Spooky szn is well underway, and second Halloweekend is right around the corner. You may have heard students talk about what frat party or bar they’re going to celebrate Halloween at, and — most importantly — what they’re going to wear.

Costumes are an essential part of the Halloween experience. I mean, c’mon, how can you trick-or-treat if you’re not dressed up as a ghost, a witch or your favorite movie character?

I set out to find some of the best Halloween costumes from students on campus, and it seems the possibilities are endless.

“I think it was 2013, I did Carrie. I got a turkey baster and I filled it with [fake] blood and I, like, basted my whole body,” said Medill first-year Olivia Yarvis.“I won a costume contest.” Clearly her dedication to this costume paid off.  

Photo courtesy of Olivia Yarvis

If you’re curious about making a scary costume, Yarvis gave some tips on how to create realistic looking gashes: “You paint on liquid latex and you layer it up, and once it dries you cut into it with a toothpick.”

If you’re looking for something less scary, however, I also have that covered. Zak Chorny, a Weinberg first-year, took a different, less horror-esque route to his Halloween costume.

“I dressed up as Howard Wolowitz from The Big Bang Theory,” he said. “I bought a black wig and a big belt buckle.”

Chorny also shared that he often gets told he looks like Wolowitz, so putting this costume together was a no brainer.

Photo courtesy of Zak Chorny

Flipping Halloween upside down entirely, Weinberg first-year Riya Kumar dressed up as a Christmas tree her junior year of high school.

“I got it off of Amazon,” Kumar said. “A lot of comments were like, ‘It’s too early for Christmas.’”

Now, she just wears it every Nov. 1.

Photo courtesy of Riya Kumar

There is no right way to go about Halloween costumes, so don’t be afraid to take some risks when putting together your outfit this year. Dressing up can be one of the most memorable parts of the holiday, whether you choose to go trick-or-treating or not. Halloween is about the people you spend it with, and costumes are a great way to carry those memories that will last a lifetime.