The Best Last-Minute TV and Movie-Inspired Halloween Costumes

From Black Panther to Teddy Perkins, we’ve compiled a list of the best last Halloween costumes inspired by your favorite TV and movie characters.

Teddy Perkins in 'Atlanta'
FX

Image via FX/Guy D'Alema

Teddy Perkins in 'Atlanta'

Just like every other year and every other holiday on the United States calendar, Halloween has once again snuck up on us. Those who like to plan (read: Virgos) have likely had their Halloween costumes set for months, complete with all of the garb, obscure accessories, and makeup necessary to bring their ideas to life. Meanwhile, the rest of us are scrambling to pull together last minute Halloween costumes that don’t actually look last minute.

Thankfully, as with any other trying time, you can always turn to pop culture for Halloween costume inspiration. You can keep things ultra timely, with a Fortnite costume or, to be the ultimate millennial, a meme costume. To keep things more evergreen, though, you can choose from the millions of iconic movie characters or the thousands of classic TV shows out there. Whether you’re into superhero flicks, romantic comedies, or HBO dramas, there are TV character costumes and movie costumes out there for everyone. It can be tempting to go with something basic—a cat, a witch, a pumpkin, a ghost (some of us don’t even need a costume for that last one)—but do you really want to spend the party telling people over and over that no, you don’t know the other person who’s also wearing pointy ears or an orange sweater? Let’s get creative here, people.

Both the big screen and the small screen have tons of last minute costume ideas to offer, and we’ve gathered 13 of them for you here. Some are old, some are new, but they’re all sure to be a hit. Here are the best last-minute Halloween costumes.

What You’ll Need: Black Panther suit


Anyone who didn’t see Black Panther this year is living under a rock, in which case, you probably don’t want to go to their Halloween party. This one might cost you a bit—the suit is going for up to $100 on Amazon—but it’s a worthy investment, since you can bust it out at any future Marvel-themed function or Comic Con.

What You’ll Need: ‘80s-appropriate apparel (varies by character)

A group costume is always a good time, and this one is a no-brainer. The hardest part will be figuring out who gets to be Bender.

What You’ll Need: Suit and tie, enough gauze to wrap around your head, fake blood / Pink and orange hair dye, statement earrings, “female ejaculation” T-shirt, army jacket


Boots Riley’s Sorry To Bother You fascinated audiences everywhere this summer, and its impact will likely be felt for some time. What better way to commemorate the movie than by dressing up as feminist icon Detroit and ultimate scammer Cassius Green?

What You’ll Need: Deadpool suit

This one also might be hard to DIY, unless you’ve got a sweet red and black fit on deck. Or you can try your best to look like Ryan Reynolds, but that’s probably harder.

What You’ll Need: Taupe jacket, dark button-down and pants, black boots / Crop top, leather jacket, bell bottoms, high-heeled boots


We all know at least (but probably more than) one person who won’t shut up about A Star Is Born. Regardless of whether or not you fell as hard for Bradley Cooper’s long locks and Southern accent as everyone else, it’s an easy enough look to recreate, as is Lady Gaga’s Ally look, either pre- or post-dye job. Bonus points if you can nail that shade of orange, though.

What You’ll Need: Blue plaid shirt, khakis, red hat, sneakers / White lace dress, flower crown, sandals (unless you want to go barefoot)

Life is like a box of chocolates, or in this case, a bowl of fun-sized chocolates. Both Forrest and Jenny’s threads can potentially be found in your own closet, or at any Goodwill.

What You’ll Need: Purple statement jacket, black pants, black boots, pink lipstick / Round, wire-rimmed glasses, pink collared shirt, blue striped sweater, khaki shorts

Shout out to non-heteronormative couples (or friend) costumes! Consider bringing along some tissues for anyone who gets emotional thinking about “San Junipero.”

What You’ll Need: White button-down, black pants, black flats, short black wig, red lipstick, fake blood, fake cigarette, epipen (remove the needle, y’all)

You’ve probably seen plenty of Mia Wallace’s dancing around on All Hallows’ Eve, but that’s only because she’s so damn great—and the costume is so damn easy. Don’t skip the epipen.

What You’ll Need: Mask, kitchen knife, coveralls, fake blood


It doesn’t get more Halloween than Halloween, right? This one is both classic and current, since Blumhouse just released their reboot of the iconic slasher movie, and the mask and knife (please buy a plastic one) shouldn’t set you back too much.

What You’ll Need: Suit and tie, transparent raincoat, axe, fake blood


No offense to all of the film bros who have made it clear that American Psycho is “actually a black comedy,” but it’s definitely a horror movie (at least partially), which makes it perfect for Halloween. Get as dapper as you can, throw on the transparent raincoat, and invest in some fake blood. Again, keep the weapon plastic.

What You’ll Need: Purple face paint, yellow cleaning glove, fake gems

This is another Marvel costume, but with a little effort, it’s easier to DIY than Deadpool or the Black Panther, as long as you can get your hands on some purple face/body paint, a yellow cleaning glove, and some fake gems for the Infinity Stones. Or you can try to snag the real thing.

What You’ll Need: Red velvet jacket, white button-down, black pants, black slippers, brown ascott or silk scarf, a friend with makeup skills


As many scary movies as we’ve been treated to this year—the aforementioned Halloween reboot, Hereditary, Suspiria, A Quiet Place, The Nun—one of 2018’s most harrowing characters has been Atlanta’s Teddy Perkins. Even if you don’t have the help of Hollywood-level prosthetics, you can portray Donald Glover’s terrifying character with the appropriate clothing and the right makeup techniques.

What You’ll Need: Black T-shirt, jeans, black Converse, Wayne’s World hat / White T-shirt, plaid short-sleeved button-down, fake glasses, jeans, black Converse,

This is a different Mike Myers. If you have an equally costume-less friend and participated in the grunge revival of 2014/2015, you probably already have everything you’d need for this one.

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