Top 10 DIY Halloween Costumes (Geeky/Pop Culture)

'Tis the season, dear readers! Time to dress up and collect candy, give treats or get belligerently drunk! Now, most people will go to the local walmart, target or Halloween store and buy some prefabricated doofy costume.  I say NEIGH! Nothings worse than showing up to whatever gathering you attend for all hallows and having the same outfit as someone else. Over the next couple weeks, I will list my top 10 DIY Halloween costumes, so you can be certain not to commit such a fashion faux pa (and even if you do, you can be comfortable knowing your costume looks better than the store bought one!). Some of these costumes will be extremely easy to make (you may find out you have the necessary accessories lying around the house) and some may require a bit of time (or money); but regardless they will all greatly increase your chances of being unique. We are going to start with geeky/pop culture costumes and after we hit ten of those, we will progress to costumes which honor the spirit of Halloween.

This summer superheroes were the common trend in theatres, and just because their movies are coming out on Blu-ray does not mean the characters will be forgotten! Which gives me our number 10 entry for this category!

10. The Civilian Superhero!

Whether you love Green Lantern, Iron Man or Superman, you're in luck; because chances are your favorite superhero has a civilian alter ego! So, go to your closet; dig out those leather or bomber jackets, throw on some jeans, a blank Tee and some boots and you've got yourself a Hal Jordan costume! Prefer Marvel? Well start growing your goatee, throw on a tank top (aka wife beater), jeans and some work boots: hello Tony Stark! See where I'm going with this? If you've got the hair to pull it off then maybe you'd prefer to be Logan (aka Wolverine). The trick to the Civilian superhero, is the attention to detail: chances are if you show up to a party with a bomber jacket on and some jeans, some drunk @$$ won't buy you as Hal Jordan; ergo, be sure to wear your Green Lantern Ring on your right middle finger. For Tony Stark, be sure to grease and dirty up the outfit a bit and spirit glue a round touch light to your chest.

 To show you what I mean; you can wear a suit and claim to be Clark Kent; but the real clincher for the costume is what's on underneath it...

Just remember a superhero's alter ego is meant to blend in with humanity; that means they wear the clothes we wear! Figure out who you like, what "detail" makes them who they are and dress accordingly. If your having some difficulties thinking outside the box for this one, just ask and I will help however I can!


The number 9 entry will come as a no brainer to folks who know me well; it's a classic, dating back to 1976 and more relevant today than ever.

9. Jedi

That's right folks, those flashlight wielding force users, with too much bacteria in there blood are just as popular as ever; thank to good ol' George Lucas and his love of the almighty $$$. The blu-rays just dropped, Clones war on Cartoon network, Family Guy and Robot Chicken dedicated specials and even the movies are about to hit theatres AGAIN (in 3D). Sure you can go pick up one of those cheesy screen printed tunic tops at a costume shop around forty bucks (that's before you buy a lightsaber btw), but those things suck and you really don't need to waste your money on that aspect of this never ending franchise. All you need is some rubber rain boots, a karate gi and some dye. Choose your earthy tone (brown, tan, beige, whatever). Dye the gi. Put on a complementing shirt of a darker color; spray paint your boots if necessary and your pretty much good to go! Lightsabers are cheap (like $10 bux for crap ones and $25 for decent ones), and if you have an old broken down vacuum you can make one for free! The robes aren't necessary, but they are a nice touch. WARNING: If you opt for a robe DO NOT use your bathrobe (those can be saved for another costume further up the list); monk robes are cheap and look much better, or if you clever with sewing (or safety pins) just fashion a blanket or a couple yards of fabric into what you need.

Being that I plugged the Wars in my top ten list, it's only fare that I pawn the Trek too...ugh...

8. Starfleet Red Shirt

Look at it! How stupidly easy is this costume to make?!? Got a long sleeve red v-neck? Got a black t-shirt that does not suffer from the ridiculous cut of your long sleeve black one? How about black pants? Well you're all but done; either by a starfleet pin or make one out of foil: you will still look better than the crap they sell in stores. Plus this is a red shirt, in a morbid way you are honoring the dead by wearing this costume. Hell, to add a flare of humor put on some zombie make-up and burn a scorch mark into the shirt.

Okay, okay; I know I said geeky, but so far this list is pretty heavy on the Sci-fi: let's take a look into the realm of magic.

7. Hogwarts Student

Simply pull out your Sunday best, throw a robe over it and pick a tie to match your favorite house (red and gold for Gryffindor; green and white for Slytherin; navy and silver for Ravenclaw; black and yellow, black and yellow for Hufflepuff (but come on, nobody likes Hufflepuff


Our next entry is going to be more pop culture than geeky

6. South Park

That's right boys and girls; why don't you dress up as everyones' favorite foul mouth school kids! They're fun and easy to do! Take generic primary colored jacket, add generic primary colored hat, pants and gloves then voila! Don't waste your money on those craft foam abominations in the store which feature suffocating rubber masks; just bundle up for the winter and your good to go! Plus making your own costume allows you to break the mold and choose from whichever character you'd like, rather than sticking with the common faces of Cartman, Stan, Kyle and Kenny. Maybe you want to be exceptionally clever and do a costume wearing a costume, ie. Professor Chaos! This is done simply enough with the mere addition of some tin-foil accessories...and a cape. While we are on that subject, don't forget Kenny dies ALOT and in ALOT of ways...just sayin'...

