Costumes Of Halloween Past
Halloween is easily my favorite holiday out of the year.
The decorations, the haunted houses and trails, and getting to dress up are just a few of the many reasons why I am so passionate about this time of year. Ever since I was a child, the first thing that always came to my mind was, "What costume am I going to wear this year?"
As an adult now, I find myself with a lot more freedom to let my creativity run wild, whereas, when I was a child, it was more a matter of what I was able to afford and what I was allowed to wear.
A huge reoccurring theme for me was Harry Potter. Every year from the ages of seventeen to twenty, I went as a Hogwarts student for Halloween, and I was a Ravenclaw student, to be more precise. It was always such an easy costume to put together, and there was never any need to really go all-out for it.
Last year, however, I decided I wanted to go big. I mean, big. I was going to pull out all the stops. All I had to do first was decide what kind of character I wanted to be.
A big part of Halloween is scary movies. Slasher movies, paranormal films, psychological thrillers — you name it. My favorite author, Stephen King, had been a big inspiration when deciding on my costume. It had been considered as a possibility for a while, but ultimately, I decided to go with Jack Torrance from The Shining.
So, spoiler alert, Jack Torrance doesn't make it at the end of The Shining. In Stanley Kubrick's version of the story, Jack freezes to death in the bitter cold of the Colorado winter. This was the specific look that I was going for. My thought process was, "Jack Torrance, but make it dead."
Figuring out my outfit was no problem. Figuring out my makeup, on the other hand, was a completely different story.
I am no expert at makeup, so I knew this was going to be a bit of a challenge. I had never done any Halloween makeup before, but I knew that if I wanted this look to come together completely, the makeup was an absolute necessity.
In the end, the final look, above, definitely wasn't perfect, but it did the job.
With Halloween approaching, I hope that this look gives you some inspiration in looking for your next Halloween costume. Happy (almost) Halloween!
Opinions and Perspectives
I love how personal this article is! The author's journey from Harry Potter costumes to Jack Torrance really shows how our Halloween choices evolve as we grow up.
The makeup actually turned out pretty impressive for a first-timer. I've been doing Halloween makeup for years and know how challenging frozen effects can be.
Anyone else think it's interesting they stuck with Harry Potter for so many years? I usually try something different every Halloween.
Growing up we couldn't afford fancy costumes either. It's nice having the freedom as an adult to go all out with our costume choices.
The Shining is such a classic choice! I did a Pennywise costume last year. Stephen King characters make for amazing Halloween costumes.
Really brave to tackle such complex makeup for a first attempt. I'm still stuck doing basic vampire fangs and fake blood.
I actually prefer simpler costumes. Not everything needs to be a huge production with elaborate makeup.
The frozen Jack Torrance is way more creative than just doing the classic axe-wielding version everyone expects.
Four years as a Ravenclaw? That's commitment! Though I have to say I'm more of a Hufflepuff myself.
I totally get what they mean about having more creative freedom as an adult. My parents would never have let me dress as a frozen dead person!
The transformation from magical student to horror movie character is quite the leap. Shows how our tastes change over time.
Honestly the makeup looks pretty good for someone who claims to not be an expert. I've seen much worse attempts.
I understand sticking with what works. My go-to has been a zombie for the past three years. Sometimes simple is best.
Not sure I agree about The Shining being the best choice. There are so many other great Stephen King characters to choose from.
The detail about planning the frozen look rather than just the standard Jack Torrance really elevates the whole concept.
Makes me wonder what they'll come up with this year. Hard to top a frozen Jack Torrance!
I love that they chose the death scene version. Such an underused moment from the film.
Must have taken a lot of time to get that makeup right. I'd love to know what products they used.
This inspired me to try something more ambitious this year instead of my usual ghost costume.
Anyone else notice how horror movie costumes are making a comeback? Seems like everyone's doing them now.