Forget the fake blood and the cheap masks, here’s how to celebrate the holiday without looking like a fool.

A Halloween costume is like a marriage: you shouldn’t embark upon either in a half-hearted fashion. People who moan about this spookiest of nights generally do so because they’ve ignored this rule, turning up to a party wrapped up in a toilet roll they’ve grabbed at the last minute, or with a token bit of their girlfriend’s mascara daubed around their eyes. On the other hand, if you really nail a costume, this can be one of the most hilarious, sociable nights of the year. Get it right, and people will assume you are witty, knowledgeable, and not at all scared of having a good time. Seeking as ever to help you out in this endeavour, we’d like to propose the following five costumes for the big night next week, all of which mix occult credibility, style and a healthy dose of nostalgia, for that vital millennial buy-in we’re all constantly chasing these days. And naturally, they’re accompanied by a few choice items you can obtain from MR PORTER to make them work. The benefit of this being, you’ll probably want to wear them post-Halloween, too, rather than just throw them away.

from The Wicker Man (1973)

Such is the sartorial potency of Mr Christopher Lee’s Scottish-Laird-cum-Pagan-cult-leader character in Mr Robin Hardy’s cult horror classic that MR PORTER’s Deputy Daily Editor Mr Tom M Ford for a long while flouted company policy by having a still from the film as his desktop background. “There’s a scene where he wears a really fetching kilt, playing the piano,” says Mr Ford. “He’s an imposing man.” Whether you decide to opt for the kilt and frilly shirt combo beloved by Mr Ford, or recreate the iconic look from the film’s poster – tweed blazer, mustard rollneck, mad, greying hair – this is a great way to transform some timeless tailored pieces into a fantastic and unusual Halloween costume. Bonus points if you can somehow weave yourself a miniature wicker man to carry around with you as well.

Get the look

from The Addams Family (1991)

The patriarch of the Addams Family – originally the creation of The New Yorker cartoonist Mr Charles Addams – is another lovably sinister figure with a penchant for fine tailoring. In his live-action incarnations, (particularly in the 1960s TV series), he is almost always depicted in a pinstriped suit, with a pencil moustache and a cigar hanging out his mouth, though you could also channel his evening looks with an embroidered dinner jacket. Either way, it’s an easy but effective costume – just apply the right amount of hair gel, pencil in that moustache and don’t hold back with the black eyeshadow. If you want to go for the authentic, black-and-white era look, you could also do some further skin painting – head to YouTube and search “black and white makeup” for tips.

Get the look

in The Lost Boys (1987)

Another great way to be a vampire on Halloween (and far more creative than popping in a pair of false teeth and dabbing your eyes with some sort of black makeup) is to recreate the look espoused by Mr Kiefer Sutherland, playing vampire gang leader David in 1987’s hippest scary movie The Lost Boys. Now, this is a somewhat expensive, rather warm look, requiring a military greatcoat, leather jacket and black waffle-knit thermal sweater to be worn simultaneously. It will also necessitate the purchasing of a platinum-blonde mullet wig, some medals to pin on yourself and a dangly metal earring. (If you haven’t got your ears pierced, yes, you will have to do that, too). But won’t it be all worth it, at the end of the day? Think of the Instagram photos…

Get the look

from Interview With a Vampire (1994)

Mr Neil Jordan’s 1994 vampire epic, spanning 300-odd years and featuring almost as many lavish costume changes, might seem a fairly tricky visual experience to ape for the sake of a Halloween party. (We honestly don’t know where you can find those billowy sleeved shirts and embroidered frock coats, but it’s not on MR PORTER.) However, Mr Brad Pitt, playing titular vampire Louis, does have some more accessible wardrobe moments, in particular the above evening ensemble. Combine a dinner jacket, white bow tie, double-cuffed dress shirt and bouffant wig (as well as a healthy dose of face-paint for the all over pallor), and if people don’t immediately guess who you are, you’ll at least look extravagantly well put together.

Get the look

from Teen Wolf (1985)

If there was ever a timely excuse to dive into the nostalgic high-school look currently being espoused by brands such as Raf Simons and Maison Kitsuné, it’s that you need to dress up as Mr Michael J Fox’s iconic lycanthropic heartthrob for Halloween. This is super easy – pick up a letterman jacket, some Adidas Originals Superstar sneakers and some stonewash jeans, and then purchase a large quantity of fake hair and apply to face, wrists and anywhere else that will have it. NB: though it happens in the movie, this won’t make you better at basketball, or any physical pursuit – sorry.

Get the look

The celebrities featured in this story are not associated with and do not endorse MR PORTER or the products shown

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