Forget dropping 200 dollars on a store-bought costume that everyone else will wear. This year’s biggest movies delivered iconic looks you can DIY for under 50 bucks with stuff already hiding in your closet. From Wicked’s witchy elegance to Superman’s fierce reporter vibes, 2025 gave us characters worth embodying this Halloween. The best part? These costumes don’t require professional seamstress skills or draining your savings account. Whether you’re team Glinda’s sparkle or Elphaba’s edge, team final girl survival or superhero confidence, these budget-friendly options let you channel your favorite characters without the financial hangover. Grab your thrift store loyalty card and let’s transform you into cinema’s hottest heroines for Halloween.
Why 2025’s Movies Are a Costume Goldmine
This year blessed us with cinematic masterpieces that happened to feature killer wardrobe choices perfect for Halloween recreation. Unlike fantasy epics requiring elaborate armor or sci-fi films needing complex tech suits, 2025’s standout female characters rock accessible styles. Think leather jackets, simple dresses, reporter chic, and witchy elegance. These looks translate beautifully to real-world clothing you can source from thrift stores, borrow from friends, or already own. The timing couldn’t be better either, with Halloween falling weeks after several major releases still fresh in everyone’s minds. Your costume will get instant recognition instead of confused stares.
The beauty of movie-inspired costumes lies in their storytelling power. You’re not just wearing clothes, you’re embodying characters audiences connected with emotionally. When you show up as Lois Lane, you’re channeling her journalistic integrity and fierce independence. As Glinda, you’re radiating goodness with style. These costumes spark conversations, create photo opportunities, and let you express fandom without spending like you’re funding a studio production. Plus, DIY options often look more authentic and personalized than generic store versions everyone else buys.
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The Wicked Phenomenon Dominating Halloween
Wicked became 2024’s unexpected box office behemoth, grossing 473.2 million domestically and 756.4 million worldwide from a 145 million budget. The sequel Wicked: For Good releasing November 21, 2025, promises to dominate both theaters and Halloween simultaneously. Ariana Grande’s Glinda and Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba will be everywhere this spooky season, and for good reason. Costume designer Paul Tazewell won a Tony for Hamilton and an Emmy for The Wiz Live before creating Wicked’s stunning looks, so you know these outfits carry pedigree.
Glinda’s costume offers multiple options depending on budget and ambition. Her iconic pink bubble dress from the first film, featuring full flowing elegance and that sparkly tiara, represents the dream look. While DIY-ing this exact gown presents challenges, affordable options exist for all ages through party stores and online retailers. The key elements are the pink color palette, ethereal flowing fabric, and crown or tiara to capture her princess energy. Add a wand for extra authenticity. Frances Hannon, who won the Best Hair and Makeup Oscar for The Grand Budapest Hotel, created Glinda’s signature blonde curls that you can approximate with wigs or styling your own hair with volumizing products.
Elphaba provides the perfect contrast with her green skin and black attire. Wicked: For Good shows her transformation complete, with hair down and a darker, more haunting black dress signifying full acceptance as the Wicked Witch of the West. The essential elements? Green face paint (widely available thanks to the character’s popularity), pointy black hat, and flowing black ensemble. Add Elphaba’s broom for that finishing touch. This costume works beautifully for friends or sisters going as a duo, creating that iconic witch pairing everyone will recognize instantly. The makeup requires some effort but numerous YouTube tutorials break down the green skin application process step by step.
The Superhero Reporter Look
Superman crushed box office expectations in 2025, earning 354.1 million domestic and 615.9 million worldwide from a 225 million budget. Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane became one of the year’s most celebrated female characters, proving the intrepid reporter never goes out of style. Emmy winner Brosnahan called playing Lois “the dream I didn’t know I had,” and her portrayal emphasizes the character’s journalistic integrity, fierce independence, and refusal to be a damsel in distress. Throughout the Superman press tour, Brosnahan and stylist Ali Mandelkorn found ways to subtly nod to Lois’s various comic book eras, creating looks that honored decades of source material.
The costume couldn’t be simpler yet instantly recognizable. White t-shirt, black sleeveless vest, gold necklace, and black pants create the essential Lois look from her most prominent scenes. The beauty lies in the simplicity. These are wardrobe staples most people already own or can borrow easily. The accessories make it work: grab a reporter’s notebook (any spiral notebook works), add a digital recorder or vintage camera, maybe throw in a press badge. Going with someone dressed as Superman elevates the costume through context, but Lois stands strong independently, just like the character herself.
