Halloween monsters: the classics and where each one comes from

Open the costume box and there they are: a cape, a pair of cat ears, a strip of white fabric. A few things tucked in a drawer can bring centuries of stories to a classroom costume parade. These characters share a holiday, but each took a different road to get there.

The classic Halloween monsters are the witch, vampire, mummy, Frankenstein’s monster, werewolf, ghost, skeleton, zombie, and black cat. Their stories draw on folk beliefs, novels, and movies. Halloween brought them together, and their familiar shapes now help families recognize the characters and choose a costume.

Jump to: The nine characters · Why Halloween has monsters · Books and movies · Are they real? · Stories from other places · Choosing a costume · Read aloud · For the classroom · Questions.

What are the classic Halloween monsters?

You can recognize these nine characters by just a few details: a broom, a cape, strips of cloth, or white bones against dark clothes. Some grew from old beliefs. Others have an author, a title, and a publication date. Here is where their stories begin:

1. Witch: European beliefs and images from the 15th through 17th centuries helped shape the familiar figure; the hat and broom belong to the story of Halloween witches.
2. Vampire: European beliefs about the dead coming back inspired fiction such as The Vampyre (1819) and Dracula (1897), shaping the vampire of books and costumes.
3. Mummy: preserved bodies from ancient Egypt inspired a fictional movie monster, notably in The Mummy (1932); that is the path to Halloween mummies and their wrappings.
4. Frankenstein’s monster: Mary Shelley created the being in her 1818 novel; the 1931 movie gave Frankenstein’s creature a widely recognized screen appearance.
5. Werewolf: ancient stories such as Ovid’s tale of Lycaon show a person becoming a wolf; The Wolf Man (1941) helped establish the movie werewolf.
6. Ghost: beliefs about spirits of the dead have a long history; medieval images of burial shrouds help explain the ghost in a white sheet.
7. Skeleton: late medieval dances of death pictured death figures alongside the living, an ancestor of the Halloween skeleton.
8. Zombie: Haitian beliefs precede the movie creature, which changed dramatically with Night of the Living Dead (1968); meet the slow-moving zombie.
9. Black cat: early modern European beliefs linked animals with witches; that association lives on in the witch’s black cat.

The cat has a special place in this lineup: you might have one asleep on your couch. Halloween borrows its outline, eyes, and curling tail to make a character. A dark shirt and paper ears can tell that part of the story. Your family pet is still a cat, whatever color its fur happens to be.

The werewolf: one person, two shapes

In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Lycaon turns into a wolf. That story shows how far back the idea of changing from human to animal goes. The 1941 film belongs to a different time and tells a different story. It helped give later movie werewolves a familiar form, one that costume makers could recognize too.

The skeleton: bones that can dance

Medieval dances of death brought people from different walks of life together with figures of death. Their message was that everyone would die. A child’s Halloween decoration can give the bones a different job: waving, playing a guitar, or lifting a knee to dance. A small change in pose can turn a scary shape into a funny one.

The zombie: from Haiti to the screen

The musée du quai Branly tells the zombie’s story through Haiti, its beliefs, and the history of enslavement. In those accounts, the zombie loses its freedom. The movie creature that chases people came later. When your child asks about zombies, you can explain those two paths: the Haitian story and what movies made of it.

Why are there monsters at Halloween?

Halloween brought together stories about the dead, costume traditions, and characters from entertainment. Samhain celebrations in Ireland and Scotland, the Christian calendar, and American costume parties contributed different layers. That is how a witch from old stories and a creature from a novel ended up on the same front porch.

Samhain marked the start of winter, with celebrations beginning on the evening before November 1. The National Museum of Ireland describes customs involving returning souls and people going from house to house in disguise. In those stories, the dead could return to the homes of the living.

In Scotland, guising means dressing up and offering a song, joke, or another little performance in return for treats. Think about that at the kitchen table: putting on a costume was only part of getting ready. You also needed something to do when the door opened.

Immigrants carried customs from Ireland and Britain to the United States. During the 19th and 20th centuries, parties, costumes, and neighborhood visits helped the celebration grow. Movie characters joined the crowd. The longer journey is in the history of Halloween.

Where did the movie monsters come from?

Movies borrowed creatures from novels, legends, and beliefs, then gave them faces, voices, and ways of moving. Three 19th-century books make the journey easier to follow: Frankenstein, The Vampyre, and Dracula. Actors later gave those names the screen appearances that many people still picture today.

