Funny Bones: 10 Comedy-Themed Costume Ideas for Halloween
October is a great time of year. Festival season is over, so there’s more gigs on your itinerary than you can shake a stick at, it’s chilly enough to wear hats without looking like a dick (therefore removing the need to brush your hair), and best of all, it’s Halloween.
Halloween is great. It’s an excuse to dress up in outfits that would any other time of the year be deemed socially unacceptable AND people give you sweeties for free. Well, if you’re an adult, turning up on neighbours’ doorsteps and asking for Haribo is unfairly frowned upon, but if you can borrow a small child from somewhere you can make a killing.
Even comedy fans can enjoy the dark delights of All Hallow’s Eve with a bit of imagination. For example, last year at a family Halloween party, my uncle dressed as the ghost of Jimmy Saville. I say ‘dressed as’; what he actually did was turn out all the lights in the house, and creep up to the patio doors like a horrible, handsy spector. Worry not though; all the children had been sent upstairs to avoid any awkward conversations.
Personally, I wouldn’t recommend Sir Jimmy if you’re planning to take any youngsters trick or treating, but here are some other costume ideas for the comedy-savy party-goer – because no one wants to see you in a Borat mankini…
Alan Partridge Zombie
If you’re short on cash to splash this month, why not give Alan Partridge’s unorthodox zombie get-up an outing? As seen in series one of I’m Alan Partridge, Alan’s infamous, and ill-advised, costume is sure to rustle the jimmies of any nearby Travel Tavern employees, while leaving your wallet relatively unscathed. You will need; a shower curtain, a shower cap, a rubber bathmat, the lead from a kettle and some custard creams.
Spaced
If you’ve got a handful of like-minded mates (and a dog) and are looking for a group costume, look no further than classic sitcom Spaced. Divvy up the group and decide who’s to be Tim, Daisy, Mike, Brian, Marsha and Twist, and set about sorting your outfit.
You should be able to scrape most of it together from local charity shops – it was made in the nineties after all. And if you haven’t got a dog to hand, you can always try this. Be warned though, dressing up like a dog is not an excuse to sniff the bottoms of people you meet in bars.
Lloyd Grossman (from Reeves and Mortimer’s Masterchef Sketch)
Want a costume that shows your love of comedy and still manages to send a shiver down the spine of your peers? Look no further than Vic Reeves’ Lloyd Grossman.
Floating across the set of Reeves and Mortimer with his bulbous cranium and chopstick fingers, Reeves’ portrayal of the Masterchef boss is truly horrifying to behold. And if you’ve got the commitment and basic paper mache skills to recreate it, you can be a hovering, sauce-whoring nightmare too.
George Dawes
Looking for surreal outfit inspiration this All Hallow’s? Shooting Stars is chocka with it. Donald Cox the Sweaty Fox, Angelos Epithemiou, a bewildered minor celebrity… The most obvious of course is the man with the scores; it’s George Dawes!
The bones of this costume are easy if you’ve got a swimming cap and a onesie handy (of course you have; we’ve all fallen foul of this ludicrous fad), but there’s endless opportunities to accessorise. Fashion a hand puppet out of a baked potato, wield a pair of drumsticks or don a comically small hat. Bob’s your uncle.
Sarah Millican
Do you like cake? Of course you do, everyone likes cake, stop bloody going on about it. In the event that you just can’t stop talking about how much you like cake, you can always rock up at your chosen Halloween party destination as Sarah Millican. All you need to be South Shields’ first lady of comedy is a dress, some specs, a wig, if you’re not blessed with a natural blond bob… oh yeah, and a cake.
Arrested Development
With its distinctive characters and colossal cult following, Arrested Development is a goldmine of potential for comedy-loving party-goers. Gob’s magician outfit, Buster in his army gear (bonus points for the addition of a hook, or an armful of ‘awards’), the Bananagrabber… and that’s even before you get to the many guises of Tobias Funke.
There really is a Tobias for everyone. Got the legs for skimpy denim cut-offs and willing to brave the October chill on your nips? Opt for Blue Man Group Tobias. Got a few whips and chains lying around? Leather Daddy Tobias is right up your street. We won’t judge you. Always wondered what it’d be like to have massive knockers? Try Mrs. Featherbottom. Just make sure you avoid any confusion with Mrs. Doubtfire by asking strangers if they’d like a banger in the mouth.
And, if you’re short on resources, you can always go for classic Tobias; a fruity shirt, a fine moustache, and a badge that reads “analrapist”.
Michael McIntyre
If you’ve got a suit handy, the ubiquitous king of mainstream comedy is an easy option. Just practice skipping around your living room, flick your hair back and tell everyone you meet how terrible traffic is. The hardcore cosplayers amongst you might want to accessorize with a spoonful of warm diarrhea.
The League of Gentlemen
A comedy blacker than a dark October night, The League of Gentleman was a master class in the ghoulish and grotesque. A rifle around in your grandparent’s wardrobe and a bit of sellotape on your snout makes for a great Tubbs and Edward. Or go full-ringmaster as wife-snatching horror-show Papa Lazarou. How about ominous butcher Hilary Briss and his glorious mutton chops?
With an array of repulsive characters to choose from, Royston Vasey is the perfect place to go for some gruesome party-attire inspiration. Just don’t ask about the special stuff.
Night of the Living Dead (Comedians)
Zombies are a Halloween staple these days, and it’s easy to see why. Not only have the shuffling hordes been catapulted into mainstream pop culture in recent years, they’re cheap and easy to do, and the possibilities are limitless. You can fashion a decent member of the undead using stuff you’ve already for lying around your abode.
Got yourself a basic make-up bag, a bit of talc, some ketchup and a vivid imagination? Then you’ve got yourself a recipe for a top-notch flesh-eater! And better still, putting a comedy spin on your rotting corpse is easy. Simply base your look on anyone that’s dead.
Tommy Cooper, Bill Hicks, John Belushi; all magically transformed into groaning revenants with the help of a few household objects. You won’t see that on Blue Peter.
And if you’re really skint…
…repurpose that shabby pirate costume from last year and go as Russell Brand.
