DIY Halloween Costumes: 40 Homemade Ideas Under £10
DIY Halloween costumes
Homemade Halloween costumes beat shop-bought ones on two counts: they cost almost nothing, and nobody else turns up in the same thing. Each idea below lists what it's made from.
We don't sell costumes - we make cards, pin badges, prints and party bits in house, printed in the UK - so nothing below is a sales pitch for an outfit.
Everything here uses a bin bag, cardboard, an old bedsheet, charity shop clothes or face paint - usually one of them, rarely more.
We don't sell costumes - but we do the rest
Banners, cake toppers, pin badges and cards for the party itself, designed in house and printed in the UK.
Cardboard costumes
- Robot: a box body, foil detailing and a torch bulb taped on.
- Gravestone: a grey painted sheet of card with RIP and your own name.
- Haunted house: a box painted black with lit windows drawn on.
- Lego-style zombie: a box head with a green painted face.
- Vending machine of doom: a box front with printed crisp packets.
- Rubik's cube: a painted box with coloured squares.
- Book cover of a horror novel, worn as a sandwich board.
Old bedsheet costumes
- Classic ghost - cut the eye holes carefully, not roughly.
- Mummy: sheets torn into strips, dipped in cold tea to age them.
- Grim reaper: a black sheet hemmed with a hood safety-pinned in.
- Corpse bride in a tea-stained white sheet dress.
- Plague doctor cloak from a black sheet and a paper beak.
- Ghostly Victorian child: white nightdress and grey face.
Charity shop costumes
- Black and white striped suit plus black tape for a Beetlejuice.
- Old suit, dirtied and torn: any zombie office worker.
- 80s prom dress plus grey makeup: the ghost of the school dance.
- Dressing gown, curlers and slippers: the terrifying neighbour.
- A tweed jacket and a magnifying glass: a detective on a dark night.
- A wedding dress, grey and cobwebbed: ghost bride.
Face paint only, no costume
- Split face: half normal, half skeleton, normal clothes.
- Cracked doll: fine black lines and round blush.
- Zombie: grey base, sunken eyes, your own clothes torn.
- Pop art: black outlines and red dots, a plain top.
- Cat: liner flicks and whiskers, all black.
Kids' DIY costumes
- Bat: black clothes with felt wings sewn or taped to the arms.
- Pumpkin: an orange top stuffed lightly with a green hat.
- Spider: black clothes with four extra stuffed tights arms.
- Skeleton: white tape on a black top, laid out as bones.
- Wizard: bin bag cape with paper stars and a rolled card hat.
- Mummy: torn old sheets, taped at the ends so they don't unravel.
Making DIY costumes last the night
- Tape everything from the inside so it doesn't show in photos.
- Test cardboard pieces by sitting down before you leave.
- Carry spare safety pins - everyone at the party will need one.
- Put a warm layer underneath, not over the top.
- Photograph it before the walk home.
How to write it so it lands
- Start a day early - glue and paint need drying time.
- Raid the recycling before buying anything.
- Keep the cardboard pieces flat for next year.
Something we don't make ourselves
We make cards, pin badges, prints and party bits in house. These are from other shops we rate, and we may earn a small commission if you buy through the link — it costs you nothing extra.
Where to shop next
- Couples Halloween costumes
- World Book Day costume ideas
- Halloween makeup ideas
- Group and family Halloween costumes
- Kids Halloween costumes
- Book week costume ideas
- Christmas jumper day ideas
- Pet Halloween costumes
- Halloween costume ideas
- Fancy dress ideas
- Halloween party ideas
- Party supplies
- All guides
- Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
- How to make a balloon arch
- Photo booth prop ideas
- Pin badges
Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest DIY Halloween costume?
A ghost from an old bedsheet, or a split face - half normal, half skeleton - with your own clothes. Both cost nothing and take under fifteen minutes.
How do you make a Halloween costume at home with no sewing?
Tape and safety pins do almost everything: felt bat wings taped to sleeves, white tape bones on a black top, cardboard boxes taped at the corners.
What can I use instead of fake blood?
Cornflour, water, red food colouring and a drop of blue to darken it. It washes out of most fabrics but test a hidden corner first.
How cheap can a Halloween costume be?
Most ideas here come in under £10, and several are free if you already have an old bedsheet, a cardboard box or a black outfit.