Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters was one of the most terrifying movies of the summer, both for people who are afraid of ghosts and for people who are afraid of women, so it makes sense that the studio behind the film is going to make a big push to sell Ghostbusters Halloween costumes later this year. So, given that Ghostbusters’ success is being recognized as a victory for gender equality, Fusion decided to take a look at some of the Ghostbusters offerings on HalloweenCostumes.com and see if they hold up to the movie’s themes.
As it turns out, the costumes are pretty standard Halloween fare for the most part, provided you ignore the weird choice of footwear. Fusion notes that official ghost boots are available separately, but if you’re already showing up to a party in a jumpsuit with an inflatable proton pack, your shoe choice isn’t really a big deal.
There’s even an option for male Ghostbusters fans who want to look like Chris Hemsworth’s character, and the guy modeling the costume looks like he could be the world’s most generic human. Seriously, this is the guy Taran Killam would play in a Saturday Night Live sketch about a life-sized Ken Doll:
Really, the only issue with the line based on the new Ghostbusters movie is the selection of wigs, which—to put it mildly—should be launched into the sun:
Neither of those look very much like the hair Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones actually have in the movie, which makes us wonder why you’d need a wig in the first place. When people would dress up like the guys from the old Ghostbusters, they’d just put on a jumpsuit and say “I’m a Ghostbuster.”
Speaking of the old Ghostbusters, that movie handles costumes for women a little bit differently:
Look at that stylish proton pack. This isn’t one of those bulky, unwieldy proton packs. That’s the proton pack you wear when you go to the club or on a particularly hot date. Is it going to catch very many ghosts? No it will not, but sometimes you have to suffer for fashion.
Thankfully, as questionable as some of that stuff is, there is one item in the Ghostbusters collection that will look damn good on whoever wears it:
Yes, that’s a Slimer hat, and it’s fantastic. Don’t be fooled by how frightened this man looks, the Slimer hat is so stylish that you could wear it on days that aren’t Halloween and people would still think you’re cool. In fact, even the Generic Man up there would look good with this Slimer hat.
Most of these Ghostbusters Halloween costumes aren’t available yet, but that’s because it’s July. Give it a few months.
[Note: Fusion, like The A.V. Club, is owned by Univision Communications.]