What Halloween Costumes Are Hot This Year???

Whether you are choosing a Halloween costume for you or your kids, it's important to be on the cutting edge of what's hot right now, or, in the alternative, to go classic and classy.

You can spend a little or a lot and wow everyone if you will pay attention to detail and maybe add some humor.

Here are a few tips to dress for success this Halloween...

If you are going for cutting edge with your costume, then take a look at what's hot right now. Your search should lead you to vampires, vampires and more vampires!

Vampires are on fire, and you can expect be bumping into capes, fangs and slicked-down hair at every turn this Halloween, thanks to super-popular shows and books like Twilight and The Vampire Diaries.

If you decide to go this route, you run the risk of just being one of the crowd. If you go for the vampire, do something out of the box to make you stand out in the crowd.

Michael Jackson has been hot all summer and fall and will be a mega-popular Halloween costume this year. Look at his Thriller video and go for that look. Another option is to adopt the Billie Jean look, with the white socks, short black pants, black jacket and black dancing shoes. And the white sequined glove, of course.

Zombies are white-hot this year, and why not? Everybody loves a good zombie. They are also really easy to create at home with a little face paint and fake blood.

Of course, you will need to practice your zombie-walk, which is the hallmark of all great zombies.

Farrah Fawcett has been in the news this summer, and she will be a popular costume this Halloween. Go for the classic bathing suit, hair and smile look.

Captain Jack Sparrow will still be pretty popular, but is kind of yesterday, so beware if you are a Halloween trendsetter.

Heath Ledger's Joker from Batman - The Dark Knight is still a popular do-it-yourself costume.

For kids, Harry Potter is still popular and doesn't require purchasing an expensive costume.

Another economical, yet popular look is Super Mario. A pair of blue overalls, black shoes, red shirt and cap, and huge mustache will make your mini-Mario recognizable to everyone under 12.

Since kids aren't really into trend-setting, boys will still love Captain Jack Sparrow.

GI Joe Cobra Commander is hot, hot, hot, but you might have to lay out some bucks, since this one isn't easily fabricated at home.

Scary monsters, ghosts and zombies will always get a kid's attention, and any of these can be created at home.

Then we have the classic costumes - the old reliables that never go out of style. Most of these can be created at home with very little money. We have the witch, the ghost, the devil, and all kinds of creepy, bloody gross creatures.

You can also do something out of the box. Use your noggin and dream up something crazy that you can throw together at home. Beware here, sometimes people come up with things that are really uncomfortable, make it difficult to walk or impossible to sit down. For a kid or an adult, an uncomfortable costume won't last the night, so consider comfort when developing your dream costume.

You should have as much fun choosing or making your costume as you do wearing it. Be sure and get pictures!

If you're herding little ones, take all of the precautions - lights on the costume, examining the candy before the kid wolfs it down, etc. Be careful, be safe and have a great time this Halloween!