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#10. Zombie Thanks to movies like "28 Days Later," "World War Z" and AMC's "The Walking Dead," zombies have enjoyed a huge surge in popularity over the past decade or so. Unfortunately, this means they've over-saturated the Halloween market, mostly with blood and viscera. The better option: Don't go as a zombie; go as Rob Zombie. That guy's cool as hell. (And how good is "More Human Than Human"?)![3]()
#9. Something from 'Star Wars' Now that the "Star Wars" saga is back in theaters, we can expect to see tons of Lucasfilm fans parading around town in their shiny new Stormtrooper costumes. They don't even wait until Halloween, either. The better option: Go ahead and wear a Stormtrooper suit from "Star Wars," but tell people you're dressed as a member of Starfleet. It'll drive them nuts.![4]()
#8. Pirate Do people still dress as pirates, or do they dress as Jack Sparrow? We haven't seen anybody wearing a classic pirate costume in ages. The better option: In a sea of Jack Sparrows, the man with the Caption Hook costume — complete with a huge ridiculous wig — is king.![5]()
#7. Slasher According to the NRF, slasher costumes include Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, Jason, and most other teenager-killing phychopaths you can think of. The better option: We appreciate "sexy" Freddy Kruger up there, but there are too many sexy variants on Halloween costumes as it is (e.g., sexy vampire, sexy police officer, sexy Green Hornet). Instead, subvert the slasher trend altogether and just go as Slash. You can wear a wig, a top hat, a guitar. It'll rule.![6]()
#6. Video Game Character The people above are video game characters, right? We're not really sure. We haven't played many video games since "Pong." Do kids still play "Pong"? The better option: Hey, remember "Pong"? Go as "Pong." We don't have any ideas for how you can accomplish that, but you're a creative person. You'll figure it out.![7]()
#5. Vampire Let's be honest, most youngsters are more familiar with "Twilight" vampires than "Nosferatu"-type vampires. Expect to see lots of body glitter. The better option: Wanna dress as a terrifying, blood-sucking monster? Go as our third spouse. (ZING!) But seriously, we lost everything in the divorce. Just dress as Frankenstein or something. We don't really care.![8]()
#4: Marvel Superheroes or D.C. Superheroes (excluding Batman) Apparently, just as many millennials want to dress as Marvel superheroes as they do D.C. superheroes (who aren't Batman). In other words, you should expect to see one Angar the Screamer for every Matter-Eater Lad that crosses your path on Halloween. The better option: If you must go as character from the comics, go as somebody from the Sunday funnies. You'll be the only Beetle Bailey on the block.![9]()
#3. Animals Aside from furry conventions, we rarely see adults dressed in animal costumes. Nevertheless, the NRF says it's the third most popular costume among 18- to 34-year-olds. The better option: How about Animal from the Muppets? He's recognizable. Also, there's no chance you'll be mistaken for a furry.![10]()
#2. Witch We think the NRF is referring to classic broom-wielding witches, and not the modern "Harry Potter" kind. Steer clear of both styles, just in case. The better option: Go as Samantha from "Bewitched" and make your friend tag along as Darrin. (Dick York's Darrin, not Dick Sargent's.)![11]()
#1. Some Batman-Related Character The NRF's poll says more millennials will be dressing as Batman, Harley Quinn or the Joker than any other comic-book character. But let's be honest, most of them will dress as the newer incarnations of the Caped Crusader and his rogues, leaving you plenty of room to experiment. The better option: A lot of people might be dressing as Batman, but they won't be dressing as Adam West's Batman. Plus, his batsuit is the only one you can replicate with construction paper and garbage bags. Happy Halloween!The 10 Hottest Halloween Costumes for Millennials, and How to Jazz Them Up So You Don't Look Like Every Other Idiot
We find it hard to believe that anybody could know what 2016's hottest Halloween costumes are going to be, especially because we haven't told anyone which Power Ranger we're dressing as. (It's the pink one. We're going as the pink one.) Nevertheless, the National Retail Federation thinks they have a pretty good idea. READ: 20 Last-Minute Halloween Costumes for the Supremely Lazy Each year, the NRF holds their Halloween Consumer Top Costumes Survey to determine the most popular costumes among millennials. All in all, it gives a pretty clear idea of which ghouls and goblins we'll see on Halloween — but more importantly, it gives us a pretty clear idea of what not to wear on Halloween. Think about it: If most millennials are dressing up as Batman, wouldn't it make sense to go as any other superhero? Like maybe the Blue Power Ranger? Or the Green Ranger? Or literally any other ranger except the pink one? (Please?) To that end, we've taken the liberty of reprinting the NRF's results below, along with our suggestions for jazzing up each outfit to help you stand out from the pack:
- The 10 Hottest Halloween Costumes for Millennials, and How to Jazz Them Up So You Don't Look Like Every Other Idiot
