Halloween is creeping around the corner, and putting on a classic horror film is becoming very tempting. As the spooky season approaches, I wanted to show some appreciation for an aspect of horror films I feel gets overlooked: costume design.
I find that a strong costume is what makes a horror movie a masterpiece. Of course, the score, special effects, and a good story are also important. But the costumes are what make the characters memorable, both on screen and in pop culture. In the spirit of Halloween, I wanted to revisit some iconic horror characters defined by their costume.
Arguably the most famous on-screen killer in cinema history is Ghostface from the Scream (1996) franchise. Costume designer Cynthia Bergstrom took inspiration from Edvard Munch’s The Scream (1893) when creating the killer’s look. The black cloak paired with the striking white mask not only aligns with a killer who strikes in the shadows, but also helps make a memorable silhouette and character. Halloween’s (1978) Michael Myers had a similar background. Production designer Tommy Lee Wallace found a William Shatner mask that “didn’t look like anybody,” and altered it to be the iconic mask we associate with the franchise. The minimalistic design creates a portrait impossible to forget.
Nightmare on Elm Street’s (1984) Freddy Kreuger’s costume design is considered another staple in Hollywood. A combination of intense makeup to create his burn scars, along with his iconic claws, created an instantly recognisable figure in horror films. Of course, not all costume design needs to be flashy or extreme like Freddy or Myers. Take Patrick Bateman in American Psycho (2000), who dresses in classy tuxedo suits to juxtapose the double life he lives. Or Sadako in Ring (1998), whose simple dress and long hair were instrumental in making her appear as eerie as possible.
On paper, these costumes aren’t revolutionary. But something sets them apart from other genres of film. The most famous costumes in horror aren’t as elaborate as period pieces or superhero films. But by dressing the villains in everyday garments, the story suddenly feels more grounded and real. We can easily imagine Michael Myers or Ghostface appearing in our own neighbourhoods, because their costumes aren’t the outlandish, otherworldly clothing we see in fantasy films.
Horror costumes are meant to evoke a visceral reaction. We’re supposed to look at these slasher killers and supernatural monsters and be horrified. The costume designers for these films take the mundane and the ordinary and twist it. Myers’ civilian clothes are paired with the blank mask he wears to create an anonymous figure, for example, and the same goes with Ghostface. The horror lies in the uncanniness of these characters’ appearances, and that is where a lot of the psychological aspects of horror come from.
Next time you’re settled down with a horror flick, remember the effort put in by the costume designers to create the characters. If it weren’t for them, the film wouldn’t be nearly as scary.
