If you’re aiming to win Halloween this year, forget the tired old vampire and pirate routines. Pop culture is serving up fresher, weirder, and way more extra inspiration for your costume planning.
According to Variety, this year’s best Halloween looks are ripped straight from the biggest headlines, cult shows, viral trends, and yes, plush toys.
Topping the list is Leonardo DiCaprio’s character Bob Ferguson from the buzzy satire One Battle After Another. It’s the perfect look if you’re into layered political metaphors and award-bait cinema. But if that sounds a little too high-concept for your costume party, don’t worry—there’s plenty of playful and recognizable picks too.
Like Labubu—yes, the wildly collectible plush toy that looks like it crawled out of a creepy-cute forest dream. It’s adorable, slightly unsettling, and totally on trend.
And if you’re part of the Swiftie universe, get ready to sparkle: Taylor Swift’s glitzy “Life of a Showgirl” concert look is officially a Halloween favorite. Sequins mandatory.
Other standout costume ideas for 2025 include:
- Chappell Roan in her oversized red wig from her “Subway” video.
- Oasis, for the retro music lovers ready to bust out parkas and sibling tension.
- Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes in F1, perfect for those who want to bring racecar energy to the party.
- Glinda and Elphaba from Wicked—thanks to the movie release, witchy duos are back in style.
- Jeremy Allen White’s Carmy from The Bear, for anyone who owns a white tee and can look perpetually stressed.
- Michael B. Jordan’s dual role as twins Stack and Smoke in Sinners, which sounds cool and confusing in the best way.
- Characters from the animated action flick KPop Demon Hunters, including the all-girl group Huntr/x.
- The Guillermo del Toro version of Frankenstein’s monster for horror fans who want to go cinematic.
- Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter also made the list—because no pop costume roundup would be complete without a little Gen Z glam.
- And finally, if you’ve got a toddler to dress up, or just love educational YouTube, there’s always Ms. Rachel.
Whether you’re going high-fashion with Taylor or all-in with monster makeup, this year’s costume picks reflect everything we’ve been obsessed with in 2025. So go big, go weird, and go viral.