By Erin Disney, Third Year, French and Politics
There are only a few weeks more important to a student’s life than the seven days surrounding Halloween. Affectionately nicknamed ‘Halloweek,’ this annual tradition of dressing in cheap synthetic fabric with a pair of plastic wings and spooky makeup from a 2016 Zoella tutorial has become a vital part of the student experience here in the UK.
For freshers, it's getting your flat mates, whom you met only a month ago, to do a group costume where the effort in outfits varies from a colored t-shirt to elaborate ensembles that would make even the theatre costume department jealous – just to lose each other the moment you step into the club. For second years, it’s a chance to cling to the carefreeness of first year. And for third years and above? Well, it’s a final excuse to blow off some steam before the library becomes a full-time job
The city loves Halloween, and ways to spend your evening (alcoholic or not!) are certainly not hard to find, but for the thousands of students here, the biggest challenge is not what to do; it’s what to wear.
Bristol, for one, has never shied away from Halloweek, as its various nightclubs and bars all lean into the holiday with themed nights and overpriced drinks named after the supernatural. Even the Arnos Vale cemetery lying just outside of Temple Quarter boasts its own Halloween themed nighttime film festival! The city loves Halloween, and ways to spend your evening (alcoholic or not!) are certainly not hard to find, but for the thousands of students here, the biggest challenge is not what to do: it’s what to wear.
Fortunately, we’ve compiled the best and most unique Halloween costumes around to make sure you not only look amazing, but that everyone around you has no choice but to admit just how niche and cultured you are.
Frankenstein - but book accurate
Pretty basic right? Wrong.
Mary Shelley’s iconic gothic novel about the eponymous failed scientist turned insane by his own creation was first published anonymously in 1818, then later republished in 1831 with numerous edits to the story – and this time under Shelley’s own name. It’s no surprise then that this 208-year-old book has lost a bit of its plot throughout the years. With so many renditions of this landmark story, parts of the original text are easily buried among re-interpretations and its many, many film adaptations.
So, in order to help honour Shelley’s original work, I thought I would give you all some book accurate outfits perfect for showing everyone you didn’t just watch Del Toro’s Frankenstein (2025) to see Jacob Elordi crawl on the floor, but that you’re actually a highbrow, classics-loving individual (or an English student who had to read the book and wants to get their money’s worth out of it).
Victor Frankeinstein
Maybe you’re a STEM student saying goodbye to the freedom of summer before being locked in a lab, or maybe you’re just into reanimating corpses. Either way, the university dropout, unreliable narrator, and runner-up for the ‘worst father of all time’ award, Victor Frankenstein, could be the perfect costume for you! While the films like to portray Vic as a confident genius, in the book he’s described as sickly and pretentious, (albeit still annoyingly clever). Driven mad by his own hubris, Frankenstein has a complete mental breakdown becoming paranoid and incredibly ill.
Now, if you’re a drama student or simply fond of the dark academia aesthetic, you might already have a waistcoat lying around. Pairing this with a frilly white shirt, some fitted trousers (charity shops are so good for these!), and the deepest purple eyebags you can paint on should give you that mad, sickly vibe. For extra pretentious points, carry a book on natural philosophy!
Captain Robert Walton
The lonely sailor, Captain Walton, is often forgotten as one of the most pivotal characters in the novel - having been the one to restore victor to health after he nearly freezes to death in the arctic. Grab a sailor’s cap and skip the monster in favour of this underrated icon.
Ship captain is an easy costume and super reusable. Ask around for the obvious bits (collar, hat, etc.) and pair it with a chunky jumper for that gothic sailor look. Want to be even more committed? Write some of his letters out and carry them around with you to really show off how much you know.
Elizabeth Frankeinstein
If you’re a fan of staring solemnly into the distance and wishing for a better world, then great! Elizabeth Frankenstein – Victor's adopted sister and eventual wife (yes I know) – sounds right up your street!
Elizabeth is tragically killed on her wedding night, meaning that her attire is the pinnacle of ‘fancy’ dress. While wearing a white wedding dresses wasn’t mandatory until the 1840s at earliest (thanks to Queen Victoria’s own wedding), the lack of textual description means you can say yes to a high Empire waistline gown in the colour of your choosing! White, silver, or pastels were all widely worn by women in the 1810s, and you can even pair it with a lace bonnet.
Elizabeth is described in the book as the height of Romantic-era beauty, with long blonde curls – so if you fancy a wig, this might be the time to experiment. Pair this with a haunting expression and some purple eyeshadow blended around your neck as a nod to the creature’s wedding gift, and you’re onto a winner!
The Six wives of Henry the Eighth
Finally! You get to put your history lessons from year 7 to use! Perfect for big groups, or people who just like the Tudors, embrace the medieval revival and dress like a queen.
The six wives have been fixed in pop culture since their weddings, so pick between Queen Catherine of Aragon, the ambitious Anne Boleyn, Henry’s ‘true love’ Jane Seymour, the wealthy Anne of Cleves, poor Katherine Howard, and the survivor, Katherine Parr, for a group costume with an individual look for everyone involved.
While the Broadway show SIX (2021) portrayed the wives as colour-coordinated, (Aragon as yellow, Boleyn as Green, Seymour as white, Cleves as Red, Howard as Pink, and Parr as blue) historians do believe the women wore more than one colour their entire lives so whether you want to lean more into the Tudor vibe with frills and skirts or just a chance to reuse those coloured Amazon corsets, the choice is yours.
Complete the outfit with accessories iconic to the queens like Boleyn’s “B” choker, a bloody neck for Howard, more gold necklaces than you can manage for Cleves, and you’re set to make history.
Tip: Too many people for the costume? Throw Mary the 1st, Queen Liz, and Mary Queen of Scots into the mix. Bonus points if you know a man willing to dress up as Henry VIII.
Orepheus and Eurydice
The ancient Greek myth of two people so in love that one journeys to the Underworld to save the other is quite literally as old as time. Perfect for those couples who would go further than the ends of the earth for each other (keep the PDA to a minimum, please!), or just best friends who can’t live apart, this myth will definitely show off your niche and esoteric knowledge.
The story of these two is probably one of the oldest tropes we have, inspiring Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and most of the Brothers Grimm’s fairytales. It’s a good one as well! Boy and girl fall in love, girl dies, boy goes through a hero's journey to bring her back, they almost succeed but boy messes up. Classic.
Orpheus
The son of a Greek muse (Goddesses of the arts), blessed with incredible musical talent yet entirely unable to follow simple instructions is one of the oldest myths around. Go for his mythical Greek origins with a towel toga or lean for a more modern rendition inspired by the musical Hadestown (2022) with suspenders and a handkerchief. Just make sure you have a musical instrument – a lyre is most accurate but a ukulele will suffice.
Eurydice
For the tragic muse of Orpheus and sufferer of snake bites (points if you get that one), you could go the musical route again or go full Greek with flowy fabric and lots of gold jewellery. You could even go the extra mile with a more “corpse bride” style of zombie- makeup to really emphasise the fate of poor Eurydice.
Emine Arslan
At the end of the day, Halloweek isn’t really about the costumes; you’ll just pour a drink over yourself and stain it anyway. No, Halloweek is about enjoying the last few days of freedom before essays and exams start flooding in until Christmas.
So, go on! Dress up, have a drink, and read some gothic literature. As long as you stay safe and have a good time while wearing something ridiculous, you’ll be okay.
Featured Image: Epigram / Erin Disney
What will you dress as this Halloween?
