Like many of us who find a thrill in sitting white-knuckled before a horror film screening, fashion has long been enthralled by darkness and the macabre. Trickling down from cult-loved slashers, high fashion houses have relied on terror, iconic villain costumes and classic horror movie motifs for decades to inform their own sinister collections.

One such designer is the late Alexander McQueen, whose serial-killer-inspired graduate collection, “Jack The Ripper Stalks His Victims,” debuted in 1992. McQueen would go on to extract inspiration from hair-raising films like The Shining and The Horror throughout his illustrious career, while inventing his own terrifying beauties along the way. In his spring/summer 1998 collection, see an aluminum “Spine” corset evocative of Elsa Schiaparelli’s “Skeleton Dress” from 1938. “I find beauty in the grotesque, like most artists,” McQueen told Harper’s Bazaar in 2007. “I have to force people to look at things.”

Labels like Gareth Pugh (autumn/winter RTW 2016), JW Anderson (autumn/winter RTW 2022) and Altuzarra (spring/summer 2024) have also taken sartorial notes from the horror film genre, presenting capsule collections and odes to Silence of the Lambs, Carrie and Rosemary’s Baby by way of printed graphic tees, models clad in Hannibal Lecter-eqsue biter masks and billowing nightgowns. In 2017, Raf Simons blurred the line between nightmare and reality, making a political statement with his Calvin Klein spring/summer 2018 show, inspired by “American Horror, American Dreams.”

With sinister elements that could be organically slotted into any number of thrillers, John Galliano’s Christian Dior Spring Summer 2006 Couture show included a bloody pearl necklace, Gucci’s autumn/winter 2018 presentation saw models toting severed heads as accessories and Robert Wun’s autumn/winter couture 2024 collection featured blood-spattered veils crafted from crystals.

In both fashion and film, clothing is utilized to amplify shock value and to convey themes of terror, survival and character development. The two exist in a symbiotic relationship that is often as spectacular as it is grotesque.

In the realm of film, the most style-savvy of them all though, are the subversive scream queens and gutsy final girls. Who is Carrie White without her blood-soaked, pink satin prom gown? Morticia Addams without her witchy, raven attire? Halloween’s Laurie Strode without her final girl uniform: A knife-slashed blue button-up and bell-bottom jeans?

Ahead, we break down how to achieve the looks behind six more of the most fashion-forward horror heroines. Note-taking for Halloween costume preparations is encouraged.

Wednesday Addams

An absolute non-negotiable for the morbid women of the Addams family? A monochromatic, black wardrobe. Across several film adaptations, young Wednesday Addams has been portrayed by actresses like Lisa Loring, Christina Ricci, and Jenna Ortega—each as stylish as the last. Her signature getup requires a black dress trimmed with a Peter-Pan collar, black tights, and smart-looking loafers.

The Craft Witches

To dress like a witch from The Craft is more or less to dress like a 90s goth girl. The film, starring Robin Tunney, Neve Campbell, Fairuza Balk and Rachel True, sees four teen witches each with their own individual spellcasting capabilities united in their commitment to sporting black lace-up boots, grunge chokers, silver chains and plaid mini skirts.

Pearl

A24’s 2022 offbeat slasher Pearl stars Mia Goth as an axe-wielding young woman with aspirations of becoming a film star. When she’s not performing farm duties in denim overalls or carrying out other gruesome unmentionables, her most iconic look includes a puff-sleeved red dress, pale blue bows and a swipe of lipstick.

 

Lydia Deetz

Lydia Deetz, you will forever be a gothic icon. In Tim Burton’s 1988 Beetlejuice film, Winona Ryder gets her big break as this “strange and unusual” member of the Deetz clan, and reprises her role in the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 2024 sequel. Back to the ’80s, a true Lydia look is made up of drapey black cloaks trimmed with lace, an oversized black hat and a matching black choker. Unless, of course, you’re looking to replicate her red tulle wedding ensemble.

 

Sally and Gillian Owens

Practical Magic, for which a sequel is in the works (!!!), introduces us to cursed witches Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian  (Nicole Kidman) Owens. Leaning into the film’s vintage charm and cozy aesthetic, these sisters are often dressed in eclectic pieces with both hippie-era and 90s influences. While Sally leans more minimal and Gillian veers more Bohemian, any combination of lacey floral dresses, thin sunglasses and snug cardigans has an Owens witch flair.

The Black Swan

2010’s psychological thriller Black Swan starring Natalie Portman is a masterclass in using costumes and colour—in this case, black and white—as a further means of storytelling. Balancing beauty with horror, the film’s black swan has become an iconic Halloween costume for good reason. Embrace the dark side and recreate the look with a black corset top, black tutu, and white tights.

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