Doc Martens. This costume can easily be pulled together with items you might already have in your closet. As for Clark Kent, the fake identity of Superman, you can wear grey suit-pants, a white button-up and his iconic glasses. To tie it all together, you can wear a Superman shirt peeking out of the button-up to give the look some spice and hint to you leaving your desk job to save the city.
Tinkerbell is a film series that was a staple in many people’s childhoods. The franchise gave children and teens alike the sense of Disney magic and fulfilled their desire to fly to the North Star to visit Pixie Hollow themselves. Tinkerbell and her group of fairy friends are a perfect and simple costume for big friend groups. All you need to achieve the whimsical look are different colored dresses to match each of the fairies. With the exception of a top and leggings for Fawn and Vidia, to truly hone in the Disney fairy magic you can finish the look with a pair of iridescent fairy wings.
Galinda and Elphaba, an iconic duo since the first performance of “Wicked” on Broadway in 2003 and brought back to life with a film in 2024, is the perfect costume for you and your best friend. Elphaba, an aspiring witch that was later depicted to be the Wicked Witch of the West, can achieve her famous green complexion with colored face paint and matching gloves and tights. A long-sleeve black maxi dress and black cape can be paired with black heels or boots to further encapsulate her character. Though, the costume cannot be completed without her iconic black pointed hat gifted to her by Galinda and a prop broomstick. For Galinda, a pink layered chiffon dress with matching heels will go perfectly with a silver tiara and pink wand. Wearing these costumes, you two are sure to be popular on Halloween night.
Hiccup and Toothless from the “How to Train Your Dragon” franchise is a fantastic costume if you want to coordinate with your dog. Hiccup, the viking dragon-master from the fictional Isle of Berk, is a simple and easy costume to pull together if you’re low on time. All you’ll need are a long-sleeve green shirt, dark wash jeans, brown fur-lined boots, like Uggs, and a brown fur vest. As for your furry friend, a pair of black bat wings, or simply a Toothless dog costume from Amazon if you want to make your life easier, will perfectly complete your duo costume.
Mia Thermopolis, the early 2000s icon from “The Princess Diaries” and princess of Genovia, is the perfect costume if you want to stand out this Halloween season. While Princess Mia wore several memorable looks throughout the two movies, her ballgown look when she officially accepts her royal duties at her grandmother’s ball in the finale of the first movie is simple, iconic and easy to pull together. For the costume, you’ll need a white or off-white strapless mini-dress, white pump heels, white elbow-length gloves, 90s black oval sunglasses, stereo headphones and, of course, a silver tiara.
Whether you’re going to a Halloween party with friends or staying in with a bucket of candy and a scary movie, dressing up is an essential part of the holiday. Halloween is many people’s favorite holiday because of the creative freedom to dress as whoever you desire, but for many, that creative spark doesn’t materialize until it’s too late. These costumes are fairly inexpensive, simple to pull together last minute and will ensure you do not miss out on the fun of Halloween night.