Deeply Disturbing Halloween Costumes From Yesteryear That Would Terrify You Today

Just like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and the New Year, Halloween is one of the biggest holidays in the Western world. And while its roots lay in Samhain, an ancient Celtic pagan festival, Halloween has transformed over the years into a modern holiday that’s spooky, fun, and full of sugar. And everyone knows that dressing up on Halloween is a must…

Today, Halloween parties around the globe are full of cats, witches, devils, pumpkins, and other modern costumes. But if you’re looking for inspiration for your next Halloween costume here… we don’t think we can help you. Back in the day, Halloween costumes were a little different. They weren’t spooky-but-cute, they weren’t ghoulish-but-sexy, and they definitely weren’t creepy-but-funny. Instead, they were just downright terrifying…

Taking the Costume Idea by the Horns

If you’re going to dress up for a Halloween party today, you have to go all in. If you just shove a bedsheet over your head, cut a couple of eye holes into the fabric, and call yourself a “ghost,” your fellow partygoers are going to know that you didn’t put any effort in. You have to take your costume idea by the horns… and it seems as though they also did that back in the day.

While we don’t know why anyone would shove what looks like a real skull onto the body of a child, it seems as though that’s exactly what they did during Halloween past. And the extra addition of the horns on the skull just makes the whole thing even more bizarre. Everything about this child looks normal… until you see their head. And that’s even creepier than a full head-to-toe costume.

Are You Feline Good?

Let’s be honest; the whole “cat” thing has been so overdone – but we haven’t grown to hate it just yet. People have been dressing up as cats for Halloween for centuries, but there’s something about the cute whiskers, the adorable ears, and the fluffy paws that reels us in every time we can’t think of a new and inventive costume idea. Being a cat is safe. Or so we thought.

This cat costume from yesteryear is creepier than the CGI in the live-action Cats movie, and that’s saying something. From the strange mask that seems to have elongated this person’s neck to the fur that looks suspiciously like real cat fur, it’s all a bit too much. And we won’t be taking inspiration from this for this year’s costume. No, thank you.

The Closer You Look…

While we truly appreciate people who put their hearts and souls into their Halloween costumes, decorations, and just their whole spooky vibe, we have to say that this picture is giving us shivers. Not only is the person in the white cloak with the white mask and the dodgy eye, nose, and mouth holes super creepy, but the whole situation is just bizarre.

There’s no doubt about the fact that this person has put a huge amount of effort into matching their own costume with the props around them, but this is giving us serious serial killer vibes. From the weird face carved into the pumpkin to the huge collection of witches and the stake cross, everything is just strange. There’s no other word for it; it’s strange.

A Relay Race Gone Wrong

We all know how relay races work. One person on a team runs with a baton in their hands, before passing it to the next runner, and so on and so forth. But this picture below is unlike any other relay race we’ve ever seen, and we’re starting to think that maybe the person taking this photo should have said no to participating in this Halloween relay race…

We don’t know why this kid is wearing such a creepy mask for Halloween, but we have bigger fish to fry and more pressing questions to ask. What is he holding in his hand? Is that a sword of some kind? And who are the creepy kids in the background? And why are they just standing there while this kid hurls a sword around? We don’t think we’ll ever get the answers we need.

A Throuple Costume Like No Other

When it comes to choosing your Halloween costume, you have a few choices to make. Perhaps the most important decision is whether you’re going to go solo, or whether you’re going to link up with your partner or your friends for a group costume. These guys back in the day obviously opted for a threesome Halloween vibe, but maybe they should have re-thought that decision…

This is a throuple costume like no other, and not in a good way. Of course, the guy dressed up as a leather-clad bear is the focal point of this costume, but then things seem to get weirder the more you look. From the nose-ring chain to the bear tamer on the left and the mask-wearing boy on the right, we just have no idea what’s going on.

“I See a Creepy Halloween Costume in Your Future”

Even if you don’t believe in spirits, spirituality, or psychic senses, there’s no doubt about the fact that a lot of people do. And a lot of people will spend good money on seeing a psychic who can read your palms, interpret your tarot cards, or look into their crystal ball. We have a feeling that these psychics below don’t get a lot of repeat business, though.

Back in the day, these kids went all out for their Halloween costumes. They found masks, they borrowed a table from their parents, and they even got a crystal ball into the mix. And while we do have to congratulate the entrepreneurial adventures of the youth, you’ll have to excuse us as we run away and never think about this image ever again.

