Ten very creepy Halloween costume ideas from Spain
The Local Spain - [email protected]
Published: 29 Oct, 2019 CET.
Updated: Tue 29 Oct 2019 10:00 CET
Tired of the usual witches, vampires and zombie costumes? There's plenty of creepiness in Spanish culture to use as inspiration.
Deformed child from the film The Orphanage
Screen grab: TerrorLand/YouTube
This kid is one of the creepiest characters in a very spooky Spanish horror. Three best props: with this costume, it's all about the mask. Grab a grubby sack, use buttons for the eyes and stick a mop head on top for the full gory effect.
Spanish inquisitor
Screen grab: YouTube
The Spanish Inquisition was a brutal way of keeping tabs on the Jews and Muslims of Spain who converted to Christianity. Lasting over 350 years, it saw people tortured in all sorts of horrible ways including the infamous 'potro' (rack). Killer props for an inquisitor include red cloaks, crucifixes and a twirly moustache.
The faun from the movie Pan's Labyrinth
Photo: Pan's Labyrinth
Although the faun is a good guy in this allegorical film about Spain's Civil War, he still looks pretty damn creepy. Best props include ram horns (if you have any lying around), white contact lenses and a moth-ridden old coat.
Juana La Loca (Joan The Mad)
This 15th century Spanish Queen is said to have suffered a breakdown after her husband died. She was then locked away in a convent for the rest of her life. Some people say, however, she wasn't crazy at all but was a victim of politics and power. Props for a Joan the Mad costume include a crown, a corset and a ball and chain.
Zorro
Photo: Kit/Flickr
Zorro (literally 'fox') was the creation of New York pulp writer Johnson McCulley. The masked outlaw, of Spanish descent, has featured in books, telvision series and, most recently, in the Hollywood film starring Antonio Banderas. So channel your inner Antonio and dress in head-to-toe black... and don't forget your mask and sword!
The conquistador Francisco Pizarro
Photo: HistoryJunkie
The shrewd Pizarro conquered Peru for the Spanish Crown. He also made enemies by accepting masses of gold from Atahualpa, the last Incan Emperor, and then killing him anyway. Pizarro props include a helmet, a pointy beard and a sackful of gold (or chocolate money, if that's easier to organize).
La Casa de Papel
If you are looking for something more modern and don't mind donning a red boiler suit then dress up as a character from hit Spanish series La Casa de Papel or Money Heist as it is known in English.
The series, about a long-prepared, multiple-day assault on the Royal Mint of Spain, is Netflix's most watched non-English language show.
All you need is a red boiler suit, a mask and a replica assault weapon. (Available on Amazon).
Carles Puigdemont
If you want to go for something more topical, the exiled leader of the Catalan independence movement proved hugely popular in 2017 and with the conflict ongoing it is also likely to be a popular choice in 2019.
Probably best not to turn up dressed like this if you are going to the house of someone you know supports Catalan Independence, or things could get really scary.
Props include, full head of glossy dark hair, combed forward. Glasses,black suit with a yellow ribbon on the label (in support of Catalan political prisoners) and waving an Estelada flag. You could also get away with drinking Belgian beer all evening, since Puigdemont is in exile in Belgium avoiding charges of sedition and rebellion in Spain.
Catalan or Spanish superhero
If you really want to take a risk then don a superhero outfit that either promotes Catalan independence or defends the unity of Spain. But make sure you know the crowd as it will be seen either as a gesture to suck up to your hosts are stir up tensions depending on their point of view.
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Deformed child from the film The Orphanage
Screen grab: TerrorLand/YouTube
This kid is one of the creepiest characters in a very spooky Spanish horror. Three best props: with this costume, it's all about the mask. Grab a grubby sack, use buttons for the eyes and stick a mop head on top for the full gory effect.
Spanish inquisitor
Screen grab: YouTube
The Spanish Inquisition was a brutal way of keeping tabs on the Jews and Muslims of Spain who converted to Christianity. Lasting over 350 years, it saw people tortured in all sorts of horrible ways including the infamous 'potro' (rack). Killer props for an inquisitor include red cloaks, crucifixes and a twirly moustache.
The faun from the movie Pan's Labyrinth
Photo: Pan's Labyrinth
Although the faun is a good guy in this allegorical film about Spain's Civil War, he still looks pretty damn creepy. Best props include ram horns (if you have any lying around), white contact lenses and a moth-ridden old coat.
Juana La Loca (Joan The Mad)
This 15th century Spanish Queen is said to have suffered a breakdown after her husband died. She was then locked away in a convent for the rest of her life. Some people say, however, she wasn't crazy at all but was a victim of politics and power. Props for a Joan the Mad costume include a crown, a corset and a ball and chain.
Zorro
Photo: Kit/Flickr
Zorro (literally 'fox') was the creation of New York pulp writer Johnson McCulley. The masked outlaw, of Spanish descent, has featured in books, telvision series and, most recently, in the Hollywood film starring Antonio Banderas. So channel your inner Antonio and dress in head-to-toe black... and don't forget your mask and sword!
The conquistador Francisco Pizarro
Photo: HistoryJunkie
The shrewd Pizarro conquered Peru for the Spanish Crown. He also made enemies by accepting masses of gold from Atahualpa, the last Incan Emperor, and then killing him anyway. Pizarro props include a helmet, a pointy beard and a sackful of gold (or chocolate money, if that's easier to organize).
La Casa de Papel
If you are looking for something more modern and don't mind donning a red boiler suit then dress up as a character from hit Spanish series La Casa de Papel or Money Heist as it is known in English.
The series, about a long-prepared, multiple-day assault on the Royal Mint of Spain, is Netflix's most watched non-English language show.
All you need is a red boiler suit, a mask and a replica assault weapon. (Available on Amazon).
Carles Puigdemont
If you want to go for something more topical, the exiled leader of the Catalan independence movement proved hugely popular in 2017 and with the conflict ongoing it is also likely to be a popular choice in 2019.
Probably best not to turn up dressed like this if you are going to the house of someone you know supports Catalan Independence, or things could get really scary.
Props include, full head of glossy dark hair, combed forward. Glasses,black suit with a yellow ribbon on the label (in support of Catalan political prisoners) and waving an Estelada flag. You could also get away with drinking Belgian beer all evening, since Puigdemont is in exile in Belgium avoiding charges of sedition and rebellion in Spain.
Catalan or Spanish superhero
If you really want to take a risk then don a superhero outfit that either promotes Catalan independence or defends the unity of Spain. But make sure you know the crowd as it will be seen either as a gesture to suck up to your hosts are stir up tensions depending on their point of view.
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