Gone are the days when Halloween gatherings were just a mishmash of makeshift, classic monsters. Today, the average costume party looks more like a real-life search-and-find made up of A24 scream queens and hyper-realistic celebrity cosplays. While you’ll surely still find a few basic witch hats and bedsheet ghosts in the crowd, Hollywood is officially in charge of the outfits come Halloween.
So, which characters are actually taking over the aisles of Spirit Halloween this year?
As costume queries surge, a recent study by BC.Game reveals what’s haunting search bars nationwide. By analyzing popular Halloween planning threads across Reddit and cross-referencing Google search interest with Pinterest activity and average retail prices, they calculated the pop culture icons, horror characters, and viral looks topping everyone’s Halloween shopping lists in 2026.
From Pop Stars to Psychological Scars
Once again, animated hit K-Pop Demon Huntersmade the biggest impression on trick-or-treaters and partygoers alike. The musical, which follows a group of pastel-haired pop stars who double as demon slayers, features many characters fans can draw costume inspiration from. From the three members of the main girl group—Mira, Zoey, Rumi—to the rival demon boy band, it’s no wonder over 200,000 people Googled “K-Pop Demon Hunters costume” in September alone. With wigs—pink for Mira or light purple for Rumi—being the main star of the show, the costume is relatively inexpensive to pull together for around $41.15.
Creepy clowns aren’t going anywhere either. In particular, Pennywise—who’s actually a shapeshifting alien—garnered almost 600,000 searches surrounding the sinister clown costume and yet another year’s worth of trending social media posts (fueled by the 2025 premiere of HBO’s prequel seriesIt: Welcome to Derry).
The general public also proved to have an obsession with Obsession, the highest-grossing horror movie of 2026. The film’s villain—or, in many interpretations, victim—Nikki Freeman has gone viral on social media since the psychological thriller dropped in May for both her obsessive tendencies and trendy look. Nikki’s red-and-black,zebra-striped tank top and shorts clock are components that are affordable and easily re-wearable—other than the optional fake blood, of course. The costume is among the top trending picks on Pinterest, with an index of 100/100.
Country singer Dolly Partonranks as the fourth most popular Halloween costume for 2026. Her sunny aura lives on in the iconic platinum-blonde wigs and rhinestone-studded outfits that over 444,000 people have looked up for tentative Halloween costumes this year.
Here are the top 10 trending Halloween costumes of 2026, ranked:
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