Sexy Female Halloween Characters: 21 Costume Ideas

Halloween is a popular time of year enjoyed by people of all ages. This spooky holiday includes fun activities such as pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating, and costume parties!

Two women are dressed in Halloween costumes. — Female Halloween Characters Image: Senivpetro/Freepik

Halloween allows adults to embrace their inner child by becoming someone else in a costume and have a blast doing it!

While traditional female Halloween characters such as witches, and cats remain popular choices, people have also taken influence from pop cultures, such as film and TV characters.

Model Heidi Klum, who throws her famous Halloween party every year, is the ultimate Halloween Queen whose annual costume reveal has become an event in itself. If you want inspiration for sexy female Halloween characters, we suggest you look through the best of Klum’s costumes here.

What are the Most Popular Female Halloween Characters For 2024?

Over the years, Halloween trends have evolved, from handmade costumes to super gory ones to pop culture icons. Harley Quinn continues to top the list of popular female Halloween characters, along with Barbie. The traditional ‘witch’ costume remains a firm favourite, as it is a versatile option that can be classic, scary or sexy!

Why do People Dress up for Halloween?

The origins of Halloween go back to around 2000 years ago when the Celts living in Europe celebrated the start of the new year. Their new year fell on November 1, and the festival was called Samhain.

The Celts believed October 31, the night before the new year, weakened the boundary between the living and the dead. The Celts would dress up in costumes and light bonfires to be left alone by the wandering ghosts.

The festival was adopted by Christianity in the 11th century, becoming “All Hallows Eve” and later “Halloween”. In the 18th century, the first Irish and Scottish immigrants arrived in the US, bringing their spooky traditions over. The US fully embraced Halloween, and today it’s a huge event and a multi-billion dollar industry!

Jenna Ortega’s effortlessly cool Wednesday Addams will undoubtedly be a hot choice for 2024, along with Beetlejuice following its sequel this year. See here to see all the female Halloween characters trending for Halloween 2024.

If you have been invited to a Halloween party and want to look sexy instead of scary, then we’ve got you. The Style Cadet has selected 21 of the sexiest Female Halloween Characters you can rock this spooky season.

21 Costume Ideas for Female Halloween Characters For 2024

Dead Bride

A woman is dressed up in a sexy Corpse bride Halloween costume

Image: Sierra Koder/Unsplash

The Dead Bride is one of the more elegant female Halloween characters. The costume is a cheap and easy option that looks gorgeous on. You will need a long white dress, so head to the charity shops or Vinted to grab a bargain. Use black and white make-up for a spooky look, and add a tiara if you have one. A bouquet of black flowers is a nice touch, and splatter fake blood on the dress for a more creepy look!

Cowgirl

Image: Juliano Astc

Dressing up a cowgirl is a simple and sexy choice for Halloween. The great thing about this costume is you probably have most of the items in your wardrobe or can borrow from your friends if not. The first step is the hat in any colour, but you could channel Dolly Parton with a baby pink faux fur trimmed one, because why not? The next step is cowboy boots styled with jeans and a plaid shirt, or a mini dress, or denim shorts and a tank top, just wear whatever feels comfortable.

Spooky Nurse

A woman is dressed up in a Victorian nurse Halloween costume.

Image: Alireza Esmaeeli/Unsplash

Dressing up as a nurse from the past evokes horror movie vibes. It is a quick option requiring a white apron with frill sleeves over the top of a white mid-length dress. A white pillowcase will work for the head covering, and you could also accessorise with a toy stethoscope.

Harley Quinn

Image: Chema Photo/Unsplash

Harley Quinn has been one of the most popular female Halloween characters ever since Margot Robbie played the part in the 2016 film The Suicide Squad. The iconic outfit is super sexy but does require a little effort, so buying the costume from somewhere like Amazon will make it easier, and you can always use it again for other occasions.

Sexy Witch

Image: T Leish

Dressing up as a witch for Halloween will always be on trend, as there are many ways to do it. The sexy witch option is one of the ultimate female Halloween characters and is so easy to do. All that’s required is a black dress, a pointed hat, black tights, and boots; bringing your cat is optional.

90’s Goth Girl

Winona Ryder was the ultimate goth princess of the 90s, and other Goth classics of that decade, such as The Addams Family and The Craft created iconic female Halloween characters. The dress code is black, and lace and velvet are bang on trend. Add a choker, chunky black boots, black lipstick and smokey eyeliner to complete the look.

Angel

Image: Adrian Calle

An angel Halloween costume is classic and requires minimal effort. For this angelic look, you need a white dress, a set of wings, topped with a signature halo to create one of the cutest female Halloween characters.

Dark Angel

Image: Nice M Nshuti/Unsplash

The Dark Angel is a super sexy choice, giving vibes from the dark side. Dress in black, and latex, and Lycra are good material choices. Pair with black wings and a halo or devil horns; it’s up to you how bad you want to be.

Skeleton Bride

A woman is dressed up in a skeleton Halloween costume

Image: T Leish

The Skeleton Bride is a modern and fun Halloween costume that can be put together quickly. You only need a white dress and a veil; buy a mask if your make-up skills are not up to scratch.

Wednesday Addams

Image: Tadas Petrokas/Unsplash

Wednesday Addams has been a style icon for years, known for her love of all-black outfits. The hit Netflix series starring Jenna Ortega put the character back on the map and is a trending Halloween costume again. To recreate the look, wear a black dress with a collar, black tights, braid your hair into pigtails, and you are all set.

