Halloween may still be a couple of months away, but if you’re planning on dressing up this year, now is a good time to start thinking about your costume. The biggest movies of 2026 have already given us plenty of potential inspiration, from horror icons and ancient warriors to bizarre toys and one very memorable alien.
The good news is that you don’t necessarily need to spend hundreds of dollars on a costume. Some of these characters can be recreated with clothes and makeup you probably already have, while others are going to require a serious DIY commitment. Either way, these are five movie characters from 2026 that could make for some seriously memorable Halloween costumes.
Whether you’re looking for something easy and recognizable or completely ridiculous and elaborate, here are five movie-inspired Halloween costumes worth considering for 2026.
This one is an obvious contender for a costume you’re likely to see this year. Backrooms was a massive hit and even as the concept of the film is about the creepiness of liminal spaces, we have gotten a new movie monster out of it with the monstrous pirate, Captain Clark. In the film, the monster is derived from the character of Chiwetel Ejiofor as he films his commercials for his local business as “Captain Clark.” So, the simpler Halloween idea is to replicate Ejiofor in his pirate costume, but for the people who are willing to go the extra mile, trying to elongate their body and sporting a distorted face would really make this costume memorable.
It’s a simpler costume, but if you’re in a pinch and still want to capitalize on something trendy and recognizable, Inde Navarrette as Freaky Nikki from Obsession is definitely the star of the year. Just like a Carrie costume, the most important element is the blood splattering, but you can do varying degrees from different points in the movie. There is the look like the one above, with a splash of blood over one side, or you can go with the bloodier mess she becomes later in the movie. If you are inclined, you can also emulate the scene when Bear finds Nikki in the aftermath of waiting all day for him and her bodily fluids are all over her.
Now, we’re getting into the really ambitious stuff. Agamemnon from Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey instantly sparked debates upon his reveal. His look was seen as too clean at first. The costume didn’t feel lived-in per se, as armor that’s been worn down by battle. However, when you see the scene of Agamemnon standing at the gates of Troy, accompanied by the badass score by Ludwig Göransson, and he saunters in with his army charging all around him, this was a dynamic image that may have inspired some future cosplayers for Halloween and beyond.
It’s time to get creative! Conan O’Brien’s Smarty Pants character from Toy Story 5 was an incredible addition. The former late-night talk show host was able to bring his humor to an inventive character from this fifth entry as a potty training toy, who had plenty of toilet-time puns. While his costume doesn’t quite lend itself to a simple dress up, in the past, many Halloween goers and cosplayers have been able to creatively become robots or different kinds of items. This would be a big hit if you could additionally incorporate some potty puns in conversation.
Alright, sports fans! It’s time to really think outside the box! One of the biggest box office hits earlier in the year was the Ryan Gosling sci-fi film Project Hail Mary. And his alien companion, Rocky, was a character who would succeed in stealing scenes away from the magnetic Gosling. To pull this costume off, it would require a ton of creativity and moving parts, as the character does not simply lend itself to a human shape. The design is distinct. People would instantly recognize it and since people connected with the character so much, it would be a big hit wherever you go.
Those are five movie-inspired Halloween costumes that could make a big impression in 2026. Whether you go for the relatively simple Freaky Nikki, embrace the pirate-monster weirdness of Captain Clark, build an elaborate Agamemnon costume, get creative with Smarty Pants, or somehow manage to pull off Rocky, there are plenty of ways to bring this year’s movies to Halloween.
Rocky might be the one to beat. It’s easily the most difficult costume on the list, but if someone actually manages to walk into a Halloween party looking like that, they’re probably winning the costume contest.
Which 2026 movie character would you dress up as? Let us know in the comments.