Home / Last-minute horror costumes / Headless Horseman
Headless Horseman Costume: How to Make It in 20 min
- Time 20 min
- Cost mostly free
- Best for Easiest to pull off
The Headless Horseman comes from Washington Irving's 1820 story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," and the costume works because the whole trick is one visual: a coat with nothing above the collar and a glowing pumpkin where the head should be. The effect comes from posture and the coat, so it costs almost nothing.
What you probably already own
- An oversized dark coat, trench or long jacket, in black, navy or brown
- Dark pants and dark shoes
- A dark scarf, hood or sheer black fabric
- A folded towel or a small cushion for the shoulders
- A pumpkin: a carved one, a foam one, or a round lightweight prop
Buy only if you want it
- A foam or plastic pumpkin (lighter than a real one, and safe on your lap)
- A battery tea light or LED puck to light it from inside
- Black tulle or chiffon from a fabric store, if you have none
Step by step
- Put on the coat a size or two too big and button it fully. A big coat sits higher on the shoulders and looks more like a body without a head.
- Fold a towel and slide it under the coat across your shoulders. This raises the collar line so there is a gap between your face and the top of the collar.
- Cover your face. Pull a dark hood forward, or drape sheer black fabric (tulle or chiffon) from the collar up over your face. You can see through sheer fabric, but anyone looking at you sees only shadow. Never use a solid cover you cannot see through.
- Keep your chin low and your head tucked behind the collar. Pull your shoulders slightly up. From the front, the space above the collar should look empty.
- Rest the pumpkin on your lap, or tuck it in the crook of one arm. Drop an LED tea light inside if you want a glow.
- Finish with dark gloves and a long dark scarf draped over the pumpkin side so the lines run together.
Wearing it seated
Mistakes to avoid
- A solid cover over the face. You need to see where you are going; use sheer fabric, not a blanket.
- A real pumpkin that is heavy and wet inside. A foam one is lighter, cleaner and cheaper to replace.
- A coat that fits. Too tight, and the shoulder trick will not work.
Make it better
Add fog from a small fog machine if you have a porch, or tuck a pair of tall black boots under the hem so the body looks like it belongs to a rider. A cardboard horse head on a stick, held at your side, turns it into a full horseman.
Good to know
The Horseman in Irving's story is a Hessian soldier whose head was lost to a cannonball, and he rides to find it each night. That backstory is worth mentioning when someone asks who you are.
Where to buy
Amazon links; check the product page against the notes before you order.
- Foam pumpkin (lightweight; check the size on the listing)
- Black tulle (sheer enough to see through)
Safety
- Test face paint and blood on a small patch of skin first.
- Make sure you can see and breathe freely.
- Keep fabric and props clear of wheels, casters and brakes, and away from real flames.