What kind of Halloween costume person are you?

Latest Opinion Polls

In this petrifying poll for the spookiest day of the year, we're asking what kind of Halloween costume person are you, or will be this Halloween.

Need more background before you vote? Read on for the full story below

After a blowout Halloween in 2020 due to the nightmare known as Coronavirus, this 2021 is time to get some revenge and go all out. Will you be dressing up in a spine-chilling costume to scare the living daylights out of friends and family or are you the fantastically fun type of costume person?

By the end of October, the nights are longer and the air is dry and cold, the perfect conditions for some spooky fun and one of the last chances for a mega party before everyone hunkers down for the dreary winter months ahead.

Yes, we're talking about All-Hallows Eve, All Saints' Eve or Halloween as most people know it. The one night of the year that we all get a blank cheque to dress however we like, no matter how outrageous. In fact, the more outrageous the better. It's literally the only time of the year that you will get cred for looking like the weirdest person on the streets.

Before we get into the costumes, let's take a little closer look at the origins of Halloween.

Origins of Halloween

Halloween is celebrated in most Northern Hemisphere (Christian countries) but also in a handful of non-Christian countries too, such as China, Japan, Philippines, and Singapore. The origins of Halloween date back over 2,000 years to the ancient Celtic festival celebrated on October 31 called Samhain. According to the History channel October 31st was believed to be the eve of their new year and the day that The Celts believed the dead returned to earth for one night. To ward off the ghosts they lit bonfires and donned frightening costumes.

Halloween as we know it today originated in the United States when Irish Immigrants imported the tradition over in the mid-1800s. Fast forward 200 years and it's now one of the most anticipated days of the year for millions of people all over the planet, many of whom plan their costumes several months in advance.

What have pumpkins got to do with Halloween?

The story behind the pumpkins and Halloween originate from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed 'Stingy Jack'. According to the History Channel Stingy Jack played a trick on the Devil several times and when he eventually died, God wouldn't let an unsavoury character like him into heaven and the Devil, upset from being tricked so many times wouldn't let him into hell either. In the end, the Devil sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Unable to hold the white-hot lump of coal, Jack put it into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with ever since and the legend of Jack O'Lantern has existed ever since.

How much money is spent on Halloween?

Halloween is so huge in the United States that in 2020 more than 148 million Americans celebrated Halloween. A massive 53% percent of consumers also decorated their homes with all sorts of decoration and carved pumpkins of course. In 2020 the average American spent a whopping $92 on decorations, sweets for trick or treating and costumes. In total, over $8 billion was spent in the United States alone to celebrate this most horrifying of holidays.

In the UK, spending on Halloween is much smaller but is growing, year on year. Around Â£600 million is the estimated spend on Halloween related products this year, with costumes (bought and hired) accounting for about 10% of the total spend.

The evolution of Halloween costumes

Over the years, Halloween costumes and makeup have become alarmingly good. The competition to boss your Halloween costume has never been so tough. Throwing a white sheet over your head with a couple of holes for your eyes, just won't do anymore.

Thankfull, if you really want to stand out from the rest at a Halloween party, you don't need to spend a boat load of money. You just need to get creative with your costume and makeup.

These days, you don't need to have a hair-raising costume to look great. Scary is great but any costume will do the job and there are so many to choose from. Supehero costumes have taken off like Superman on steroids. Spider-Man Marvel Superhero Costumes and Batman costumes are the most popular amongst boys, while girls love a princess or pet costume. Adults like to mostly go for witches, vampires, film or sexy characters as their Halloween costume of choice.

Eye-catching costumes are great but if you are short of cash, you should spend your money on great face art. Good makeup alone can make the simplest looking costume look amazing.

Most popular Halloween costume searches in 2021

If you're struggling to think of which direction to move in for your Halloween costume in 2021, have a look at the most popular searches on the internet over the past month (August 2021) in the UK.

Adult (9,900 searches) - Raunchy outfits to not only scare but set hearts racing.
Funny - Silly costumes to add some light-hearted laughs to cut through the horror.
Sexy - Even more adult outfits that demand attention.
Purge - Costumes based on the hit film and TV show.
Cat - Safe choice - everyone loves a pussy.
Devil - The ultimate evil look that's also quit sexy.
Angel - Butter wouldn't melt. Don't forget a halo.
Celebrity - Dress up like your idol and live one night in their shoes.
Harley Quinn - Dangerously sexy - DC Comics humorous henchwoman.
Cheerleader - Cute, bubbly and lively.
Clown - Great choice. Some people are terrified of clowns.
Joker - Smile form ear to ear - Dress like Batman's nemisis.
Mean Girls - Bitchy beauties. Don't cross these girls.
Playboy Bunny - Old-fashioned but very provocative, just like their founder Hugh Hefner
Witch - Nail this Halloween costume with black lipstick, face paint, and creepy white contacts. Halloween costume
Barbie - Make sure you look just as plastic as the 11 inch iconic dolls for the full effect.
BFF - Best friend needed to pull this off with flying colours and you need to dress almost identical.
Bunny - Just like the Playboy costume, just find a strapless satin corset in any colour.
Fortnite - Bring your favourite video game character to life.
Money Heist - Steal the limelight with a red workman's jumpsuit with a zip and hood, topped off with a Dali's mask.
Nurse - Make it more realistic by adding accessories such as stethoscopes or more gory with a bit of fake blood.
Vampire - Good set of sharp fangs and a black cape will do the trick.
Disney - Super safe bet with loads of characters to choose from.
Harry Potter - Be the Hogwarts graduate complete with robe and wand.
Horse - In Greek mythology it's called a Centaur - half horse, half man. What's not to like about that?
Ninja - The costume doesn't come with karate superpowers so don't let it go to your head.
Police - Arrestings style will have everyone on their best behavious.
Pumpkin - An obvious choice but no need for the lantern
Skeleton - Classic Halloween look. High-vis bones are great at night.
Zombie - You can't go wrong dressed like a character from the walking dead.
Alien (880 searches) - Any alien will do, just not E.T.

Halloween Jokes

We can't finish off this poll article without giving you some awesome Halloween jokes to SCARE with your friends. Have a look at the graphic below and memorise the best one for the big night.

Halloween Pumpkin Stencil Templates and Patterns

Costumes are great but far more people engage in pumpkin carving than costume dressing. We've found some free pumpkin carving templates for you to download and get busy with.

If this Haloween Poll has got your fangs all excited and drooling for more Halloween stuff, we've found a really cool Halloween Quiz from Pub Questions HQ featuring several Halloween themed question and answer quizzes that you can play with friends and family.