Most popular Halloween costumes for 2022 and where to buy: Stranger Things, Hocus Pocus, House of the Dragon
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In the largely risible Sex and the City (2008) movie, Miranda Hobbes summarises women’s Halloween costume options succinctly, “That’s it. The only two choices for women, witch and sexy kitten.”
But times have moved on in the past decade. A plethora of intriguing anti-heroes popularised in Disney movies, HBO shows, comic book movies mean that now, there are many more options for ladies - and, indeed, gentlemen - searching for a fun Halloween costume.
What are the most popular 2022 Halloween costumes?
But if you’re hoping for a costume that’s bang on trend for 2022, Ebay have analysed this year’s search trends on the online marketplace - from over 20 million searches - and detailed the most popular UK Halloween costumes.
Disney witches, dragon queens and demogorgons are dominating, as shoppers are inspired by film and telly characters they love.
With Hocus Pocus 2 arriving this year (only 30 years after the original!) eBay reports a 567% increase in searches for Sarah Sanderson costumes, inspired by Sarah Jessica Parker’s iconic blonde witch. Additionally a 368% increase for ‘Hocus Pocus costume’ has been noted - a great option for groups headed out together, to go as the trio of witches.
The runaway success of HBO’s House of the Dragon has been reflected as people seeking to channel the bleached white tresses of the show’s lead family - Targaryen costume’ searches have increased +766% on eBay.
And, once again, Stranger Things is proving popular. Ebay has reported a 123% rise in searches for ‘eleven costume’ , and a 161% more searches for ‘demogorgon costume’ on eBay.
*All data points based on Month on Month eBay searches: 14 Aug 2022 - 10 Sept 2022 vs 11 Sept 2022 - 08 Oct 2022
In addition to the eBay research, an anaylsis of google search Google search trends has revealed ever
While a few old favourites feature, recent movies and TV shows have dominated the list of on trend costumer. We’ve listed them below, as well as where to buy.
So if you’re
We’ve already summarised the best Halloween costumes for men and women in this handy guide, and a list of the best Halloween costumes for trick or treating children.
If you’re thinking of throwing a Halloween bash, check out our guide to Halloween decorations, and if you’re looking to entertain children, these are the best food and party treats for Halloween.
The most popular Halloween Costumes for 2022
Since the release of George Romero’s 1968 horror classic, Night of the Living Dead, zombies have been a mainstay of scary costuming.
They’re back in fashion, with the notion of a disease tearing its way through nations (struck by supply shortages and a paranoid populace) rapaciously oddly popular just now, for some reason.
The great fun of dressing as the undead is that you can chose the moment your character was bitten and frozen in time. Zombie clown? Teacher? Bride? Terrifying, and with a hint of pathos.
We love this zombie priest option, for the added sinister ecumenical overtones.
There are now almost as many Joker iterations in movie history as there have been takes on Hamlet, so alluring is the Clown Prince of Gotham to actor’s wanting to dial their performance up to 11.
This writer prefers the dark, dirty vocal work of Mark Hamill on the superlative animated version, or the deranged menace of Heath Ledger’s Dark Knight incarnation.
But there is little doubt the current surge in popularity for Joker costume’s is due to Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar winning turn in the 2019 The Joker film.
Link to that costume below.
Fancy the Ledger version? Buy the costume here. And the Arkham Asylum, oh-so-creepy Hamill version is available here.
We here at Recommended are going to keep our feelings about the fact that Halloween costumes are meant to be scary to ourselves (you can split hairs given the celebration’s Christian and pagan roots, but c’mon, people - it’s Fright Night) and instead stick to reporting that Princess costumes are the one of most sought out costume option for spooky season.
Further to that, Disney princesses top that particular sub category, with ‘Women’s Princess Jasmine’ costume the most popular search overall, because there is never a better time to bare your midriff and wear diaphanous harem pants than the onset of winter at night.
Cruella De Vil was the latest Disney villain given a sympathetic overhaul in a prequel last year (we can debate the necessity to redeem a woman whose prime character trait was a desire to murder puppies later), and the resultant film was unexpectedly fun.
It’s little wonder the black and white garbed anti-hero proved so popular: depicted by Emma Stone, in the 2021 movie Cruella’s costumes were designed by genius costumier Jenny Beavan and they’re a luscious treat.
