The Dark Knight Joker Halloween Costume Dress Up Guide

With the massive commercial success and popularity of the Dark Knight movie this summer , The Joker has become one of the hottest Halloween Costume ideas. Many people are thinking of dressing up as The Joker on Halloween. In the latest installment of the Batman movie, Heath Ledger portrayal of the Joker is downright creepy, scary and weird, which makes it perfect for Halloween!

So sit back and find out how you can be the Joker for one night on Halloween and scare people for a little fun. After all, Why So Serious?

There are five elements that is important in getting The Joker character and look nailed down.

Makeup

The first important piece of the puzzle is the makeup. Heath Ledger’s Joker has scars and you must get these on first.

I recommend using face putty or rigid collodion to get the scars effect. These two are cheap makeup that you can apply on the side of your lips. You may need to apply them multiple times to get the scars effect to look deep and realistic.

Now it’s time to put a smile on that face. The lipstick comes into play next. Apply the lipstick unevenly on your lips and over the scars area. Then apply the lipstick just a little longer than the scars area to get a more wider smiley effect. Apply unevenly as if your lips are twice as big to get the best effect.

Now the eyes. Use black eye makeup and apply them deep around your eyes and make it rough around the edges (no straight lines). Simple as that. If you like, have somebody else to do this step for you as it would be easier, preferably somebody used to applying makeup.

Finally add the white face paint to the rest of your face, neck and ears. You must avoid smearing the other makeup around your eyes and lips when doing this and blend them in smoothly instead. Other than that, it’s a straightforward step.

If you don’t like makeup or can’t be bothered, you can check online for various Joker masks that are being sold.

You have finished the facial aspect of the Joker dress up.

Hair

If you have long moppy hair like the Joker, then all you need to do is find a non toxic hair spray dye from costume shop and get your hair changed to green color. Try to get a green dye that is not too deep and more toward the light green as seen in the movie.

If you have short hair, then your best option is to wear a wig.

Costumes

First, wear a light blue color office working attire with octagonal patterns over it and a green tie to complement it. Secondly add on a black or dark blue vest, think of the ones you see casino dealers or restaurant waiters wear. You can also replace this with a purple trench coat if you like.

Now the third and final step is the three piece purple suit that is the trademark of the Joker. The darker toned purple suit are the ones to look out for. They are much closer to the movie version than the bright color ones so do take note.

On your hands, you may also wear purple or black leather gloves to pull off the criminal mastermind look. The purple version are used in the movie in case you are wondering.

You can also purchase pre made Joker costumes online but these can be expensive and not as fun as creating your own version.

Props

Now you need some accessories to get yourself feeling like The Joker. First, get some knives, real or fake ones is your choice, just don’t hurt anyone and get into trouble.

Then get fake nail extenders to make your fingernails sharper. I’ll explain later why you need to do this.

Lastly, get a bunch of Joker cards from your normal poker card decks.

Character

Now you have to practice the mannerism of The Joker. You may practice with your family first and eventually do it for real on Halloween. Have a few laugh while doing it and stay safe.

Practice throwing and flipping those knives you got around with your hands. Then do your best "Why So Serious?" impression.

Use those fake extended nails and poke people from behind. People are generally anxious when poked by something sharp and this get them into a good state of mind for your next step. When they turn around, get real up close and do your best "Hit Me!" impression to get a scare out of them.

Give the Joker card to chicks, with your real number on it if you like. Practice saying " When you want to get serious, give me a call!"

Now a final few extra tips to give you the extra edge over other Jokers.

Tilt your head slightly and smack your lips occasionally during speaking.

When somebody says something that is even slightly funny, start giving them that sadistic Joker laugh. You have to practice this too, practice makes perfect.

Get your friends to dress up as clowns and act as your possee and henchmen. They can get the clown masks easily from costumes shops. Or even better, get your friends to dress up as other villains from the Batman series, such as The Scarecrow and Two Face.

