Convention Fans

Ah, the vampire costume! It’s a classic isn’t it? And it seems vampires have never been more popular, what with the success of the Twilight movies and books, and True Blood on HBO and all. And let us not forget how huge Buffy: The Vampire Slayer was back in the day. Or even further back, Bella Lugosi’s iconic portrayal of Dracula! Below you will find a guide to creating a vampire costume inspired by Bella Lugosi’s Dracula, Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, and Interview with the Vampire - with plenty of time to spare before Halloween and all the big fall conventions. (For a guide to Twilight costumes, please head over to my Twilight Movie Costume Guide.)

First Things First - Where Do You Get Great Vampire Teeth?

One thing all of these vampire costumes have in common is that they require vampire teeth. You can find numerous types for a wide range of prices. The cheap stuff is easily obtainable at any Halloween store or online costume shop. However, if you really want a nice pair of vampire teeth, you will probably want to hit up a local convention (preferably a con dedicated to the horror genre). At Chiller Theatre Expo, I actually ran into “Griffin Von Hallenborg”, who makes amazing custom vampire teeth (email: theink_well@yahoo.com). They used materials straight from a real dental office, wore gloves, and had a clean and professional set up. They would create a pair just for you, that slipped right over your real teeth. This is what you are looking for if you really want a great pair - custom fit vampire caps. The key will be finding someone who can do it near you.

The Classic Bella Lugosi Dracula Costume:

Creating a costume based on Lugosi’s famous 1931 film, Dracula, is about as easy as it gets, in terms of vampire costuming. All it involves in a white dress shirt, black pants and shoes, and a classic black cape. Most of these items can be easily purchased separately, or made by hand. If you want to dress it up, you can buy a pendant necklace to add to it. Don’t forget to whiten your face with makeup, and slick your hair back. Bonus points if you buy a black wig to get more screen accurate.

If you want to purchase a pre-made Dracula costume, there are a ton for sale for kids and adults. An adult Lugosi inspired Dracula costume will cost you just $24 from Buy.com, and a kid’s Dracula costume is just $9.98 from Buy.com.

The Buffy: The Vampire Slayer Vampire Costume:

There is no doubt about it: the vampires from Buffy definitely had their own unique look. You can’t just slip on a pair of pointy teeth and call it a day. All vampires from the show, when they were about feed, underwent a dramatic facial change. Fortunately for you Buffy-style vampire fans, there is a latex prosthetic available to help give you the screen accurate look. For just $12.49 via HalloweenExpress.com, you can pick up one of these latex pieces. Don’t forget to get some spirit gum. If you are interested in a full Buffy vampire mask, those are available as well ($11.99 from Amazon.com). I have seen the prosthetic forehead piece for sale at numerous conventions, if you’re interested in checked one out in person before making the purchase.

If you want to portray Angel or Spike, you’ll want to invest in a trench coat, regardless of which one you pick. You’ll want to bleach your hair for Spike, and pick up a red, long sleeve dress shirt. Angel tended wear the black, long sleeve dress shirts. You get bonus points if you carry the Angel puppet.

The Interview with the Vampire Vampire Costume:

If the trench coat and leather pants vampire look from Buffy doesn’t work for you, might I suggest the elegance and extravagance of the 18th century New Orleans vampires from the movie Interview with the Vampire? You’ll probably need to make these yourself, or cannibalize pieces from other pre-made costumes to get the right look.

The key elements are the ruffled white shirt, detailed waistcoat, boots, and a really nice long coat to match. And then there’s the hair. The long flowing hair is a must, and if you can’t do it o’naturale, then I highly recommend a wig. You’ll also want to use makeup to make your skin paler, and add a little reddish color to your lips. You can also pick up some blue contact lenses (for those who don’t have blue eyes naturally), to give the costume that extra something. Just be very careful when buying contacts, whether from an online vendor or at a con. The safest place to buy is through an established eye glass/contacts store. I’ve heard horror stories of eye infections and scratches to people’s eyes from bad products and people not putting them in correctly. You’ve been warned!

Other Vampire Costume Tutorials, Resources, and Articles:

Twilight Movie Costume Guide
Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) Waitress Costume
How to Make a Vampire Costume!
Get the Best Vampire Fangs for Your Costume
How to Apply Make-up on your Cheeks for a Vampire Look (video)

Trackback URI | Comments RSS