The horror genre has long influenced fashion on the runway, and fashion has become an undercurrent in many horror films. Ahead, some of the most iconic spooky looks from the big screen
Horror has long fascinated fashion—high fashion houses have been drawing inspiration from classic horror movie motifs and iconic villain costumes for their own sinister collections. The late Alexander McQueen is one such designer: his 1992 graduating collection, “Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims,” was serial-killer-inspired, featuring locks of hair sewn into the lining. In 1996, the central inspiration for his Spring/Summer collection was the film The Hunger, which featured a transparent plastic bodice filled with worms.
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Gareth Pugh (Autumn/Winter RTW 2016) took sartorial notes from Silence of the Lambs—models wore cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter’s mask on the runway. Altuzarra’s Spring/Summer 2024 went for haunting, enigmatic allure with references from Rosemary’s Baby. John Galliano’s Christian Dior Spring Summer 2006 show included a bloody pearl necklace, models carried their severed heads as accessories in Gucci’s Autumn/Winter 2018 show, and Robert Wun’s Autumn/Winter couture 2024 collection showcased a veil crafted from crystals splattered with blood.
Cinematic horror continues to provide limitless inspiration for both the catwalk and for costume. In fashion and film, horror makes the clothes look as spectacular as it is grotesque. Without her blood-soaked pink satin prom dress, who is Carrie White? Wednesday Addams without her raven witchy costume? Laurie Strode on Halloween without her bell-bottom pair of jeans and a blue button-up cut with a knife?
Ahead, take notes for some last minute Halloween costume preparations to embody these style-savvy horror heroines. Here are five films and characters that define scream style.
The Craft (1996)
These fashion-forward witches are like the goth older sisters of Clueless. In the movie, four teenage witches—each with unique spellcasting abilities—are bound together by their shared love of wearing pleated miniskirts, grunge chokers, silver chains, and black lace-up boots.
Pearl (2022)
Mia Goth plays an ax-wielding woman with thespian aspirations in Pearl. A puff-sleeved red dress, pale blue bows, and a swipe of lipstick are among of her most memorable looks when she’s not wearing denim overalls for farm work or engaging in gory activities.
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
For this gothic bride, costume designer Vera West created an ensemble out of bandages and surgical sheets primed for a wedding day with a monster. But what made the character a stylish horror icon was its recognizable lightning-bolt streak of silver in her electric-shock hair.
The hair has also found its way to the catwalk, notably repurposed by John Galiano for Dior’s spring 2010 couture show. Kylie Jenner, in 2022, also recreated the look.
Carrie (2013)
Hell hath no fury like a prom queen scorned—especially when her clothes are soaked with pig’s blood. The costume designer knew that the iconic, simple silk dress would make the transformation from a pretty girl in pink to a blood-red force of destruction all the more dramatic and grotesque.
Black Swan (2010)
Natalie Portman in the psychological thriller Black Swan is a masterwork of costume design. The movie’s black swan, which strikes a balance between beauty and terror, has earned a reputation as a classic Halloween costume. Adopt your darker side and duplicate the style with white tights, a black tutu, and a black corset top. Wings encouraged but not required.
Photos and Featured Image: METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NOW FASHION, FASHIONISTA, IMDB (via website), GREG SWALESWART (via Instagram)
