Hallmark Stars' Best Halloween Costumes (So Far), Ranked By Creativity

When Hallmark stars get all decked out in costumes, fans usually expect to see them dressed like Jolly Old St. Nick or other holiday characters. After all, this is the network that sent Hunter King to "The Santa Summit" to search for a guy in a sea of red suits. But while it's a given that they possess the spirit of Christmas, some Hallmark actors also enjoy the season of frightful possession films, spirits, red's close neighbor on the color wheel, and dressing up in creepy, kooky, and creative costumes.

Hallmark has experimented with movies about the spooky season, such as "Haul Out the Halloween," and its Good Witch franchise was a fan favorite. But when crafting their Halloween costumes, all of the stars here skipped the played-out pointy hat. Grab a handful of your favorite fun-size candy and get ready to be spellbound by some of their best All Hallows' Eve looks, ranked by how creative they were.

In 2024, "A Grand Ole Opry Christmas" star Nikki DeLoach got in the Halloween spirit a few days early for the Dance Party to End ALZ Benefiting the Alzheimer's Association. She showed up in an eye-catching striped jumpsuit with futuristic gold shoulder accents. The garment, which she wore with a lightning bolt belt and red high heels, was seemingly inspired by one of the iconic Ziggy Stardust outfits that Freddie Burretti designed for rock legend David Bowie.

Her shiny costume was likely of the mass-produced variety, with identical jumpsuits available at online stores. However, it did fit her like a glove, and she committed to the character by rocking a spiky red mullet wig. The costume was also an apt choice, given that its wearer has a musical past: DeLoach was once a member of a '90s girl group. Where she lost points was by skipping Bowie's tall red boots and distinctive red and gold makeup, opting instead for a rather basic beauty look.

Up next we have another ready-made costume, but it was the intention behind it that mattered. When "Cross Country Christmas" star Rachael Leigh Cook dressed up like a pineapple for Halloween in 2022, she wasn't supposed to be SpongeBob's abode under the sea. Instead, her costume was seemingly a nod to the series "Psych," which she popped up on a few times.

Every episode of "Psych" featured a pineapple Easter egg, with series creator Steve Franks explaining to Entertainment Weekly that the gag started with actor James Roday picking up a prop pineapple and ad-libbing the line, "You want me to cut this up for the road?" But for non-"Psych" fans, Cook wasn't a clever TV reference; she was just a cute pineapple in jeans and boots, dabbing in front of a huge spider. "Ppl need 2 kno that I'm the realest in the game," she captioned the Instagram post with photos of her costume.

When "An Unexpected Christmas" star Bethany Joy Lenz decided to dress up for Halloween in 2022, she used herself for inspiration. "Halloweening with the closest costume that matched my haircut," she wrote on Facebook. She also asked her followers to guess who she was supposed to be, but they couldn't seem to reach a consensus on which fictional character her look was based on: FBI trainee Clarice Starling from "The Silence of the Lambs" or Special Agent Dana Scully from "The X-Files." One commenter wrote, "The outfit is very Clarice and the hair is very Scully."

Whether the Hallmark star's costume was inspired by Gillian Anderson's television character or Jodie Foster's movie character, it appeared that it was something she put together herself; it didn't have that flimsy pop-up Halloween store quality. Still, FBI agent costumes aren't exactly groundbreaking stuff — without the hairstyle, she'd just be one generic government agent among many, not one conversing with cannibals or investigating aliens.

Every Halloween, you'll spot herds of different animals prowling the streets, so creature costumes aren't the most original idea. However, "A Bramble House Christmas" star Autumn Reeser deserves props for DIY-ing her deer costume in 2024. Reeser leads a pretty glamorous life and could have simply purchased a premium costume, but she decided to invest some serious effort into her look instead. "Thank you to my mom for teaching me how to sew and for always indulging my costume whims and wishes," she wrote on Instagram.

Reeser's makeup was a bit messy, but the headpiece she crafted was something a festival girlie would covet for her woodland witch outfit. Using branches for antlers was an excellent idea, and the artful arrangement of evergreen foliage, pinecones, and berries nestled between her deer ears gave it that Christmas-y vibe that Hallmark fans just can't seem to get enough of.

When "The 5-Year Christmas Party" star Jordan Fisher dressed up like a gray-haired granny for Halloween in 2022, he captioned a photo of his look, "We'll see y'all at the bbq." Fisher has worn the same wig and hideous floral-print dress while in character as "Grandma Petty" on Twitch, so it was nothing new to his followers there. Getting all gussied up like a granny with a beauty parlor appointment is also an easy way for guys to get laughs, as we've seen from the likes of Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams, and Tyler Perry, but it was fun to see Jordan's take on the comedy trope.

