The list: from clever to cute Halloween ideas.

Legend says that Hallow’s Eve is the night when the veil between our world and the afterlife is thinnest. In popular culture, Halloween is also a magical time when creativity in crafts, costumes, and foods take center stage.

You might be planning a costume party or thinking about what spooky snacks to make this year. Or maybe you’re looking for the perfect couple’s costume or weird and wild make-up ideas.

The excitement of the season starts with Halloween ideas that foster even greater creativity. With so many possibilities bubbling like a witch’s brew, this list will help you whittle down to the perfect Halloween ideas for you.

The creepy and crafty costumes, drinks, and more that you’re about to discover will transform Halloween into something spectacular this year. Revel in the thrill of finding the best ideas for you.

Halloween costume ideas from classic to creatively creepy

Whether you’re looking for a classic Halloween costume or need to tap into uncharted territory, this list of Halloween costume ideas gets you contemplating all the ghoulish possibilities.

Halloween’s creepiest figures can be reimagined and new Halloween costume ideas can be explored. Peruse this list and take your pick.

Sneaky cat burglar.

Dress as a cat burglar — or better, as a retro 1960s one — with a simple black turtleneck, beanie, eye mask, and a sack for loot.

Name a superhero, any superhero.

There are so many superhero movies these days that we all have more supers in our repertoire. You can dress as the most obscure hero and there will be more people than ever who “get” it. Tap your inner comic nerd and go big with this costume idea.

Lumberjack au “hipster.”

A lumberjack has always been a simple and silly Halloween costume, and with today’s prevalent “hipster beards,” the right person could fit the look better than ever. Walk around in flannel and carrying an ax, and this look is instantly recognizable.

Famous painting cut-out.

Make a poster of a famous portrait, like the Mona Lisa. Cut out the head, and your costume is as simple as peeking through the hole, replacing the famous face with your own.

Cynical cyborg.

The idea of cyborgs has been a mainstay in science fiction for decades. Today, with AI and VR and AR and more, cyborgs don’t seem so far-fetched. Dress as a cyborg equipped with AR glasses or a VR headset and seemingly mechanical body parts.

Fortune teller.

Go for a quirky Halloween costume like an eccentric fortune teller. Don a flowing skirt or multiple scarves. Whatever you do, don’t forget the crystal ball.

Retro astronaut.

Go for an astronaut costume equipped with helmet, white suit, and NASA patches, or opt for a metallic retro suit like those in 1960s science fiction films.

Favorite athlete.

Pick any athlete you love — or one you think is easy to imitate — and make that personality your Halloween costume. You’ll never have a better excuse to buy that athlete’s official jersey.

Mischievous movie personalities.

Mischievous movie personalities like Ferris Bueller make for great Halloween costumes, too.

Spies (à la Carmen Sandiego).

Dressing up as a spy for Halloween can go in different directions. It’s cool to look like someone out of Mission Impossible, but for a retro spin, you could favor the Carmen Sandiego look. Get a red trench coat, a red fedora, and carry around a globe or map.

Pirates.

Pirates of all stripes are great fun to turn into Halloween costumes. What combination of eye patch, bandana, pirate hat, swords, booty, and rum bottle strikes the right notes for you?

Lip balm.

Surprise everyone and get some laughs with a simple lip balm costume. Take a plastic bucket and turn it upside down on your head, and it looks like a lip balm cap. Write “Chapstick” or “Lip Smackers” in colorful letters down a long shirt, and you’re a walking tube.

Hip chef.

Don’t just dress as a chef for Halloween — dress as the hippest of them, with a colorful apron, beard or mustache, and tons of artsy tattoos up both arms.

Zorro, old or young.

Zorro is a fun costume to pull, but remember that you have two options. You can dress as Don Alejandro (the apprentice) or the more mature Don Diego.

Elaborate knight.

Have you ever seen a truly spectacular knight costume? That could be your mission this year, starting with a truly awesome body of armor.

Willy Wonka.

If you’re handing out lots of candy this Beggar’s Night, what better personality to dress up as than Willy Wonka?

Gnarly zombie.

If you go for a zombie costume this Halloween, think about how to make it a truly unique and sinister one. Maybe you could be a zombie who’s gone a few weeks without fresh brains, or a zombie missing both arms.

