Picking a Halloween costume is both exciting and challenging. On one hand you are given total freedom to dress however you want, but at the same time, the pressure to come up with a brilliant costume idea can end up a disaster if done incorrectly. Also, a number of people couldn’t care less about Halloween costumes, neglecting to brainstorm on possibilities and then doing some last-minute costume-building that leads to a disguise gone terribly wrong. If you’re one of these people, you’ve probably had your share of embarrassing Halloween moments and frowns upon your bad costume. This year, it’s time to finally avoid looking like a cheap, badly done, and just-in-time creation by scratching these terrible Halloween costume ideas off your list.

Clown and Ghost

Not only are the clown and ghost costumes the most used and unoriginal ideas you can sport, they’re also the most characterless and least functional. If you’re dressed as a clown, wouldn’t it be difficult to eat and drink with all that make-up and lipstick? And the big shoes will probably get you into trouble after you kick people’s shins or step on their feet, whether intentionally or not.

As for the ghost costume, the idea is wrong on so many levels. First and foremost, the big white sheet can become a tangled mess, forcing you to constantly rearrange the material so that the cut-out holes would stay in the same place as your eyes all night. Also, communicating would be difficult because people would have a hard time hearing you through that big white mess. People may be attracted to mysterious costumes such as Zorro, but if you’re planning to dress up as a white ghost to give off a mysterious vibe, forget it. Besides, the whole getup is really not that scary.

Outdated characters and icons

Always remember to stick with the times. Unless you’re dressing up as a timeless character like Captain America or Don Vito Corleogne, do not bother going to a Halloween party dressed as your favorite but outdated character. However if you really want to dress as a character from the ‘60s or ‘70s for example, make sure that the character in question is cool enough to be considered timeless. Remember though, only a few icons and characters managed to reach such heights. Jar Jar Binx may be your beloved Star Wars personality, but for everyone else, he’s a washed up character. The extended list of pop culture icon no-no’s include: the Scream guy, Jason, Freddy Kruger, Neo or Harry Potter—among many, many others.

Forget the "Backwards Man"

This has failed 100 percent of the time and yet a lot of people still do it. The Backwards Man gained popularity within the uncreative bunch and those who get last-minute invites to a Halloween bash. When you look through your closet in an effort to find something remotely resembling a costume and failed, this is when you decide that it might be clever to wear a perfectly regular and normal outfit backwards, from your cap to your jeans. Never do this. Contrary to "popular" belief, this is absolutely not clever. It’s boring and unimaginative. Choose to dress up as the Backwards Man and you’ll be a mocked man at the party, guaranteed. GP