Help me BE the dead! Thread updated[Halloween Costume thread]

noir_blood

So originally this thread was about being a zombie hunter, but I figured that the stuff I have right now doesn't really play into that. So instead I'm going to go with the good old zombie standbye. I figure I'll be a zombie cowboy.

I'm looking for tips on the makeup itself. We'll be going out of town for Halloween itself(to Austin) so unfortunately I don't know if I'll have access to a lot of stuff I would normally have at home or take a while to make. Looking more for tips on how to apply it, etc.

Cowardly

Where are you going with this costume, because theres a fine line between "bad ass" and "scares children and the elderly while segregating himself from normal people"

What I'm saying is don't overdo it. The hat and guns and bandolier are fun, the duster could come off creepy unless you pull off the hat and drawing in fake blood is a little too far, in my opinion.

starmanbrand

...You don't want to be a cowboy, but the costume you described is just a bloody cowboy. Why not ditch the more cowboy elements like hat (and bandolier/guns if they're more cowboy themed) and carry makeshift fake weapons. Maybe a fannypack of survivor goods like bandages/glowsticks ors omething and some printed out cards you can hand to people, if you're going "in character," that say "don't get close to anyone who looks sick. aim for the head. blah blah blah"

Dropping Loads

As a counterpoint, in my social group it is impossible to take a Halloween costume too far.

I always think of the "Evil Dead" type zombie hunter, rather than say, Zombieland or Resident Evil. If that's what you're going for, maybe a movie prop mimic or a quote from the film, like "Double Tap! Always Double Tap!"

EWom

Wear this t-shirt

Figgy

As a prop, a decapitated zombie head would be unmistakeable. You can make this a number of ways, but one easy idea that comes to mind is to buy a zombie/monster mask and stuff it with something (newspaper). Create a "stump" for the open end of the mask, and you've got yourself a zombie head. Bonus points if the mask has actual hair, so you have something to carry it around by. Another way to make the zombie head is with one of those styrofoam heads, covered in makeup, latex, paints, etc. You can find them at Value Village.

On a slightly more gruesome note, you could hang zombie jaws from your belt. Find a costume store that sells latex pieces for costumes. They'll have noses, fake chins, ears, etc. You want something with fake, bloody teeth. A few of these hanging from your belt would look good.

Another prop is some sort of first aid kit or survival kit. At the very least, a vial hanging from your belt that says "ZOMBIE ANTITODE" or something.

Reznik

Carry a machete.

What kind of guns do you have? I mean if you want to be a zombie hunter and not a cowboy, carry a shotgun or a rifle.

If we're going for accuracy here a duster is a bad idea anyway because it's very... loose and grabbable. But, if you have to keep that as a key element of the costume, what about a biohazard sign on the back?

see317

I guess my question for the OP is where are you going to be wearing the costume?

Certain things that are great for adult halloween parties may not go over big at a work party. Certain things that might go over well with your buddies may not work so well while giving out candy. Nobody wants to be the asshole that terrified little Johnny on his first halloween. Well, ok, lot's of people do, but they're still assholes that should have taken that kind of thing into account when deciding between "Happy Clown" and "Blood Spattered Serial Killer Clown From Hell" costumes.

Also, budget concerns?
If you've got another 20-40 bucks or so to spend, get a couple of full head zombie masks from the local costume shop to tie to your belt.
Maybe fill them with expanding foam insulation (should be pretty cheap, plus light weight). Take some time to paint the bottom to make it look less like foam and more like zombie neck meat, maybe some work on the eyes depending on what the foam does. Then, tie them to your belt.
Call them trophies, scent camo, snack for when you get hungry... whatever.

Also, improvized weapons. Sure, you may be able to put together a badass cowboy outfit after the zombpocalypse, but are you really going to want to give up your trusty cricket bat?

MushroomStick

Any of those halloween stores open up in your area? Go to one of them and they probably have a crapload of foam zombie lawn decoration stuff.

Peter Principle

Zombies are biohazards, so of course you're going to want to look to the realm of industrial hygiene.

Wrap around shaded eye protection (kinda like this), or better yet goggles (like this) to keep infectious substances out of your eyes. Thick rubber gloves with long gauntlets and a half-face respirator are definitely to prevent skin contact with blood borne pathogens and breathing infectious particles, respectively.

These can all be had at your local Home Depot, too.

E.Coyote

You could spread the stuff inside some glow sticks on the coat as zombie blood, maybe soak a t-shirt in it and put that in the zombie mask so if it gets banged around it starts leaking glowing green stuff. Get a nice you just jacked up the predator vibe going.

noir_blood

Updated the thread to reflect new costume.