23 Greatest Halloween Costumes Worn By Movie Characters

    I'm a Halloween list...duh.

    Jeremy Hayes
    by Jeremy Hayes

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    Let's be honest: Most people dress up as movie characters, but don't forget, some film characters have rocked their own awesome costumes.

    Here's a ranking of the best Halloween costumes in cinematic history:

    23. Two-Face and the Riddler as trick-or-treaters in Batman Forever

    Two Face and The Riddler at a peep hole disguised as trick or treaters
    Warner Bros.

    I love that devil mask, but I can't have these two masks high on this list because it barely even counts. Picking up masks for two seconds to knock out Bruce Wayne's butler is hardly what I'd call a well-planned costume.

    Now, their actual outfits as villains, pretty spectacular (and ridiculous).

    22. Ali as a masquerader in The Karate Kid (1984)

    Girl in an all white masquerade mask and gown
    Columbia Pictures

    I don't fully know what she is going for, but as a kid, I thought it was some kind of Princess Leia/masquerade hybrid.

    She had some stiff competition at this Halloween dance, as you'll see later on in this list.

    21. Hilary Duff as a masquerader in A Cinderella Story

    Warner Bros. Pictures

    I only ever saw the trailer for this, as you can see by me using Duff's actual name (apparently, Sam is her name in the film).

    That being said, I thought it still counted because it's a Halloween party, people loved this movie, and I remember the trailer enough to count it. 

    20. Velma as RBG in Scoob!

    Velma dressed as Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Daphne dressed as Wonder Woman
    Warner Bros. Pictures

    The most recently released movie on this list comes from the animated film Scoob!

    While the mystery gang all had great Halloween costumes, Velma as Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the most on brand.

    19. The "cop" dressed as a cop in Hocus Pocus

    Man dressed as a cop and wearing a motorcycle cop helmet
    Buena Vistas Pictures

    One of the best gags on this list. This whole scene was hilarious, and this guy had us fooled.

    Pretty sure you can't dress in your town's police uniform. Impersonating a cop seems like a bad idea.

    18. Aaron Samuels as a football player in Mean Girls

    Aaron Samuels at a Halloween party in a football jersey
    Paramount Pictures

    Not the most creative costume, but the jersey mixed with that vacant expression was enough to make it on the list.

    He would have been higher on the list, but he would have looked better with his hair pushed back.

    17. Kat's old-timey white dress in Casper

    Kat in a white dress next to Casper the friendly ghost
    Universal Pictures

    I haven't seen this movie since I was little, but I remember Kat's attic dress and that big party at the end where everybody rocked their body...yeah (you know, because it's the Backstreet Boys house for the "Everybody" music video).

    16. The Yoda kid as...Yoda in E.T. the Extraterrestrial

    Kid in a Yoda costume trick or treating
    Universal Pictures

    Maybe the most obscure one on this list, but just look at that impressive mask.

    Sorry, E.T., but you can phone home; this little green alien has the best Halloween costume in town. 

    15. Oogie Boogie's little henchmen as trick-or-treaters in The Nightmare Before Christmas

    Three Claymation children dressed as a devil, a skeleton, and a witch
    Touchstone Pictures

    Lock, Shock, and Barrel could have a competition amongst themselves for best mask.

    All of them are great, but they got snubbed from the top 10 because there is no coming back from kidnapping Santa. Sorry, those are the rules.

    14. Laurie as Little Red Riding Hood in Trick 'r Treat

    Laurie in a red hood and dress
    Warner Bros. Pictures

    A really good and fitting costume for Laurie.

    It would be higher on the list, but she is in a movie with so many other great costumes. In fact, I probably could have made a "20 Best Halloween Costumes in Trick 'r Treat" list.

    13. Mrs. Dennison as Madonna in Hocus Pocus

    Buena Vistas Pictures

    Well, isn't it obvious?

    She really outdid her husband's weak Dracula costume, but she needed some real headphones to block out the Sanderson sisters' spells.

    12. Donnie as an emo skeleton in Donnie Darko

    Boy wears a skeleton suit and gray hoodie
    Pandora Cinema

    Who hasn't dressed up like an emo skeleton boy and reluctantly gone trick-or-treating?

