This Halloween, we’re rallying every monster, ghoul, werewolf, vampire, witch, and couple to rise to the occasion and wear costumes so iconic and frightfully fabulous that partygoers will be talking about them until next year’s festivities.
If you find yourself simmering in the cauldron of spooky season, consumed by the heat of costume indecision with your plus one, you’re not alone. Finding a solo costume is difficult enough, let alone choosing a clever couples costume you both approve of. Some are too elaborate; others are impossible to put together when inspiration strikes the week before Halloween, but fear not, you have options!
When in doubt, you can always count on these classic costumes.
- Morticia and Gomez Addams
- Lydia Deetz and Beetlejuice
- Bonnie and Clyde
- Sally and Jack Skellington
- Mr. and Mrs. Smith
- Danny and Sandy
- Barbie and Ken
- Mr. and Mrs. Incredible
- Fred and Wilma Flintstone
- Shrek and Fiona
Morticia and Gomez Addams
In 1991, Gomez Addams gazed at his wife, Morticia, and said, "Look at her. I would die for her. I would kill for her. Either way, what bliss," unknowingly inspiring decades of chic (and scary) couples costumes.
The Addams Family is full of characters people imitate every Halloween, including Wednesday, Uncle Fester, and Lurch, but Morticia and Gomez are a couples classic, especially for those who know how to waltz!
Lydia Deetz and Beetlejuice
You don’t have to say Beetlejuice three times to know this costume is a real head-turner. Despite his best efforts and manipulations in 1988’s Beetlejuice, BeetleJuice never gets Lydia to say “I do.” He tries every trick in the book, even promising their union will save her loved ones, but something always stops the wedding.
Though never actually a couple (in the original film), Lydia and Beetlejuice make for a dashingly disturbing costume and a colorful, spooky addition to any Halloween party.
Bonnie and Clyde
If you desire something less elaborate but still classic, consider Bonnie and Clyde. The infamous outlaw couple of the 1930s robbed banks, grocery stores, and gas stations across the Southwest and Midwest, always together (and always in style), until their spree ended in 1934.
Vintage photos of the pair make this costume easy to pull off: Bonnie in a beret and dress, Clyde in a suit and hat. Easy enough, right?
Sally and Jack Skellington
Name a better Halloween romance than Sally and Jack Skellington; we’ll wait. Their love story in 1993’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is so perfect, it seems formulated by a mad scientist. Jack is dead set (literally) on taking over Christmas Town and enlists his spooky friends for a Santa heist of sorts. Meanwhile, Sally, a rag doll created by Dr. Finkelstein, tries to warn him that things will go awry, and when they do, she’s captured! Just when all hope seems lost, Jack defeats Oogie Boogie, Santa restores Christmas Town, and Sally and Jack share a kiss atop the hill.
If your goal is not only to match your costume with your plus one, but to capture the true spirit of Halloween, this costume is a spooky season winner!
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Everything seems perfectly normal in John and Jane Smith’s marriage; perhaps even a bit dull. The couple is as ordinary as can be…or so it seems. Discovering they’re both assassins assigned to the same mission is exactly what their relationship needs. Turns out, nothing reignites a spark like being hired to kill each other.
The outfit? The signature all-white looks from the house fight, of course. No elaborate makeup or expensive costume required, just plain white shirts, boxers, and boots!
Danny and Sandy
Grease's Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson were destined to meet again; they just didn’t know it would be at Rydell High. Our chills are multiplying just thinking about it. After petty high school drama, the pair decide to meet in the middle, each dressed as the other’s dream type for the carnival. And they go together like ra-ma la-ma la-ma ka dinga-kading a dong.
This costume is easy to replicate with a black jumpsuit, a pair of heels, and a letterman jacket.
Barbie and Ken
If there's anything we learned from 2023's Barbie, it's that Barbie has a great day every day, and Ken only has a great day if Barbie looks at him. The pair have been inseparable (in Ken’s mind, at least) since Ruth Handler created the Ken doll in 1961.
Years of Barbie and Ken dolls have provided the pink print for couples costumes, from the hot-pink western-inspired look to Barbie and Ken at the beach.
Mr. and Mrs. Incredible
Before she was Mrs. Incredible, she was Elastigirl, and Mr. Incredible was telling Buddy to go home. After starting a family, Bob and Helen Parr try to assimilate into suburban life, until an acquaintance from Bob’s past pulls the whole family (Violet, Dash, and baby Jack) back into superhero action, give or take a few omnidroids.
The bright-red matching outfits make this couple's costume stand out at any gathering. Plus, who doesn't love to play superhero for the evening?
Fred and Wilma Flintstone
Bedrock would be lost without Fred and Wilma Flintstone, the Stone Age’s most unforgettable couple (alongside Barney and Betty Rubble, of course). Fred, experiencing misadventure after misadventure, works at the quarry, Wilma raises Pebbles, and everyone has a Yabba-dabba-doo-da-day!
If you're looking for a fun, recognizable couples costume that's not really scary but still legendary (and somewhat easy to put together), this is a fantastic option.
Shrek and Fiona
If the phrase “get out of my swamp” means anything to you, you already have what it takes to rock a Shrek and Fiona couples costume. Though an unlikely pair at the start, something about this partnership feels written in the stars above Duloc.
From dragons to donkeys to secrets and shortcomings, Shrek and Fiona make an epic team, saving all the fairytale creatures in the process. While this costume is a commitment, especially if you go all-in with green face paint and ogre attire, it might just earn you best dressed at your spooky season bash.