1980s aerobics instructor.

Cute and ironic Halloween costumes come together in this fun, 1980s aerobics instructor idea. Get the neon leotard, leg warmers, and sweatband, and make no apologies.

Mad scientist.

A mad scientist starts with something as simple as a white lab coat and goggles, and can get as elaborate as sporting wild, chemically-dyed hair and maniacal make-up.

Sherlock Holmes (or one of the monsters).

Sherlock Holmes is a classic personality that comes with several baked-in monster references. Your partner or friends could dress as the hound of Baskerville, for example, while you don the deerstalker and the pipe.

Couple Halloween costume ideas that are better together.

Some costumes are better when they’re paired and worn together. From cute to creepy, these couple Halloween costume ideas include the kinds you can wear for “trunk or treat” plus those that are better suited for late-night Halloween parties.

There are plenty of family Halloween costume ideas you can make of these, too. Start perusing and see what most inspires you.

A bee with a beekeeper.

One of you wears a bee costume and the other puts the mesh mask on to be the bee’s keeper.

Greek gods.

Pick any Greek gods you want based on the personalities you and your partner best fit. Beyond mythical couples, there were plenty of gods who had flings and encounters that you could play off of, too.

Waldo and Wenda.

In case you’ve forgotten your Waldo lore, Waldo is sometimes accompanied by his girlfriend Wenda. Dress in matching red-and-white-striped shirts and beanies, and you have a cute Halloween couple’s costume.

Ingredients from a charcuterie board.

If you’re a fan of pairing cheeses, meats, and fruits in charcuterie boards, turn your favorite ingredients into headwear and you have a pair of silly Halloween costumes. If you get the kids involved, you can have even more ingredients.

Barbie and Ken

Especially after the Barbie movie of 2023, why not whip up a Barbie and Ken couple’s costume?

An astronaut and an alien.

One of you dresses in a white astronaut suit and the other in an ominous alien costume. Who’s who in your twosome?

Beetlejuice and Lydia.

Beetlejuice and Lydia are the would-be couple who came back for round two with the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice movie in 2024. These characters make for visually striking costumes.

Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy.

A classic couple’s costume is Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy. If you aren’t natural redheads, that’s better, anyway. Make wigs of red yarn instead, and don’t forget the rosy cheeks.

Men in Black agents.

Dressing in black suits (and accompanied by a pug, if you have one) is a great way for couples to show up as something fun at Halloween. This can easily be turned into a family Halloween costume, too.

Ghostbusters.

Speaking of family Halloween costume ideas, with the most recent installments of the Ghostbusters movies, any number of family members in matching brown jumpsuits can rock the Ghostbusters look.

Indiana and Marion.

Get ready for a throwback couple’s costume with Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood.

Jack and Sally.

Another classic couple’s costume is Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Classic though this idea is, it isn’t always done in a big way. This could be your chance to shine with the most amazing make-up and perfectly crafted costumes.

Peanut butter and jelly.

With enough cardboard or construction paper, you can fashion barrel-like “jars” to hang around you and your partner. Label one “peanut butter” and the other “jelly.” There’s really no better way to say, “we belong together.”

Sandy and Danny.

If you’re a fan of Grease (the musical, the movie, or both), go for a Sandy and Danny costume combination this Halloween.

Beauty and the Beast.

If you do go for Beauty and the Beast, consider Belle’s yellow formal gown and the Beast’s handsome tuxedo to make the biggest possible statement.

A firefighter and a Dalmatian.

It’s up to you who fits the firefighter role and who should be the Dalmatian, but this fun couple’s costume is a photo-op just waiting to happen. (Don’t be surprised if your couple’s costume shows up in everyone’s Instagram stories after the fact.)

Members of a hard rock band.

Dress up together with tight leather and wild hair as members of a hard rock band.

Toy Story characters.

Maybe you’re Woody and Bo Peep, or Woody and Buzz. Whatever combination of characters fits your dynamic, Toy Story characters make for great Halloween costumes.

A cop and a doughnut.

One of you dresses as a cop and the other as a doughnut, and you’re always seen together.

A sailor and a mermaid.

