Friday, May 3, 2013

Making Horror Film-Worthy Costumes

Photo Credit

﻿If you’re thinking about breaking into the film industry,
the horror genre might be the perfect introduction.
Horror films do not have to be high quality in able to be popular,
so you can focus on learning the equipment, writing and filming process,
and all of the intricacies of movie-making without too much pressure.

One of the most memorable aspects of any horror film is the villain.
Whether you choose to have a supernatural creature,
a mythical monster, or a rampaging killer,
the appearance of your villain should have a significant impact on your audience.
This makes costuming severely important.
Below are aspects to consider when making scary costumes for horror films.

Fake Blood

A horror film isn’t a horror film without copious amounts of fake blood.
You can easily make your own non-toxic and even edible fake blood.
This is ideal if you want blood to be on the face or in the mouth.
You can make fake blood using, honey, corn syrup, chocolate,
food coloring, or natural colorants such as beets and berries.
Adding a bit of blue to your blood keeps it from being too light.
Make sure to aim for a thick consistency;
real blood drips slower and more heavily than water.


If your madman spends most of his time in the forest,
his clothes will probably be dirty and torn.
If the beast lives in a swamp, it will be wet.
Take into account that our appearance is not related only to what we are doing
at the moment, but what we have been doing and where we came from.
Building this context with the costume adds a lot of depth to the character
without lengthening the time for exposition.

The Horror of the Unseen
Photo Credit

Some of the scariest films are those where the monster is never shown.
This is because the imagination is allowed to run wild and create its own terrors.
Consider having your villain in a mask, or always cloaked in shadow.
Show parts of the creature rather than the whole thing at once.
This also encourages you to pay close attention to the details of the costume,
since they may appear in close-ups.


What’s scarier than a masked madman? A masked madman with a chainsaw.
Would Cruella de Ville have been as intimidating without her cigarette
always threatening to burn innocent bystanders?
Give your villains props to add to their character
and increase the number of items there are to fear.

Costuming is only one of the many factors to consider when making a horror film.
It does a lot to strengthen the storyline, characters, and audience engagement.
What horror film costume has had the greatest impression on you?

This guest post was written by Marie Sumner,
a costume fanatic and horror junkie.
See what else Marie is writing by checking out her Twitter account.


  1. and horror movies are the best genre on every day ^_^

  2. i think the key to breaking into the business... is a mix of horror and comedy... make me laugh and show me gore... you have me for life.