Expect to see plenty of hockey jerseys, hospital scrubs and suspiciously elaborate shrubbery on the streets this Halloween. Some revelers will be channeling Ilya and Shane from “Heated Rivalry,” others will be pulling overnight shifts as the doctors of “The Pitt” — and the most committed friend groups may skip dressing as Bad Bunny altogether and show up as the bushes from his Super Bowl halftime show. As usual, the year’s biggest movies and TV shows provide a gold mine of costume inspiration.
Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” offers a particularly cinematic couples costume in Zendaya’s Athena and Matt Damon’s Odysseus, while “KPop Demon Hunters” practically begs for a three-person HUNTR/X get-up. Elsewhere, “Off Campus,” “Backrooms,” “Euphoria” and “Widow’s Bay” offer options ranging from exceedingly easy to the kind of niche reference that will earn approving nods from fellow obsessives. Musicians, meanwhile, have supplied some of the year’s most immediately recognizable looks.
Harry Styles’ tiny red shorts from the “Dance No More” video are destined for Halloween parties, while Olivia Rodrigo’s “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love” album cover offers another ready-made pop-star transformation. And for anyone whose costume philosophy is simply “more rhinestones,” there’s always Dolly Parton. Shop the best pop-culture Halloween costumes for 2026 below: Channel Inde Navarrette’s Nikki with the horror hit’s instantly recognizable red-and-black zebra halter, black bottoms and plenty of gold jewelry.
Bonus points for a Willow prop — and a little fake blood if you want to take things in a more sinister direction. For one of the year’s most absurdly specific group costumes, skip dressing as Bad Bunny himself and go as the greenery surrounding him during his Super Bowl performance. All you really need is head-to-toe green, some faux foliage and friends willing to commit to the bit.
Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” gives couples an elevated alternative to the standard toga costume: think weathered linen, leather and patinated bronze rather than pristine Grecian robes. Matt Damon’s battle-worn Odysseus and Zendaya’s draped, earth-toned Athena make an especially good pairing. Sometimes the best celebrity costume is also the easiest: recreate Taylor Swift and her crew’s matching Stevie Nicks concert shirts for a group look that requires little more than merch, jeans and Swift-level enthusiasm.
It’s niche enough to reward anyone who spent the year chronically online. Prime Video’s buzzy hockey romance makes Hannah and Garrett an easy couples costume: she can channel Hannah’s signature campus looks while he throws on a Briar U hockey jersey. For a more overtly Halloween-ready option, recreate the show’s bunny-and-magician pairing.
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