• A realistic scary costume can make or break a child's Halloween, but many of the truly scary prepackaged costumes are targeted solely at adult wearers and may be inappropriate for younger children. Despite this, there are several classic scary costume choices that can be easily created at home with a few basic costume supplies.
  
  

Zombie

• Zombies are a time-tested classic and an easy costume to put together. Gather an old long-sleeved shirt and worn pair of pants that you don't mind throwing away. Use a pair of dull scissors to make small holes in the fabric and tear apart loosely with your hands. Splash the clothing liberally with stage blood. For a scary zombie face, purchase a variety pack of costume makeup from your local retail store. Cover your child's face with the white cream foundation and dot black or gray underneath the eyes. Use your finger to blend in a downward motion. Finish with a couple of dabs of stage blood on the chin or cheeks.
  
  

Vampire

• With the recent boom in vampire fiction, these creepy characters are a popular choice for Halloween costumes. Create a vampire-esque complexion by coating your child's face in a thin layer of sunscreen or facial moisturizer. Use a blush brush to blend baby powder across the face and neck, avoiding the eye area. Apply a small dab of gray matte eyeshadow to the temples and use your fingers to blend it outward toward the eyebrows, cheeks and forehead. Complete the look with a pair of costume fangs from your local costume outlet.
  
  

Mummy

• Give your child a scary mummy look by wrapping the clothing portion of his costume with bandages and foregoing masks. Compose a mixture of two parts thick hair putty and one part baby powder and smooth through your child's hair. This will hold hair in place as well as giving it an old and dusty look. Apply a thin layer bronzer or loose gold make-up glitter all over your child's face, avoiding the eyes. Apply liquid eyeliner in black or dark brown in a cat-eye shape around the eyes to resemble an Egyptian pharaoh.
  
  

Werewolves

• Werewolf costumes will take considerable effort, but the results are well worth it. Purchase faux costume fur and cut it into 40 to 50 small pieces about 1/16 of an inch by 1/2 inch. Apply sparsely to the exposed arm, leg and chest areas on your child using spirit gum. Apply faux fur to your child's cheeks, starting just below the temple and working down toward the corners of the mouth, stopping 1 inch short of the lips. Apply bronzer or light brown eyeshadow to the sides of the nose with an eyeshadow brush. Finish off by applying dark brown or black cream eyeshadow to the bottom of the nose, just above the top lip.