I’m not sure why people get stuck for group costume ideas. It’s really not too hard if you follow this simple principle. Take your basic idea and build it out with a supporting cast of characters.
Frankenstein and his bride may go un-noticed, as there are so many at most Halloween gatherings, but add in Victor, Elizabeth, Igor and some townspeople with pitchforks and torches, and you have a real show going.
There’s always a couple dressed as bride and groom, but hey this is Halloween, it’s supposed to be scary. Make an entire zombie wedding party, complete with a demonic preacher, and you’ve got a winner. Look around and you can even find a nice dead flower bouquet for the bride and a black boutonniere for the groom.
A band of gypsies is pretty easy if a few of you have the right tastes in clothing hiding away in your closet. The ladies just need to layer several skirts, perhaps with some scarves as skirts, and a simple peasant blouse with a few dollars of gaudy costume jewelry. The men just need a vest and a hoop earring. The gypsies were an integral part of the wolfman stories, so this is a natural Halloween tie-in.
It can be easy to twist a couples costume to work. For example, one old standard is Bonnie and Clyde, but if you have a larger group, just add a couple of police and you’re all set.
Take any character people generally dress up as, and build it out with a supporting cast. Harry Potter by himself is way overdone, but if you get a whole group together as Hogwarts students and faculty and you may have something. Get a couple of people to go as a griffon or giant spider or basilisk (supposed to be more like a lizard than a snake, by the way, but I liked the movie anyway) and you have a twist on the ordinary for your group costume ideas.
Another way to develop great group costume ideas is to take the old standards and give them a twist, from spooky to ordinary or from ordinary to gruesome.
It’s too simple and cliché to go as zombies and vampires, but you can easily come up with some twists to make it unique. Remember you’re at a party! Frankenstein’s monster, the wolfman, some vampires, demons and assorted nasties all decked out in their disco best is sure to turn some heads.
Go as a bunch of vampires out for a day at the beach. Get some old ‘20s style bathing suits and a beach ball or two and some basic vampire makeup and teeth and you’re almost set. A big tube of SPF 10,000 sunblock is the crowning touch.
Just keep thinking along these lines. Take a standard character with a good storyline, add in the supporting cast with a few simple props, and you’ll have some great group costume ideas.