    Still haven't seen Donnie Darko, but this costume is pretty memorable...surprisingly.

    11. Gretchen Wieners as a cat in Mean Girls

    Paramount Pictures

    Child/teenage me would have this number one since I loved Lacey Chabert.

    But she has stiff competition within her own movie, and of the three Plastic members, her costume is the least memorable.

    10. Danielle, Janet, and Maria as Cinderella, Little Bo Beep, and Snow White in Trick 'r Treat

    Three women dressed as Cinderella, Bo Peep, and Snow White
    Warner Bros. Pictures

    If you haven't seen Trick 'r Treat, Maria, Janet, and Danielle are pretty great. Plus, the colors really stand out from one another, like a fairy-tale Powerpuff Girls.

    I figured I'd keep these three together as a pack...which feels appropriate if you've seen it.

    9. Scout as a ham in To Kill a Mockingbird

    Scout in a ham costume labeled "HAM"
    Universal Pictures

    Maybe the oldest entry on this list. It didn't get this high for comfort points, but man, is this the most ridiculous costume I've ever seen.

    No child would ever enjoy trick-or-treating in that, but Scout's an oddball, so she probably loves it.

    8. Regina George as a bunny in Mean Girls

    Paramount Pictures

    She's doing great, sweetie. Don't know how movie costuming works, but assuming they wanted the lead Plastic to look like they had the most expensive costume, because this one obviously had some effort put into it.

    The pleasure of having a cool mom.

    7. Karen Smith as a mouse (duh) in Mean Girls

    Karen Smith points to her mouse ear headband
    Paramount Pictures

    Maximum effort by Karen here. The lack of mouse references other than the ears makes this joke even better.

    It's not often that you have a mouse that knows when it's going to rain. She's just a mega talent.

    6. Johnny and Cobra Kai as skeleton boys in The Karate Kid

    Cobra Kai members in black and white skeleton Halloween costumes
    Columbia Pictures

    No mercy with these costumes. Cobra Kai might be a bunch of jerks, but they got style.

    All these skeleton boys...you should...get 'em a body bag! Yeahhhh!

    5. Dani Dennison as a witch in Hocus Pocus

    Dani, dressed as a witch, eating a Sanderson Sister lollipop
    Buena Vistas Pictures

    She really outshone her little-leaguer brother with a frilly witch costume that is a good ode to the Sanderson sisters. The perfect costume if you are in need to cry in on a bale of hay on Halloween night.

    4. Cady Heron as a dead bride in Mean Girls

    Caddy Herron wears a dead bride costume at a Halloween party
    Paramount Pictures

    The best costume from Mean Girls is the most ridiculous. No doubt Cady stuck out at this Halloween party.

    I think the fake teeth really completes the whole costume.

    3. Daniel LaRusso as a shower in Karate Kid (1984)

    Kid dressed as a shower curtain at a Halloween party
    Columbia Pictures

    Pretty ingenious costume, and it is relative to the story since Danny is trying to be unseen. Very goofy.

    Just be sure to remove before trying to get back at a bully, because you'll need a quicker getaway.

    2. Michael Myers disguised in Halloween (1978)

    Compass International Pictures

    Maybe the most controversial one on this list: Can it really count as your Halloween costume if you killed for it?

    The only thing holding Michael Myers back from the number-one spot is his costume was solely for killing, not for Halloween. But yeah, this is the most terrifying costume on this list.

    1. Sam as a spooky boy in Trick 'r Treat

    Boy trick or treating in a burlap mask
    Warner Bros. Pictures

    It was a tough call, but nobody embodies the spirit of Halloween more than Sam from Trick 'r Treat. This spooky pumpkin boy enforces the rules the night of Halloween, and his costume design is marvelous.

    Simple, old school, and spooky...that's Sam for you.

    Did I miss any? Am I dead wrong? Comment below!

    Psst! Did you hear that Tasty has its very own Halloween TV special? Snoop & Martha's Very Tasty Halloween premieres Thursday, October 21 only on Peacock. Check it out!

    Tasty's Halloween special
    Peacock