The beard, multiple rings, and baby poop-yellow socks with heels took it up a notch, but the pièce de résistance was the lipstick mark on his son's head. Unfortunately for Jordan, his baby boy, Riley Fisher, was effortlessly delivering an even higher level of comedy — he was too young to have any clue who Elvis Presley was, but he was doing a killer impression of The King.

"A Nashville Christmas Carol" star Kimberly Williams-Paisley is married to country singer Brad Paisley, so you'd expect her music-themed Halloween costume to include a cowboy hat and boots. However, she went just about as far from the country aesthetic as she could get for the Dance Party to End ALZ in 2024.

Williams-Paisley got in touch with her inner goth by recreating the signature look of The Cure frontman Robert Smith, complete with deathly pale makeup, raven wing eyeshadow all the way up to her eyebrows, and a wild hairstyle that possessed a vaguely arachnid shape. She completed her look with a band T-shirt, distressed skinny jeans, and clunky boots. With all the Britney Spears and Madonna costumes celebrities wear, it was refreshing to see Williams-Paisley go in a totally different direction, but she had a lot of stiff competition in the creativity department.

For some Halloween fans, watching "A Nightmare on Elm Street" in October is a must, and the 1984 Wes Craven horror movie's terrifying monster always multiplies on the 31st. But instead of putting on one of those smelly rubber masks covered in fake scar tissue, "Pumpkin Everything" star Taylor Cole celebrated Krueger Girl Autumn by giving us the influencer version of the murderer in 2021. This is what she might look like at the end of a GRWM video.

Commercially manufactured female Freddy Krueger costumes are easy to find online, so the concept itself isn't all that creative (hence Cole's placement lower on this list). However, the dress' somewhat disorienting striped pattern and asymmetrical hem appear to be a Slate & Willow design. She also made the look her own with spiderweb fishnets and peep-toe booties, and she gets extra points for demonstrating a unique way to use the blades of Freddy's pointy glove.

When "Wicked" fans decide to dress like Elphaba for Halloween, most of them probably want to be her when she's at her witchiest, with the black dress and iconic pointy hat. But "A Keller Christmas Vacation" star Jonathan Bennett didn't dress up in her most popular look. Instead, he painted his skin green and put on a blue school uniform, similar to the one Idina Menzel wore on Broadway, for his 2022 Halloween costume.

In an Instagram post, Bennett explained that he loves Elphaba because he related to the character before he came out as gay. He also revealed that he used to sing her song, "The Wizard and I," to give himself confidence before auditions. He wrote of that time, "I would NEVER THINK about dressing up as a witch in a dress, yet here I am." So, while Elphaba isn't the most original character to be for Halloween, Bennett's costume backstory makes this one pretty special.

There are countless costumes inspired by those who work in the healthcare industry, perhaps because the real-life horrors that doctors see every day rival any of the scares a haunted house can conjure up. They've been done to death, but that didn't make the tiny nurse dress that Jonathan Bennett wore during the 2024 Dance Party to End ALZ any less of a delight.

Bennett also hosts the Food Network series "Halloween Wars," so he was destined to end up on this list twice. However, his nurse costume wouldn't have been quite as hilarious without "Haul Out the Holly" star Melissa Peterman dressed as his patient. Apparently, she was being treated for a head wound, but she was so attached to those fabulous silver boots that she refused to take them off in the examination room — and who could blame her?

Thanks to the success of the 2020 docuseries "Tiger King," Joe Exotic Halloween costumes were king that year. However, the look that "Flipping for Christmas" star Ashley Newbrough put together was next level. There was the painted-on 'stache, two-toned mullet, gold chain, and gun holster with bullets. But what likely made her the envy of all the other Exotics was the amount of shine on that blue tiger-striped shirt.

Newbrough also got an assist from her then-boyfriend, "Paranormal Activity 4" star Matt Shively, who dressed up like Carole Baskin. And did we mention that they had in their possession a DeLorean and a pink hoverboard? Newbrough explained the unlikely crossover event between "Tiger King" and "Back to the Future" on Instagram, writing, "Traveled back to hang with my main b***h Baskin just one more time! Happy Halloween!"

It's not uncommon for celebrities to dress up like other celebrities for Halloween, but fans likely were not expecting to see "Holiday Heritage" star Holly Robinson Peete channeling Lil Wayne at a 2011 Halloween party. She paid close attention to detail to fully transform into the "6 Foot 7 Foot" singer, even rocking a grill and temporary face tattoos. However, instead of writing the words "fear God" on her eyelids to match Wayne's ink, she wrote, "Boo!' She also sported fake dreads, a red baseball cap, saggy pants, thick chains, and a shirt with fake tattoo sleeves on the arms.

Peete has dressed up like several other stars over the years, including Prince and Nicki Minaj. When she asked her Instagram followers which look was best, a lot of fans chose the Weezy costume. However, one commenter did write, "Lil Wayne wishes he was that cute."