Number 5 on the list is a Halloween costume no top 10 list should be without this season

5. Charlie Sheen

Of course everyone's favorite Vatican Assassin; the tigers' blood drinking, warlock himself makes the list! No living soul in all of Hollywood, better embodies the spirit of partying! He's brash, he's crazy, he's drunk, he's spun, HEEEEEEEEEEEEEE's Charlie! Love him or hate him, there's a level of fear you must feel for the mad SOB. He's had plenty of iconic film characters through the years, whether its Matt (from Red Dawn), Dick (Young Guns), Topper (Hot Shots) or the teenage version of himself (Ferris Bueller's Day Off), this pariah of the film will make a conversation piece out of any costume. Picking from one of his films to pay tribute is an obvious decision, but the best choice has to be dressing up as Charlie himself. Take any formal dressware you have, leave it on the floor until you need the costume, quit sleeping (starting like, right now) and accentuate it with a clashing Tee, then your ready. Of course this is another wonderful costume to accessorize with: my personal recommendations are flour under your nose, a constantly burning cigarette and a couple of lovely blondes on each arm (look by doing this one costume, you've made it a group project for your friends to partake in). So this Halloween, why not consider paying tribute to paganism (with your very own goddesses) and hedonism (...that's just a given) by honoring the most interesting man in Hollywood!

While we are talking about costumes that work best in groups, let's take a look at cult classic cinema that should come out to pllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

4. The Warriors

This 1979 film has been a staple go to for last minute costumes since it debuted.  It works wonderful as a group project (if you have friends who don't know what to do) and it doesn't lose any novelty for those who want to run solo. For the gang the movie is named after, all you need is a leather vest and bit of talent with fabric paint or a bejeweller. It leaves plenty of accessorizing open for those who like to go above and beyond, but its still simple for those who just want a quick throw together. Don't feel limited to stick with the namesake either; this movie produced a plethora of gangs for those who like to delve into the more obscure. Whether you're a Baseball Fury, Bopper, Riff, Orphan, Punk, Turnball AC or Lizzie (that's right there's an all girl gang too!) there's a specific group to meet just your fancy.

We will return to movie references soon, but first let's talk iconic video game costumes.

3. Street Fighter 2 (and up!)

Arguably one of the most iconic fighting games of ALL time the Street Fighter franchise offers a wealth of costuming opportunities for all levels of costume builders. Got some camo pants and green tank top? Hello Cammy for the ladies or Guile for the guys! Simply obtaining a martial arts gi sets you up to be Ken, Ryu, Dan Hibiki or Akuma (just pick your dye and body type!) Any females out there who have a left over geisha costumes (from previous years), ,you are a few minor alterations from being Chun-Li. Perhaps body painting is your particular costume of choice, interested in Blanka? The point is, if you are a gamer Street Fighter offers a vast array of wardrobes to appeal to your level of costuming expertise!

Back to the movies.

2. The Dude

Remember the bathrobe I told you NOT to waste on a silly Jedi costume? Here is a much better use for it! The Dude from The Big Lewboski is the easiest last minute costume in the history of EVER: providing of course you've got the beard and hair to pull it off (but let's face it, if you're planning to put this little of effort into your costume, I'm sure your grooming will reflect it). The motivational poster says it all; simply have a white russian in hand and you shall abide.

This brings us to the number one DIY costume for Geeky/pop relevance; aka, the shameless plug.

1. Mandalorian Mercenary

I would be morally remisced as a representative for this LFL certified, multi national, charity, costuming charity, if I didn't plug them. Let it be known: this is hands down, the MOST DIFFICULT DIY Halloween costume on the list! No buying a some cheap-o Boba Fett costume, to rock it like the devout members of this group. In all actuality this project can be done relatively cheap (for a hefty investment of time) or relatively quick (for a hefty investment of finances). If you want to have this ready for the quickly approaching date of October 31st, you are going to need at least a grand of disposable income. If your not sitting on a pile of expendable cash, this costume will be better suited for next years Halloween, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't start planning now! Be sure to check out our website mercs.firespray.net/ to see the variety of different styles the group encompasses. If your interested in building one of these beasts for this season, be sure to take a look at the trading station in our forums, to start purchasing the necessary materials which will elevate you to a whole new level of Geekdom. Just imagine how much fun it will be to ring a door bell for treats, and approach the home owner with a trick like this!