By Colleen Rowe

There are always new ideas for Halloween costumes introduced each year. A lot of these ideas come from kids movies that are currently popular, but there are also classic literature and film costumes that your nieces and nephews will also really love!

1. Witch

Being a witch for Halloween is a favorite for many kids. Depicted in many movies and fairy tales, like Disney’s version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and books, Huey, Dewey and Louie Meet the Witch (Huey, Dewey and Louie are Donald Duck’s nephews) & The Witch Next Door. In the latter book, the witch is actually a “good” witch and the children’s neighbor. It teaches kids a lot about how one shouldn’t “judge a book by its cover,” and that just because someone is a bit eccentric, it doesn’t mean they should be negatively viewed. It’s about accepting people for who they are. The “witch” is not a “scary” costume because it has been portrayed so differently throughout time in film and literature. For example: Girl's Wizard of Oz, Glinda, The Good Witch Costume

2. Frankenstein’s Monster

Dressing as Mary Shelley’s Monster, created by her character, Dr. Frankenstein, is a classic.
Huge in pop-culture, Shelley’s Monster has been turned into the image we see today of the bright green monster. The image of this costume is most closely associated with Director James Whale’s film “Frankenstein” (1931).  Shelley herself didn’t explain much of what the monster actually looked like; she kept it mysterious, to frighten people with the unknown. A Frankenstein monster costume is a great way to stay literary and film savvy, while embracing pop-culture that aunts and our nieces and nephews can appreciate together.

3. Ghost

A ghost is an easy costume to make. Just use a unpatterned white sheet, and a sharpie marker, to make sure that the ink stays on the cloth. Create two circles for eyes and another for a mouth, and voila! You’re a ghost.

Kids love the idea because the “friendly ghost” has been instilled in the kids film world through the 1995 family comedy, “Casper.” Witches and ghosts can be friends, too! “Casper Meets Wendy,”premiered three years later, bonding a friendship between Wendy, a witch, and Casper the friendly ghost. So if you want to do a joining costume with nieces and nephews, Casper and Wendy are perfect! In It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966), as they are trick-or-treating the Peanuts gang dresses up. As a group of ghosts, a witch, and a costume that closely resembles James Whale's interpretation of Frankenstein's monster, they celebrate Halloween!


Published: October 8, 2014