Scary creatures and frightening monsters like zombies, ghosts, the Grim Reaper, ghouls, and goblins are just a few of supposed inhabitants of some other world existing between life and death. All these creatures have thus become the inspiration for Halloween costumes that can be made simply with scissors and an old white bed sheet. Imagination has always been the key to a good costume, and many people now look for some new and exciting ideas for their Halloween costumes.

Goblins, wizards, witches, and just about anything else from the world of fairy tales have been the inspirational source of many a costume. The Wicked Queen of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is an example of one of many Disney film characters that have become popular disguises during Halloween. Any great fairy tale is filled with inspirational costume ideas.

The elegant tuxedo, long cape, and blood-dripping fangs of Count Dracula have led to many costume ideas, and not just for men. Female vampires often appear during Halloween in fancy, old fashioned gowns and, with the right accessories, they can be quite terrifying. You can get ideas for Halloween costumes from any horror film. The Addam's Family was also full of great horror film related ideas. You can choose to be a neck bolted Frankenstein, a hairy werewolf, a blood-lusting vampire, or any other monster that suits you.

In recent years, many popular films whose stories are tied to the magical or supernatural have provided a whole new list of costume possibilities. Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and even Spider-Man are filled with great ideas for this years Halloween get up.

For kids who have grown up watching such movies, costumes related to them are instantly recognizable. It is truly exciting to see the film come to life. This is possible because the Halloween costumes for such characters are basically a copy of the original studio costume used during the filming of the movie.

Increasingly, it has become acceptable for Halloween costume design to move away from the traditional spirit, under world, fairy story and magical themes, and to move on to just plain having fun. When you choose your costume based on fun, almost anything goes.

Lots of inspiration exists outside the spirit realm. Characters from television shows, movies, and books, like Superman for example, have become popular Halloween guises. Other more random characters such as scarecrows and clowns are also common. You could choose a stereotypical person, like a geeky nerd, or even an inanimate object, like a soda can. The possibilities are essentially endless.

The idea is to be distinctive and witty, to stand out from the crowd, with your choice of Halloween costume. Perhaps this new trend has emerged because Halloween theme costume parties have become very popular. The older Halloween party generation of today is more open to fresh costume ideas than the traditional trick or treater dress up age group.