Ok, Halloween is tomorrow night. You’ve got that fancy dress party in the evening…how did it slip your mind? You don’t even have a costume yet! Take it easy, deep breaths, it’ll be ok. You can MAKE one! Yes, great idea – there’s got to be something around the house that can be turned into a fancy dress masterpiece. Nope, not that empty television box; too obvious. How about an apron and gloves an…no, that’s boring. What can be done at such short notice??
If this is you before Halloween then get ready for our guide on how to ‘Zombify’ pretty much any clothing and have a great costume ready in no time. Prepare for the Home-made Zombie Apocalypse!
Step 1 – Choose your clothing
First things first. You need to decide the look of your zombie. If its easiest then raid your wardrobe for a selection of bits and pieces that you no longer wear (you are going to have to do some pretty permanent modifications to it!) and choose an ensemble that won’t look out of place worn together.
If you have time to get hold of some uniforms or old costumes then you can theme the fancy dress further. There are endless ideas here – I mean anyone can get bit by a zombie! Here are some great possibilities:
- Army surplus
- Doctors / Nurses
- School Uniform
- Party / Night out
- Work Uniform
- Boiler Suit
Step 2 – Rough it up
Once you’ve got the clothes chosen it gets really fun! Now zombies are well known for being clumsy and un-coordinated. As such they fall down and scrape their clothes or catch them on bushes and walls. You need it to look as though you’ve been buried and risen from the grave so – get out that Stanley knife!
Start by fraying as many edges as possible. Work on the cuffs and ankles.
Get the knife and cut random slits across the bulk of the clothing. Make it look hap-hazard, it’s not about making it look fashionable! There’s no harm in using your hands to make the slits bigger!
If you are feeling particularly imaginative then you could grab some matches or a lighter and add some burn marks on the clothes.
Step 3 – Gore it up!!
Zombies are all about blood. They are generally covered in it, dripping from multiple wounds across the body and face. As you will be doing this from home then you might have to play around with different ‘blood’ recipes (or you can just use red paint).
Start by clearing an area that you can get messy in. Splatter some blood drops across the items, have lots of the stuff collected around the collar where it has dripped from your mouth! Pop over a couple of cool looking hand prints across it and you’re all set.
You might also want to dirty it up by rubbing in some dirt / mud. If you are one of the unlucky zombies that’s had to climb out of their own grave then you’re going to be a bit of a mess!
Step 4 – Make-up
Not everyone is going to have this around the house so you’re going to have to work with what you’ve got. Find something to pale your face – no blood pumping through your body can really ruin your tan! Use some more of that ‘blood’ around your mouth if you can. If you don’t have any of this then some dirt will do the trick. Just make sure you look a wreck – dirty, bloody, pale – it’s all good.
Mess your hair up as well. Get some gel and run it through your hair. Then just throw your fingers through it, don’t look in the mirror! Even better, roll around on the bed to make your hair a real mess!!
Step 5 – Go ‘Full Zombie’
The costume’s now done and you’re wearing it right now. Your jobs not quite done yet though. You’ve got to sell this costume now – make people believe that you’re a member of the un-dead. Remember the ‘Shaun of the Dead’ crash-course in walking like a zombie? You need to shuffle along, painfully slowly whilst swinging your arms as though they are out of your control. Maybe drag one of those feet along the ground as you walk.
Get your practice in here (be mindful though, the video does contain some bad language):
Don’t forget the moan!! Urrrrrrgggggghhhhhhh!!!!! Braaaaaaiiiiiinnnnnssssss!!!!
So that’s it. You should have yourself a pretty nifty costume right there – and far more believable that a store-bought costume! You’ll be the life (or death!) of the party!
Thanks
Chris J
Alterego Fancydress
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