So, your kid wants to be a zombie.
Maybe you’re a hardcore zombie fan who’s been waiting impatiently for the day when your kid catches “the bug.” Or maybe you dread the idea of turning your little guy or gal into a horrible undead abomination. Either way, if you decide to go through with it, you’re going to need to know how to do zombie makeup for kids.
The truth is, many of the same zombie makeup techniques that work for grownups also work just fine for kids. However, there are a few extra twists and challenges to know about before working on a child. Keep reading for tips on how to turn your kid into the best little walker they can be.
When you’re a zombie, every day is a bad hair day. You just don’t have time to mess with it – what with the overwhelming compulsion to eat flesh and all. If only you’d gotten it cut short before you were infected!
But seriously, there are plenty of tutorials on how to do zombie makeup and clothing out there, but what about hair? It’s often treated as an afterthought, but it shouldn’t be. When done well, it can have a big impact on your zombie’s appearance.
If you’re not into following exacting tutorials, you’ll be glad to know that there are multiple valid approaches to styling your hair for a zombie costume. Read on for some ideas and inspiration.
Being a zombie is about more than donning a creepy costume. Whether you want to be an extra on The Walking Dead, impress everyone at the Halloween party, or just scare the shit out of your best friend, you’re going to need some serious undead acting skills.
What’s that you say? You’ve seen every zombie movie and TV show in existence (even the awful ones)? You eat, sleep, and breathe zombies? You have a poster of Tom Savini on the wall of your bedroom?
Ah yes, but have you actually put any thought into the mannerisms of an effective zombie? If not, you don’t have a prayer at being a great walker, no matter how obsessed you are with all things zombie. Without solid zombie acting technique, even the best costume won’t prevent you from coming across as… lame.
In case you haven’t noticed, a lot of people are dressing up like zombies these days. Between zombie walks, zombie pub crawls, zombie parties, and the biggest event of all, Halloween, the number of walker wannabes has never been higher. To stand out from the hordes of the undead, you need something special.
This is where it helps to raise the gore factor.
Made out of latex to mimic real skin, prosthetics allow you to create authentic-looking bullet holes, knife slashes, and other grisly wounds. Whether you just want a few minor scars for a taste of realism, or a giant gaping wound that will shock your friends, prosthetics add something that basic makeup simply cannot.
If you’re hellbent on doing every aspect of your zombie costume yourself, you can try making your own zombie prosthetics using online tutorials. But first, you might want to find out if there’s an affordable zombie prosthetic kit that meets your needs. Keep reading to learn about five prosthetics that can take your costume to a gruesome new level.
Whether you’re going for scary, weird, realistic, or funny, the key to a great zombie costume is makeup. Sure, other pieces of the costume such as clothing and props are also important. But the makeup does more to determine the quality of your costume than anything else.
It also tells a story about your zombie. Is she recently deceased, or has she been moldering in the grave for ages? Did he get infected by a single bite wound, or get mauled by a horde of walkers? The makeup you use, and how you apply it, provides the clues.
The idea of applying zombie makeup might seem intimidating at first, especially if you peek at some of the elaborate tutorials you can find online. Unless you’re experienced with makeup and/or zombie effects, it’s better to start with the bare minimum and then decide whether you want to try some of the more advanced techniques. If that sounds good to you, then read on.
Zombies are too busy pursuing their next meal to worry much about fashion. They usually just shamble around in whatever clothes they were wearing when they were infected, no matter how tattered, moldy or bloodstained they become. Let’s face it, zombies are slobs.
That doesn’t mean it’s easy to dress like a zombie, though. Making clothes that look authentically nasty takes some thought.
There are lots of video tutorials online showing you how to make zombies clothes. However, many of them are specific to a particular flavor of zombie, so the exact techniques may not apply to you. Also, the amount of effort involved – not to mention the supplies – varies a lot.
This guide will lay out the general steps to create the perfect zombie outfit for your needs and level of expertise and/or interest. Along the way, we’ll provide plenty of specific ideas and pointers to help put your DIY zombie costume over the top.
When you think about it, zombie pranks shouldn’t work, ever. After all, no one thinks zombies actually exist. So why would anyone believe for a second that a prankster shambling toward them in a zombie getup is the real deal?
The answer is that you don’t have to believe that what’s chasing you is a bonafide zombie to become scared shitless. When you see a bloody creature creeping toward you, your first thought isn’t to study the thing to see if it’s genuine. No, this is where instinct takes over, telling you empty your bowels and run like hell.
Still, there’s a reason people are more likely to fall for a zombie prank than one featuring, say, vampires, werewolves, or mummies. It’s the hideous realism of the costumes and makeup. If you think you’re immune to such gory special effects, you obviously haven’t seen what a truly demented zombie prankster is capable of.
To illustrate, here are five of the most awful/awesome zombie pranks of all time. Needless to say, these are elaborate, extreme, borderline asshole-ish stunts that should never be repeated.
Making your own costume? Buying one off the shelf? Either way, you’re gonna need some of the red stuff.
Fake blood is the cherry on top of many scary horror costumes, whether we’re talking zombies, vampires, or more exotic creations. After all, you don’t want to look like just another monster in the crowd. You want to look like you just came from a kill.
There are lots of different options for fake blood, from do-it-yourself recipes made with common household supplies to store-bought products of varying quality and price. There’s fake blood that looks fresh and runny… and stuff that’s thick and coagulated. There’s washable fake blood… and then there’s the type for staining clothes. There’s stuff that you can put in your mouth… and the stuff you really shouldn’t.
Bottom line, if you want an effectively gruesome costume, you need to put some thought into what kind of gore to pour. Keep reading to learn about some fake blood products that are a cut above the rest.