Who’s the sailor and who’s the siren? Have fun dressing one of you up in a navy outfit and the other one in the shimmering mermaid tail.

Halloween makeup ideas with or without a full costume.

Halloween make-up is the keystone of a truly cool costume. It can also be your “out” if you want to dress up without committing to a full Halloween costume.

Halloween make-up ideas range from classics like cat faces to popular culture references with character cosmetics. Peruse these ideas and see which you can picture on your own face this Hallow’s Eve.

Vampire make-up.

Show off your take of a vampire with slicked back hair, extra gory fangs, aged skin and bright red lips.

Cat face.

You’ll feel pretty cute with cat make-up. Draw whiskers across your cheeks and a cute blank nose. Don’t forget the long cat-eye liner.

Scarecrow stitches.

Use orange and brown tones to mimic a pumpkin face and stitch your mouth into a smile.

Smurf or Smurfette.

Go totally blue with Smurf or Smurfette face paint and bright yellow hair.

Cheshire Cat.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland inspired multiple movies over the years, all of which depict the Cheshire Cat as a character we can recreate with fun face paint. Draw the grinning mouth across the cheeks with sharp teeth down your chin, then paint the brightly colored stripes.

Screaming banshee.

Paint your skin as pale as you can, then add dark and exaggerated eyes streaked with tears.

The Mask.

The 1994 movie The Mask with Jim Carrey is a make-up inspiration. Go for the green skin, big smile, and strangely-stretched face for this instantly recognizable look.

Masquerade.

Instead of wearing a masquerade mask, you can paint your own with an intricate design drawn around your eyes and nose.

Robot face.

Start with a metallic silver base then draw some circuit boards over your neck and face, turning from human into an unmistakable machine.

Comic-style make-up.

Paint dots all over your face in a tone a little more saturated than your skin, and carry around a speech bubble with a funny phrase.

Mad Hatter.

The Mad Hatter is another familiar character from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and his look can be achieved with mismatched color eyeshadow, orange eyebrows, and white face paint with a funny mustache and a purple top hat.

Scaly dragon.

Try your hand at painting scaly dragon flesh this Halloween. Use deep greens with highlights in red and gold. If you’re up for it, you can even try contouring dragon-like features.

Classic mime.

The classic mime make-up starts with a white face then adds rosy cheeks and lips with exaggerated eyebrows. Throw on a black and white striped shirt and white gloves, and you’ll be the perfect mime.

Sugar skull.

Sugar skulls are ornamental gifts given to children during Día de los Muertos on November 1^st in Mexico. You can turn these intricate designs into a cool but creepy Halloween make-up design.

Fair face.

Use soft pastels with glittery accents to turn yourself into a fairy. Add a whimsical eyeliner and some extra iridescent highlights for good measure.

Doll face.

If you’ve ever had a porcelain doll, you know the look: flawless skin, round eyes, long eyelashes, and — if the doll ever had a mishap — a wide crack drawn down the face.

Gothic king or queen.

Go for a gothic look with intensely smokey eyes, bold eyebrows, dark red lips, and as much silver jewelry as your face can support.

Two-face make-up.

Paint one side of your face with “normal” make-up and the other with distorted and monstrous features.

Animal print.

Paint on leopard spots or tiger stripes for a wild spin on the typical cat face paint. Get some temporary yellow-iris contacts for a cool added effect.

Monster stitches.

With Frankenstein in mind, use black eyeliner with red accents to draw stitches across whole segments of your face.

Halloween snack ideas that make the most of spooky season.

Savory Halloween snacks are perfect for all kinds of ghostly gatherings, game nights, and horror movie marathons. Try some of these fun Halloween snack ideas in a taste test before the big day and decide for yourself which you like best.

Pumpkin hummus.

Make a batch of hummus replacing one third of the garbanzo for baked, puréed pumpkin. Powder a little cinnamon on top and serve with pita bread for dipping.

Monster chicken smiling sliders.

Sandwiches stacked right can look like smiling monsters. Layer your veggies with a piece of breaded chicken that’s a little longer than the bread. With a couple toothpicks stuck into the bun with whole olives on top to look like eyes, the chicken seems to smile at the person eating it.

Purple chips and queso.