Tamera Mowry and Tia Mowry are two of Hollywood's most fashionable siblings, so it should come as no surprise that one of Tamera's best Halloween costumes was inspired by a major style moment. In 2019, she also dressed like another star, but her Katy Perry costume wasn't one of the singer's looks that we usually see on Halloween — think her candy button dress or cupcake bra from the "California Gurls" music video. Instead, Tamera recreated the dramatic winged look Perry wore to the Met Gala in 2018. Perry nailed the assignment that year, with the theme being "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination."

For her angelic ensemble, Tamera found a similar gold minidress and matching thigh-high boots, and her white wings were almost as large as Perry's. She even replicated the pop star's blond pixie by rocking a wig. The stunning look was a hit on Facebook, where one fan wrote, "Nailed it!!!! Actually even better."

Creating an original character for Halloween is a move that would usually be seen as pretentious by partygoers, and it would also result in an endless stream of questions from people who have no clue who you're supposed to be. But in 2025, "The Way Home" star Andie MacDowell had the perfect excuse to dress like a character from her own imagination: Her daughter Rainey Qualley was getting hitched on Halloween.

MacDowell wrote on Instagram, "I wanted to impress her. I worked hard on my costume. I am queen of the ravens and the crows." She looked every bit the part with black feathers on her shoulders and her hair arranged in a nest with branches poking out. A black bird was even perched on one of them. The look was very Helena Bonham Carter and the perfect argument that MacDowell deserves her own witchy role.

Bats are the denizens of the sky that are known for giving off spooky vibes, but in 1963, Alfred Hitchcock showed us just how frightening our feathered friends could be if they decided to gang up on us. One of the humans who got terrorized by the beaked menaces was Tippi Hedren, Lori Loughlin's costume inspiration for the 2015 Casamigos Tequila Halloween Party.

Loughlin, who made her Hallmark comeback in 2026, wore a mint-colored sheath dress and coat that were similar to the outfit Hedren wears in the film. But what made the "When Calls The Heart" star's look a winner were the small flock of black birds around her head, the fake scratch marks on her face, and her disheveled blond wig. These details made it instantly obvious who she was supposed to be, and the costume was incredibly well done — it really looked like she was being pecked to death.

Tim Burton might be the undisputed king of creating movie characters whom fans love to emulate on Halloween. Edward Scissorhands is a perennial favorite, perhaps because his design is so unusual and detailed. It's also a fun choice for DIYers who want to piece together their own suit covered with straps and buckles, though creating a pair of scissor hands that aren't a pain to wear is a formidable challenge. Ashley Williams' husband Neal Dodson was willing to sacrifice his appendages for a couple's costume, but it was his wife's look that took it from stale to freshly cut topiary.

Dodson's Scissorhands look was nothing special, but Williams got creative by dressing like some of the plants the character works his magic on. All the "Love on a Limb" star had to do was wear a green bodysuit and wrap vines around her body to make what she was supposed to be crystal clear, but she also tucked some grass in her cleavage for good measure. "Edward Scissorhands and his shrubbery is the type of picture you save in your phone for a decade," read one Instagram fan's response to the costumes.

Kylie Jenner famously dressed up like Christina Aguilera from her "Dirrty" music video for Halloween, but "Murder, She Baked" star Alison Sweeney took her Xtina look up a notch. When Sweeney appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2013, her inspiration was Aguilera's stint as a coach on "The Voice." Sweeney's elaborate look included a fake body with arms that she could move. The costume body featured a figure wearing a glamorous black dress while sitting in a red chair, complete with a shiny red button and a drink holder with a soda in it.

Sweeney also wore a curly blond wig and far more makeup than fans are used to seeing on her, making her unrecognizable. She even held a folding fan like those Aguilera often accessorized with on "The Voice." Ellen DeGeneres used to go all-out with her Halloween costumes, so she had to be a bit peeved that she got outdressed by her guest — her Nicki Minaj look was fine, but it couldn't compete with Sweeney's imaginative costume.

The cat has become one of the biggest Halloween costume clichés. When prolific Hallmark star Lacey Chabert played Gretchen Wieners in "Mean Girls," the character's lack of creativity was demonstrated by her choice of a sexy cat costume. But in 2021, "A Suite Holiday Romance" star Jessy Schram gave the feline costume a much-needed refresh.

Schram owns a Sphynx cat named Pirate, and the hairless kitty became her twin after she dressed up in a beanie with cat ears, a flesh-toned bodysuit, and beige booties. "Saw the suit ... knew what needed to be done," she wrote on Instagram. She made her outfit even more stinkin' adorable by pinning a tail to the back and painting her nose white, just like Pirate's. And when she posed with her cute (very photogenic) cat, there was no way she was going to lose this contest. As one fan wrote, "This wins the Internet."