The 10 Best Celebrity Costumes of Halloween 2021

The horror genre is renowned for its spine-chilling narratives and tense atmospheres, but it's also a showcase for the talents and physiques of its stars. From mastering demanding roles, to sharing skincare routines, diet secrets, and workout regimens, these actors remain icons both on and off screen. Dive deep into the lives of these horror mavens like Amandla Stenberg, who's breaking boundaries with authentic LGBTQ+ representations, to Bella Thorne, who advocates for body positivity and personal confidence. Whether it’s challenging conventional beauty norms or embracing an all-natural skincare routine, these stars prove they are just as intriguing off screen. Dive in and get inspired by their stories and lifestyles.

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1. Amandla Stenberg

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Amandla Stenberg talked about playing a queer character in Bodies, Bodies, Bodies to them. “It’s such a relief to be able to express that part of my identity authentically through a character and not have to conform to a different expression that is not authentic to me. What was so fun as an actor, and also as a producer, was being able to explore all the nuances of queer relationships through these characters — and being able to use my own experience and my understanding. The minutiae that I feel like we have experienced as queer people could be hilarious or meaningful. It was such a joy.”

2. Maika Monroe

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Maika Monroe has starred in several horror movies, notably, It Follows and The Guest. She talked about how she handles those roles in an interview with IndieWire. “I’ve learned that for me, for my mental health, I have to be able to let go of it at the end of the day. A lot of the movies that I do are very dark and very intense, and it doesn’t do me any good to live in that space for longer than I needed to. For these movies, I want the characters to be grounded as possible, so to do that, [I have] to pull from my own traumas and my own experiences and that obviously is very overwhelming. But, for me, it is very important to be able to let go.”

3. Elizabeth Lail

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Elizabeth Lail has starred in Countdown and You. She shared some of her skincare secrets with Byrdie. “I’m trying to introduce more clean beauty into my routine. But more than anything I want something that works. So I also really love Murad. Their eye cream is amazing. As far as makeup, I feel like a clown when I have too much on so I like to keep it simple. I just spot correct with Clé de Peau concealer. And then I use a lot of Beautycounter because it’s a clean beauty brand. I have their mascara, brow gel, and sunscreen stick, which is great on the go. I’m just constantly on Instagram buying the next thing I see… for better or for worse.”

4. Florence Pugh

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Florence Pugh is known for roles in horror films like Midsommar and Don’t Worry Darling. She tells ELLE that she doesn’t believe in losing weight for roles. "I'm never losing weight to look fantastic for a role," she said. "It's more like: How would this character have lived? What would she be eating?"

5. Jessica Rothe

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Jessica Rothe is known for her role in the Happy Death Day series. She tells The Hollywood Reporter that she loves to cook. “One of my favorite recipes that I made a million times during quarantine is Instant Pot zucchini bolognese. It’s a spin on the one that Meghan Markle made famous, but it has Italian sausage in it. I think it’s Italian sausage, zucchini, onion and garlic. It’s so easy and it’s so delicious. But I get it. It’s a weird, very moist, squishy vegetable. I think you just have to make sure you prepare it right.”

6. Tessa Thompson

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Tessa Thompson has starred in films like Annihilation. She also starred in the Thor film series, and did her own stunts for them. She talked about this in an interview with Comic Book Resources. "It felt great! Yeah, it felt great. Particularly for the five months that I was there, and I was working on the stage where did all the stunt choreography and the likes of folks like Chris Hemsworth. It felt good to be able to be on par with everyone around me."

7. Bailee Madison

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Don’t Be Afraid of The Dark star Bailee Madison opened up about her skincare to Byrdie. “I am a big believer in no makeup as much as I can. Set makeup is the worst because you're caked in as much powder as possible. My hair is the longest it's ever been because it's usually so damaged, but it hasn't had that much heat on it these days, and I do hair masks. And for my skin, I try to give it skin breathers. I'm old school like that from my mom. It's not that fancy, y'all! But I do love a good jade roller, though."

