Halloween: The costumes that celebrate the best (and worst) of 2024

From iconic pop culture moments to cinematic deep cuts and viral references, these are Euronews Culture’s 2024 Halloween costume picks.

For a cinema-themed Halloween

Courtesy of Amber Bryce 

2024 cinema has blessed us with many things: Glen Powell, sexy churros, inappropriate popcorn buckets, Adam Driver saying “Go back to the club” in Megalopolis, fake pop stars, Glen Powell (sorry, we might have already said that) – but above all, it’s given us some great Halloween costume inspiration. 

From the gang of new emotions in Pixar’s blockbuster busting Inside Out 2, to Zendaya’s ‘I TOLD YA’ t-shirt in Challengers and – for the norm-core dads out there, Josh Hartnett’s striped jumper and chinos-wearing serial killer in Trap, there’s a lot to choose from. 

Likely to be the most popular source of spooky-attire inspiration is Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, with the option to go for the titular character’s iconic pin-striped suit or find a shrunken head mask (justice for Bob!) The sandworms from Dune: Part Two could be an option  – although Heidi Klum’s 2022 worm costume set the helminth bar high. 

For us, there’s a clear winner – a movie-inspired Halloween costume that’s more beautiful, more perfect: Demi Moore’s yellow coat in The Substance. Sure, there are a lot of potentials to be mined from this year’s squelchy-est sicko movie; Sue’s hot pink Lamé leotard if you’re feeling brave, Monstro if you’re feeling even braver (and a dab hand with prosthetics) – but Elisabeth Sparkle’s striding-to-the-locker-room-to-collect-your-slime-green-injectable look has all the bases of a great costume covered. 

Firstly, it’s warm and comfortable. Most Halloween costumes – spectacular as they might well be – get pretty annoying after a while (the tension headaches from those cat-ear headbands alone!) Secondly, it’s an investment. You’ll wear that yellow coat again, it’s an autumn wardrobe staple! Maybe not the red leather gloves, but they’re classy just to own. Lastly, it’s subtle – one of those costumes you can feel slightly smug about, knowing only the coolest people in the vicinity who have great taste in contemporary horror will get it. To everyone else, you’ll just look like a person with great style – and be able to talk endlessly about the merits of Coralie Fargeat’s gruesome spectacle and Kubrickian references when asked who you’re dressed as, while those listening glaze over, willing for a substance of their own to make it stop. 

One final bonus: The big sunglasses will come in handy for that impending hangover.

For a music-themed Halloween

Courtesy of Jonny Walfisz 

For a music-themed Halloween costume, 2024 has been the year for the girlies. The terminally online have survived a brush with the grass-touching outdoors folk as three of the year’s biggest pop stars haven’t just held the charts firmly within their tight grasps but also dominated social media.  

This trio is, of course, the newly minted cultural behemoths Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and Charli XCX. 

Anyone attempting Chappell Roan deserves praise, admiration, and jealousy. Her drag-infused high glam make-up, the extravagant wigs, and specially tailored outfits will require a supreme level of commitment both fiscally and temporally. Chances are, the costume will require a deep-dive into the depths of Etsy and a hefty stint at a sewing machine. 

Then there’s Sabrina Carpenter. The petite pop star has made being short and horny her whole brand this year. For a literal take on the ‘Espresso’ singer, you’re going to need a sparkly corset and a hardy resolve to avoid hypothermia while trick-or-treating. With some cardboard, paint, and a dream, you could go even more literal and dress up as a cup of espresso. 

Charli XCX’s latest album ‘Brat’ managed to be not only one of the best albums of the year but an entire cultural movement. From Brat Summer to “Kamala is Brat”, XCX managed to dominate conversation. First instinct might suggest dressing up as ‘Brat’ requires a lime green T-shirt with the album title in pixelated sans-serif font. Don’t be so hasty. A true ‘Brat’ look is much easier to put together. All you need is fishnet tights, an oversized white shirt, around 40 Vogue cigarettes and a suspicious white outline around your left nostril. 

If you want to eschew the whims of the ever-fragile present, you can always find solace in the one true reliable Halloween costume that will never go out of fashion. With each passing year, the 1988 TV tribute to Serge Gainsbourg remains one of the most iconic moments ever put to film. Just three years before his death, the French musical legend was presented with a choir of children all dressed in his trademark look – grey hair, unshaven beard, glass of whiskey and cigarette in hand – to perform a song back at him. The moment is completed by Gainsbourg’s own sincere outpouring of emotion. 

