Finding a last-minute costume for Halloween has to be one of the most fun yet stressful activities to endure. Lucky for you, we had Dajia Milan, costume designer for the new film Insidious: The Red Door tell us everything we’ll ever need to know to put together a quick and nearly effortless Halloween costume. She’s an expert at all things gore and terror to practical and family-friendly, so her tips are accessible to everyone as Milan’s perspective on Halloween costumes is easy to follow.
Whether you have limited time or resources, improvising is Milan’s speciality. So, she’s giving us tips straight from the film set from raiding your own closet to getting crafty. You should be able to take her tips to create an unforgettable Halloween costume without the stress of running out to your nearest arts and crafts store.
Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour
If you’re a stan for Queen Bey, then a no-brainer last-minute costume should be a nod to her Renaissance World Tour. “We have all witnessed the greatness of that tour and [are] probably experiencing withdrawals, so I say keep it going,” Milan says. She suggests that full silver looks from head to toe are essential for nailing this costume. Milan also shares it’s fine to utilize silver spray paint if you don’t own anything silver and to add detailing to it by attaching crystals or rhinestones for the “sparkle and shine that [represents] the Renaissance World Tour.”
Flower Power
For the “Flower Girl” costume Milan notes you can use real or artificial flowers to become a walking bouquet. Attach the flowers to a bodycon dress or catsuit that is form-fitting with glue or if you’re a pro at sewing, sew the flowers directly to the fabric. hen add a red silk ribbon around your waist for the final touch.
Storm Cloud
If you want to try being a “Storm Cloud,” Milan suggests something form-fitting as the base of the costume like a little black dress or catsuit. She then says you can add poly fill or use the filling from some pillows to glue onto the base. To add more dimension and depth, you can use paint or powder to color in spots to make “clouds” dark blue or gray for a “dark cloud” effect. Milan also says, if you want to go the extra mile, you can add some blue crystals to form raindrops around the clothing or on a string to hang off the clouds. An added bonus would be to add LED strips to the clouds for a lightning effect.
Mother Nature
To be “Mother of the Woods” or “Mother Nature,” Milan recommends gluing large amounts of artificial leaves, branches, and bugs to a long black dress. It “could be shredded to look like you’ve been through a lot in the night of woods,” she shares. Add “mud” i.e. wet coffee grounds, to add more depth to the costume.
Ghouls, Zombies, And Gore
Milan has a particular set of ideas to piece together gory details for what she calls an “MRI Ghoul” or “Sick Kid.” For this costume, she says you can recreate one of the horrifying looks in the new Insidious with some food coloring mixed with chunks of food and glycerin. Just place the globs wherever you’d like and spray the area of clothing with adhesive spray to ensure the mixture stays put while you’re out and about. Be sure to let it sit and dry. And know that this look is for those of you who don’t get queasy.
To go for the “Zombie” costume, raid your own closet to pull out clothes that might already have distressed detailing holes or stains. Add some pizazz by making more tears or use a sanding block to add some more of a disheveled or old look to the clothing. Milan even recommends using coffee grounds to smear all over the clothes to create different levels of mud and dirt.
Alternatively, if you’d like to be a “Bloody Mess” this Halloween you can add fake blood to any costume, new or old. “If blood is sold out in stores [there are] many DIY recipes online to make your own blood using items that may already be in your kitchen, Milan shares. All you have to do is take the liberty to drench whatever you’re wearing in fake blood and let it dry before “terrorizing people at Halloween parties and events.”