25 Nonfreaky Halloween Costumes For Kids Who Still Want to Be Something "Scary"
Not all kids want to be princesses, unicorns, or superheroes for Halloween. If you have a child who wants to go old-school scary for the holiday and freak out fellow trick-or-treaters, we've got you covered. The following 25 costumes — witches, ghosts, and monsters, oh my! — are frightful enough to please your little ghouls and boys but totally appropriate for neighborhood parties and school parades (no one wants a call from the principal about how their kid's costume is making kindergartners cry). From the cutest glow-in-the-dark Frankenstein we ever did see to some sweetly spooky skeletons and sharp-toothed dinosaurs, these costumes are equal parts cute and creepy!
Anglerfish
Chasing Fireflies' Anglerfish costume ($99) has an attached dorsal, pectoral, and feet fins, along with a light that actually works.
Dragon
Target's deluxe dragon costume ($30) includes a dress that has a shiny blue-green bodice with intricate scale detailing, along with small spiky wings on the back. The shiny, holographic green skirt has a long tail accent with spikes on the back.
Frankenstein
Pottery Barn Kids' Frankenstein costume ($71, originally $89) glows in the dark and is made from jersey knit, so it's soft and breathable. The costume comes with a headpiece, shirt, and pants.
Dotty Spiderina Witch
Chasing Fireflies' dotty spiderina witch costume ($76) comes with a dress featuring colorful dots, funky stripes, and sparkly accents. The costume also includes stretchy tights and a velvet hat with tulle trim.
Bat
Pottery Barn Kids' bat costume ($47, originally $59) has a headpiece with spiked ears and shiny green eyes and a body stuffed with polyester padding. It's also made of fleece with cotton lining for warmth and comfort.
Batty Vampiress Costume
Chasing Fireflies' batty vampiress costume ($79) comes with a Gothic-inspired gown with a high collar, sparkle velour overlay, lace sleeves, and bat details. A lacy bat mask completes the look.
Light Up Venom Ninja
Target's light up venom ninja costume ($30) includes a black bodysuit with intricate red accents that create spiderwebs on the forearms, shins, and chest. A creepy black and red spider design on the chest and a light-up feature complete the ninja look.
Jack Skellington
Disney's Jack Skellington costume ($12-$28, originally $17-$40) will turn your trick-or-treater into the Pumpkin King from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. The jacket and mask are sold separately.
Red Dragon
Pottery Barn Kids' red dragon costume ($47-$63, originally $59-$79) has lots of scale-like detailing on a jumpsuit and headpiece.
T-Rex Skeleton
Target's T-Rex skeleton costume ($20) will turn your kid into a skeleton dino, complete with a removable, face-free mask so they can see exactly where they're going.
Scary Ghost
Chasing Fireflies' scary ghost costume ($69) is an eerie sight with a dark hooded robe with ghostly faces printed on the bottom and a sheer, tattered mesh overlay.
Captain Hook
Disney's Captain Hook costume ($13-$34, originally $17-$45) will turn your little pirate into Peter Pan's nemesis.
Dark Dragon
Target's dark dragon costume ($25) comes with a long-sleeved bodysuit that's covered in realistic scale detailing, along with webbing under the arms. The look is completed with a tail with soft spike accents and a soft fabric hat with a fierce dragon face with horns and bright orange eyes.
Glow-in-the-Dark Ghost
Pottery Barn Kids' glow-in-the-dark ghost costume ($39, originally $49) has a soft velour body and a supersoft hat, so it's extra comfy.
Cauldron Witch
Chasing Fireflies' cauldron witch costume ($65) features a funky dress disguised as a cauldron. The costume includes a dress, hat, shoe covers, striped tights, and a headband with an attached witch hat.
Sally
Disney's Sally costume ($37-$41, originally $50-$55) is inspired by The Nightmare Before Christmas character and comes with Sally's patchwork dress, blue stitched pants, and long red hair.
Witch
Pottery Barn Kids' witch costume ($71, originally $89) is designed with a cool web pattern on the hat and dress that glows in the dark. Three-dimensional spiders crawl up the cape for an extra spooky effect.
Medusa
Chasing Fireflies' Medusa costume ($79) comes with a gold and green dress and wig, both coiled with snakes.
Skeleton Witch
Target's skeleton witch costume ($20) comes with a hat, black skeleton suit, and a sparkly knee-length tulle skirt.
Voodoo Doll
Chasing Fireflies' voodoo doll costume ($59) comes with a dress with puff sleeves, print smudges and stitches, a heart graphic on the bodice, and red tulle at the jagged hem.
Blue Ninja
Target's blue ninja costume ($20) will have your trick-or-treater looking just like a ninja with a black and blue design, belt, hood, and face covering.
Skeleton Mermaid
Chasing Fireflies' skeleton mermaid costume ($56) comes with a top and skirt with a glow-in-the-dark skeleton print and a skeleton starfish headpiece.
Maleficient
Disney's Maleficient costume ($31-$38, originally $45-$55) is majestic with plush violet velour robes and the iconic horned headdress, trimmed with iridescent magenta satin and metallic details.
Deluxe Royal Witch
Target's deluxe royal witch costume ($30) has a shiny orange and black bodice, along with an orange skirt overlaid with black tulle and printed with filigree and Halloween designs.
Skeleton Cape
Chasing Fireflies' skeleton cape costume ($69) has a skeleton print snaking up the back. When the hood is up, people see a side view of a skull, making it extra spooky.