13 of the scariest Halloween costumes for children

It's always better to start off with the most obvious Halloween costumes, isn't it? Of course, you could make your kids into the undead by ripping up old clothes, letting them roll around in dirt a bit and then putting your old dusky eyeshadow under their eyes and an old red lippie around their mouths – but if you're looking for something a bit different, take a look at these zombie schoolgirl/schoolboy costumes on Amazon.

Another classic Halloween go-to is the vampire. Again, there are cheaper ways to transform your little ones into Draculas and Draculesses, but these outfits might make things just that bit easier than rummaging through your/husband's/parents'/friend's wardrobes for items you can make into miniature suits. Get some vampire fangs to complete the look.

Skeletons can be quite tricky to pull off without a good costume. Unless you're an artist of Picasso standard and able to paint a white skeleton onto old black clothes, this unisex costume will save you a whole lot of time.

A pirate costume for children is another one that could possibly be done by rootling through all available wardrobes of willing (or unwilling) loved ones, but these pirate costumes are particularly cool, in our humble opinions. The boy's costume definitely has a hint of Captain Jack Sparrow from The Pirates Of The Caribbean, and of course there's nothing to stop your little girls wearing this one too if they so wish!

If you or your child is a big fan of Wicked, we've found the perfect opportunity for them to channel their inner Elphaba and dress them up as an Emerald Witch! Disclaimer: unfortunately, Closer cannot guarantee any Defying of Gravity whilst wearing this costume.

Perfect if your little one is obsessed with the magic of Harry Potter and wants to dress up as the most famous boy wizard. Finish the look with this five-piece set complete with a wand, the iconic glasses and scar.

Although not as popular a choice as vampires, zombies or skeletons, Frankenstein's Monster is still one of the scariest creatures to come out at Halloween. There's even an adorable baby version – cute!

If you have more than one child, they don't mind matching and love the Power Rangers, then this collection of costumes could be perfect for you! Alternatively, you could get together with other families to recreate this group of superheroes.

Following DC Comics' recent success with the new Batman and Suicide Squad films, there are now children's costumes for Batman, his nemesis The Joker and The Joker's partner in crime – Harley Quinn. If you're not keen on spraying your children's hair with paint to achieve Harley Quinn's two-tone hairstyle, you could always invest in a wig.

Ok, it's not necessarily a Halloween-specific costume, but we couldn't have an article on fancy dress costumes for kids and NOT include an Elsa dress. Right?! You can even pick a different coloured dress if your child isn't a fan of the original blue. It even comes with her gloves and jewellery! Where can we get an adult version, please?!

You'll be ahead of the trend if you can encourage your kids to dress up as Wonder Woman, as the new film starring Gal Gadot isn't slated for release until June 2017. Plus, they'll be dressing as one of the most powerful women to ever exist in the DC universe – and what could be better than that!

Considering that Ghostbusters is one of the most loved ghosty-ghouly films of all time, AND that it's had an all-female reboot this year, we just had to include this awesome Ghostbuster costume. It even includes the Proton Pack – what more do you need? Best of all, this costume is unisex – so there's no need to search for boy/girl ones!

Another opportunity for either a multiple-children household – OR if you and your pals with kids are big Star Wars fans (aren't we all?) – these are the BEST kids' Star Wars costumes we have seen so far! All the main characters are covered – and just imagine the cute photos!