Twilight Sucks

[We take no sides in supernatural blood feuds, and we are well aware that Werewolves and Vampires don't get along, but vampires come first alphabetically – and, if we're entirely honest, we have far more of them in stock.]

In many respects, Pattinson and Stewart are a whole lot more frightening
than the prospect of meeting a real vampire

Before they lost their bite and gained glitter through the cinematic dead-fish that is Robert Pattinson, vampires were some of the oldest characters in traditional horror fiction. Old in that they don’t, ever, seem to age, and that they were first imagined in prehistoric times. 

Bram stoker gave the Vampire real literary teeth. His Dracula is the immortal (if you’ll pardon the expression) example of the unaging, wealthy recluse who presumably wants to drink the blood of virgins or something. As is still the preferred trick of Donald Trump and Gina Rinehart, Dracula invited the curious and the unsuspecting into his manor, offered them dinner and a bed, then bit into their necks to drain their vital fluids.

For the more traditional costume, we do a skimpy outfit with teeth

Even if they’re now left toothless, the traditional, non-Pattinson vampire is both a frightening addition to any tale, and a brilliant choice for a dignified Halloween costume. With centuries to think about their wardrobe, vampires are bound to look good. If you don’t plan on dressing up as one, at the very least consider some garlic in the event that you should run into someone who does.

The Grand Heritage costume is for the man who spends, and wants to look, like an aristocrat

This Halloween we will be stocking a surplus of luxuriant capes and gowns and whole costumes; plenty of dignified evening wear for the man or woman who can only come out come evening.

To accompany any costume, or for the inconspicuous vampire

For now, take a break, and allow the blood to come back into your cheeks; next time, things get hairy.

Humans versus Zombies

An open top button shows that you are a zombie who gets work done
but still knows how to have a good time.

We start our walk down misery lane with a phenomenon that has really come back into fashion. As recently as last week, they could be seen staggering about the University of Sydney campus in the latest event in afranchise dedicated to keeping them at bay.

Something about an apocalypse-fearing western world and the undyingly funny comedy duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost has created this sick fascination with the idea that the world is going to end, that all humans will die, and – what’s worse –we will be rude enough to come back when we do.

Thanks to Emily Rose, the whole family can get in on the fun

Born (or perhaps born again) in African folklore, the zombie was the victim of a spell which snatched the soul, and left the victim at the hands of shaman or (as it was speculated) child powerful enough to cast it.

Whilst this image of the voodoo zombie didn’t stick, the contemporary rendition (the teenage zombie, we might call it, for its inability to articulate sentences, lack of independent thought, and often expressionless face) came about in 1930’s Haiti where it was rumoured that psychoactive drugs were being used to make slaves compliant. Zombie like. The claims are still contested, but thankfully, these zombies were not infections, nor did they hunger for human flesh.

Come as the ghost of Orlando Bloom's post Pirates career

Known for their slack jaws, unsteady gazes, thirst for brains and noble limps (for the rappers: it is worth noting that to “hurple” – or limp with one leg dragging – is one of the only words in the English language to rhyme with purple), today’s image of the zombie has become an incredibly popular trope in the face of the inevitable, Mayan-predicted end of the world. 

So this Halloween, if moving slowly and grunting a lot is your thing, let your flesh hang down, and your arms jut awkwardly forward, sporting any one of a number of living dead themed costumes we are carrying in store this season.

A bolt in the hand is worth two in the bush

Pick your jaws up off the ground and literally pull yourself together, tomorrow is going to suck.

The Twelve Days of Halloween

Christmas shouldn’t have all the fun. Over the coming three weeks, and in the lead up to one of the biggest nights on our calendar, Costume Direct will be doing a countdown – rather than lords a-leaping, maids a-milking, or partridges in pear trees – of twelve of the most frightening figures in the noble and nasty tradition of Halloween.

Commencing this Monday, with one of the most prolific modern icons of the season, each weekday will feature a different character for your consideration.

These villains will come for your brains, your blood, your children, and your booty; they hide in sewers, manors, caves and the woods; but most importantly, they all look quite good. If you should find yourself at a loss for costume ideas when All Hallow’s Eve arrives, see if you can’t find inspiration in the posts that follow. They’ll leave you screaming for more...

Or, perhaps, just screaming.