In a decade’s time, your Chappell Roan look might evoke the question “Chappell who?” Do the smart thing instead. Child choir Serge Gainsbourg will forever be timeless.

For an Olympic-themed Halloween

Courtesy of Theo Farrant  

Away from the remarkable feats of athleticism, this year’s Summer Olympics in Paris brought us some unforgettable viral moments and fashion statements, many of which make prime material for a scarily-good Halloween costume. So, if you’re aiming to take home a gold medal in costume creativity, look no further than these Olympic-themed suggestions: 

For an outfit that’s bound to turn a few heads (literally), consider channeling the controversial beheaded Marie Antoinette which was seen jamming out to heavy metal tunes during the opening ceremony. This one will definitely take a bit of work and DIY ingenuity, but if you’re able to pull it off it’ll be truly spooktacular. 

One costume that we suspect will be very popular this year is Australian breakdancer Raygun. With breaking making its official debut on the Olympic stage, 37-year-old lecturer Rachael Gunn, a.k.a. Raygun became an overnight sensation thanks to her – let’s say – uhhh, unique moves, that earned her zero points from judges. All you need is a green tracksuit, a matching cap, and a few of her signature dance moves, from the kangaroo hop to the sprinkler, that’ll be sure to go down a treat on the dance floor. 

For those who prefer a more mysterious vibe, South Korea’s pistol shooter and style icon Kim Yeji is your muse. While she won a silver medal in her event, it was her effortlessly cool and nonchalant main character energy that won over the internet in Paris. Like Raygun, this costume is pretty easy to throw together – you’ll need a black tracksuit, a cap, some circular glasses, and a toy pistol. If you want extra detail, you can also add the elephant plushie charm she wore around her waist throughout her events. You can even make this a couple’s costume – just bring along a partner dressed as Yusuf Dikeç, a.k.a. the “Turkish John Wick”.

For a pop culture-themed Halloween

Courtesy of David Mouriquand  

A lot of ground has been covered with the cinema, music and the Olympic picks above… But if you want to make a different kind of statement, looking back at this year’s memes, trends and viral sensations will provide plenty of Halloween inspiration. And the best part is they are easy to interpret as costumes.  

Let’s limit it to four options, starting with two animal picks.  

The first is film-based, granted, but who could forget the demented eyes of that carousel horse in the viral We Live In Time promotional material? It took the internet by storm, and you can bet you’ll come across several DIY horse disguises this year referencing it – or those rubber masks with cross-eyed stares you usually bump into in mosh pits at music festivals.  

The second animal has to be Moo Deng, Thailand’s heart-capturing baby pygmy hippo who was elevated to icon status this year, because we have nothing better to do and need a little cheering up considering the crippling existential shitshow that surrounds us. “How do I go as Moo Deng,” you ask? Well, you could ask everyone around you to suspend their disbelief while you nibble on their knees and bite them for the whole night. Or don a grey onesie, up your sass levels, then bite them for the whole night. Or just favour some glistening make-up and heavy pink blush that’ll make you look hydrated, fierce and wetter than an oyster’s wallet. And bite them for the whole night.

Not convinced about the animals? Well, remember the Sad Oompa Loompa from the catastrophically poor Willy Wonka experience early this year? It’s a good’un. All you need is a green wig, white gloves, a brown top with some black-and-white collars you can easily fashion with tape, et voila.  

Oompa, Loompa, doompa-dee-do / I’ve got a perfect costume for you / Oompa, Loompa, doompa-dee-dee / If you are wise, you’ll listen to me. 

However, this pick does requires some method acting and isn’t to be taken lightly. You’ll have to look despondently at everyone all evening, staring into the distance like you’re gazing into the Godless abyss, with your mental state halfway between wrestling with the fact you’ve contributed to the nadir of humanity by disappointing innocent children, and your mind letting go of its last fuck as it slowly collapses into madness-driven apathy. It’s a tough ask, and unless you’re going to do it right and sustain the character all evening, we’d recommend you go with our final (less demanding) choice.   

Go political. This Halloween’s the year. Wherever you live, you’ll be aware that the US stands on the precipice and what happens in a little over a week is going to affect lives. Granted, Halloween is about getting whimsical and forgetting life’s worries, but make a statement in 2024 of all years.

The purr-fect Halloween costume in 2024 is the childless cat lady. It’s also the easiest – all you need is a cosy robe, a Swiftie-themed tee, some Converse and a stuffed cat. Plus, on top of being timely, you’re giving Trump and his bearded-Care-Bear-gone-wrong of a running mate the finger. What more do you need?