There you have it, the guide to the Joker Costume for Halloween. Hopefully you will be the best dressed Joker on Halloween night.

Most importantly, have fun and stay out of jail.

By: Chris Irvine
Published: 09/29/08

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12 Posted Comments:

@ 5:33 am 09/29/08 by Mr. U

Wow. You clearly put a lot of thought into this. I may have to try it out this Halloween -- hopefully I'll scare the whole neighborhood. :D

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@ 7:37 am 09/29/08 by Ette_Rual

very detailed. as much as i would love to dress up for halloween, said event is not really that big of a deal in the philippines. to be honest, i have yet to do T-o-T-ing my entire life.

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@ 12:29 am 09/30/08 by Chris Irvine

Thanks for the positive feedback, glad you guys enjoyed the guide. I had fun writing it and here are a couple more tips for the Joker costume. I'll post some more later.

For the gals, a nurse costume version of The Joker as seen in the hospital scene with Harvey Dent is a good alternative choice to consider. You can get a nurse uniform easily at costume shops.

For those guys , you can exclude the trademark long purple suite and go with just the office attire, tie and vest combination. This version is seen in the scene at the police station where the Joker is interrogated . You have to exclude the gloves too to complement the look.

Additionally, places where you can get the makeups, costumes and props include your local or online costume retailers, thrift shops and even Ebay. Some costumes shops even allow you to rent the costumes for one day.

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@ 12:40 am 09/30/08 by Chris Irvine

As mentioned in the last part of the article, you can get your friends to dress up as other villains from the Batman series, such as The Scarecrow and Two Face.

I am considering to write a Halloween costume dress up guide for another villain from the Batman series and would love to hear which one (Two Face, The Riddler etc etc) you prefer to see.

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two face costume

@ 6:16 pm 10/01/08 by bob

You wrote that you were interested in posting ideas for a two-face costume. My son wants very badly to dress up as Harvey Dent (A.K.A. Two Face). I can't find any sources online regarding how to do it. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

@ 4:58 am 10/02/08 by Chris Irvine

Here are some more tips, i'll post more again if i come up with new ones. Feel free to share yours as well :)

When speaking, speak with a little slur, in a slightly nerdy tone and lick your lips like a lizard once in a while. Imagine that you are sucking in the scars from your cheeks area.

The walk of the Joker is one that is mostly unstable, goofy and tipsy. Of course he is very fast and agile when he needs to be. Practice it.

This might be difficult but if you can, travel around in style on Halloween Night. How? Drive around on your club hopping and trick and treating trips with one of these....
- Monstrous 18 wheeler truck or any big black truck
- A yellow school bus
- A police car

These might not be easy to get, borrow or rent but if you are lucky to know somebody who own or have access to these, then you are in luck.

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@ 9:06 pm 10/02/08 by Paul Wright

Great article and kudos for the extra tips, my vote would be to see a Two face halloween guide too.

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@ 6:26 am 10/09/08 by Chris Irvine

Yes, am working on a Two Face Guide now. It's almost done.

Cheers

@ 11:58 am 10/25/08 by Chris Irvine

The two face article has now been published, i actually submitted it a week or so ago but it's only been reviewed now. Hope you guys check it out and give your views too, it's under the lifestyle section.

halloween

@ 10:40 am 10/13/08 by Lindsey

Ok so my fiance is wanting to be the joker, and i saw the nurse idea, but can someone help me out as far as a something that would kinda match the joker?
the nurse is cute for two face but not so much the joker. I need help on this so bad, and i have looked every where on line for soem ideas and yall seen great at this stuff.
thanks

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@ 1:16 pm 10/20/08 by Chris Irvine

The best option for female accompanying the Joker is in my view
1) a nurse version of the Joker.
2) Harley Quinn, ex girlfriend and love interest of The Joker

@ 2:00 pm 10/29/08 by Dustin

This is good stuff. I do believe he wore a green vest in the movie though instead of a blue one.

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