Still struggling to choose a Halloween costume a week before the big night?

Fear not, the Blueprint have your back: we’ve assembled the best culturally relevant costumes that are as iconic as they are fairly simple to pull off with some smart purchases. These are the best film and television references from the past year guaranteed to entertain your friends on the 31st, that also aren’t just Barbenheimer.

Whether you’re going it solo, doing a couples costume, or have a whole group to join you, we’ve got you covered with everything from family friendly to something a little more raunchy – because we all know that in girl world, Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut, and no other girls can say anything about it.

---

Solo

Nellie LaRoy
Babylon

You really only need one item to sell this look: a red dress. Get some fabric and DIY it with some safety pins to get it most screen accurate, then pair it with the best part of the costume – some lace up boots, a cigarette hanging from your lips, some wild hair and an impeccable dance performance. If you get yourself invited to a banging party, you’ll be in your element. And if not, be the party. It’s what Nellie would do.

Daisy Jones
Daisy Jones & the Six

As long as you have the long messy hair and the general attitude, any floaty, seventies clothes (the shawl business is about to have its biggest boom since Emma Thompson’s turn as Professor Trelawney was being costumed) paired with big hoop earrings will do the job here. And if you’ve got a once-in-a-lifetime singing voice and a guitar, that’d be good too.

M3gan
M3gan

You’re only a pair of tights, a dress, a bow, a wig and a dance performance away from becoming everyone’s favourite robot this Halloween. If you’re a parent reading this please dress your daughter up as M3gan we are b3gging you.

Carmy
The Bear

Take a white tee and a blue apron and have any cooking utensils in hand and you’re good to go! Go from stressed and screaming to using therapy-learnt deep breathing techniques and apologising on loop while referring to everyone as ‘Chef’ to really sell the role. This really does work for any character from this show actually, so take your pick!

The Cocaine Bear
Cocaine Bear

Wear anything brown with some kind of faux fur and then cover it all in flour (sorry to the staff of The Bear for the mess). Practice your growls and roars for maximum effects and definitely act unhinged until you take the costume off at the end of the night – but we cannot condone any mauling whatsoever. 

Antler Queen
Yellowjackets

To really slay this look, choose some kind of scary mask/headdress and sort of just stand in the corner of any room and appear menacing. For extra points, you can pretend that you’re in communication with the wilderness and tell people fun things that it’s saying to you. The culty stuff is optional, but encouraged, but once again, we cannot condone the sacrificial elements of what the role entails. Don’t let the power go to your head.

Besties/ Couples

Maren & Lee
Bones & All

Wear thrifted clothes and microbangs, get some dusky pink hairspray, cover yourselves in blood and eat all your food suspiciously throughout the night.

The Blueprint does not endorse any actions that are performed in Bones and All we ask that you not go around smelling people and/or hoarding locks of anyone’s hair.

Mills & a Dinosaur
65

The best dinosaur action movie of the year is the niche, cool girl costume of 2023. Make your hot tall boyfriend be a dirty, sexy Adam Driver with a massive gun, and then you chose a sexy dinosaur of your choice! Maddy from the Blueprint may be the only target audience for this one.

Sam & Tara Carpenter
Scream VI

Perfect for a sister duo, get as much as fake blood as you can possibly get your hands on and go to town. A prop knife and Ghostface mask in hand would sell who you’re supposed to be, but Tara’s pirate costume would be cool too if you’re willing to go for a costume within a costume.

PJ & Josie
Bottoms

Take any pair of rugby polo shirts, then adorn your face in little bandages and bruising, and you’ve got yourself the perfect lazy costume with maximum impact. And if you want a wistful walking montage to set to Avril Lavigne’s Complicated in the middle of your Halloween event? You go for it and you nail it.

Amos & Rebecca-Diane
Theater Camp

Do that TikTok trend of blind shopping at a thrift store and just wear whatever you pick out to be our favourite camp leaders of the summer. Musical performance, theatricality, and codependency are all mandatory – and instead of trick or treating, go to all the houses around you and tell people who they were in a past life.

