Halloween Costumes for Goths
4 Ghoulish Masquerade Ideas From the Pages of Gothic Literature
Individuals who enjoying wearing gothic clothing all year round, often have a hard time finding an original costume for halloween. Classic gothic novels can provide great inspiration. Here are just a few ideas from some well known texts.
Prometheus
Well known gothic writers often engage with the myth of Prometheus in their work. Mary Shelley, whose 1818 gothic novel Frankenstein is subtitled “The Modern Prometheus,” is the most obvious example. In ancient mythology, Prometheus was the Greek god who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals. For this he was chained to a rock and sentenced to having an eagle peck at his liver everyday for all eternity.
For this costume dress in a simple loin cloth and go bare foot or wear simple leather sandals. Next, attach a stuffed or plastic eagle to your abdomen using clear fishing line. Glue on a fake wound with blood on your right side just below your ribs and you are ready to go. If you want to be more elaborate, you could also chain a large paper mache rock to your back.
Tippi Hedren from Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds (1963)
The scene in the film where Tippi Hedren is running from the school house and gets attacked by birds provides another easy but effective Halloween costume idea. Simply dress in a 1950s pencil skirt with matching jacket, high heals and a clutch purse. Arrange your hair in a messy blond bouffant then attach some plastic black crows to your hair and the back of your jacket. Paint some trickling blood and smeared mascara on your face and you are done.
Cathy's Ghost from Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights (1847)
Early in the novel, Cathy's ghost appears to Heathcliff outside his bedroom window. Heathcliff thinks he hears a branch brushing against the pane and puts his hand through the glass. Cathy's ghost grabs his hand and says "Let me in. Let me in." Horrified at the sight of the "creature," Heathcliff "pulled its wrist on to the window pane, rubbed it to and fro til the blood ran down and soaked the bedclothes".
For this costume you will need a Victorian-style nightdress, preferably white; make your skin ghostly pale and add long, stringy black hair. The goal is to look wet, cold and exhausted. Paint cuts and blood on your wrists, dibble some of the blood down the front of your night dress and wander around wailing “I’ve lost my way on the moors. Let me in. Let me in.”
Miss Havisham from Dicken's Great Expectations (1860)
Miss Havisham is an aging, bitter woman who was left by her lover on the day of their wedding. Isolated in an upstairs room, still set for the wedding feast but now draped in cobwebs, Miss Havisham spends all her time conniving ways of ruining other people's relationships.
For this costume you will need a long white gown that can pass for a wedding dress. The dress should look dirty and decayed and be covered in cobwebs and plastic spiders. Only wear one shoe because Miss Haversham only had on the one when she heard the news that her fiance had run off. Also, wear a clock that is stopped at twenty minutes to nine which is the moment she learned of her intended's betrayal. Since she is an old woman, your hair should be white and add some bling to reflect her wealth.
Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Home & Style
Latest Articles