For those wanting the more polished look, Brosnahan wore various outfits throughout the film including purple ensembles referencing the All-Star Superman comics. A purple sweater or dress provides an alternative that still screams Lois Lane while offering wardrobe variety. Black jeans, black belt, and purposeful accessories complete either variation. The key is channeling that investigative reporter energy: confident posture, maybe carry a coffee cup like you’re chasing deadlines, and practice your “I’m about to expose corruption” facial expression.
Don’t miss out on this costume if you love strong female characters who save themselves!
The Adventurer Aesthetic
Scarlett Johansson joining the Jurassic franchise as noted super-fan made Jurassic World Rebirth one of 2025’s biggest hits, pulling in 339.6 million domestic and 868.3 million worldwide from a budget between 180 and 225 million. Her character Zora Bennett rocks practical adventure wear perfect for Halloween. While she has several looks throughout the film, the most iconic involves dark blue baseball cap, brown tank top, grey pants, and brown boots. This costume screams functionality meets style, perfect for anyone wanting comfortable Halloween attire that still looks put-together.
The accessories sell this costume hard. Add a tactical backpack (or any hiking backpack), bundle of rope thrown over shoulder, maybe even a large egg prop or amber piece as nods to the film’s dinosaur DNA plot. The beauty of this costume is its versatility. Too cold for a tank top? Layer with a jacket. Want more edge? Add some fake dirt or scratches suggesting recent dinosaur encounters. The look works for various body types and comfort levels while remaining instantly identifiable to Jurassic fans.
Chase Infiniti’s breakout role in One Battle After Another offers another budget-friendly option. Her character’s look features white t-shirt, black leather jacket, frilly blue skirt, and black combat boots. Finding or borrowing a leather jacket becomes the main investment, but thrift stores overflow with options. The blue skirt adds a feminine touch that contrasts beautifully with the edgy jacket and boots combo. For extra authenticity, carry an old Wiimote as the character’s transmitter device. This costume works for younger participants and provides room for personal style tweaks while maintaining recognizability.
The Unexpected Standouts
Emma Stone went bald for Bugonia, and while shaving your head for Halloween seems extreme, several fans did exactly that just to attend special “bald” screenings in Los Angeles. Luckily, bald caps exist for those less committed to method acting their costume. Stone’s burgundy house coat becomes the costume’s centerpiece, easily sourced from thrift stores or even borrowed from relatives. For those uncomfortable with the bald look, her corporate outfit from before the kidnapping provides an alternative: business attire with the fun touch of a fake syringe prop sticking from the leg. Adding fake blood without spoiling plot details amps up the horror element perfect for Halloween.
Amy Madigan’s Aunt Gladys from Weapons presents perhaps the trickiest costume to pull off, but nailing it would be impressively unique. The essential elements include shoulder-length red wig, oversized turquoise glasses with matching beaded necklace, and generous lipstick application. Her clothing features bizarre bright colors that might require creative thrift shopping, but if you nail the wig, glasses, and necklace combo, people will forgive imperfect clothing matches. This costume guarantees you won’t run into duplicates at parties, and if anyone doesn’t recognize it, just claim you’re avant-garde fashion.
Mikaela Hoover’s Cat Grant from Superman offers another simple option for blonde fans or wig wearers. Her eye-catching orange mini-dress during Daily Planet scenes steals attention despite limited screen time. Pair with black-framed glasses, gold hoop earrings, and brown heels for the complete look. The bright orange ensures visibility at any Halloween gathering and shows appreciation for deeper cuts from the film. Eagle-eyed superhero fans will absolutely recognize and respect the choice.
The Horror Final Girl Energy
What’s Halloween without horror representation? Madelaine Petsch’s Maya from The Strangers: Chapter 2 delivers perfect final girl energy. As Maya battles Pin-Up Girl, Scarecrow, and Dollface, her various looks throughout the film provide costume options ranging from clean to blood-spattered survival mode. The beauty of final girl costumes lies in their relatability. These aren’t superheroes or witches but regular people thrust into nightmare scenarios, making the clothing inherently accessible. Any casual outfit works as base, then add elements suggesting recent trauma: ripped clothing, fake blood, dirt smudges, disheveled hair, maybe a prop weapon.
This costume becomes even better as group coordination. Convince three friends to dress as the iconic Strangers trio of Pin-Up Girl, Scarecrow, and Dollface pursuing you as Maya all night. The contrast between their masks and your survivor look creates fantastic photo opportunities and captures the film’s cat-and-mouse tension. Maya returns for The Strangers: Chapter 3, so this costume has longevity potential for Halloween 2026 too. The franchise’s growing popularity among horror fans means recognition won’t be an issue.