Prepare a dish of baked queso with diced green bell peppers and jalapeños, then serve with monster-worthy purple corn chips. The purple, yellow, and green come together for a Halloween-inspired palette.

Mummy-style jalapeño poppers.

Clean jalapeños of their seeds and fill them with a little cream cheese. Wrap them each in crescent pastry in a messy style like a wrapped mummy. Leave a slit for eyes that you paint on with more cream cheese once they’re baked.

Halloween cheese board.

Set up a cheese and cracker board with spooky-looking blue-veined cheese or a charcoal-coated aged option.

Guacamole with cobweb cream.

Prepare some guacamole, then use crema (or sour cream) to draw a spider web on top before serving.

Spiced apple chips.

Make your own apple chips and season them as sweet or salty as you want. To make these, wash and core crisp apples, slice them as thin as you can, season, then bake.

Graveyard chicken and cheese dip.

Make a cheese and chicken dip, then decorate it with corn chips made to look like gravestones.

Pumpkin deviled eggs.

A seasonal twist on deviled eggs (which have a spooky name already) is to add a little baked pumpkin to the filling. Top with a shake of paprika for an added dash of color.

Stuffed “eyeball” mushrooms.

Make stuffed mushrooms with a thick and cheesy filling. Top each one with a sliced olive placed “just so” to look like the iris of an eye, and your stuffed mushrooms suddenly look like eyeballs.

Hot dog mummies.

Hot dogs can be turned into mummies, too. Wrap them in crescent dough and leave a little gap. Bake them, then draw eyes onto the hot dogs through the gaps with a little melted cheese.

Witch finger breadsticks.

Make these with store-bought pizza dough. Pull apart segments long enough to look like fingers, then mold each to have a gnarly knuckle of dough. Set a half olive where the nail of the finger would be and sprinkle the breadsticks with sesame seeds.

Pumpkin cheese balls.

Roll cream cheese into small balls and mold them each into the shape of a small pumpkin. Cover them all in ground-up cheese puffs for that pumpkin orange color, then make little stems out of green bell peppers to stick on top.

Jack-o-lantern onion dip.

Make a dish of cheesy onion dip with two triangular corn chips as the eyes of the Jack-o-lantern. Use pieces of black olive to draw its grinning mouth, then serve with more chips for dipping.

Ghostly pizza bagels.

Make a big batch of pizza bagels and decorate them with ghostly faces.

Air fryer pumpkin seeds.

Take all those extra pumpkin seeds from carving and turn them into the perfect snack. Toss them with a coating of your favorite seasoning just before air frying, and you’re done.

Pumpkin empanadas.

An autumn-inspired twist on empanadas could be filled with a jammy spiced pumpkin.

Mummy brie.

Bake a full circle of brie after wrapping it like a mummy with pastry dough. Serve with pieces of bread or thick crackers that people can use to break it and spread the warm brie.

Salted sweet potato chips.

The natural sweetness of sweet potato is enhanced with a little salt when you bake homemade sweet potato chips.

Cheesy witch brooms.

Chop sticks of string cheese in half and shred one end of each half like the bristles of a broom. Stick a long, straight pretzel into the non-bristly end of the cheese, and you’ve made a witch’s broom.

Halloween dessert ideas — from spooky sweets to creepy cakes.

Not all Halloween dessert ideas are candy. Other sweets, confectionaries, and baked goods can be just as on-the-nose as the Halloween snack ideas above.

Make your Halloween dessert a thematic part of the party just like your costume and décor. With these spin-offs of classic autumn treats and ghoulishly decorated desserts, pick the ideas that jump out at you.

The “forbidden caramel apples.”

Instead of the traditional caramel apple, make forbidden apples inspired by Snow White. A few drops of purple food coloring can darken the caramel coating to make the apples look truly sinister.

Candy corn parfait.

Make a parfait layering lemon curd, sliced oranges, candy corn, and whipped cream for a delicious Halloween treat.

Spooky graveyard cake.

Halloween cake ideas revolve around clever cake decorations. Make a spooky graveyard scene on the top of a chocolate cake by covering it with crumbled cookie “dirt” along with tombstones made from more cookies. Add candy bones and meringue ghosts for more detail.

Pumpkin seed toffee.

Make toffee with the added crunch of roasted pumpkin seeds.