Gothic Bride

The Gothic Bride is the perfect choice to create a sense of mystery. The look requires being head to toe in black, with a long lace veil to cover the face, add black lipstick and a smokey eye.

Little Red Riding Hood

There have been a host of grown up fairy tale films, and they are a great source for Halloween inspiration. Little Red Riding Hood’s outfit is instantly recognisable and easy to recreate. You will need a hooded red cape, which can be made from a sheet, wear a black or white dress underneath and pair with a basket to complete the look.

Maleficent

Photo by Владимир Васильев

Angelina Jolie completely owned this look in Maleficent, so it’s no surprise it is a popular Halloween costume. The horn headpiece is integral, worn with a long dress, cape, and gloves. If you want to accurately channel one of Hollywood’s most glamourous female Halloween characters, contour your cheekbones and add some red lipstick.

Barbie

Barbie, starring Margot Robbie, was an absolute smash-hit full of incredible outfits. So it’s no surprise Barbie Halloween costumes are in demand, with ‘pink’ the colour of the moment. You will be spoiled for choice with so many different Barbie costumes to pick from, and we have a feeling Barbie will remain one of the most popular female Halloween characters for quite some time.

Freddy Krueger

Freddy Kruger gained cult status after appearing in the 1984 horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street. The character is an easy costume to recreate, requiring a striped red jumper, a fedora hat and slashes to the face. To create a sexier version, wear a long striped jumper as a dress with fishnet tights.

Cheerleader

Cheerleaders are the ultimate ‘It girls’, and their outfit is simple and sexy. You will need a fitted T-shirt or crop top and a short skirt paired with sports socks or knee-high socks, and don’t forget your pom poms.

Fairy

Images: Olena Bohovyk/Unsplash

A fairy costume is one of the most gorgeous female Halloween characters to dress up as. It is a super easy Halloween costume, and as long as you have a set of wings, anything goes. Wear a mini dress with boots or trainers and accessorise with elf ears for an authentic look.

Sexy Red Devil

A woman is dressed up as the female Halloween character red devil. — Image: Adrian Calle

The sexy red devil costume is a go-to classic, and there is no specific way to wear it. You will need red clothes, this can be a dress, a jumpsuit, or a top and trousers. Pair with red devil horns, a pitchfork and some red lipstick to make an impact.

Black Swan

Images: Nice M Nshuti/Unsplash

In 2010, Natalie Portman played the starring role as a ballerina called Nina in the film Black Swan. Portman won the Oscar for Best Actress, and the film became a cult classic. The Black Swan costume Portman wore in the final performance gained a huge amount of attention and one of the most popular female Halloween characters was born. The Black Swan costumes require a black tutu but a black corset could also work with a frilled skirt, finished with the iconic eye makeup.

Sexy Cat

Photo by 100 files

The Sexy Cat Halloween costume has been a firm favourite for years, probably because it is so simple. You can be as daring as you feel, such as a latex bodysuit with knee-high boots, or a full-length Lycra catsuit or a cute black dress. Don’t forget your cat ears and a tail to finish the look.

Spiderwoman

Superheros remain one of the top female Halloween characters people choose, and the Spiderwoman costume is one of the most popular options. This simple costume requires little effort, and you can buy the iconic red and black Lycra suit from multiple retailers.

How Can I Save Money on Halloween Costumes?

Halloween is a fun holiday, but it’s just one night of the year and not worth getting into financial difficulty for. Here are some tips on how you can save money on Halloween costumes.

Plan Ahead

If you start looking on Vinted or eBay for secondhand Halloween costumes in July, you have more chance of grabbing a bargain as fewer people are looking, so get looking early on.

Sell Old Halloween Costumes

If you don’t want to re-wear previous costumes, then sell them on Vinted or Facebook Marketplace and use the money to purchase your new one.

Keep it Simple

Choose an easy costume with fewer things to buy requiring less work. For example, a witch costume only needs a black dress, which you probably already own and an inexpensive pointed hat.

Borrow

Instead of buying an item you will only wear for one night, check beforehand if you can borrow it from friends or family instead. You can then spend the money you saved on something you need.

Buy Next Year’s Costume on Sale

As soon as Halloween ends, retailers start looking towards Christmas and reduce their costumes to get rid of them. This is the perfect to grab a bargain, ready to wear next year.

Can I wear Anything for Halloween?

For the most part, you can wear whatever you choose to, unless invited to a party with a specified theme. When picking a costume, there is something you should be aware of, and that is cultural appropriation.

The definition of cultural appropriation is “the adoption, usually without acknowledgement, of cultural identity markers from subcultures or minority communities into mainstream culture by people with a relatively privileged status.”

In simple terms, dressing up as someone from a different culture, especially marginalised ones, can offend and be considered racist.

Examples of what not to wear include body shaming costumes, changing your skin colour with make-up, transphobic costumes, or dressing as criminals, which can cause distress to victims. This article explains the subject further, but when choosing which female Halloween characters to dress up as, always check beforehand so no offence is caused.

If you are here looking for inspiration for sexy female Halloween characters to dress as this spooky season, then this article should have you covered. Remember, this time of year is about having fun, whatever you decide to wear.

Have a Happy Halloween!