Costumes Of Halloween Past
Halloween is easily my favorite holiday out of the year.
The decorations, the haunted houses and trails, and getting to dress up are just a few of the many reasons why I am so passionate about this time of year. Ever since I was a child, the first thing that always came to my mind was, "What costume am I going to wear this year?"
As an adult now, I find myself with a lot more freedom to let my creativity run wild, whereas, when I was a child, it was more a matter of what I was able to afford and what I was allowed to wear.
A huge reoccurring theme for me was Harry Potter. Every year from the ages of seventeen to twenty, I went as a Hogwarts student for Halloween, and I was a Ravenclaw student, to be more precise. It was always such an easy costume to put together, and there was never any need to really go all-out for it.
Last year, however, I decided I wanted to go big. I mean, big. I was going to pull out all the stops. All I had to do first was decide what kind of character I wanted to be.
A big part of Halloween is scary movies. Slasher movies, paranormal films, psychological thrillers — you name it. My favorite author, Stephen King, had been a big inspiration when deciding on my costume. It had been considered as a possibility for a while, but ultimately, I decided to go with Jack Torrance from The Shining.
So, spoiler alert, Jack Torrance doesn't make it at the end of The Shining. In Stanley Kubrick's version of the story, Jack freezes to death in the bitter cold of the Colorado winter. This was the specific look that I was going for. My thought process was, "Jack Torrance, but make it dead."
Figuring out my outfit was no problem. Figuring out my makeup, on the other hand, was a completely different story.
I am no expert at makeup, so I knew this was going to be a bit of a challenge. I had never done any Halloween makeup before, but I knew that if I wanted this look to come together completely, the makeup was an absolute necessity.
In the end, the final look, above, definitely wasn't perfect, but it did the job.
With Halloween approaching, I hope that this look gives you some inspiration in looking for your next Halloween costume. Happy (almost) Halloween!
Opinions and Perspectives
This makes me want to try something more ambitious for my next costume.
Their enthusiasm for Halloween is really infectious.
Love that they chose such a specific moment from the movie to recreate.
This article perfectly captures the excitement of planning a Halloween costume.
The transition from Harry Potter to horror movies is actually pretty relatable.
Great example of how to put a unique spin on a popular character.
Reading this made me nostalgic about all my past Halloween costumes.
Choosing the frozen version was such a smart way to stand out from other Shining costumes.
I find it funny how we go from magical schools to horror films as we grow up.
Nice to see someone document their Halloween costume journey like this.
The detail about being a Ravenclaw specifically adds such a personal touch to the story.
Would love to see what other horror movie characters they could tackle.
Never thought about doing a specific scene version of a character. That's clever.
It's cool seeing how someone's Halloween choices evolve over time.
Their passion for Halloween is contagious. Now I'm excited to plan my costume!
Makes me want to step up my Halloween game this year.
Actually learned something new about The Shining's ending from this article.
The costume choice really shows how Halloween lets us explore different sides of ourselves.
Love how they weren't afraid to try something challenging despite being new to makeup.
Wonder what other Stephen King characters they considered before settling on this one.
This reminds me of my own journey from simple costumes to more complex ones.
The whole frozen angle is brilliant. Much more memorable than just another Jack Torrance with an axe.
Really admire them for taking on such a challenging costume for their first serious makeup attempt.
I'm surprised they didn't mention how long it took to do the makeup. That's always the worst part!
The makeup turned out better than they give themselves credit for.
Interesting how they took a well-known character but gave it their own unique spin.
Their enthusiasm for Halloween really comes through in the writing.
Not everyone would choose to be a frozen dead person for Halloween, but I respect the commitment!
Makes me think about all my past Halloween costumes and how they reflected different phases of my life.
The frozen aspect adds such a unique twist to an already iconic character.
I appreciate how they shared their thought process behind choosing the costume.
Sometimes the best costumes come from pushing outside our comfort zones.
Anyone tried recreating this look? I'm curious how difficult it actually is.
The progression from Harry Potter to The Shining is quite the journey. Talk about character development!
Love that they committed to doing the makeup despite being inexperienced. That takes guts!
The article really shows how Halloween costumes can be a form of self-expression.
This has given me some great ideas for my own costume this year. Might try something from another Stephen King story.
Fascinating how they transitioned from fantasy to horror. Shows a real evolution in taste.
I actually think the imperfections in the makeup make it look more realistic.
The makeup might not be professional level, but it definitely captures the spirit of the frozen scene.
Being able to afford better costumes as an adult is great, but I miss the creativity of making do with what we had as kids.
Such a creative take on a classic character. Most people would have just grabbed an axe and called it done.
Wonder if they considered any other Stephen King characters before settling on Jack Torrance.
It's refreshing to see someone admit they're not an expert but still go for it anyway.
The frozen effect actually looks pretty convincing. Would love to see how they achieved that.
Totally relate to the Harry Potter phase. I went through something similar with Star Wars costumes.
I remember my first attempt at complex Halloween makeup. It was a disaster compared to this!
The article really captures how Halloween lets us express ourselves differently each year.
Anyone else notice how horror movie costumes are making a comeback? Seems like everyone's doing them now.
This inspired me to try something more ambitious this year instead of my usual ghost costume.
Must have taken a lot of time to get that makeup right. I'd love to know what products they used.
I love that they chose the death scene version. Such an underused moment from the film.
Makes me wonder what they'll come up with this year. Hard to top a frozen Jack Torrance!
The detail about planning the frozen look rather than just the standard Jack Torrance really elevates the whole concept.
Not sure I agree about The Shining being the best choice. There are so many other great Stephen King characters to choose from.
I understand sticking with what works. My go-to has been a zombie for the past three years. Sometimes simple is best.
Honestly the makeup looks pretty good for someone who claims to not be an expert. I've seen much worse attempts.
The transformation from magical student to horror movie character is quite the leap. Shows how our tastes change over time.
I totally get what they mean about having more creative freedom as an adult. My parents would never have let me dress as a frozen dead person!
Four years as a Ravenclaw? That's commitment! Though I have to say I'm more of a Hufflepuff myself.
The frozen Jack Torrance is way more creative than just doing the classic axe-wielding version everyone expects.
I actually prefer simpler costumes. Not everything needs to be a huge production with elaborate makeup.
Really brave to tackle such complex makeup for a first attempt. I'm still stuck doing basic vampire fangs and fake blood.
The Shining is such a classic choice! I did a Pennywise costume last year. Stephen King characters make for amazing Halloween costumes.
Growing up we couldn't afford fancy costumes either. It's nice having the freedom as an adult to go all out with our costume choices.
Anyone else think it's interesting they stuck with Harry Potter for so many years? I usually try something different every Halloween.
The makeup actually turned out pretty impressive for a first-timer. I've been doing Halloween makeup for years and know how challenging frozen effects can be.
I love how personal this article is! The author's journey from Harry Potter costumes to Jack Torrance really shows how our Halloween choices evolve as we grow up.