“Every day is Halloween, isn’t it? For some of us,” American director Tim Burton once said. 

Halloween is finally here, and it’s time to discuss the glorious fashion behind this gory, jaw-dropping holiday. From simple eras to elaborate ones, every period has left a mark on spooky season. From the 1950s to the present, Halloween has changed drastically, and it is interesting to see how it has evolved.  

Halloween has a deep historical background from the 1920s that traces back to the ancient Celtic festivals. This holiday consists of people across the United States dressed head to toe in their best costumes and children going from house to house asking for candy.  

In the 1950s, Halloween was joyous. This era consisted of all modern traditions, including trick-or-treating and dressing up. “Not a raucous, sexually decadent, adult-based fun like it is today, but more of a traditional, honest, family kind of fun,” Retro Dee’s editor Marie Pascal said.  

The costumes were handmade, and their creativity was shown through glorious sewing. Most women wore modest clothes and dressed in costumes such as ghosts, witches, cats, and vampires, but there wasn’t much diversity in the costumes yet.  

The 1960s saw a shift toward more hippie-inspired costumes that reflected cultural themes. These costumes included exotic characters and dressed up as more movie characters than in the 1950s. 

Have you ever heard the iconic Halloween scream? This scream represents the horror movies we know and love, mainly from the 1970s, including films like The Rocky Horror Show. Due to the intense gore, monster costumes and outfits from famous movies became popular during this decade.
Like the 1970s, the 1980s were filled with fun, vibrant costumes representative of their time. Some of the biggest pop culture stars during this time included Madonna, Michael Jackson and Prince.  

“It’s just a bunch of hocus-pocus.” A.W. Jantha, author of “Hocus Pocus & The All-New Sequel” said. 

In the 1990s, Hocus Pocus, one of the most famous Halloween movies, was filmed. The film revolves around a teenage boy who resurrects three witches in Salem, Mass. The internet was slowly coming to life during this time, so trends on the internet were forming, and people started dressing up similarly.   

Seventy years later, we are in the twenty-first century. Halloween is less glorified and scary than it used to be, but there is still magic. There are more costumes, allowing for various costumes and expressions.  

What are some Halloween trends we expect to see this year? Will some movie characters emerge? Will people stick to vibrant or dark costumes? It will be fun to find out. 

Halloween went from a simple harvest festival into a nationwide celebration reflecting social and cultural trends. As we continue to celebrate Halloween, the holiday’s power and creativity will remain.  

Jessica Green can be reached at [email protected]