Spooky season is upon us, and there’s no better way to celebrate the unique holiday than to dress up and pay homage to your favorite horror characters.
According to the latest survey from the National Retail Federation (NRF), Americans are expected to spend $11.6 billion on Halloween in 2024. Among various expenses, costumes and decorations are expected to be in the top two. Last year, Americans spent about $4.1 billion on costumes. While the survey expects a slight reduction to $3.8 billion this year, the NRF is also expecting more consumers to buy their Halloween items early.
For children, popular Halloween costume go-tos like Spider-Man, the ambiguous ghost, and princess or witch remain popular. Adults, on the other hand, tend to prefer the witch, followed by vampires, cats, and Batman. If you’re looking to stray off the beaten path for your next Halloween costume, why not consider glasses-wearing horror characters? They’re surprisingly common in the genre and will be a fun, stylish, and simultaneously spooky twist on putting your Halloween costume together. If you’re in need of ideas or inspiration, we’ll look at four iconic glasses-wearing horror characters for your next spooky costume:
Needy from Jennifer’s Body
This one’s a great idea if you’re looking to attend costume parties with a friend or partner. In a previous post, we highlighted feminist horror cult classic Jennifer’s Body and how it has remained a fun and funny Halloween watch over a decade since its release. While dressing up as Jennifer is often the go-to option, Needy’s character design, played by Amanda Seyfried, is also just as instantly recognizable. Described as the lovable nerdy best friend to Jennifer, a key part of Needy’s look is her brown-framed, nearly round glasses. The nerdy glasses will be the cherry on top of your Needy costume, paired with a dull-colored knitted top and some blood.
Velma from Scooby Doo
While certainly not the usual horror icon or scream queen people would normally think of when it comes to Halloween costumes, Velma Dinkley is another instantly recognizable horror character — much thanks to her glasses. So synonymous are her glasses with her look that the iconic glasses were all Mindy Kaling and her crew needed to tease her animated production of the Velma spinoff. In a poster revealing that Kaling would voice the spinoff’s titular character, Velma’s glasses are splattered with blood, hugged by an ominous knife-wielding shadow in the background. Aside from an orange sweater and a fun bob wig, you’ll want to find the thickest-framed, oversized eyeglasses you can get your hands on to perfect Velma’s look.
Adam Maitland from Beetlejuice
Another glasses-wearing horror icon is young Alec Baldwin’s turn as Adam Maitland in 1988’s Beetlejuice. While the character didn’t make a return in the recent sequel, Adam Maitland is still recognizable with his black and white top, red undershirt, and the thin-framed glasses that complete his (initially) lovable look as the nice husband who enjoys making miniatures and sculptures. Of course, Beetlejuice fans know that Adam and wife Barbara are annoyed house-ghosts simply trying to get rid of the Deetz family. Like the Jennifer’s Body idea, you may want to complete your Adam Maitland look with a Barbara Maitland by your side!
Herbert West from Re-Animator
Finally, Re-Animator is one of those horror classics known for its gory, campy, and wacky production value, akin to Raimi’s The Evil Dead (released a few years prior). As such, you’re forgiven for missing Herbert West as a potential glasses-wearing Halloween costume. In the film, Herbert West brings his dead professor back to life, becoming his own geeky and simultaneously deranged Dr. Frankenstein. To complete your Herbert West costume, you’ll want some thin-framed aviator-shaped glasses with a bloodied lab coat and, if possible, a fake severed head on a tray.
Some tips for improving your costume
If you take your Halloween costumes seriously, it can be stressful or challenging to put together the right look that celebrates your favorite characters. When it comes to glasses-wearing horror characters, you don’t have to make things hard for yourself by looking for the exact model or brand of a character’s glasses. Instead, you can try on glasses online to see how similar models and silhouettes work to achieve your character’s look. Glasses.com’s virtual try-on feature works like a virtual mirror, so you can check if the pair of Armani Exchange AX3025 glasses would look right for your Velma costume or if the Burberry BE2201 can help friends recognize Jennifer’s Body’s Needy.
It’s also important to remember that the glasses are only a part of the whole ensemble. Depending on the characters you go for, you may want to consider colored contacts or even fake teeth and fangs to further complete the look. For example, the gory and campy vampire flick Abigail had glasses-wearing characters like the antagonist Frank, played by Dan Stevens. However, the character’s aviator glasses pale in comparison to his bloodied vampire look later in the film, so choose your glasses-wearing characters wisely!