Year	Book or movie	What it brought to the story
1818	Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein	A young man creates a living being, then abandons him. Frankenstein is the creator’s last name.
1819	John William Polidori’s The Vampyre	Lord Ruthven brings the vampire into fashionable society.
1897	Bram Stoker’s Dracula	Count Dracula becomes the center of a novel told through journals, letters, and other documents.
1931	Universal’s Dracula and Frankenstein	Bela Lugosi plays the count; Boris Karloff plays Shelley’s creature.
1932	Universal’s The Mummy	Karloff plays the mummy in a horror story.
1939	MGM’s The Wizard of Oz	Margaret Hamilton plays the Wicked Witch of the West in a musical.
1941	Universal’s The Wolf Man	The werewolf gains one of its most influential screen portrayals.
1968	George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead	The returning dead take zombie movies in a new direction.

Universal and MGM are Hollywood movie studios. The phrase Universal Monsters usually points to characters from Universal’s films. The witch in The Wizard of Oz comes from a different movie and studio, even though she now feels at home at the same Halloween party.

It also helps to separate a character from the actor. Mary Shelley invented the creature; Karloff played him more than a century later, with the flat head and neck bolts that every costume borrows today.

Stories about the monsters

The story goes…	What we know
All nine monsters come from Samhain.	They followed different paths: Shelley’s novel appeared in 1818, while the movie zombie has a history connected with Haiti and later films.
Frankenstein is the monster’s name.	In the novel, it is Victor’s last name. His creature has no personal name.
An Egyptian mummy is a monster that might wake up.	Mummies are the remains of people who lived. The creature that wakes up belongs to fiction.

Are monsters real?

Black cats, the skeletons inside our bodies, and mummies in museums are real. Vampires who climb out of coffins and creatures someone assembles and brings to life belong to stories. Beliefs about spirits and transformations are part of traditions that people understand and practice in different ways.

When your child asks whether a monster could appear in their bedroom, start with the thing that worries them: a shadow behind a chair, a picture they saw, somebody’s costume. Turn on the light, look at what made the shadow together, and explain how the story or movie created its effect.

Witches need another distinction. Real people in Europe and America were accused of witchcraft and persecuted. Today, some people identify with spiritual practices called witchcraft. The woman flying on a broom belongs to the world of stories and costumes. There is more about that difference in witches and real people.

For the count who returns from the grave, you can begin with something concrete: Dracula is a character created by Bram Stoker. The beliefs that came before him have their own history, explored in where vampires came from. Sometimes learning an author’s name helps a face on a poster feel like a drawing again.

Monsters from other places

Ireland, Scotland, and Mexico have supernatural stories rooted in their own places and traditions. In an account preserved by Galway’s heritage service, the Irish banshee cries before a death in a family. In Scottish folklore described by Historic Environment Scotland, a kelpie is a water spirit that often appears as a horse. Rivers, lakes, a voice heard at night: each story gets some of its power from a place the listener knows. You can ask which part of the setting makes the creature feel close.

In Mexico, chaneques belong to traditions about beings connected with wooded places and water. Elisa Ramírez Castañeda describes their roles as protectors of those places and beings who can lead people astray. You can follow those connections in chaneque stories, in Spanish. These figures have histories of their own, outside Halloween’s origins. Sharing their names around a classroom table can be a way to ask who told a story, where they heard it, and how that telling differs from someone else’s.

How to choose a monster costume

Start with a character your child wants to wear, recognizable in two or three details. Comfortable clothes and one accessory may be enough for a school party. For trick-or-treating, being visible and moving freely matter too. A costume should let your child take part in the evening.

Before you make the costume: use only cosmetic face paint intended for skin, following its label; keep acrylic paint and markers on the paper. The FDA recommends testing makeup on the arm 24–48 hours beforehand. Remove it and stop using it if irritation appears. Consumer groups such as Spain’s OCU advise skipping makeup for children under three. Keep the eye area clear on young children, and remove makeup when the activity ends.

Check that any hat or mask lets your child see and breathe easily. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends costumes that fit without dragging. Keep cords away from the neck, avoid small detachable pieces, and choose a costume without toy fangs for children under three. Keep cloth and paper away from candles and other flames.

Character	Two or three recognizable details	Making it at home	Keep exploring
Witch	Pointed hat, dark clothes, broom	Easy; an adult helps cut the hat	Witch hat and costume
Vampire	Short cape, high collar, dark clothes	Easy; fangs and makeup are optional	Vampire costume
Mummy	Light-colored clothes, fabric strips sewn on top	Moderate; secure the strips and keep them away from the face	The mummy’s wrappings
Frankenstein’s monster	Roomy jacket, cardstock neck bolts, flat-top forehead, slow steps	Easy; tape the bolts to the collar, never to skin	Frankenstein’s creature
Werewolf	Ears, fabric tail, shirt	Moderate; the accessories need preparation	Its story
Ghost	White T-shirt, face drawn on the shirt	Very easy; the head and face stay uncovered	The white-sheet ghost
Skeleton	Dark clothes, white fabric or paper bones secured on top	Moderate; the bones need arranging	Its story
Zombie	Old clothes, patches, slow movement	Easy; acting does much of the work	Its story
Black cat	Dark clothes, ears, short fabric tail	Easy; skip painted whiskers if they bother your child	The witch’s cat

Make it at home: try it before the parade

Materials: comfortable clothes, fabric or cardstock for one detail, and drawing paper. Time: about 15 minutes to choose and try things on, plus time to make accessories.

