Buzz
Zombie! The terrifying, lifeless figures that crawl out of graves, cold and eerie, have always been a popular choice for Halloween costumes. Luckily, dressing up as a zombie is relatively simple. Just pick a zombie style, then dress up your clothes and body, and you're all set for a costume party or a zombie-themed event.
Steps
Choose your zombie style for the costume
Dress like a "classic" zombie. If you prefer the traditional zombie look, stick to the classic approach. Make your zombie shuffle slowly, dragging its feet, with lifeless, vacant eyes. This kind of zombie doesn’t need any fancy costume. Just grab what you have, such as a worn-out t-shirt and old jeans.
Create a unique zombie. Maybe you'd like to dress up as a special kind of zombie, like a princess or a ballerina turned into the undead? Craft a disaster version of these beautiful figures.
- If you want a realistic look, add some fake blood.
- This might be the perfect time to reuse last year’s costume – you can turn it into a zombie look if you're okay with wrecking it.
- You can also create an unusual zombie by altering other costumes. A zombie can be anything – a cheerleader, a pizza delivery guy, or even someone heading to a ball.
Dress up as a pair or a themed group of zombies. It could be so much fun to have a couple, a family, or a group of friends all dressed as zombies. Some costume competitions also have categories for this.
- Go as a zombie couple, like a bride and groom or famous pairs from history who rise from the dead.
- Dress your whole family as zombies! Parents and siblings can all enjoy being a family of reanimated corpses.
- You can find wedding dresses at thrift stores to complete the look.
Create a zombie version of a familiar character. Do you admire any superheroes? A character from a bedtime fairy tale? Or a Disney animated figure? Choose a character and turn them into a zombie!
- Make sure you have the recognizable costume for the character you're impersonating. You’ll always find something that reflects the essence of the character, like a simple altered version of Little Red Riding Hood’s outfit.
- Old or tattered clothes work best. Since you’ll want the outfit to look really bad (as discussed below), it’s better to use older items that are already worn.
Transform your clothes into zombie attire
Make your clothes look faded and/or dirty. The clothes of long-dead zombies can’t be pristine, so you’ll need to age your clothes to make them look authentic. There are several ways to distress clothes using household items.
- Use a spray bottle with water and a few drops of dark color, like coffee or black tea, to give your clothes an old look. This works best on light-colored fabrics to make them look grimy, dirty, and worn out.
- Spray the solution on your clothes to create a blotchy, realistic effect.
- Mix bleach with water at a 1:1 ratio to fade dark clothes. Zombies are often exposed to the sun, so their clothes will be faded and worn. This is a good way to age dark-colored clothes.
Tear your clothes to make them look ragged. Zombies often trip and get caught on things as they move, so their clothes should look tattered and torn to make them more realistic. You can use a seam ripper or a knife to create some rips or frays. Don’t be afraid to tear a few small cuts by hand to widen them.
- For a more authentic look, make some larger and smaller tears and vary the fraying randomly.
- Remember, your costume should still be wearable, so don’t go overboard with the tearing!
- Your outfit shouldn’t be too revealing.
Dirty your clothes with mud and mold. Take your clothes outside and rub some dirt on them to create the appearance of a zombie wearing grimy clothes. Add some mold by mixing a bit of liquid latex with oatmeal powder and letting it dry onto the fabric.
- If you have time, you can bury the clothes outside for about a week.
- You can buy liquid latex at costume stores, supermarkets, or online.
Add blood to your costume. When it comes to zombies, blood is a must, so make sure to add some to your clothes for that extra undead effect. Use your hands and a sponge to splatter fake blood or make your own and apply it to your outfit.
- Take a step back and check how your costume looks from a distance to make sure the blood is well-distributed.
- A simple homemade fake blood recipe is to mix corn syrup with a few drops of red food coloring, then add a bit of chocolate syrup to make the blood thicker and darker.
Carefully use fire to singe non-flammable clothing. With great caution, take a lighter and singe some areas of your clothes to give them the zombie look.
- Never do this while wearing the clothes.
- Be sure to do this in a spacious area, away from anything flammable, and have a fire extinguisher nearby just in case.
Transform your body into a zombie
Create wrinkled skin with liquid latex designed for special effects makeup. Apply a thin layer of liquid latex to your face with a sponge, then stretch your skin while using a blow dryer to speed up the drying process. Once the latex dries, you will have a tired, aged look.
- Do this step before applying face makeup so the wrinkles will appear deeper once you apply your cosmetics.
- If you are allergic to latex, you can make a homemade alternative. Mix 1 cup (240 ml) of cold water, ¼ cup (60 ml) of cornstarch, 1 packet of unflavored gelatin, and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of solid coconut oil.
Use cosmetics to create a pale complexion. Make your skin appear ghostly pale by applying a light foundation with a blotchy effect. Don’t let your natural skin tone betray you as still alive!
- Avoid using blue or green makeup, as zombie skin typically has an earthy tone.
Give your tongue a lifeless color with food coloring. Zombies never have healthy, pink tongues. A drop of black food coloring mixed with mouthwash will give you the zombie-like tongue and mouth.
Make your eyes look sunken. Create sunken eyes by applying dark purple-brown eyeshadow around the eye sockets and drawing along the top and bottom eyelids.
- Use a black eyeliner pencil to line along the eyelids on top of the purple-brown eyeshadow for an even darker, more dramatic effect.
Wear colored contact lenses. Colored contact lenses are an excellent way to give your eyes a soulless, lifeless appearance. Try red, green, or a dark-colored lens for full effect.
- Contact lenses should be prescription-based, even if they are not corrective lenses. You can get them by visiting an optometrist for a prescription.
Create open wounds on your face and body using liquid latex. Mix liquid latex with cotton, tissue paper, or toilet paper in a bowl, then apply it to your face or arms. Let the mixture dry partially before peeling it off. Dab a little earth-toned color and add some fake blood to the mix.
- If you’re creating wounds on hairy areas of your skin, apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly before the latex.
- After finishing your zombie makeup, simply peel off the liquid latex and dispose of it.
Add some blood for the zombie effect. Use a cotton swab to apply fake blood to your face and body.
- Create small dripping streaks or messy splatters for added realism.
- If you like, you can even make it look like you're suffering from a nosebleed!
Achieve messy and greasy hair. Don't forget to make your hair look horrifying to complete your zombie appearance. Use a comb to tease and mess up your hair. Secure it in place with hairspray. Apply conditioner once your hair is dry to give it a greasy look.
- If you want to add a little dark tone to light hair, try colored hairspray, which you can find in beauty stores.
- Feel free to get creative by adding leaves or twigs to your messy hair.
- If you don't want to ruin your natural hair or spend too much time styling, consider buying a cheap wig that you can mess up without regret.
Tips
- Practice with different fabrics and special effects makeup ahead of time, giving yourself plenty of time to make adjustments before the event.
- Buy some fake scars to stick on your face, neck, arms, and other parts of your body to enhance the effect!
- Crumple your clothes and leave them under a heavy stack of books overnight to make them look worn and aged.
Warning
- Before using any products, test them on a small area of your skin to ensure they won’t cause an allergic reaction. Avoid liquid latex if you're allergic to it.
- Be cautious when scaring others, especially young children or people who are easily frightened. Keep it fun and make sure everyone enjoys the experience.
