Welcome to October! Less than 30 days to get all your Halloween plans together, including choosing a killer costume. If you’re still unsure what to dress up as, I’ve got a roundup of links that are sure to get your creative juices flowing.

Not sure where to start? The best tip I know of is to choose a Halloween costume that you’re genuinely interested in becoming. If you spend your days dreaming about how badass ninjas are, then be a ninja! If you really like a character from a movie or comic, become him or her for Halloween. For all you mavericks out there who want to do something truly original, dream up your own character. Feel free to borrow from any themes that appeal to you, whether they will “make sense” to other people or not. Grab a wig, a loud jacket, some face …

Has anyone ever told you that you look like someone famous? Using the free online service “MyHeritage Face Recognition” see if you resemble any actors, then head to IMDb and choose your costume based on the results. You might be surprised how many people you look like, and how fun it is to try different photos!

As a die-hard Halloweenie, you know “it’s never too early” to start planning for the Big Day; but when should you actually start? Dependent upon he complexity of your Halloween plans, the answer could range from a mere month to developing a year-round hobby of it. Most of us fall somewhere in-between even though Halloween tends to sneak up on even the best prepared. One day you look at the calendar and have 9.5 months left, then suddenly you’re rushing around the night before to put together a costume. With so many variables to think about- costumes, decorations, food, treats, haunts, new horror movies, etc.- it can be easy to forget some crucial elements until the last minute. We’ve put together a guide that will help you easily begin planning a killer costume now so you can spend October having fun.

Decide …

This Navin Johnson (“The Jerk”) costume is really quite simple. All you need is an ashtray, a paddle game and a remote control, and that’s all you need. And some matches. The ashtray, and those matches, and the remote control and the paddle ball. And a lamp. The ashtray, a paddle game and the remote control and the lamp and that’s all you need. You don’t need one other thing, not one- except for a chair.

Accessories are what make The Jerk costume really recognizable so don’t forget to get as much as you can. The costume itself is simply made up of a robe with white shirt underneath and white boxers/shorts. You can leave it at that, or you can go all out and add the black shoes …

Recreate some of your favorite 80’s movie costumes like Bill & Ted, Teen Wolf, Ghostbusters, Ferris Bueller, Ninja Turtles and more.
Many of them are super easy costume ideas that you can make with a simple trip to the thrift store. Too busy for homemade? There’s also a selection of readymade costumes and some really awesome costume shirts!

Jerri Blank Costume Tutorial: Learn to look like a boozer, user, and loser from Strangers with Candy.