HOLLYWOOD—When Halloween arrives on Saturday, October 31, Hollywood will once again prove that costumes aren’t just for children. For celebrities, the holiday is practically another awards show, complete with photographers, extravagant outfits and a competition to see who can become the most unrecognizable person in the room.
No one understands that better than Heidi Klum, the undisputed queen of celebrity Halloween. For more than two decades, the supermodel has treated her annual party as a showcase for spectacular transformations. While other stars choose flattering outfits, Klum seems happiest when nobody can tell it’s her beneath the makeup.
Remember her giant earthworm in 2022? It wasn’t exactly a glamorous red-carpet look, but it was unforgettable. Klum arrived encased in an enormous worm costume, wriggling her way into headlines around the world. She demonstrated that a sense of humor can be more memorable than a designer gown.
In 2023, she became a peacock, with a troupe of performers forming the bird’s spectacular feathers. The following year, she and husband Tom Kaulitz embraced the world of E.T., bringing the beloved extraterrestrial to life with elaborate effects. In 2025, Klum took a darker turn as Medusa, complete with a frightening serpent-covered look, while Kaulitz appeared as a man turned to stone.What will she dream up for 2026? That’s the question fans are asking as Halloween approaches. Part of the fun is the suspense. Klum knows that revealing a costume too early would spoil the biggest surprise of her party. Whatever she chooses, expectations are sky-high. Of course, she has plenty of company in Hollywood’s Halloween spotlight. Kim Kardashian and her famous family have turned costume reveals into major social media moments. Their looks are often photographed as carefully as fashion campaigns, and fans eagerly compare the details. For a celebrity with millions of followers, one clever costume can generate attention long after the candy has disappeared.Halloween also gives stars an excuse to pay tribute to entertainment legends. Some recreate iconic movie scenes; others dress as singers, superheroes or television characters. The best costumes work because fans recognize the reference immediately. A familiar hairstyle, an unforgettable outfit or a perfectly copied pose can bring an entire era of pop culture back to life.
Then there are the parties themselves. In New York, Bette Midler’s Hulaween has long mixed theatrical flair with a charitable purpose, raising support for the New York Restoration Project. It’s a reminder that a night of outrageous costumes can also do something meaningful. Guests get the spectacle, while a worthwhile cause gets the spotlight.
Across Los Angeles and New York, Halloween celebrations can resemble movie premieres. There are photographers outside, carefully planned entrances and costumes that require an entire team. Makeup artists, hairstylists, designers and special-effects professionals may spend hours creating a look that guests will wear for only one evening.Imagine sitting in a makeup chair all afternoon just to become a creature that frightens the person standing next to you! Personally, I admire the creativity, but I’d also want to know whether the costume allows me to sit down, walk comfortably and enjoy the party.
That’s the funny thing about celebrity Halloween: the outfits may be extraordinary, but the practical problems are familiar. How do you get through a doorway wearing enormous wings? How do you eat dinner beneath a complicated mask? And what happens when you need to answer your phone but can’t move your fingers inside monster gloves? Social media has changed the holiday, too. Years ago, a spectacular costume might have been seen only by people at the party or in photographs published afterward. Today, a celebrity can unveil a transformation to a worldwide audience in seconds. Fans react instantly, debate their favorites and begin planning their own versions for next year.But bigger doesn’t always mean better. Sometimes a simple, clever idea wins more applause than the most expensive creation. The real magic is in the imagination, whether the person wearing the costume is a Hollywood superstar or a neighbor greeting trick-or-treaters at the door.
There’s also something charming about watching people who spend most of the year looking polished choose to look ridiculous. Hollywood is an industry built on make-believe, so perhaps Halloween is its most natural holiday. Actors become other people for a living; on October 31, everyone gets a turn. And let’s not forget the classic Hollywood horror films that helped make Halloween so popular. From Dracula to Frankenstein, generations of moviegoers have enjoyed being frightened by unforgettable characters. Today’s elaborate celebrity costumes continue that tradition, combining old-fashioned movie magic with modern technology.
Rose’s Scoop: As Saturday approaches, all eyes will be on the celebrity parties and especially on Klum’s latest reveal. Will she be terrifying, hilarious or completely impossible to identify? Whatever happens, one thing is certain: Hollywood won’t settle for an ordinary witch’s hat and a plastic pumpkin. And while the stars compete for the most unforgettable transformation, the rest of us can enjoy the show from home, preferably with a little chocolate nearby.
Happy Halloween!
