There’s roughly a week until Halloween and many people – myself included – still haven’t gotten their costume situation in check. Thankfully, there are a number of fantastic characters from 2017’s pop culture offerings who make for relative cheap and easy costumes.
If you’re anything like me, the notion of stitching together a terrifying outfit from scratch can be a bit daunting. But, with a little chutzpah, and a whole bunch of inspiration taken from some of the best TV shows and movies released over the past year, I feel that we can all make this happen.
Georgie, IT
What you’ll need: A yellow raincoat, green goloshes and a bright red balloon.
You were probably expecting me to add Pennywise the Dancing Clown to this list. And, hey, Bill Skarsgard’s updated take on Stephen King’s classic monster injected some delightful horror into 2017. But while I’m sure we’ll be seeing a whole bunch of creepy clowns this year, there’s something classically scary about young Georgie’s yellow rain slicker and bright red balloon. Heck, you could cosplay as either Bill’s younger brother from the 1991 mini-series or Andrés Muschietti’s record-breaking adaptation. Add a paper boat and missing arm to the mix and you’ve got yourself one frightening costume.
Joyce Byers, Stranger Things
What you’ll need: A large piece of cardboard with gift wrap, a black pen, Christmas lights, an old phone, a green collared shirt and a striped t-shirt underneath. Write the alphabet on the cardboard and attach the Christmas lights and you’re good to go.
With the return of Netflix’s smash hit genre series right around the corner, we’ll probably be seeing a ton of Stranger Things costumes again this year. Almost every character in the series – from the waffle-loving Eleven to Barb’s signature thrift store style – is rife for a costumed homage. However, there’s something dazzling about bringing Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) to life. I’ve seen various takes on her character, but the best ones have put the alphabet wallpaper and Christmas lights to use, making one heck of an awesome scene.
Negan, The Walking Dead
What you’ll need: A black motorcycle jacket, red scarf, t-shirt, fitted grey jeans, motorcycle boots and a Louisville Slugger and barbed wire to wrap around it – the fake kind, of course.
Another popular Halloween costume that will be returning in 2017 will most-definitely be Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) from The Walking Dead. With the return of the big bad in season 8 of AMC’s genre juggernaut, it’s safe to say Negan will be around for some time to come. And while he’s quite the evil baddie, fans of all walks of life have successfully brought the leader of the Saviors to life.
