How to Make a Dracula Costume

Dracula is fun, iconic and easy. For a bare bones version, a cape, fangs and fake blood are all you really need. Slick back your hair, put on a waistcoat and some slacks and make your face up with the proper deathly pallor, and you have the real deal. Spend some time getting your makeup just right, and you can take the vampire costume from silly to just a little scary.

Things You'll Need

• Face paint
• Fangs
• Fake blood
• Hair dye
• Mouse
• Cape
• Great coat
• Waistcoat
• Dress shirt
• Slacks
• Dress shoes

Instructions

1. Get a cape. The cape is the most recognizable part of Count Dracula and practically makes the costume itself. If you can't get a cape from a costume store, you can make one by modifying old clothes you don't need anymore. Remove the sleeves from an old great coat, and patch in the holes. Then turn up the collar.

2. Get some fangs. You can't do Dracula without the fangs. You can buy cheap plastic fangs at pretty much any drug store or costume store. If you want to go up a level, buy a set of porcelain fangs such as those linked to in Resources below.

3. Dress up a bit. A waistcoat over a dress shirt and a pair of black slacks and black shoes will convey the proper Dracula formality. If you are feeling lazy or are going to be at a crowded Halloween party where it will be hot, you could probably get away with a simple black button up shirt. With the cloak overshadowing your costume, the rest of what you are wearing isn't going to be too visible.

4. Do your hair. If you do not have dark brown or black hair, Use temporary hair coloring. Then, slick it back with mouse. Finish the look by drawing a widows peak with some black face paint.

5. Decide on the type of Dracula you want to be. Do you want to have a fresh-from-the-kill, blood-splattered sort of look or a more subtle look?

6. Paint your face. Cover your face with gray or white face paint for that deathly pallor of the undead. Add dark gray shadows under your eyes and perhaps on your cheeks to give them that sunken look. If you want to look like a recently gorged vampire, paint streaks of fake blood or red paint from the corners of your mouth and make your lips a bright red. For a more subtle look, leave off the blood. Paint your lips dark red or black and line the insides of them with bright red. That way, when you snarl, people will see the red and the fangs.

Tips & Warnings

• Although red lining inside a black cape is customary for Dracula, it is not essential. A plain black cape makes for a more understated, classier Dracula.

• Some Draculas like to put a bit of red face paint or makeup on their faces. The flushed cheeks combined with the pallor suggests a vampire who has just fed on his grisly meal.

• You can do everything with black, white and red face paint. Mix the black and white to get gray, and mix black and red to get dark red.

• Don't wait until the last minute to do the makeup. Try it out ahead of time so you can figure out just how you like it.

Resources

• Dracula Makeup
• Fangs