Movie costumes are great for Halloween, and we don’t say that just because we’re biased. Movies heavily influence pop culture, and pop culture is king (or queen) on Halloween.
So, you’re bound to see a number of movie-related Halloween costumes. Some will be classics, but some will be new for 2012. As for the latter, we have a feeling we know what you’re bound to see this weekend and again on Oct. 31. We also have a pretty good idea of what movie costumes you won’t see this weekend, despite what Hollywood might like you to wear.
The Five Costumes You’ll Most Likely See
5. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
The movie wasn’t great, but the concept is still pretty badass, not to mention perfect for Halloween. With Lincoln in theaters pretty soon, it might get at least one guy you encounter on Halloween this year to bite (pun maybe intended). A top hat, some nice clothes and a hatchet or wood-chopping axe is all you really need. Beard is optional, but it does ensure that you won’t look like an axe-wielding magician.
4. Any of the Avengers (or a whole group ... but definitely Black Widow)
Geeks like dressing up as superheroes for Halloween, and the only thing that inspires a geek to dress up as a superhero even more than he or she is already inclined to, is to be one of a squadron of superheroes. You might only see two or three Avengers together as opposed to all seven, but when you have buddies to geek out with, you’re that much more likely to do it. As for solo Avengers, our money is on a lot of Black Widows. Every girl has a pair of tight black yoga pants or knows someone who does, so they’re halfway home. Couples as Black Widow and Hawkeye could be a common site this year. Frankly, if you want to be an Avenger but lack a metal suit, star-spangled spandex, green body paint or a giant hammer, your options are pretty limited.
3. Ted
This year’s movie costume for the bro crowd is clearly Ted. Thinking it’ll be great for the chicks, these dudes will head into their parents’ basement or attic and beat the dust out of that old teddy bear costume. Voila, they’re the star of this year’s biggest comedy. To differentiate from normal teddy bears, they will either have a beer on them at all times, or throw some powdered sugar under their nose and chin for effect. You’ll be able to spot the true movie geeks dressed as Ted if one of them is wearing a Flash Gordon shirt.
2. Bane and Catwoman
If The Joker back on Halloween 2008 (and for two subsequent Halloweens, at least) was any indication, Bane and Catwoman will be in full force this year along with your usual dose of Batman. You might even get a John Blake/Robin in the mix. We’ve slid Catwoman in with Bane because the Catwoman costume is a direct relative to the sexy kitten costume, which as we know is always big every year. With Anne Hathaway having taken on the role of Selina Kyle, however, we expect a resurgence (and some fancy sunglasses).
As for Bane, these dudes will be hardcore, so fair warning. Donning any Halloween costume that inhibits your ability to consume beverages shows serious commitment. Even if these guys are not Tom Hardy-caliber jacked, they probably have a terrifying personality. It goes without saying, but if you come across a Bane who actually shaved his head — run.
1. Katniss Everdeen
Most of the year’s big movies were sequels or involved characters we’ve already seen before, so their costumes have been done before, but that’s not so with The Hunger Games. It’s for that reason that Katniss Everdeen will probably be the movie costume you encounter most this year. Girls love to dress up, and Katniss is that ideal strong, beautiful heroine. And the costume is easy: one long braid off to one side, a fancy-ish jacket and some outdoorsy clothes and boots. A bow would be the touchstone of the costume, but it’s not necessary. Battle-training Katniss gets extra props, and if the girl can make her costume light on fire without burning herself, just bow down — that’s a true movie geek.
Other movie costumes you might likely see: Princess Merida (Brave), the guys from 21 Jump Street in white tuxes, an Engineer (Prometheus), Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy (The Amazing Spider-Man).
The Five Movie Costumes You Won’t See
Peeta or Gale
The Hunger Games was great and will surely inspire legions of Katni, but unless two 14-year-old boys are looking to do anything to get to go trick-or-treating with the cute girl they can’t stop following around who’s dressed as Katniss, no one will likely be Peeta or Gale. And definitely not by themselves. Both characters are severely lacking in machismo and have no defining characteristics.
John Carter
John Carter wasn’t a bad movie, nor would this costume be a bad idea, but it was a flop. Not enough people would recognize the costume and let’s be honest, if you do know who John Carter is, you probably don’t have the body to dress up as him.
Snow White
Normally, the fairest of them all would be a great costume, but you won’t see any in the style of this year’s two takes on the fairy tale, Mirror, Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman. Pretty much no one saw the former Lily Collins take, so that’s out, and even though Huntsman did quite well, that Snow White was a) played by Kristen Stewart and b) either wore rags or armor the entire movie. Plus, it wasn’t a very good movie.
Magic Mike
One of this summer’s surprise hits to be sure, but that won’t translate to anyone dressing up as a male stripper this year. Ok, I’ll admit that if your plan is to hit up the gay bars this weekend, you might have your pick of Magic Mikes, but if that’s not your scene, you won’t find it. Anyone who does exhibits the most extreme degree of narcissism that we can possibly imagine.
Bruce Willis
A few folks searching into the recent movie past might have been inspired by Looper and how Joseph Gordon-Levitt had to essentially play dress-up as Bruce Willis. Being Bruce Willis for Halloween sounds pretty badass, but there’s essentially no way to do it unless you know a guy in prosthetics. In Hollywood. Still, great idea, right?
