Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas

We don’t know about other neighborhoods, but judging from the evidently sparse decorations along Hill Drive—at least so far—this year’s Halloween seems to have snuck up on Eagle Rock.

Maybe some folks have been too busy protesting outside City Hall. Maybe—especially given the recent spurt in property crimes—it makes sense to put out all those fancy, strobe-lit “decorations of dread” at the last minute (although there are notable exceptions on Hill Drive). Maybe “Just in Time” makes perfect ecological sense for Halloween (a green Halloween anyone?).

Whatever the case, we certainly hope you don’t intend to hide out for this year’s monster mash bash. And to ensure your participation, we’ve come up with five quick, easy, and inexpensive costume ideas that will not only get you through Monday night’s spooks but will guarantee you more treats than tricks. Maybe you’ll even stand out among the thousands of celebrants who flock to Hill Drive, making it Northeast and East L.A.’s Halloween mecca.

1. The classic ghost costume still demands respect and a nostalgic tip of the hat to Charlie Brown. Take a white sheet, cut out some holes for eyes, and drape it over yourself. To help keep your ghost disguise from sliding off, tie a tie around your neck to keep it all in place and masquerade as a dead banker—sure to bring 99 percent more treats this year (a few of them undoubtedly from the 1 percent).

2. Zombies are hot right now. Gather some old clothes, stop by a thrift store or check out the nearest Ross for shirts, pants, and dresses you can rip and get dirty. Splatter the clothes with fake blood or red paint. Mix white and black face paint—you can find it at , or —and apply to your skin to give yourself the look of the dead. Remember, black under-eye circles are a zombie's signature feature. And don't forget to mess up your hair. Of course, you'll have to perfect your own zombie walk to really bring the full effect.

3. Become L.A.’s mayor for a night. It’s easier than you think—and just about as much fun as it was to mock Bush in 2008. All you need is a dark suit (black or dark blue) with either a dark or almost fluorescent-light tie. If you can manage to make a mask after downloading an image of our mayor and printing it out—or cut one up from the cover of a magazine lying around—you will of course look a lot more convincing. But to remind folks of the former councilman-turned-mayor who ditched Eagle Rock all you need to do is carry a sign that says something to this effect: “I almost got away with free Lakers tickets.”

4. Adopt the “Black Swan” look. As a strategy for Halloween, this one kills two birds with one stone, and it has the added bonus of avoiding anything to do with Charlie Sheen—never mind all the Halloween buzz about him this year. If you’re female, you’ll remind people of Natalie Portman in her 2010 Oscar-winning performance in the psychosexual drama by the same name. If you’re male—and this actually applies to females as well—you can take a bit of artistic license to symbolize the eagle in “Eagle Rock.” (Let’s admit it—it’s a lot harder to convey the persona of the iconic rock after which the ER is named than it is come off as an eagle.)

All you need to do is put some make up around your eyes. Click here to find out how. For those who’d rather represent the “eagle” in the Rock than a “swan” in Hollywood, here’s a tip: Have someone write the numerals “1911” over your right eyebrow, and “2011” over your left eyebrow with a pencil or marker. (If you’re an Eagle Rocker, you probably don’t need to be reminded that this is our centennial year.)

5. Especially for the Kids: Here's your chance to dress up your little pumpkin and fly to New York City for an all-paid trip to meet celebrity judge Heidi Klum: Traci Green of not only has lots of adorable kids’ costumes ready to be plucked from her racks, she says she has lots of gently-worn outfits for sale, too. Among the choices: A green dinosaur outfit “in beautiful shape” for a five-to-six-year-old for $18.

While at the community family resource and boutique, also check out the “gorgeous pink and gold princess dress handmade by somebody’s grandma,” sized for ages three to five—and a steal at $12, plus a pristine Disney Snow White princess dress, size four to six, for $6.

If your kid’s too small to parade such fare, try on one of the pumpkin t-shirts, hand-embroidered by a local dad, and lots of funny Halloween tees and onesies, from $4, and little tu-tus, too. (Eagle Rock Patch’s Alison Gee reported and wrote this last-minute Green Bean Halloween rescue plan.)