That’s one of the favorite tropes for adult halloween costume ideas these days: Going as someone who recently died. It’s got the right amount of creativity combined with plenty of "that’s sick!" to make it an eye-catcher. Michael Jackson is obviously a great one, as there are about ten different looks you could go with, all of them hilarious if pulled off right.

Think about it. You could be the most recent version of Michael Jackson, lily-white and missing his nose (obviously you shouldn’t cut off your own nose, but you can wear the mask like MJ did for the last few years of his life). You could go with late 1980s Michael Jackson, he of the leather jackets, skin-tight pants, jheri curl, and bulky metal accessories. If done right, you could even bring your own stuffed chimpanzee with you. You remember Bubbles, right? Jackson’s chimp companion from the late 80s/early 90s? That’s a costume everyone would recognize.

Then there’s the "Thriller" era Michael Jackson, he of the red leather jacket, the white socks, black shoes and midriff bearing t-shirt. Or the outfit from the "Billie Jean" video. In the realm of adult halloween costume ideas, these are two that are sure to be recognized by most people.

Of course you don’t have to go as a dead celebrity. Some people like to go as concepts, like "postmodernism" or "alcoholism." My girlfriend and I were thinking about how to come up with a good costume for the latter. I would go as a martini – my head would be the olive, and we’d figure out how to build a glass around that – and she would go as an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. We haven’t hashed out the idea fully, but it’s something we’re working on and will continue to do so as the season approaches.

These aren’t the only adult halloween costume ideas to consider, though. There’s plenty out there if you do some online research, ideas old and new to get your creative juices flowing. Plus there’s tons of "how-to" guides to give you what info you need to construct your costume on your own.