Seven Top Ideas for Haloween Costumes 2009 for Men

And in the time honoured tradition, here they are in reverse order:

7 Menacing Monk

The timeless figure of a hooded monk is of course an excellent Halloween costume, and another one that can be fairly easily knocked together with nothing more than an old brown blanket and a huge cross on a chain.

But if you’re going to play the monk for Halloween, why not ass a little twist, and make your monk a tortured soul? Just think of all those sci-fi horrors where the pious nameless traveller has drawn the line of acceptable behaviour a little harshly and gone off his rocker punishing sinners left right and centre with his own brand of discipline.

Take a standard monk’s robe costume, and add a bit of gray pallor with face paints. Strap on a meaty looking fake sword or even sling on a couple of gun belts, and you’re into Rutger Hauer territory.

And it doesn’t have to be a monk. Your religious fanatic could be a mad rabbi, an overly pious priest or a vicious vicar. Just take a standard costume for any one of these, and accessories with gory body parts, or menacing weapons for shock effect.

6 Jungle Predator

Whether the skirt is grass, rush, leaf or leather, with or without the head gear, loose the lei and forget the friendly smile. Think more shells, bones and teeth on layered necklaces and carrying a blow pipe.

Fashion a make shift spear out of a broom handle and a toy knife tied on with string. Finish with sandals and grass/rush leggings and you’re good to go native.

Armbands wouldn’t go amiss, and fake tattoos and piercings too. After all, it’s Halloween, the more menacing the better.

Of course this one might be better if your Halloween hi jinx are more likely to be perpetrated in a nightclub than trick or treating with the kiddies, especially if the weather turns cold.

5 Fearful Pharaoh

Halloween wouldn’t be complete without the odd mummy or two, but rather than surround yourself in toilet paper or bandages, why not set your sights a little higher and dress as the puppet master rather than the puppet?

Swathe yourself in mysteery with a little heavy black eye makeup and become the ultimate authority figure. Don the trappings of any of a pantheon of animal gods, and strut your stuff.