No wonder shoppers are seeking to emulate those striking looks. Please just step back from the puppies.
It’s a cat, what can we say. In defence of its popularity, cats are excellent animals, so there’s much to be said for dressing as one. Sleeping in the sun and staying aloof? The animals know how to live.
We’re linking to a lightly fetish-y, Catwoman-inspired cat costume, because it can’t be denied the Sexy Cat outfit is an enduringly popular one. You were right, Miranda Hobbes, what can we say.
The Purge franchise has proven to be a modern movie phenomenon, using a basic premise: for one night, all crime is legal.
The film is an allegory that examines the disparity between classes and, in later films, racial divides. Either that or it’s an exploitative excuse to show ultraviolent gory murders. (A little from column a, a little from column b)
It’s not surprising it’s a popular costume: little more to it than a scary, sinister mask (several iterations are available), and comfy hoodies and track pants as clothing.
Pair with a faux weapon and despair at societal decay.
Did we say that times had changed, and there are many more costume options for women than witch or sexy kitten? Oops. Google trends show nearly 70,000 Brits searching for the Scarlet Witch costume.
Although Scarlet Witch, popularised in the Marvel Avengers movies and the subject of the hugely successful TV show WandaVision, is a cut above the average witch (no disrespect to the Wiccan community intended).
Depicted by Elizabeth Olsen, she’s an astonishingly powerful superhero, one who rides the line between good and evil in a thrilling way.
You can plump for the modern, leather-clad, modern version, but this 1960s inspired outfit looks altogether more comfortable - and fun.
Money Heist - or, to use its Spanish title, La Casa de Papel - was (until Squid Games was released) Netflix’s highest rated foreign language show, a rollicking thriller and runaway success.
The first season saw a gang of criminals code-named after major cities, garbed in revolutionary-red overalls and Salvador Dalí masks.
They broke into the Royal Mint of Spain, taking 67 people hostage and literally printing themselves money, the sweet little sum of 2.4bn euros.
Not hard to understand the popularity of dressing as a Heister, then. It’s a deliciously comfy unisex option. All you need is a red boiler suit, and a Dali mask - counterfeit money is optional.
Break out the kohl, crank up the Nirvana and get ready to mope - the third most popular costume for 2022 was The Batman, and it’s ideal for the ruminative among us.
Robert Pattinson’s brooding take on the Dark Knight put the emphasis on the dark - but dressing ike him affords the perfect opportunity to take in a deep, gruff voice for the evening, which is always fun.
The second most sought after costume on Google for this year, with 389,200 over 2022.
The DC anti-hero with a distinctive Brooklyn accent and a love of anarchy has sky-rocketed in popularity thanks to Margot Robbie’s masterful performance in Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey, and The Suicide Squad (Hollywood puts a lot of primacy on the definite article).
The films are of varying quality (the first on the list is an argument that Jared Leto needs to be sent back out into the desert to meditate and left there) - but she is excellent throughout.
A brilliant choice for a lady who likes chaos, short shorts, or simply needs an excuse to wield a baseball bat for the night.
With a whopping 797,800 searchs over the last year, Squid Game costumes are the most popular google search term for 2022.
Even a year after its release on Netflix, Squid Game remains a cultural phenomenon, one of the streaming platform’s most popular show. It’s enjoyed both popular and critical success.
The South Korean drama tells the story of people who have failed in life in various ways, but suddenly receive a mysterious invitation to participate in a survival game to win 45.6 billion won (£28.2 million).
The guards offer an ideal costume for Halloween - unisex, warm enough for a chilly October eve, and ever-so-comfy to wear.
The beloved witches (putting aside the evil, child killing element for a moment) are back for a sequel - if you’ve a gaggle of friends you can go as the Sanderson sisters with this trio of witches outfits.
Sarah Sanderson (the ultra-blonde flirty witch played by Sarah Jessica Parker) fan? You can find a great Sarah costume here.
Everyone’s favourite incestuous, dragon-riding family is back on our screens with House of the Dragon. Channel the elegance of Daemon Targaryen with this Carnival Suit.
Maybe not the easiest outfit to wear - certainly not one for the weak of bladder - you’ll make an impact as the diabolical villain from Stranger Things, the dem