Pumpkin Head and Her Pal

Now, this is something that we’re a little more familiar with. After all, it’s not uncommon to see people carve out jack-o-lanterns for their porches during the spooky season, and sometimes we even see people wearing large pumpkin-type outfits as the main event. But this isn’t exactly what we’re used to.

While you have to love a pumpkin costume, this Halloween costume from yesteryear instead looks like something out of The Shining. These two sisters are creepy, they’re spooky, and they give off some seriously bad vibes. We’re not even sure what the sister on the left is wearing on her head. One thing we do know is that it’s not a pumpkin.

This Little Piggy Went to the Halloween Party

If you’re stuck for Halloween ideas, animals can always come in handy. After all, it’s pretty easy to dress up as a bat, as a cat, or even as something even more obscure like a peacock. But it’s very rare that you see someone dressed up on Halloween as a pig, and that’s probably because this picture has scared the bejesus out of people looking to do that.

What’s super scary about this costume is the fact that we’re not 100% sure it’s actually a costume. The pig mask looks a little too real for our liking, and we just don’t want to get our heads around the fact that someone could wear a literal pig head on their own head. The smell alone must have been enough to scare everyone on this person’s street.

Eye See You There

There are two different kinds of creepy. There’s the scary creepy, and then there’s just the downright weird creepy. The latter makes you feel uneasy, it renders you confused, and it just leaves you with a question mark in your brain. And that’s exactly what these eye Halloween costumes are doing to us.

While we appreciate the fact that these two put a huge amount of effort into their couple’s Halloween costume, we just have one question…. why? What makes this whole thing even more creepy is the fact that the eyeballs are so big and surrounded by eyelashes. While we know eyes wouldn’t be complete without eyelashes, this whole thing is just spooky.

The Couple That Costumes Together, Stays Together

Couples costumes are pretty cool when you think about it, especially if you’re self-conscious about the costume you’re wearing. You can rest easy knowing that your partner looks just as ridiculous as you do and that you’re not alone on Halloween. And while we love that thought, we don’t really love this couple’s choice of costume.

This couple chose to go pretty bland on the bottom of the costume, but went all out on the top – and we’re not even sure what animal they’re supposed to be. Raccoons? Aardvarks? Anteaters? Whatever they are, they’re pretty creepy, and not in a cool Halloween-y way.

You Can’t Leave the Horses Out

If you have a pet, you’ll know that they’re so much more than just animals who don’t pay rent to live in your house. Pets are family, and so you want to be with them all the time… even on Halloween. These people of yesteryear obviously also thought the same when it came to their horses, and so they put their skulls together to figure out a way to include their horses in their Halloween costume.

All in all, we think this old-school Halloween costume is actually pretty creative. The skeleton costume will never go out of style, and it makes sense to add your horse into the mix for the whole look to come together. But that’s not to say that we don’t still think it’s creepy. The masks in particular give us the heebie-jeebies.

Smiling for the Camera

Even today, a lot of people wear masks when they’re putting on their Halloween outfits. It’s pretty normal, and we’re pretty used to seeing these skulls, pumpkins, cats, and more. One thing we definitely wouldn’t be used to is seeing these masks below, though. In fact, we’d probably run out of the house screaming if we came face to face with one of these.

Nevertheless, it seems as though they were all the rage back in the day, and the people who wore these masks regularly wore them on Halloween and posed for the cameras while they were at it. We have no idea what they are, who they’re for, or what they represent, but we do know that we don’t want to be anywhere near one of these bad boys.

When Big Bird Wants Some Candy

We love a bit of originality on Halloween. We’ve seen the same outfits recycled year after year, and we love it when somebody comes up with a completely new idea that blows us away and makes us wonder why we never thought of it ourselves. And while we have to congratulate the ingenuity of this bird, we also have to wonder… why?

Birds aren’t meant to be scary, but there’s something about this bird that does look pretty scary. Especially because it’s listening to what’s on the other side of the wall. We think. In reality, we actually don’t really know what this bird is doing, or why this person from yesteryear decided that a bird costume was the one for them.

Maybe the Children Aren’t Our Future…

We’re constantly looking towards the younger generation to save our planet, make necessary changes, and get our world back in order. And while we certainly have faith that some kids have the power to be the face of the next generation, this kid’s face should be avoided at all costs. At least on Halloween, anyway.

