21 Unhinged Off-Brand Halloween Costumes That Tried And Failed So, So Hard

    They didn't have to roast us so hard by labeling a Harley Quinn costume "Aging My Chemical Romance Fan."

    It's officially spooky season, which means my favorite holiday is coming up: Halloween.

    Screenshot from "The Office"

    Why is it my favorite, you ask? Well, besides the candy and the parties and the black cats and the witchy vibes, I LOVE to dress up and probably attend at least four costume parties every year (see 2022's costumes below).

    Side-by-side of the author in her costumes

    I've been to my fair share of Halloween stores, and it always tickles me to find costumes that are so clearly supposed to be of some famous celebrity or movie/TV character, but for legal reasons, they have to change some small aspect or name the character something weird. So, without further ado, here are some of my favorite off-brand Halloween costumes.

    1. Ah, yes, my favorite Harry Potter character, Potter Teacher Wizard Boy!

    "Potter Teacher Wizard Boy"

    2. The name "Witch Hunter Gary" is kind of giving "Jack-O-Lantern Lewis."

    "Witch Hunter Gary"

    3. Mom, can I be a pubescent frog this year for Halloween?

    "Pubescent Frog"

    4. "'80s Purple Musician" could be anyone, really.

    knockoff Prince costume

    5. I love the show Unusual Events!!!

    "Unusual Events"

    6. For when you don't want to be Ghostface for Halloween, but his weird cousin.

    "Ghost Face"

    7. And here's its lesser-known cousin, Ith!

    "Ith"

    8. "Trans Boy" is literally the last thing I expected a kid's Halloween costume to be titled.

    "Trans Boy"

    9. "Condescending online man" actual has great potential to be a funny Halloween costume, but I was not expecting a V for Vendetta costume.

    "Condescending Online Man"

    10. Every little kid dreams of being a deceased hero for Halloween.

    "Deceased Hero"

    11. I had to include this one not just because they called Neo from The Matrix "cyber man," but because its dual purpose is actually kinda genius.

    "Padre / Cyber Man"

    12. Commenters *think* this is a Lucy Pevensie (from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe) costume, but honestly, it seems like it'd work perfectly for all the little girls who dream of being a WWII evacuee!

    "World War II Evacuee"

    13. To be fair, a stalker is a lot scarier and more real to most people than Slenderman.

    "Stalker"

    14. I'm not sure I would vote for *this* Bernie Sanders.

    "The Better Future" Bernie Sanders

    15. You know what, I actually take issue with this one. Gomez is spooky, not creepy.

    "Creepy Husband"

    16. Honestly, Nintendo should've called the games Super Red Plumber Guy instead of Super Mario.

    "Plombier"

    17. It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out why this was called "A-LAD-IN a costume."

    Knockoff Aladdin costume

    18. I mean, they're not wrong that Katniss is a hungry rebel girl.

    "Hungry Rebel Girl"

    19. This off-brand samurai costume has the dual purpose of helping convert kids to Catholicism.

    "Samurai"

    20. This costume description somehow roasted an entire generation.

    "Aging My Chemical Romance Fan"

    21. And finally, this isn't even necessarily off-brand, but I just love the naming on these.

    "Mad Science"

    EXmas, starring Leighton Meester and Robbie Amell, is streaming now for free on Freevee.

    EXmas Movie