We are officially less than one month away from Halloween, which means it is finally time to lock in on your costumes if you haven’t already picked the perfect one. Of course, you can go on to be a pirate, a fairy, or a Disney princess wearing a corset. Maybe you’re going with a friend as an angel and a devil, or maybe, if you’re aiming for a couples’ costume, you’ll really spice it up and go as Padme and Anakin. These are the typical Pinterest-y costumes, but at the end of the day they’re timeless.
You can choose one of those timeless costumes, but I don’t think it’s too hot of a take to say 2026 was the year of movies and TV shows, bringing some of the best new content for Halloween costumes. Nikki from Obsession will easily be the most popular costume this Halloween. If seeing Inde Navarrette, who plays Nikki, walk in reverse freaked you out, I would recommend that you stay in your house on Halloween weekend. Any of her looks would totally work out, but you can’t forget the fake blood if you go with this — who would be scared of a regular girl walking around?
(PSA: If you plan on going as Nikki, please do not make it a couples costume with Bear. They are not a couple!!!)
In the same vein of horror movies, if your color is neon yellow, get yourself a hazmat suit, and you can say your costume is based on Backrooms. I didn’t actually watch Backrooms, but they definitely wear hazmat suits. Now, the new movie Primetime isn’t necessarily a horror movie, but I don’t think it’s insane to group it here, and I definitely would expect to see some Chris Hansens around. I know my brother is thinking about going as him, so it’s officially a verified costume.
Shifting over, there has been a crazy resurgence of superheroes following the opening of Spiderman: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel’s re-release of Avengers: Endgame in theaters, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and even the final season of The Boys. There will be an abundance of superheroes walking around this Halloween, no matter what recently came out. There will always be an abundance of superhero costumes. But aside from the obvious choices of The Avengers and such, there is the possibility of snagging the niche choice of Jean Grey. Not that Jean Grey is really niche, but the untapped potential of Sadie Sink’s portrayal specifically. I want to hope Supergirl will be a hit costume, but…I’m not super optimistic. I, however, do think I will see some Homelanders and Billy Butchers. The Boys season five came out like five months ago, and it still feels relevant.
Continuing from the most popular hits from 2026, there will no doubt be Odysseus costumes. Maybe some Athenas. I think Odysseus and Penelope will be a hit couples’ costume. Now, this next costume I was a little hesitant to add, but is it too ambitious to say I hope I see some people as Grace from Project Hail Mary? Similar to the Backrooms costume, if neon yellow is your color, then you’d be the perfect fit for his spacesuit. It’s a perfect nerdy costume; assuming the majority of us here at Stevens are science people, this costume could be peak.
I thought for a while about super influential pop-culture shows that came out this year, and I struggled a bit before remembering the gold that is Off Campus. If you’re solo, you can throw on a letterman jacket or light hockey gear, making you an official Off Campus boy. If you’re looking for a couples’ costume, then of course there is the obvious going as Garrett and Hannah when they are dressed as the magician and bunny. But the real hitter from that show would be Dean and Allie when they are dressed as Maverick from Top Gun and J-Lo’s red carpet look. If you haven’t watched it, that duo might sound insane but very real. Or, if you plan on just spending Halloween with your girls, Allie and Hannah are besties and a totally simple duo costume.
While these costumes might sound extremely basic, they are timely, and a true testament to the year’s pop culture trends.