We have absolutely no idea what this child dressed up for on Halloween, but that’s what makes the whole thing even worse. From the padding stuffed into his onesie to the creepy waxen mask on his face and the tilted head, we’re not sure how much longer we can look at this photo. It feels as though he’s staring into our soul.

Donald Duck Like You’ve Never Seen Him Before

Donald Duck is a character we all know, and there are some people who may have even dressed up as the Disney legend on Halloween at some point. However, we have to question the picture below… because the hat says that this costume is meant to be Donald Duck, but all we see is some kind of duck massacre.

While we can see that this person is wearing a sailor-like suit just as Donald does, the beak is throwing us off… and almost making us throw up. It looks as though the beak has been made out of paper or leather, and the texture is giving us serious heebie-jeebies. The tiny mouth and eye holes are also making us feel extremely claustrophobic.

When You All Turn Up in the Same Outfit

Although we all love a group Halloween outfit, there are instances where wearing the same costume as someone else is pretty embarrassing – especially if you didn’t plan it. There’s nothing worse than turning up to to a party wearing the exact same thing as another person, and we can’t imagine how awkward it was for all of these people below.

Let’s hope they all bonded over the fact that they all looked super creepy, rather than just wallowing in their self-pity. After all, we can’t imagine many people wanted to talk to these guys at the party, so they probably had to hold onto anyone who gave them a chance. Real talk though… what is this?

Take a Seat if You’re the Creepiest of All Time

While we’re definitely not averse to wearing a mask on Halloween, the ones we wear today are creepy for the sake of being creepy. They look like skulls, they have fake blood all over them, and they are designed to look as scary as possible. Because of that, they’re not too bad and they’re not as terrifying as they could be. Not like these masks, anyway.

There’s something about the giant eyebrows, the perfect heart-shaped lips, and the wide eyes that make these old Halloween masks look utterly horrific. And why are they so big? They look completely disproportionate to the kids that are wearing them and just make the whole thing look weird and wacky. It’s another “nope” from us.

We Moustache You a Question

In today’s day and age, we’re used to wearing masks. In a post-pandemic world, masks can save you from infection and keep you safe from viruses – and some people just feel more comfortable wearing this protective barrier over their mouths. But we definitely won’t be wearing our face masks to our Halloween party. And it definitely won’t be an all-over-face-mask like these.

If these Halloween costumes don’t give you the heebie-jeebies, then we don’t know what will. The masks look waxen, they look creepy, and what’s with the weird mustaches drawn on the masks? The whole look is not something we ever want to see, on a child or an adult. It’s a major “nope” from us – and we have a feeling that most people would agree.

Sorry, No Trick or Treats for You…

You probably don’t need us to tell you that trick or treating is just part and parcel of Halloween. Whether you’re a keen trick-or-treater yourself or whether you prefer to hand out the candy from your doorstep, there’s nothing quite like hearing the ding or a doorbell and seeing what each house has to offer. But would you open the door to these creepies?

What makes these Halloween costumes even creepier is the fact that they’re actually quite simple. Three of the masks look as though they’re made from just a few small pieces of fabric, but in situ, they look terrifying. If these guys turned up on our doorstep, we don’t think they’d give them either a trick or a treat.

To Infinity and Beyond the Realm of Creepiness

Nowadays, Halloween costumes don’t have to be creepy. They can be funny, they can be cute, they can be sexy, and they can even be other-worldly. We’ve all seen Mean Girls, after all. And it seems as though this was also the case back in the day. But instead of dressing up like Buzz Lightyear, this Halloween lover decided to dress up as another kind of space creature.

This person isn’t an astronaut, they don’t look 100% like an alien, and they don’t look like a rocket ship… so what are they supposed to be? The questions surrounding this Halloween costume are creepier than the outfit itself. And we think the man on the right perfectly sums up our facial expression looking at this thing.

Anything Good up There?

What’s creepier than one person dressed in a weird Halloween costume? Well, we think it’s two people and a baby dressed in weird Halloween costumes. Yep, not only is the mom on the left freaking us out with her demon nurse costume, her booger-picking husband and her masked baby are giving us all kinds of heebie-jeebies.

When we really think about it, we don’t know who these people are meant to be. Is she supposed to be some kind of zombie nurse? Is he meant to be an undead griller? And we don’t even want to think too much about the baby, because the more we look the more chills we get.