Fall is in full swing and we know what that means: Candy is on the shelves; talk of costumes and plans are dominating the group chat. If you’re following the right people, the tattoo artists on your feed have started posting sketches of cool, creepy Halloween tattoos they’re eager to do. Sure, the occasion may only happen once a year, but for those of us who may as well live in Halloween Town (The Nightmare Before Christmas, anyone?), it’s only appropriate to cement that love for spooky season in the form of a tattoo.
Valentine often inks the main characters from the movies we want to watch and rewatch once spooky season comes around, like Jennifer’s Body and The Craft, on her clients. She typically gives the portraits her own technicolor style, complete with frames of flames, florals, and moon phases.
Lee drew the first mummy-like tattoo in this trio of Halloween tattoos from a recurring childhood nightmare one of her clients had. Might as well turn your sleepless nights into something beautiful, right? That little guy in the middle is from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and a spell-binding siren straight from Lee’s mind is beside him.
Frankenstein
Adorned with ’30s-inspired makeup true to the film’s original era, this side profile of the Bride of Frankenstein from Valentine has brilliant green and purple draped blush and accurate stitch placement. The heart next to it is a tribute to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Valentine borrowed the green, purple, and blue color scheme typically associated with Frankenstein’s monster into the piece, which is accented by bolts, stitches, well-placed florals, and a quote from the book.
Always a popular image come Halloween, Valentine gave her bats the cutest tattoo treatments. Lee, on the other hand, sourced her bat lady tattoo from vintage imagery.
Ghosts are welcome visitors with the artful designs from Brooklyn tattoo artists Sophie Bee and Vannessa J. In fact, the above ghost kitty, which looks like it was drawn on with crayon, was a popular option during the latter’s flash day for Halloween 2022. Want a more spine-chilling option that keeps your ink fun? Opt for one of Bee’s looks, both of which capture the holiday’s spirit. (Pun intended.)
Upgrade your pumpkin tattoo with tricks inspired by these ones from Valentine and Eva Crawford, a tattoo artist based in New York City: glitter-like accents, a reference to The Office, and — of course — candy.
It’s showtime. Valentine gave the Sandworm from Beetlejuice a traditional tattoo treatment. But for her Nightmare on Elm Street tattoo, she gave Freddie’s iconic glove a modern pink color scheme and unexpected heart-shaped details. Valentine also topped off the gory image with a single strawberry for an oh-so-cute spin.
Tattoos based on this film series deserve its own shout-out. (After all, there are six movies to pull inspiration from.) Frame your favorite moments from Scream in Y2K-style barbed wire hearts or go the glittery emoji route. “One of my favorite horror movie tattoos to do is Ghostface from Scream,” Valentine says. “I’ll never get tired of tattooing him.”
Skeletons
Perhaps some dancing skeletons will suit your skin. Allow Valentine and Brooklyn tattoo artist Olivia (a.k.a. cowgurl_bebop on Instagram) to provide just the anatomically correct art this season deserves.
Tarot
Tarot cards can be shuffled and read all year long, but Halloween makes them particularly poignant. Add your favorite major arcana to your tattoo collection or create your own with characters from your go-to Halloween movie, like this shout-out to the best lovers to ever do it — Morticia and Gomez Addams — from California tattoo artist Ellen Mellon or the Hocus Pocus-inspired card by Anaheim-based tattoo artist Brooke Borden.
Double-headed stuffed animals, anyone? They’re a specialty for not only Valentine but also Brooklyn tattoo artist Jessica (@fantasmagorical_ on Instagram). Or consider giving your cat a costume for the occasion.