Scaring up ideas: What are the hottest costume trends for Halloween?

Jim Abbott, Daytona Beach News-Journal
·3 min read

Well, we’re into September now, which means the Next Big Thing for many kids-at-heart is figuring out what Halloween costume will turn heads at parties or set social media on fire.

Fortunately, there are professional data trackers that devote themselves to calculating what Halloween get-up is setting the trends, including online e-commerce platform Wethrift.

And no, it’s not too early to start shopping for that perfect costume.

Halloween Megastore, a popular seasonal costume store just east of the Volusia Mall on International Speedway Boulevard, opened its doors a week before Labor Day, said Pyro, the store’s manager.

A customer makes a selection with help from store manager Pyro (at left) ahead of Halloween 2022 at the Halloween Megastore in Daytona Beach. This year, the store opened for customers a week ahead of Labor Day, earlier than last year. "We've had a lot of people coming in already," Pyro said.
A customer makes a selection with help from store manager Pyro (at left) ahead of Halloween 2022 at the Halloween Megastore in Daytona Beach. This year, the store opened for customers a week ahead of Labor Day, earlier than last year. "We've had a lot of people coming in already," Pyro said.

The store even stayed open regular hours during the peak impact of Hurricane Idalia’s outer bands on Wednesday, she said.

“We’ve had a lot of people coming in already,” she said, “except for the hurricane day. We still were busy that afternoon, but in the morning it was dead."

At the Megastore, there’s no doubt what the year’s most in-demand costume will be:

“Barbie is going to be huge,” Pyro said. “Scream costumes will be big; we’re already seeing a lot of interest in that. Superheroes are always popular for the kids, always.”

Here are other costumes that are trending high on Google, according to Wethrift.

Harley Quinn

Costume searches for the DC Comics character are up 153% over the past month, according to Wethrift.

Although the highly anticipated movie sequel “Joker: Folie à Deux” is not due for release until October 2024, there’s plenty of hype around the upcoming release since it wrapped up filming in April.

Boynton Beach resident Christa Golden, 28, is dressed up as Harley Quinn during the Ultracon Comic Con event in August at the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center. Expect to see many more Harley Quinn costumes this Halloween.
Boynton Beach resident Christa Golden, 28, is dressed up as Harley Quinn during the Ultracon Comic Con event in August at the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center. Expect to see many more Harley Quinn costumes this Halloween.

The frenzy was fueled by one of the movie’s stars, Lady Gaga, who shared a behind-the-scenes glimpse of her portrayal of Joker’s famous sidekick and lover.

The on-set photo of Gaga as Harley generated over 32,400 comments on the original Instagram post, according to Wethrift. Expect that many of those followers will be looking to recreate the character for Halloween.

Ghostface

The infamous slasher villain Ghostface from the “Scream” movie franchise is has been a Halloween staple since the 1990s. With the release of the “Scream 6” earlier in the year, demand has surged again, with Google searches for “Ghostface costume” up by 84% over the past month.

Barbie and Ken

Couples-coordinated costumes are always big. This year, that means costumes depicting the iconic dolls (action figures?) will be all the rage in the wake of the blockbuster “Barbie” movie starring Margot Robbie.

The hit movie "Barbie" has inspired one of the year's most popular Halloween costume ideas.
The hit movie "Barbie" has inspired one of the year's most popular Halloween costume ideas.

Online searches for Barbie and Ken costumes have skyrocketed by 76% over the past month, a trend that’s only likely to increase as the holiday approaches, according to Wethrift.

Super Mario

With the release of the "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" in April, it’s likely there will be plenty of classic red and blue dungarees and fake moustaches at this year’s Halloween soirees.

Searches for “Super Mario costume” increased by 67% over the past month, according to Wethrift.

Wednesday

The hit Netflix series “Wednesday” has dominated pop culture over the past year, powered by viral TikTok dance routines that have generated a new generation of Wednesday Addams fans.

Jenna Ortega's portrayal of Wednesday Addams in the hit Netflix series "Wednesday" will be a popular inspiration for Halloween costumes this year.
Jenna Ortega's portrayal of Wednesday Addams in the hit Netflix series "Wednesday" will be a popular inspiration for Halloween costumes this year.

Online searches for Wednesday costumes have increased by 43% over the past month. No word on whether these fans also were searching for funky goth dance lessons.

Little Mermaid

Since the live-action remake of the Disney classic hit cinemas in May, a wave of Mermaid- inspired beauty and fashion trends have dominated TikTok and Pinterest, a trend dubbed “mermaidcore.”

A look at last year's hot costumes Scary stuff: What are the hot costumes in Daytona Beach this Halloween?

With a 41% increase in global searches over the past month, demand for Little Mermaid costumes is on the rise for Halloween, too.

Oppenheimer

Another movie-inspired costume choice also is gaining momentum, with searches for Oppenheimer costumes up by 17% over the past month, according to Wethrift.

In the realm of “Barbenheimer” hype, that doesn’t approach the frenzy of interest for Barbie and Ken. Maybe if the guy had a flashier wardrobe?

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Halloween costume ideas channel movies in Daytona Beach