Costume contests are one of the most popular Halloween activities, and in this process we get to see some of the most interesting, unique costumes people come up with. 

In honor of the upcoming holiday, All Hallow’s Eve, here are a few tips on how to choose the best costume, and how to avoid the worst. 

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion about the best costumes to wear on Halloween, but sometimes those opinions are the same throughout a group of people. 

Best costume for females: 

The most popular response for best female costumes was more classic costumes (witches, princesses, etc.), but with a twist. Many people said they like a more scary take on classic costumes. For instance, ‘hooked tinkerbell’ (classic tink with a hook through the cheek), ‘iced Anna’ (Princess Anna with ‘ice’ shards in her cheek), or ‘poisoned Snow’ (Snow White- after the poisoned apple). Those are just a few examples of ‘horror classics’- fun and interesting costumes for girls of any age. 

Best costume for males: 

The male costume category with the most votes is movie characters. That leaves quite the variety of choices, but some more specific answers included serial killers (Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, etc), superheroes (Superman, Spiderman, Batman, etc.), or even fun Disney characters (Sully, a prince, or even an animal sidekick!). There are many different movies to choose from, just get creative! 

Best costumes for couples/groups: 

Many teenagers enjoy going to parties or even trick or treating with friends or their significant other. In these groups, it’s fun to have coordinated costumes. The recurring theme in ‘couple costumes’ are ‘evil couples,’ such as Chucky and Tiffany, or Joker and Harley Quinn. For groups the theme was ‘iconic movie franchises,’ such as the Scooby Doo crew, Avengers, or Harry Potter characters. Any group costume can be fun as long as it’s coordinated and creative. 

Most popular ‘classic’ costume: 

A classic is something that was of the best of it’s time, and can still be enjoyed today by those young and old. An easy, classic costume to go as is the ghost. It can get as complex as getting a bunch of stage makeup, ripped clothes, loud chains, etc, really sell the scary ghost look… or it could be as simple as cutting 2 eye holes into a white sheet and throwing it over a kid’s (or adult’s) head. Easy, classic, and respectable. 

There are some costumes that are used way too much, and eventually they just get old. Whether it’s an older costume that isn’t really relevant for this time, or it’s overused and not unique anymore, there are some costumes that just need to retire. 

Worst/ most overused costumes for females: 

The outcome is this question was actually a three way tie- Angels, Devils, and Witches. These costumes are simple and easy to throw together, which is possibly why so many girls wear them. On a typical trick-or-treat night, many people are destined to see quite a few of these basic costumes. 

Worst/ most overused costumes for males: 

The votes show that the most overused costume for guys is athletes. They are usually last minute, throw-together costumes that look like they didn’t really want to try. And the most annoying part is, the guys that typically dress up as athletes actually play the sport they’re dressing up as, so they just put on their own uniform and call it good. Come on, at least put in a little effort this Halloween. 

Worst/most overused costumes for couples/groups: 

Many times while trick or treating, you’ll see groups of teenagers running around, making a lot of noise, and just acting like idiots. Chances are, they’re dressed up as ‘Frat boys.’ Khaki shorts, a polo, Sperries, a backwards hat, and a red solo cup will typically do the trick. This is known as the ‘basic frat boy’ look. But it’s not just restricted to a group of guys; groups of girls have also been known to dress up as a group of frats. It’s far too overused and honestly quite obnoxious. If you’re wondering what your group should be for Halloween, I don’t recommend going as frat boys – it’s not the move. 

Any costume can be an amazing one if it is creative enough. Or some may just simply not enjoy dressing up and get one of those “This Is My Costume” t-shirts. You do you, boo. 

Have a ‘spooktacular’ Halloween!