Alex & Henry
Red White & Royal Blue

There are a few ways you could spin this costume, but each wearing a nice suit would take the cake. Literally – ensure you are both covered in cake frosting also. Throw in one crown, your best attempt at an American accent, and some hot makeout sessions, and we’ll call it a very happy Halloween.

Barbie & Ken
Barbie 

We did promise no Barbenheimer, but hear us out – the only way to spin this uniquely, is for a heterosexual couple to gender swap the costumes: the guy goes as hyper feminine Barbie in a pink mini skirt, makeup and all; and the girl goes as Ken, specifically in the fur coat, bandana & two pairs of sunglasses. Attitudes must match – it’ll be the hit of the night.

Groups

The staff of the Bear
or
The Berzatto extended family
The Bear

The staff of the Bear calls for matching aprons, constant talking over one another and an endless stream of “corner” “hands” “housekeeping” and other kitchen jargon; and for the Berzatto’s there will need to be seven fishes, the throwing of forks is not optional, and if there’s someone really willing to commit to the bit and drive a car through a wall, then great!

Whichever scenario you go for, everyone involved should be operating at a 100 on the stress-o-meter. Just…please fix the handle of your walk-in freezer before you enter it. 

Daisy Jones AND the Six
Daisy Jones & the Six

Start penciling in the moustaches and sideburns now. Add a little sexual tension between group members and some really good music, and you’ve got yourself a band! Daisys and Billys, make it charged – we’re talking stolen glances, some insane musical chemistry, the whole works. Grahams and Karens, much of the same please! Warrens, just have a good time! Eddies, throw in some bitter looks towards Billy and you’re golden. Camilas do all of the above at different times. Then all you have to do is go on tour together! Easy!

Yellowjackets
Yellowjackets

This one is for the deranged girlies only – get those roots dyed blondes and get your hunting rifle out for a beautiful Natalie Scatorccio costume. Shauna girls, we got you too: grab your trusty flannel, your closest knife, a little teddy goat for a fun little callback. Anyone that wants to go as the slutty lesbian ghost that is Jackie Taylor, just get your letterman jacket out and get a little chilly in a shed somewhere (fine, you can use makeup to create the look if you want). For Lottie, grab your fur coats and get your fake blood ready. 

Josie, PJ, Hazel, Isabel, Brittany, etc.
Bottoms

Assign a girl to each member of your friend group, and then…  just fight and/ or kiss everyone. Perfect for the group with a couple of guys in there too: dress them as dumb jocks in football jerseys and with the right posing, you can have the instagram post of the year by recreating that poster.

Audrey, Lolo, Kat & Deadeye
Joy Ride

This one’s for the messy, horny, friendship group. Each of these girls has a pretty distinct style, so as long as you nail those individual vibes, you don’t need to worry about the screen accurate looks. We will say that channelling these women may or may not encourage a wilder night than you sign up for – we hope you like K-Pop and hyper-specific tattoo placements. 

Nellie LaRoy, Lady Fay Zhu & the Snake
Babylon

This one’s for the femme couple with a third wheeler – you literally only need one pair of dungarees for Nellie, and take your pick of any one of Lady Fay’s beautiful looks which are all equally iconic, and then dress your friend as a snake and give them a rattle. It might be one for the more highbrow film people, but it’d be the highlight of the night for the right crowd if you reenact the fight scene and all.

Mario, Luigi, Peach & Bowser
The Super Mario Movie

We did this last year, but it’s ok if you’re not ahead of the curve like we are. The costumes are one thing, but you do have to be in character Bowsers: and that does mean throwing Peach over your shoulder and running off at least a couple of times. Mario and Luigis? Start running. Yahoos are a must. Bonus points if you go for motorcycle Peach from Mario Kart.

---

We know we personally would be overjoyed to see any one of these this Halloween weekend – there’s no better gag than befriending a stranger by referring to them as the character they’re dressed as, trust us.

And hey, if the SAG-Aftra negotiations go well this week, with a bit of luck (and a wild amount of hope), the actor’s you’re dressing as will be allowed to congratulate you on your work!

Happy almost Halloween – send us pictures if you dress as anything film or tv related on twitter!