1. Your child chooses a character and draws the two details they want to wear. You find clothes that allow sitting, running, and lifting both arms.
2. You make and secure the accessory. Your child chooses a color or draws its decoration. Makeup is optional and needs the earlier skin test.
3. Take a short practice walk: go down the hall, step up a stair, and sit down. Adjust anything that drags or gets in the way. The hallway is a useful place to find that out.

For choosing colors and getting to know the characters, use the Halloween monster coloring pages.

Read aloud

Ages 4–8

Halloween monsters came from many stories. A writer invented Frankenstein’s creature. Other people told stories about ghosts. Movies gave them faces and voices. When you dress up, you can choose your character: a curious cat, a cheerful witch, or a dancing skeleton. You get to decide how much pretend scariness belongs in the game.

For the classroom

Which monster is your favorite, and what detail helps you recognize it? Each child can point to a picture or name a character. Then gather the details: ears, wrappings, cape, hat. A child who would rather watch can help sort the pictures without wearing a costume.

Questions

What are the names of Halloween monsters?

The nine in this guide are the witch, vampire, mummy, Frankenstein’s monster, werewolf, ghost, skeleton, zombie, and black cat. Other creatures can join the Halloween party too.

Is Frankenstein the scientist or the monster?

Victor Frankenstein is the creator in Mary Shelley’s novel. His creature has no personal name. Popular usage spread the creator’s last name to the monster, which explains the confusion when someone asks for a Frankenstein costume.

What is the easiest monster costume to make at home?

A ghost made with a white T-shirt and a cat made with dark clothes need few pieces. The best choice depends on what you already have and what your child wants to wear. Try walking and sitting in it before the party.

If the broom wins the vote, keep going with the story of the witch’s hat, broom, and black cat.

Sources

• Doyle, Clodagh. National Museum of Ireland, 2020/2023. Ghost turnips, the púca, fortune-telling and evil abductions…. High: museum account of Irish customs.
• Rodger, Lucy. Historic Environment Scotland, 2023. Samhainn and the Scottish traditions of Hallowe’en. High: Scottish heritage and guising.
• Feuer, Jack. UCLA, 2012. The Great Pumpkin: A UCLA History of Halloween. High for its specialists’ historical account.
• Dunning, Mari Ellis. Aberystwyth University, 2025. Black hats, cauldrons and broomsticks: the historic origins of witch iconography. Scholarly: distinguishes evidence from iconographic hypotheses.
• McCorristine, Shane. Newcastle University, 2024. Comment: Why ghosts wear clothes or white sheets. Scholarly: history of ghost imagery.
• Ovid. Metamorphoses, I, 209–239. Ana Pérez Vega’s Spanish translation. Metamorfosis, libro I, versos 209–239. Primary literary source: Lycaon episode.
• UCL. Mummies and Mummification, 2003. Mummies and Mummification. High: archaeological and funerary context.
• Utah State University Libraries. Danse Macabre, undated. Danse Macabre. University exhibition: context for the dance of death.
• Musée du quai Branly. Zombies. The origins, undated. Zombies. The origins. High: curatorial account of Haitian context.
• Machell, Christopher. BFI, 2017. Where to begin with the Universal horror cycle. High for films, dates, and cast.
• Rose, James. BFI, 2023. 10 great werewolf films. High for werewolf film history.
• Neilson, Archer. Yale Film Archive, 2023. Film Notes: THE WIZARD OF OZ. High for MGM’s 1939 film.
• Library of Congress. Night of the Living Dead, 1968. Night of the living dead (1968). High: film catalog record.
• Ramírez Castañeda, Elisa. Arqueología Mexicana 147, 2017, pp. 16–17. Chaneques. Specialist account: beliefs in their local settings.
• Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein (1818); Polidori, John William. The Vampyre (1819); Stoker, Bram. Dracula (1897). Project Gutenberg texts linked in the timeline. Primary literary sources.
• Galway County Heritage Office. The Banshee, 2017. High for this attributed local account.
• Maclean, Elsie. Supernatural Creatures in Scottish Folklore, Historic Environment Scotland, 2018. High for attributed folklore.
• FDA. Halloween Safety Tips / Novelty Makeup. High: official makeup and costume guidance.
• OCU. Consejos sobre disfraces y maquillajes, 2019. Consumer organization: precautions for young children.
• AAP. Halloween Fun & Safety Tips, 2026; Health Canada. Halloween safety. High: costume fit, vision, and breathing.
• CPSC. Small Parts Ban and Choking Hazard Labeling. High: small-part hazards for children under three.