Thread: Grim reaper-ish costume help

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I'm trying to make a costume. The closest thing to it is the grim reaper, but it doesn't have a scythe or bone hands or anything. Just a dark figure with an empty-looking hood. No discerning features of any kind. I threw one together last year at the last minute on Halloween Day. I took my black "They Might Be Giants" hoodie sweatshirt and turned it inside-out so the logo wouldn't show. I wore black slacks with my wife's black ankle-length skirt over them. I wore black shoes and black leather gloves. I had the hood up and wore a pair of my wife's black pantyhose over my face to conceal it. To finish it off, I wore her black sheer shawl draped over my head. She, my sisters, and mom all said "whoa!" when they saw me in it for the first time and said I looked really good. People saw it and said I looked scary. My wife said I got lots of weird looks from people like they were afraid of me. Due to the pantyhose over my face, though, my vision was impaired and it was difficult for me to see such looks. I had a hard enough time making out outlines of things to not run into them. But it was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed the reactions. I acted all weird as well.

However, my sweatshirt is black, but more like dark gray in light. Same with everything else. You can easily tell I was wearing black clothes. I think the lack of face was maybe the part that was most unexpected. But you could still kinda see my nose and forehead, especially in the light. Attached are some pictures.

This year I'm trying to do the same thing, only better planned and with a better effect. I searched for the darkest material I could find and happened upon some DIY home theater guys who talk about light-absorbing material to surround their screens with. So far it's looking like Royalty 3 black velvet from Joann fabrics is the darkest. I went and it is very black. It still has some sheen in folds and stuff, so it would be nice to get something that doesn't have that. I'd like something to cover my face with so I can see better and also makes my hood look completely black, empty, and hollow. No nose, no forehead, no nothing. I could probably cover my hands by making the sleeves longer. Same with feet. I'm also unsure as to what type of garment to make. Regular hooded robe like the grim reaper, but one that doesn't open in the front? I want to look like a dark shape. A black void in space. Something unnatural. Not scary like a scary mask. Scary like is that even a real person. Something people will look at and go "WTF" and not be sure what they're looking at. It would be cool to have some kind of effects around me like black smoke or something, or something that looks like it. Brainstorm. I'm open to ideas.

My only suggestion might be using skydiving smoke as it is cool burning and you could attach it to your boots and use a pull string to pop the canister. You would have to search for black but im sure its out there. Good Luck

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into that but so far it seems kinda expensive.

And to correct my first post, the costume is more of a Nazgûl/ringwraith than a grim reaper. Going off of the following description of them from "The Fellowship of the ring":

Over the lip of the little dell, on the side away from the hill, they felt, rather than saw, a shadow rise, one shadow or more than one. They strained their eyes, and the shadows seemed to grow. Soon there could be no doubt: three or four tall black figures were standing there on the slope, looking down on them. So black were they that they seemed like black holes in the deep shade behind them. Frodo thought that he heard a faint hiss as of venomous breath and felt a thin piercing chill. Then the shapes slowly advanced.

I like the idea, except the obvious hoodie. It needs something else there... a closed cloak with a hood would be better, or even a simple longsleeve tunic, as long as it has a hood and is high enough to cover your neck and any skin. I think leaving it plain is creepier, gets the imagination going and you look like a demon in the shadows. I discovered with my "Dead Widow" costume years ago (it had a black one-way veil) that people are freaked when they can't see your face. We were walking the outdoor mall and people (tough guys actually) kept coming up to me to "prove" they weren't afraid. It was a blast! I didn't have to do a thing but stay silent and to make sure they knew I was watching them. My Grim Reaper costume worked the same way. The key is to move slowly, pay attention, and keep quiet!