Pumpkin waffles.

Make waffles with pumpkin mixed into the batter and top them with Halloween-inspired trail mix (with chocolates, candy corn, and more).

Meringue bones.

Make your own meringue (whipped egg whites with sugar) then spread its airy fluff in the shape of floating ghosts. Give them cute faces by adding melted chocolate eyes and mouths.

Candy corn cobs.

Mold edible cookie dough into a log shape, and stick candy corn pieces all the way around it to create a corn on the cob look.

Vampire cookies.

Make sugar cookies and break them in half. Spread vanilla frosting over one half, then set a row of mini white marshmallows along the curve like a row of teeth. Drip a little red food dye down the middle “teeth,” then top it with the other cookie half.

Spooky doughnuts.

Make your own batch of caramel corn with autumnal favorites like salted peanuts, honey, melted caramel, and cinnamon sprinkled on top.

Jack Skellington Oreo pops.

Doughnut decorating for Halloween gives you endless possibilities. With a few decorating supplies (like candy corn, candy eyes, chunks of Oreo cookie, and M&Ms), you can easily make black cat faces, spiders, bats, and mice.

Pumpkin cake.

Dip Oreos into white chocolate and decorate them like the face of Jack Skellington.

Frankenstein rice treats.

Pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread each have their place in autumn, but pumpkin is also one of the best Halloween cake ideas. Decorate the top with a lush “pumpkin patch” (using candy corn pumpkins) and add green frosting vines with crushed graham crackers as “dirt.”

Red velvet cheesecake bites.

Make a batch of Rice Krispies treats with a dash of green dye in the marshmallows. Once it’s cooled and chopped into rectangles, dip one side of each into melted chocolate to make Frankenstein-like hair, then decorate the monster face with mini marshmallows as neck bolts and icing for the eyes, mouth, and stitches.

Witch finger cookies.

Red velvet cheesecake bites are both delicious and violently red, making them a sweet yet gory addition to your Halloween spread. Cover cheesecake bites in red velvet cake crumbs, and voilà.

Pumpkin spice pretzels.

Make shortbread cookies shaped like severed fingers (including the swollen knuckle and a wart or two). Adorn them each with an almond “nail” and a bit of blood-red jelly to make them even more ghastly.

Chocolate dip with roasted ghost marshmallows.

Spread a bag of pretzels over wax paper and cover them in melted white chocolate, then sprinkle them with pumpkin spice and orange sprinkles. Let dry, then mix in a bowl to serve as a snack.

Pumpkin pie energy balls.

Make a warm and creamy chocolate dip for pretzel dipping and top it with a layer of ghost-shaped marshmallows either browned or brûléed. It will look like a s’more filling begging for cookies or crackers.

Monster munch.

Roll a mix of pumpkin purée, oats, coconut, and almond butter into bite-size balls, then set them in the fridge to serve chilled.

Chocolate pretzel webs.

Make chocolate pretzel webs by first setting pretzel sticks in a starburst circle, then drizzling chocolate in sticky segments between the sticks in a web shape that retains its form when cooled.

Halloween drink ideas, from adult beverages to other sinister seasonal drinks.

Halloween parties are an every-age phenomenon. Kids get together for their bashes on Beggar’s Night or Hallow’s Eve, and adults sometimes get together for adults-only parties — creepy cocktails and all.

For the best Halloween drink ideas, peruse this list and see what could be paired for the perfect party menu. Elect any hard or soft Halloween beverages you want, because there’s no shortage of inspiration in these drink ideas.

Candy corn-infused cordials.

Infuse vodka with candy corn for a bright orange hue and a hint of sweetness, then use it to make your own cordials. Drop a few kernels of candy corn into each glass as an added garnish.

Buggy garnishes

For shimmering brown beverages like rum and ginger beer, drop plastic bugs into the glasses as a creepy-crawly garnish. (Just be sure each bug you use is totally sanitary first.)

Black light cocktails.

Tonic water glows under black light, so you can make gin and tonics with added oomph anywhere you have UV lights set up. Make ice cubes out of tonic, too, to see the glowing effect in every other drink.

Witch’s brew hard lemonade.