The Woman in the Yard provides the simplest costume on this list: all-black ensemble with lacy veil. That’s it. Okwui Okpokwasili’s character requires minimal investment but maximum impact. A full-length black dress and matching lacy veil or sheet create an eerie, mysterious presence perfect for Halloween’s spooky atmosphere. The downside? Probably not ideal for heavy drinking nights given the veil situation. The upside? Completely unique costume unlikely to have duplicates, and if confused people ask, just say you’re Kim Kardashian from the 2021 Met Gala for laughs.
Shopping Strategy for Maximum Savings
Thrift stores become your best friend for these costumes. Goodwill, Salvation Army, local consignment shops, and vintage stores offer clothing treasures at fraction of retail costs. The key is starting early. Don’t wait until October 30th when picked-over racks offer slim selections. Begin browsing in late September or early October when stores stock fresh donations and haven’t been ravaged by desperate last-minute shoppers. Look beyond the obvious. That burgundy bathrobe perfect for Emma Stone’s look might be hiding in housewares. Those turquoise glasses for Aunt Gladys could be in accessories.
Online resources expand options exponentially. Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark, ThredUp, and Depop feature secondhand clothing at bargain prices. eBay offers costume pieces, wigs, and accessories. Amazon provides affordable basics when specific items prove elusive elsewhere. The trick is mixing sources strategically. Buy the one specialty item online, thrift the clothing, borrow accessories from friends, and DIY the finishing touches. This approach keeps costs under 50 dollars while creating custom looks that feel personal rather than mass-produced.
Don’t underestimate your own closet’s potential. That white t-shirt and black jeans collecting dust? Boom, Lois Lane base. Old black dress? Elphaba foundation. Leather jacket from college? Perfect for the One Battle After Another look. Many costume elements already exist in wardrobes, requiring only creative combination and strategic accessorizing to transform into character costumes. Raid friends’ closets too. Costume creation becomes social activity when everyone pools resources, and you’ll likely discover forgotten gems perfect for Halloween transformations.
Makeup and Hair Tips
Makeup elevates costumes from okay to outstanding. Elphaba’s green skin requires proper face paint, not cheap alternatives that’ll stain or look patchy. Invest in quality theatrical makeup or reputable costume brand products. YouTube tutorials demonstrate application techniques that ensure even coverage and proper setting to survive hours of partying. Practice runs before Halloween prevent last-minute disasters and help perfect the look.
Wigs offer instant transformation without damaging natural hair. For Glinda’s blonde curls, shop wig stores or online retailers for quality pieces that won’t look obviously fake. Proper wig caps secure everything and create natural hairlines. For characters with simpler hair like Lois Lane or Zora Bennett, styling your own hair with products works perfectly. Don’t forget that accessories like Cat Grant’s glasses or Glinda’s tiara often matter more than perfect hair replication.
Fake blood for horror costumes requires specific products designed for skin and clothing. Drug store Halloween sections stock various formulas, from washable to ultra-realistic. Test products before the big night to understand how they dry, whether they stain, and how they photograph. The final girl aesthetic benefits from strategic blood placement suggesting specific injuries or struggles rather than random splatter. Reference film stills for accuracy and maximum impact.
Your Halloween Strategy Starts Now
These ten costumes prove that 2025’s movies delivered Halloween gold without requiring Hollywood budgets. Whether channeling Wicked’s magical rivalry, Superman’s journalistic fierce ness, Jurassic adventure spirit, or horror survival energy, options exist for every personality and budget. The key is starting early, shopping smart, and embracing creativity over perfection. Your costume doesn’t need professional designer Paul Tazewell’s skills to work. It needs enthusiasm, attention to key details, and confidence wearing it.
Mix and match elements based on what you find while shopping. Can’t locate the perfect blue skirt for the One Battle After Another look? Substitute with similar color and move forward. Found an amazing burgundy coat for Bugonia but no bald cap? Rock your natural hair and own the choice. Costumes are interpretation, not exact replication. The goal is recognition and fun, not screen-accurate cosplay competition. Most importantly, these costumes let you embody characters you loved from this year’s films while keeping money in your pocket for actual Halloween fun.
Which costume speaks to your soul? Will you go witchy with Wicked’s iconic duo, channel reporter confidence as Lois Lane, embrace adventure with Zora Bennett, or terrify as a final girl? Comment below with your choice and any DIY tips you’ve discovered. Share this guide with friends planning their Halloween looks. Follow for more budget-friendly entertainment coverage that proves fun doesn’t require breaking the bank. Because this Halloween, you’re not just wearing a costume, you’re becoming cinema’s most memorable heroines, and that transformation costs less than you think.
