These '80s Halloween Costume Ideas Are Totally Radical (2024)

If there was one decade that was tubular, radical and awesome in every way, it's the 1980s. The colors were bright, the clothes were bold and everything was just all-around big. So if you're looking to find a Halloween costume inspired by a decade, the '80s are the way to go. (What, you'd rather have '70s costumes, '90s costumes or 2000s costumes? Gag me with a spoon.)

Whether you're headed to an '80s prom-themed party or just want to throw it back to the era of DayGlo, these are the best '80s costume ideas for 2024. Some are from the big blockbusters of the era, a few of which are still spawning new sequels, prequels and reboots, so you can be retro and au courant at the same time. Others are inspired by music — MTV launched in the '80s, after all, so it was a decade of iconic music-video looks. There are some that just take their cues from the general fashions of the time, without being pegged to a specific relic from the era. And then there are others recall those '80s trends, from the sublime (Rubik's cubes!) to the wacky (Troll dolls). You can throw together a lot of the looks to make DIY a costume — or you can just go the chilled-out route and buy the whole ensemble. Whichever way you choose, take inspiration from one of these Halloween costume ideas, and you'll be ready to do the "Safety Dance" all night.

Ah yes, a costume fit for a king — or at least a prince. You get Akeem's jacket, shawl, bow tie, necklace, medallion and mustache, and then you're well on your way to finding your own queen.

For those who wan to go all out on Halloween, there's this head-to-toe werewolf-athlete look, complete with shirt (with attached furry sleeves), shorts (with attached furry legs), fur hood and athletic socks. It's enough to make you say, "Go Beavers!"

With Beetlejuice Beetlejuice coming out this September, everyone's going to be reminded of Lydia Deetz's goth fashions. Throw it back to the OG with this dramatic red lace wedding dress. (Beetlejuice himself has a memorable look too, we suppose.) There are gruesome masks for Adam and Barbara if you want to make it a group outing.

While a Halloween parade has nothing on Chicago's Von Steuben Day Parade, you'll still be able to "danke schoen" at all the people who compliment you on this Ferris Bueller costume, with its faux leather jacket and printed sweater vest. Convince the nearest Sloan or Cameron to come with you and make it a group thing — so long as you all promise to show up at work or school the next day. (No more hooky!)

Welcome to the awesome '80s prom! The shoulders are big, the hair is bigger and ruffles and bows and endless! Only one question remains: Who will be your '80s prom king?

If you're an '80s kid, you're part of the MTV generation, which means Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It" video is forever seared in your brain. Get their getup from the clip, and you can feel fly, too. You get the jacket, unitard and necklace, but you need to supply your own red boots.

You don't have a have a specific band in mind to make a costume inspired by '80s rock 'n' roll looks. This costume comes with only the zebra-stiped sweat pants; you have to add your own big wig and inflatable guitar.

Good ol' Gordon Schumway, he's always good for a laugh! (Just make sure you lock up the cats before you let him loose.) It's up to you if you want to pair this mask with a brown shirt and brown sweatpants, or go for the full, head-to-toe fur costume ($110).

Whether you're paying homage to Olivia Newton-John, channeling Jane Fonda, bringing out your inner Barbie or trying to get a buff bod, this outfit is all you need to wear to your next Jazzercise class. It comes with all the colors: pink leotard, multicolor crop top, purple leggings, blue shorts, yellow leg warmers and green headband and wristbands.

Whether you're a Smurf, a Smurfette or a Papa Smurf, these costumes will have you feeling positively Smurfy. You can buy the ensembles, or try to DIY with blue long-sleeve shirts, matching pants (blue, white or red, depending on your character), a white dress for Smurfette, and white hats (or a red hat if you're Papa Smurf). Watch out for Gargamel!

Madonna only gets better with age, but you can still pay tribute to her iconic "Lucky Star" era. We bet you still know all the words. The costume includes a cropped jacket, black top, tutu skirt, lace leggings, white gloves and a bow headband.

Kids growing up today will never know the feeling of hitting "play" and "record" at the same time to tape their favorite song off the radio, or the heartbreak of running out of tape before your song is over. If you remember those pre-CD days, this costume might be for you.

Great Scott! This costume, with its jacket, shirt and vest, generates 1.21 gigawatts of fun every Halloween, especially if you have a Jennifer Parker to take to the Enchantment Under the Sea dance (and a Doc Brown to help bring you back home again).