Halloween Costume Guide
The Camp Redwood final girl’s look is built on one jacket. Get that right and the rest falls into place.
Brooke Thompson spends a summer at Camp Redwood being hunted by two different killers while most of her friends make increasingly terrible decisions on her behalf. The wine red motorcycle jacket is the costume’s anchor โ without it, you’re just someone in a floral top. Recognition will vary: AHS fans will place her immediately, but the character is specific to Season 9, so expect a few blank looks from people who stopped watching after Asylum.
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The jacket is what people see first, and the color has to be right. A standard red jacket makes this look like a generic ’80s costume. Wine red is specific enough that AHS fans will place it immediately. If the jacket is wrong, the bustier just looks like party wear, and nobody puts that together. The choker and hoops need to both be on โ either one alone reads unfinished, and Brooke’s thing is layered jewelry.
In the show, when Brooke hears something that sounds wrong, she goes quiet for just a second before reacting. Not panicked, just calculating. There’s a good scene where a phone rings in a cabin that’s supposed to have dead lines, and she answers it anyway. That hesitation before she does something she knows is probably a mistake is very her.
Order the Jacket Early
Faux leather jackets in specific colors sell out fast in October. Order at least two weeks out. If it arrives and the color looks more brown-red than wine under party lighting, it won’t read correctly in photos. Check it under indoor light before the event.
Wear the Jacket, Don’t Carry It
At a crowded party, the jacket will come off. If it does, the costume loses its identifier and you’re just someone in a floral top and black jeans. Either keep it on all night or leave it at home and own the bustier look without it โ half-committed is worse than either choice.
Couples Costume
Strong dynamic here โ the whole season is essentially a prolonged chase between these two, so the visual pairing makes instant sense to anyone who watched the show. The contrast between Brooke’s styled ’80s look and Mr. Jingles’ slasher gear is good. You won’t need to explain what you are to each other, at least.
Duo Costume
Strong if both people have watched the show, because the frenemy dynamic is the entire point and it plays well in person. If one person doesn’t know the characters, the group reads as two women in ’80s outfits, which is fine but loses the tension that makes this pairing interesting.
AHS: 1984 Camp Redwood Survivors
Might work, but only at an event where AHS fans are in the majority โ because this group has zero crossover recognition outside the show. Nobody is going to see five people in ’80s camp counselor outfits and think “Camp Redwood.” You need everyone committed to the bit and ideally someone making name tags.
Iconic Final Girls & Horror Survivors
Strong concept with real visual variety. Each character has a distinct enough look that the group reads clearly without explanation. The range of franchises means most people in the room will recognize at least two of them, which is all you need.
Every American Horror Story character costume guide on CostumeRealm โ click any card to view the full guide.
Tate Langdon
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Michael Langdon
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Zoe Benson
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Madison Montgomery
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Fiona Goode
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Myrtle Snow
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Misty Day
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Moira O’Hara
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Sally McKenna
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Montana Duke
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Mr. Jingles
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Brooke Thompson
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The Butcher
View GuideThe jacket is the only item most people won’t already own in the right color. Everything else is either in your closet or easy to substitute.
Brooke’s thing is that she is always the most reasonable person in a room full of people making catastrophically bad decisions. Lean into that.
You need the wine red motorcycle jacket and floral bustier top โ those two are the essential pieces that make the costume recognizable. Add black jeans, a silver buckle belt, black ankle boots, silver hoop earrings, and a chain choker. Without the jacket and bustier together, this reads as a generic ’80s outfit rather than Brooke specifically.
The first one is the most useful at a party โ say it flatly, right after someone mishears you. Timing is everything.
It’s a niche pick. AHS: 1984 aired in 2019, so casual viewers may not place the character by name. That said, the outfit reads clearly as a stylish ’80s look even without recognition, so you won’t be stuck explaining yourself all night.
No prop is required. If you want one, a set of jangling keys works as a nod to Mr. Jingles, the camp’s killer, and gives you something to do with your hands at a loud party.
AHS: 1984 is Season 9 of American Horror Story. A group of counselors arrives at Camp Redwood, a summer camp with a bloody history, and find themselves hunted by multiple killers. The season is a direct homage to slasher films of the 1980s, according to Wikipedia’s breakdown of the season.
Emma Roberts plays Brooke Thompson. She has appeared in the American Horror Story anthology since Season 3, playing a different character each time.
You can, but the costume loses its main identifier. The floral bustier alone reads as a generic ’80s outfit. The jacket is what ties it to Brooke’s specific look from the show.