Halloween Costume Ideas

Dressing up can be enjoyable for children and adults and Halloween provides an ideal excuse for parents to join the kids in having some spooky fun. Costumes can either be home-made or purchased if you aren't creative or good with needle and thread. They can also be as simple or as complex as you wish them to be.

If you're stuck for ideas and are trying to think of something different for a costume for Halloween, either for yourself or someone in the family, why not consider a costume that isn't necessarily creepy or ghostlike. A pirate for instance gives off a malevolent impression without it being related to the supernatural. Wear boots, ragged trousers and a loose shirt with a piece of fabric wrapped around your waist and a bandana around your head.

A gypsy costume is another easy idea: wrap a scarf around your heads, wear long dangly earrings, a long flowing skirt and embroidered blouse.

If you're attending a party or trick or treating as a family group, you might all go dressed up as characters out of the Adams Family. Mum dressed in black as Morticia Adams, daughter or niece as Wednesday, uncle might play the part of Fester and don't forget Cousin It.

Fairytales are a great source of inspiration: Cinderella, Fairy Godmother, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty or Beauty and the Beast. Many characters from Alice in Wonderland will go down well at Halloween. Think about the Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts, the White Rabbit, Caterpillar or March hair.

Animal costumes are another consideration. If normally you dress up as a witch, why not this year dress up as her cat? Other animal costume ideas for Halloween include: Werewolf, Gorilla, Crocodile, Fox or Lion.

For the men in the family, costume ideas for Halloween can be funny, scary, heroic or unfussy. A mask, cloak and dagger is all that's needed to turn the 21st century male into an 18th century Highway Man. Superman, cowboys, Darth Vader, a Wizard, a pumpkin, a scarecrow or a tree.

For the women in the family costume ideas for Halloween can be chilling and menacing or amusing. She might choose a Disney Character like Tinkerbell or Wendy from Peter Pan, a Mermaid or Pocahontis.

Throughout the ages, children and adults have dressed in costumes and this Halloween custom might go back to medieval days when on the eves of All Saints and All Souls Days, people would go mumming. This involved singing, making mischief and play-acting while dressed in costume. Whatever the reason, getting dressed up and being creative gives young and old alike the chance to let their hair down and have some fun.