What would Halloween be without a few skeleton Halloween costumes? There are many varieties on this classic but Halloween is definitely the time to let the skeletons out of the closet. Whether a uniquely painted and realistic body suit or a solid color suit with a mask of a skull you can go simple or complex with this design.

Skeleton Halloween costumes are a bit trickier to create, although they are not impossible. The easiest route is to purchase one. These are often a body suit or top and bottom that are black, with bones printed on the front and back. Sometimes, glow paint is added for an extra effect in the dark. Even if you do not plan to spent the night in the graveyard, this can still be fun at parties that often include darkened lighting for Halloween.

How you design your own is entirely up to you. If you’re creative, you can paint on your own design, using a pair of black sweat pants and a matching sweatshirt, or whatever other clothing you plan to wear. This may prove more time consuming.

You can wear a skeleton mask that covers only your face or can choose a more expensive option of a rubber mask that encloses your head and turns it into a realistic “skull”. You might choose to use face paint instead to keep your field of vision intact and use a skeleton wig over your hair. Paint some bones on your hands and wear the wig and dark clothing for a simple and quick to make version of a skeleton Halloween costume.

As the holiday nears each year, costume and variety stores sell a number of styles of skeleton accessories. From bracelets and earrings featuring skulls to dark gloves with finger bones glowing on them, finding props is easy for this costume. The type of design you choose will be dictated by the amount of time you can spare creating your clothing.

Other costumes can also benefit from the addition of skeleton accessories. A skeletal fish hanging from the belt of a pirate or a caveman with a large bone as a club might be just the touch you need for trick or treat night. How about a grave robber dragging a loosely connected plastic skeleton behind him?

Aborigines could use a fake bone through their nose or ear lobes, a Zulu warrior might enjoy a necklace of plastic finger bones. Witch doctors might need a whole bag of bones for their spells. How much more effect would your mummy costume be if the tattered cloth revealed a bone sticking out here or there? Perhaps no Halloween prop is as useful as the simple fake bone.

Though not impossible, skeleton Halloween costumes may be a little trickier to make at home than those of other characters. Thanks to the retailers who offer a spectrum of versions from simple and cheap to realistic and reusable, creating your own skeleton is a matter of choice. To save time it’s often more fun to purchase or rent skeleton Halloween costumes and add accessories to personalize them. Personalize your skeleton Halloween costume, give it a gender with a pink ribbon and bow on the skull and have some fun with your bones. Edited by Hetsil Protage

Roll them bones in Halloween costumes as a cemetery character in skeleton Halloween costumes