Halloween costumes are the pinnacle of spooky season celebrations. Every year, we see incredible costumes that are unique, creative and current, and we think to ourselves, “Why didn’t I think of that?” 

On the other hand, there are lots of costumes we see every year that just aren’t it. We wouldn’t want anyone to be caught dead in a flop costume, so we have taken it upon ourselves to create a list of our favorite, and least favorite, costumes to celebrate the spooky season.

From your Grand Valley Lanthorn Editorial Board, here are the costumes that are giving us life, and the ones we think need to rest in peace. 

Ayron (Multimedia Editor)

Pulling off a good Halloween costume is impressive, but I think there’s something to be said about great group costumes. Some of my favorites I’ve seen this year have been Mystery Inc. from the Scooby-Doo cartoons, Gru and his minions from the “Despicable Me” franchise and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. While they may take more effort, group costumes allow for creativity to shine in a way just not possible with a solo costume. 

My least favorite costume by far is simply anything that is overdone or lacks effort (I’m looking at you, guys who wear a sports jersey and call it a costume). If you’re going to celebrate the holiday, do it with some passion and purpose. Common offenders include sexy nurse, Harley Quinn, Hugh Hefner/Playboy Bunny, football player and cop/robber. 

This Halloween, I’ll be dressing up as Forrest Gump, complete with the character’s iconic gingham tee, khakis, white Nike Cortez sneakers and red “Bubba Gump Shrimp” hat. I may not be a smart man, but I know what Halloween is. 

Sara (Laker Life Editor)

This year, my favorite costumes I’ve seen so far are those emulating Brazilian Carnival attire with outfits likened to Linda from Rio. The flashy, shiny-tassel skirts and tops add fun flair to an outfit, topped off with a beaked hat to give the bird-type look. This costume has massive popularity on social media, especially TikTok, and I love the energy surrounding it. My close second has to be the late-2000s Kesha costume, complete with body glitter, ripped off-the-shoulder tees, short shorts and a bold full glam makeup look.

My least favorite costume of all time has to be the raunchy Spirit Halloween Breathalyzer costume for men. It’s plain, it’s unoriginal and it’s a little gross (in my opinion). If it’s ever worked as a natural pickup line for you, please let me know, because I think it would take a miracle. 

This Halloween, I have a couple costumes, but my favorite has to be Tricky from Subway Surfers. The nostalgia of the game combined with the comfort of the costume made it a good choice. I have a longboard as a prop, dually because I haven’t quite mastered how to use it, and also just to feed into the overall skater vibe. 

Megan (Associate Editor)

One of my favorite Halloween costumes I am seeing so far this year is the “popping off pop girlies” group costumes. These are typically done as a trio, and feature current pop stars experiencing an increase in fame: Charli XCX, Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter. These costumes have replicated these stars’ iconic looks. It’s a fun and creative way to reference artists that are a big part of pop culture this year. 

One of my least favorite Halloween costumes I see each year without fail is the group M&M costume. This typically features a variety of different colored shirts with “M” printed on the front, usually accompanied with tutus. To me, this costume is way overdone. The lack of creativity of the costume design makes it extremely underwhelming. 

This year, my costume is Mavis from “Hotel Transylvania,” while my boyfriend is dressing up as Johnny– a couple’s costume that is very fitting for both of our aesthetics, as well as our silly dynamic as a couple.

Rachael (Arts and Entertainment Editor)

My favorite Halloween costumes to see are creative group costumes from movies and television series. Think the Scooby-Doo Gang, sexy minions or bloody, masked criminals from “The Purge” series. It doesn’t matter if the costume is eccentric and unique or overplayed, I love seeing friend groups having fun and enjoying the spooky season together.

My least favorite Halloween costumes are the “trendy” ones that won’t hold any relevance in the years to come. I’m talking to you, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Nobody will know who you are if you aren’t standing next to each other, and Swift will probably have a new boyfriend next year anyway. 

This year, my mom and I are dressing up as Elastigirl and Violet from “The Incredibles.” We’re going to spend our evening as the mother-daughter duo, and take a break from saving the world to hand out candy.

Ethan (Sports Editor)

Of all the costumes I’ve seen, my favorite has to be the duo costume of Gru and Vector from “Despicable Me.” I had a friend who did this one last Halloween and she fully committed to the costume. The thing that always makes a costume stand out to me is the effort.

I think it is finally time to retire the Joker and Harley Quinn costumes. We are in the year 2024; if I see another man with slicked back green hair, I might genuinely throw up. The concept is so overdone and rarely executed well.

This year, I am going to be Mr. Incredible from “The Incredibles.” Of course, I took some of my own liberties in the creation of the costume because a successful costume always needs some element of creativity.

Emma (News Editor)

Like many of the editors, I am always excited to see costumes based on popular shows and movies. It’s hard to put my finger on my favorite costume– I love seeing when people put in the effort to go the extra mile creatively for Halloweekend. If I had to choose, I love to see people dressed up as “The Lorax.” I think it’s such a fun costume and it’s super funny when people commit to the bit. I lose it every time.

On the flip side, I’m a little over seeing killer clown costumes. Many people are scared of clowns, which makes it a “spooky” costume choice, but I think the makeup and outfit is just so overdone and basic. This Halloween, I think it’s time to put the clown costumes back in the closet.

My roommates and I went out as Agnis, Edith and Margo (Gru’s daughters) from “Despicable Me” last weekend, which I thought was a pretty creative trio outfit. My favorite Halloween dress-up I’m planning is a Kesha costume. From her iconic looks to club music hits, 2000s “Ke$ha” is the perfect pop culture tribute for a fun Halloween look-alike moment. Not to mention, it’s so fun to put together– from its glitter makeup to the outfit. Alexa, play “We R Who We R” by Kesha. 

Hailey (Editor-in-Chief): 

I’m a big fan of creative and unique Halloween costumes, specifically ones based on retro or vintage media. In the past, I’ve really liked costumes of 1990s musicians and movie characters. One of my favorite spooky movies is “Scream,” so I’m all for the nostalgic Casey Becker costumes. However, in a completely different realm, I saw a TikTok the other day that made me giggle. It was a couple’s costume of Tucker Carlson and the green M&M, which referenced the chaotic and questionable sound bite about M&M’s rebrand.

My least favorite costumes are concepts that should’ve been left on 2015 Pinterest. White shirts that simply have “this is my costume” scrawled on them are NOT unique. At the time, it may have been funny, but it’s a sentiment best left to old Tumblr postings.

This year I’m going as Julia from “Cowboy Bebop,” and my boyfriend is going as Spike. I was introduced to the show, and am a fan of its animation style and jazzy soundtrack. Julia’s really a quite simple outfit, as it only includes black sunglasses, a black trench coat, dark pants and boots. By itself, the costume might not be recognizable, but as a pair, it’s a niche, yet well-known anime duo.