There are a few costumes that are synonymous with Halloween. Traditionally, some of the most popular ones are ghosts, devils, witches, vampires and werewolves. Werewolf costumes in particular have been around for decades and are usually one of the easiest costumes to find. While werewolf costumes are made in sizes for adults and children, many lean to the scary side, making them best for adult parties.
Adult werewolf costumes typically include a mask, plaid shirt and faux fur accessories. If you’re searching for a great werewolf costume for your event, the top choice is the Full Moon Werewolf Costumes from California Costumes. It comes with a pullover plaid shirt with faux fur around the neck and arms, as well as a detailed mask with big teeth, scary eyes and furry ears.
The concept of werewolves has been around for thousands of years. Early settlers in England and parts of Europe told stories about creatures that were half-man and half-wolf. These folklore tales spread all throughout the continent and were even made part of the infamous witch trials during the early years of colonization. Much later, however, the werewolf would become a part of gothic horror tales and eventually became a part of the Halloween tradition.
There are many physical attributes associated with a werewolf. For adult Halloween costumes, it's important that these characteristics are correct. First and foremost, all werewolves have the face of a wolf, so a good mask is crucial. Next, you’ll want to make sure that there’s plenty of fur. When werewolves turn into their beastly form, they are far less man than they are wolf. Finding a costume with head-to-toe fur is difficult without spending hundreds of dollars, so fur accessories like gloves, shoe covers and neck covers will do.
If you’re going to dress like a werewolf, you might as well act like one too. This might not go over well at some parties, but it’ll be a hit as you’re trick-or-treating with your kids. Always remember that werewolves are, in fact, wolves. They consume flesh to stay alive and aren’t afraid to go after a human or two. Snarling, growling and general beast behavior will all make you a convincing werewolf on Halloween. Raise your hands high and use your costume’s claws to scare everyone you see. Oh, and if you see a full moon, don’t forget to howl.
There are layers to the reasoning behind why many werewolf costumes use plaid shirts. The earliest depictions of werewolves in movies were wearing plaid. In movies throughout the 1970s and 1980s, werewolves were also portrayed wearing plaid shirts. Of course, this is because the humans were wearing the shirts first and then transformed into the beast. Plus, plaid shirts are often worn in the fall because of their comfortable flannel material. It makes sense that a person who would eventually turn into a werewolf would likely be wearing a plaid shirt around Halloween. Werewolf costumes with plaid shirts will appear torn and ripped to represent the beast coming to life and bursting through its human clothes.
The mask should be highly detailed to show the true horror of the creature. The most important part is the teeth. Werewolves have much larger teeth than regular wolves and the mask should represent that. You’ll also want a mask with attached fur. Cheaply-made masks will be vinyl from top to bottom and only show the illusion of fur. High-quality masks, however, will have fur attached to the ears and neck of the mask. Look for a mask with a scary, snarling face for added effect.
One underrated part of werewolf costumes that many overlook is covering the feet. In folklore and movies, the creatures burst out of their human clothes during a full moon as they transform. Therefore, there won’t be anything left of their former outfit except for some tattered pieces of a shirt and pants. Some high quality werewolf costumes will include faux fur that cover your shoes. This gives the illusion that you don’t have shoes on at all and instead are walking around with your new wolf feet.
Werewolf costumes generally cost between $64-$90, depending on materials.
A. If you opt for a costume without a mask, then you should paint your face to match the costume. If you want to go low budget, simply use black makeup to cover your nose. If you want to up the quality, you can add wrinkles and cheek highlights. You can also buy fangs if you want that scary werewolf snarl.
A. Yes! There are plenty of variations of werewolf costumes for kids. In fact, you can dress the whole family up as werewolves. Women’s werewolf costumes often include long, red plaid skirts. Children’s werewolf costumes are just smaller versions of adult ones, and all usually include masks and faux fur.
What you need to know: If you’re ready to scare the whole neighborhood as a realistic werewolf, then this is the costume for you.
What you’ll love: The Full Moon Werewolf Costume from California Costumes comes with a pullover plaid shirt with faux fur around the neck and arms. It’s topped off with a hyper-detailed mask with big teeth, scary eyes and fur-covered ears.
What you should consider: This costume does not come with pants or shoes.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
What you need to know: The She-Wolf costume includes a full upper body suit with faux fur that can be used as a long shirt or short skirt.
What you’ll love: There’s a separate gray faux fur hood with two ears and an opening for your face. The shirt is red plaid and comes with a black faux leather belt, fur tail and fur gloves.
What you should consider: This women’s werewolf costume does not come with bottoms.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
What you need to know: This costume takes a fun approach to the werewolf look by using a simple hood and gloves with faux fur.
What you’ll love: You may look more adorable than scary with this werewolf costume. This is ideal for fun parties where you want your face exposed so you can eat and drink. The hood covers your entire head, but leaves the face open. There are faux fur gloves, shoe covers and a red plaid overshirt included, as well.
What you should consider: This costume does not come with a mask so you will need makeup to paint your face like a werewolf.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Jordan Beliles writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
