The evolution of Heidi Klum’s iconic Halloween costumes after gruesome 2026 reveal

Heidi Klum wins Halloween every time (Picture: Getty) Heidi Klum’s Halloween costumes are, officially, iconic. Each year, the supermodel reclaims her well-deserved title as the Queen of Halloween – or Heidiween, if you will – at her annual costume party on October 31. Heidi, 53, has been marking spooky season with huge celebrations for over two decades, blessing us with some of the most intricate outfits we’ve ever seen. The America’s Got Talent judge began hosting her own Halloween party in 2000, and the looks have only grown more detailed, more niche, and, in recent years, more grim – who could forget when she turned into a worm in 2022? And that’s certainly true for 2026, as the star rocked up as a gory severed body part… who said Halloween has to be sexy? Let’s take a trip down Heidiween Severed Hand (2026) Hands down her most unhinged costume yet (Picture: John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images) We truly can’t predict what Heidi is going to do next, and we certainly never expected a severed hand to be her way of marking 25 years of Halloween parties. Completely unrecognisable with just her eyes and mouth visible, she was dripping with fake blood and an assortment of dangling ligaments and tendons. Never one to forgo an accessory, Heidi also accessorised the hand (inspired by her own) with long red nails and various rings, including her wedding and engagement bands. Heidi, understandably, required an ensemble of helpers to navigate her entrance to the bash, where she stunned photographers. She revealed that the idea came to her last year: ‘I looked at my hand, and I thought, “Hey, I think I could fit my body in this somehow”.’ To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video It took her five to six hours to get into the full attire, which was completed with a tattoo of her husband Tom Kaulitz’s name on the ring finger, since he couldn’t be there due to touring. ‘A little bit of Tom is with me,’ she said. ‘Hands down, the hardest thing is carrying it,’ Heidi admitted. ‘It’s quite heavy.’ Honestly, we’ve gotta hand it to her… she smashed it. Medusa (2025) Last year, Heidi was Medusa while husband Tom Kaulitz was a soldier turned to stone (Picture: CJ Rivera/Invision/AP) Last year, Heidi slithered onto the carpet as Medusa, adorned with scales, while her husband portrayed a Greek soldier who had been turned to stone. ‘Don’t stare too long or you’ll turn to stone,’ she wrote on Instagram at the time. E.T. (2024) Couple goals (Picture: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) In 2024, Heidi and Tom were all kinds of couple goals in adorable, hyper-realistic E.T. costumes. The spouses dressed as different versions of the character from 80s flick E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, with Heidi adding a blonde wig, red shawl, and black hat from when the children tried to disguise him, while Tom went more traditional. Peacock (2023) (Picture: John Nacion/WWD via Getty Images) We never thought a peacock could be sinister… but there’s something about Heidi’s 2023 look that gave us major creeps. She arrived flocked with backup artists who helped her bring the bird to life, as they acted as feathers while she donned a velvet blue jumpsuit mask. Worm (2022) Yes, yes, that is Heidi dressed as a giant worm while Tom poses as a fisherman (Picture: Getty) Heidi’s 2022 worm remains one of her most iconic costumes and marked a mega comeback after two years of no parties due to Covid. She underwent hours of prosthetics and arrived totally unrecognisable as the very realistic bug. She also got Tom in on the action – because why wouldn’t you? – as he proudly posed next to her as a fisherman, trying to use his wife as bait. Alien (2019) It was pretty gruesome (Picture: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) One of Heidi’s most gruesome looks was her 2019 mid-autopsy alien, which took 13 hours to get into. Heidi partnered with Amazon that year and sat in the windows of the company’s New York offices so fans could watch the lengthy transformation in progress. While it’s quite sickening to look at, it truly is a work of gory art, with the exposed intestines a particularly grim treat. Fiona from Shrek (2018) They left the swamp for one night only (Picture: TheStewartofNY/WireImage) In 2018, Heidi went for something more wholesome, arriving at the party in an onion carriage as Princess Fiona, complete with a prosthetic head, prosthetic hands, and prosthetic boobs, all painted bright green. Tom also proved his commitment by undergoing the same process to become Shrek, resulting in an unbeatable couple’s costume. Michael Jackson’s Thriller (2017) ‘Cause this is Thriller (Picture: Andrew Toth/FilmMagic) Michael Jackson’s video for Thriller was iconic, and Heidi pulled out all the stops to pay tribute. It took a team of experts seven hours to turn Heidi into Jacko’s werewolf, complete with fangs and contact lenses, and she was accompanied by a group of zombie friends to emulate the video. Heidi even rehearsed the Thriller routine to ensure she was as spot on as possible. Clones (2016) That’s a whole lot of Heidi (Picture: Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Heidi Klum) What’s better than one Heidi? Six. In 2016, she went as, well, herself… flanked by an entourage of lookalikes, all donning wigs, bodysuits, and prosthetics to emulate her facial features. Jessica Rabbit (2015) What. A. Serve. (Picture: Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for Heidi Klum) Heidi transformed into everyone’s favourite animated crush and the ultimate pin-up via a hell of a lot of prosthetics, becoming Jessica Rabbit in 2015. The model’s entire face was altered, and she was given that bombshell body by a team of experts. Heidi said: ‘I was looking up who is the most well-known sex symbol – and it’s Jessica Rabbit. I said, “Perfect.” What man doesn’t want Jessica Rabbit? ‘I wanted plus-plus everything: boots, butt, lips. Everyone was grabbing my boobs and butt because they knew they were fake.’ Butterfly (2014) Heidi’s butterfly look was a sight for sore eyes (Picture: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Heidi Klum) Seeing Heidi walk through Times Square dressed as a butterfly was pretty awesome, and while this was all in the outerwear, it served a whole lot of drama. Heidi said it was difficult to see in this one, due to her buggy plastic eyes, which contained batteries to light up her wings. Old woman (2013) Heidi got a glimpse into the future (Picture: Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Heidi Klum) Heidi said this glimpse into the future was her personal favourite costume at the time, and it’s not hard to see why. Then 40, Heidi aged 30 years as she dressed up as an elderly woman, and we’re still amazed by the results. Prosthetic artists gave her wrinkled skin, while veins and liver spots were airbrushed on. Throw in a grey wig, a tweed skirt, and a cane, and Heidi was a convincing OAP. Cleopatra (2012) Beautiful gowns (Picture: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Heidi Klum) There’s no doubt Heidi looked gorgeous in her elaborate Cleopatra look, with the costume painstakingly detailed. In 2012, she raised money for the American Red Cross following Hurricane Sandy, quipping: ‘It took maybe three hours to put my face on and, like, 10 minutes to get dressed.’ Body (2011) Heidi was inspired by the Body Worlds Exhibition (Picture: Michael Tran/FilmMagic) Inspired by the Body Worlds exhibition, Heidi leaned into the gore for the first time in 2011 with her skinless human body costume. The model was wheeled into Tao nightclub on a gurney accompanied by doctors, and it’s pretty hard to look at her for too long without feeling a bit queasy at all the exposed muscle. Ape (also 2011) Heidi and Seal weren’t monkeying around (Picture: Jemal Countess/Getty Images) Not content with just one stellar costume, Heidi and her then-husband Seal had a separate couple’s costume earlier in the night, and it was the first time Heidi really experimented with her Halloween best friend… prosthetics. The couple were literally unrecognisable as apes, with a painstaking amount of work going into applying the hair to make their primate date look realistic. Robot (2010) Just how did she walk? (Picture: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images) Heidi tottered around on actual stilts to morph into this camp, futuristic robot, and it was hard to recognise her under all that purple shimmer. We still don’t know how she managed to scrub off that glitter. Crow (2009) The Crowening, the prequel (Picture: Valerie Macon/Getty Images) In 2009, Heidi paired fishnets and knee-high boots with a crow headpiece in her first bird transformation. Never one to pass up on Halloween, Heidi still committed despite having recently given birth to give us major Moira Rose in The Crows Have Eyes 3: The Crowening vibes. Kali (2008) Heidi dressed as a Hindu goddess (Picture: Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic) In 2008, Heidi went all out to become Kali, the Hindu goddess of death and time, and it was her first real showstopper of a costume. The star coated her face in blue paint and wore a backpack that fixed eight arms to her body, with a necklace of heads and a skirt of arms finishing the tribute. Cat (2007) Meow! (Picture: Charley Gallay/Getty Images) Sometimes, you’ve just got to opt for the ‘sexy [insert animal here]’ costume, but Heidi brought it to the next level. Her skintight costume was more feline than the usual ‘whack on a pair of ears and a corset’ cat fancy dress, with her contacts and stellar makeup elevating the look. Forbidden fruit (2006) Heidi went to the Garden of Eden (Picture: Michael Buckner/Getty Images) Heidi was pregnant in 2006, so she needed a costume that would work with her massive eight-month bump… and what’s better than a big apple? We love a good pregnancy costume, and this was brilliantly over-the-top, platform snakeskin boots included. 80s vampire (2005) If Cher and Elvira had a baby (Picture: Evan Agostini/Getty Images) Another simple idea with high impact; we love this interpretation because Heidi really leaned into the camp. The huge Cher wig, the bold makeup, the massive cape – this was Elvira meets hair metal, and we ate it up. Witch (2004) Witch, but make it fashion (Picture: Evan Agostini/Getty Images) The default Halloween costume is a witch – grab a black bag and a broom, and you’re sorted – but Heidi put her own spin on things. Going the extra mile, she explained to Page Six: ‘I had to go to one of those medical-supply stores and get a big, heavy fake skeleton that doctors and nurses use to study with and carry it on my back all night long.’ Golden alien (2003) All that glitters (Picture: Evan Agostini/Getty Images) Covered head-to-toe in gold and glitter, Heidi stomped into the party in chunky boots and a metallic corset for 2003’s alien. We can only imagine the colour of the shower at the end of that night. Betty Boop (2002) Heidi opted for Betty Boop early on (Picture: Getty Images) Heidi became the cartoon sex symbol Betty Boop in her early years, having traded her iconic blonde locks for the character’s famous black curls. She went OTT with dramatic eye makeup and lashes and, of course, oozed glamour in a tight-fitting red dress. Lady Godiva (2001) Heidi arrived at the party on horseback (Picture: Evan Agostini/Getty Images) In theory, this one was pretty easy to recreate – a long blonde wig, a skintight bodysuit, and a sprinkle of crystals. But the commitment to this early Klum costume was phenomenal, as Heidi borrowed a police horse she didn’t even know how to ride to become Lady Godiva. Ridiculous. Dominatrix (2000) Heidi was a bit more basic in 2000 (Picture: Tom Wargacki/WireImage) It was in 2000 that Heidi started dressing up and throwing her now-famous Halloween party. For her very first look, she went all S&M in black latex as a flirty zombie doll. 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