Start with sparkling lemonade in a cauldron then mix in a little Blue Curacao and purple gin. As the ingredients swirl, your witch’s brew will come to life.

The black cloud.

Start with orange soda, then float some black vodka on top. Use a black rolled licorice wheel as a garnish and its dye will drip slowly into the drink.

Caribbean pumpkin punch.

Mix pumpkin purée into a sweet red punch, then add chopped chunks of pineapple, pecans, and — if you care to imbibe — some spiced rum.

Vampire test tube shooters.

Whatever red drink you use, you can fill test tubes like shot glasses and set them up at your party.

Vampire mocktails.

You can make fun vampire mocktails for the non-drinking crowd, too. One popular recipe uses cranberry juice and grenadine. Drop a few red candies in for an even sweeter, syrupier, and drippier drink.

Apple cider slushies.

Apple cider makes great slushies, too. Freeze it into ice cubes, then use the blender to chop the slushies up. Keep them in the freezer before people come over, then spike with caramel vodka for anyone who’s interested.

Forbidden apple punch.

Drop fresh ginger, cinnamon sticks, and cloves into apple cider, then warm it on the stove. Mix in any additional autumnal spices, then serve with optional lemon zest rounds floating on top.

Blood orange punch.

Combine sweet cherry and blood orange juices as a base in a mezcal-spiked punch.

Green cauldron punch.

Another take on a witch’s brewing cauldron starts with a sweet red punch, then tops it with scoops of green ice tea, giving the vat a sinister bubbly appearance.

Berry eyeball bowl.

A bowl of dark red or purple berry punch can be adorned with lychees to look like eyeballs. Stick a blueberry in the center of each lychee for a creepier effect.

Bleeding margaritas.

Margaritas become color-changing with sneaky ingredients like red cabbage. Its color bleeds in and looks almost fluorescent, making for a truly spectacular drink.

Pumpkin spice white Russians.

Take the classic white Russian and spice it up with pumpkin purée.

Cider and ginger beer harvest bowl.

Mix cider and ginger beer with some freshly chopped apples and cinnamon.

Bloody Mary syringes.

Fill syringes with flavorful bloody Mary mix as a fun drink and party favor.

Spiked hot chocolate.

Hot chocolate is a fall classic, and you can spike it with spiced rum for added warmth and character.

Butterbeer.

Butterbeer is the fabled mix of cream soda, butterscotch syrup, and whipped cream made famous in the Harry Potter books. You can make the standard recipe or add vodka for the spiked version.

Candy corn Jello-O shots.

Make layered Jell-O shots with the colors of candy corn, starting with orange, then adding lemon, then topping it with white creamsicle flavor.

Where else to use your Halloween ideas.

Once you find the right Halloween ideas, your imagination runs wild. Eventually, you wonder where else you can use your ideas in preparation for Halloween parties, trick-or-treating, and more.

For example, Halloween decorations will turn celebrations into more immersive experiences. Those same decorations are also better backdrops for Instagram stories and other social media posts. Eerie banners and spooky invitations top the list of things to make.

Then, there are the collages you can make to set the scene, and posters you can hang, not to mention other creative projects that make for a truly haunting atmosphere.

Halloween party announcements could be made to look like ancient spell scrolls, and your Halloween cards could look like they’re “dripping” with blood. It’s all easy to make in Adobe Express — get started now and you’ll be amazed what you can do.

Exercise: From one idea to a cohesive Halloween.

Once you come up with the perfect Halloween snack ideas or the best- Halloween costumes, you realize that you’re just getting started.

Next, think about how you can carry that idea forward into other aspects of Halloween, too.

For example, if your costume idea is a wart-filled witch, how can you use that in your Halloween décor? Or which cauldron-based cocktail could fit the “look?”

Match the right tones, decorations, and energy from your favorite ideas to all other aspects of Halloween, and your vision will come to life like never before.

Adobe Express can help.

Adobe Express has templates and customization tools to put your favorite Halloween ideas to work. If you want to use these Halloween ideas in cards, letters, posters, banners, collages, flyers, invitations, or other creative projects, Adobe Express makes it as simple as picking a template and personalizing it, or making your own idea with easy-to-use tools. Whatever message you want to transmit, Adobe Express brings it to life, no experience required.

Design with your idea