8. Emma Roberts

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Emma Roberts is one of the stars of the horror series, American Horror Story. She talked about her workout routine to InStyle. “I started working out regularly when I was living in New Orleans shooting American Horror Story: Coven several years ago,” she said. “I really fell in love with the food there. To counter all I was eating, I worked out more. It was a great balance: I'd have fried-chicken sliders at night and then go to my yoga class the next morning."

9. Jane Levy

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Jane Levy’s horror credits include Evil Dead and Don’t Breathe. She shared her skincare secrets in an interview with Glamour. “At night I wash my face with oil first to get rid of the makeup. There is an oil I use as face wash from Living Libations, the frankincense smell. And then after, I use the Weleda cleansing milk, which you can get at a natural food store. If I’m not wearing makeup, I usually only wash it with one or the other, but if I’m wearing makeup, I use the oil first to break down the makeup, and then the Weleda.”

10. Samara Weaving

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Samara Weaving is best known for her roles in Ready or Not and The Babysitter. She shared her diet secrets with Marie Claire. “As cliché as it sounds, you’ve got to listen to your body. If I go for three days of just having fruit and vegetables, I’ll make a salad and a rice bowl for dinner and have lighter meals. The next three days I’ll have pasta and more carbs and eggs benedict for breakfast. I listen to my body and what am I really craving? As soon as you go, ‘I’m going to diet for two weeks,’ what you’re craving is what you set out not to have.”

11. Olivia Cooke

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Ouija and The Quiet Ones star Olivia Cooke talked about her fitness routine to Byrdie. “I wish it wasn’t the case, but exercise feels like I’m shoveling serotonin and dopamine directly into my brain. It’s just a pain in the arse to force myself to do it. I can be slobbish and put it off for a few days or a week if I’m working, but then I really start to feel the effects of that mentally. Sometimes I'll do a half-hour to 45-minute blast, either following a video from Madfit on YouTube or a guided yoga class on Glo. Or, if I’m not in the mood to be told what to do, I’ll make it up as I go along listening to the radio.”

12. Joey King

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The Conjuring star, Joey King, talked about her morning routine to Byrdie. “I wake up, I pack my Gatorade and many liters of water. I eat a big breakfast: a bowl of oats with lots of fruit and some toast. I head to training, where I fuckin' go for it for a few hours. Then I have meetings to prepare for the rest of the film. Then I take a shower, shove myself in an ice bath, and then I am miserable while I'm doing that. But then I get out and sleep like a goddamn baby."

13. Haley Lu Richardson

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Haley Lu Richardson is known for her role in the film Split. She talked about her skincare routine to Byrdie. “I'm very into my skincare routine and use products that are as natural as possible. I love Eminence Organics and use a face wash and exfoliator from the brand. I also use Derma-E's hyaluronic acid serum ($30). I love Starface pimple patches ($15), and then there's this brand called Squish that makes these gorgeous little floral patches with rhinestones at the center ($14). Fun pimple stickers are the best invention since sliced bread. I wish they existed when I was a teen because they make having acne fun.”

14. Sofia Boutella

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One of Sofia Boutella’s best known roles is for the horror film Climax. She shared her leg exercises in an interview with Coach Web. “The leg work I do is about performing one movement over and over again for long enough until the muscle goes numb – that’s when I know it’s working. It takes me around half an hour so I put on some music and repeat the exercise until I can’t feel myself doing it any more. It’s hardcore, but it’s worth it. The feeling of being able to kick with greater strength each day is empowering.”

15. Bella Thorne

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Bella Thorne has starred in Keep Watching and Amityville: The Awakening. On Twitter, she encouraged her followers to not weigh themselves. “Almost every day I have been to the gym in the last 6 weeks,” Thorne wrote. “Turns out I only lost one pound of fat and gained one pound of muscle.. throw away your scales ladies because they don’t mean s**t. As long as YOU feel better and u like the way u look that’s all that matters.”