Each year, thousands of Souderton teens make a gamble for whether or not their October 31 attire is up to par. 

Without further ado, here are some simple rules to follow to make sure your costume measures up… 

1. No tropes that have been beaten to death by the media and our peers. 

Let’s face it, every single year we see the same old, reliable stand-bys that get reused every year; cats, nerds, cheerleaders, angel and devil duos… they’ve all been done a million times before.

When you’re given one night a year to be anything you want, do you really want to be the same thing as a ton of other people? This rule, of course, does not apply to the classics, which we will get to in my next point.

2. Classics are okay, as long as they are done right.

There are plenty of costumes that have been done repetitively, such as witches, Scooby-Doo and co.,  and various superheroes. While these ideas aren’t exactly original, they aren’t vague or overplayed enough to be “tropes,” either. They’re classics.

When choosing a classic costume, it’s important to commit to doing it right. This means it can’t be lazy; either make it innovative or as accurate to the original as possible. A basic t-shirt for an extravagant character design simply will not do.

3. Avoid something that is a little too trendy.

Usually, there are a few movies, games or T.V. shows that become so popular that everyone will try to use them for costume inspiration. Try to think of what these popular costumes may be and avoid them.

Some examples from past years include: 2010, when everyone wanted to be a minion and 2016, when everyone wanted to be Harley Quinn from “Suicide Squad.” It’s also important to avoid anything that the internet has remixed and laughed at at nauseum; for example, an Among Us character is probably too “cringe” to choose.

Some costumes that I predict will be popular this year are anyone from “Squid Game,” any of the “Space Jam” characters and any iconic music video look, such as any of Olivia Rodrigo’s looks from her “good 4 u” video. It would probably be smart to avoid these costumes.

4. Be creative with it and go all out.

Anything can be creative and original, as long as you give good effort. Think outside the box. If you can’t find the perfect pieces to replicate a character’s costume, or if you don’t want to drop hundreds of dollars on a Party City dupe, try to find something similar and work off of that.

It can also be fun to play with the style of a character while maintaining their original color scheme. A good example of this is taking characters like “The Power Puff Girls” and composing modern-day, trendy outfits in the color schemes of pink, blue and green.

Additionally, there is no need for your costume to come with a hefty price tag; the costume is only for one night. See what you can do to DIY your costume and look for where you can cut costs. A homemade costume will always show more care and effort than any store-bought costume.

5. Have fun!

Halloween is supposed to be fun, no matter what you’re wearing. If you really want to be a cat or an Among Us character, go for it! The truth is, there are no one-size-fits-all set of rules for Halloween costumes. As long as you’re happy, don’t let anyone ruin your night.