The movie inspirations behind my vampire Halloween costume

Then I got stuck into some oldies like Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Hunger for Catherine Deneuve’s beautiful Mirium and Blade, but I thought sunglasses weren’t quite right. Next I watched the creepy Cronos, admired the new romantic styles in The Lost Boys, From Dusk Till Dawn (no dancing with snakes for me) and The Fearless Vampire Killers for Sharon Tate’s transformation. I also ventured into the world of television for the likes of True Blood, Being Human and The Vampire Diaries until I’d done quite enough research.

First I had to decide on fangs, since modern vampires in Twilight and True Blood are quite gentle they tend to keep their fangs retracted, but I decided it wouldn’t be a vampire costume without a good set of gnashers. I got some awesome fangs from a company called Scarecrow, they’re small enough to look as natural as fangs can look and come with a customising kit so they always fit perfectly.

As for clothes I’ve gone for a Tim Burton-inspired goth look, with a black corset (recycled from a pirate outfit, but that’s another story altogether), black velvet skirt and lace-style crochet cardigan. I wanted it to look glamorous but gothic, kind of the theatrical-style from Interview with the Vampire mixed with the sultry women from Hammer Horror films, with a dash of The Lost Boys and Twilight thrown in.

For my face I’m going pale like most vampires, as they’re technically dead, so I’ve got loads of white face paint at the ready. Blood red lips and dark eyes should give me the glamour I want, think the vampiress in Paris, Je T’aime, with some dark shadowing below my cheekbones to emphasis them. I would love to have gotten some red contacts, just like the Volturi in New Moon, but my budget didn’t really stretch that far. I might even add a trickle of fake blood at the side of my mouth for that just fed look.

Read our guide to the top ten best dressed vampires here. I’d love to hear your ideas for Halloween and which movies, if any, you got your ideas from, post a comment below.