With Halloween 2023 quickly approaching, you’re likely still trying to scramble to prepare at least one of three things: a costume, decorations, and a spooky TikTok transition. And if you’re like me, you might be missing all three of these. Transitions have always been a big part of TikTok — they provide a creative and fun way to switch from one outfit to another or to show your room transformation.
But, what has been really hot on the TikTok streets this season is doing funky fun transitions with your Halloween costumes. You start in your “normal” attire, and then you transform into an entirely new persona with your costume. With Halloween being all about putting on a costume and transforming into someone you’re not for one night, it’s very cool to see that transformation being displayed with a TikTok transition.
Whether or not you’re doing a costume alone, with your BFF, or with a group, a fun and innovative transition on TikTok is on trend and preserves the memories.
- “Ashley, look at me” x “Attention”
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This transition combines the infamous scene from The Boys with Doja Cat’s “Attention” to create a spooky transition from “normal” to Halloween-ified. To achieve this transition, when Doja says “you lookin’?” in the sound, make an O with your hand and as you’re swiping your hand across the screen, make the next clip your scary and fun Halloween costume.
- “Round and Round” from “Chop Chop Slide”
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Most of us are familiar with the “Chop Chop Slide” sound that went viral last Halloween. This transition uses that iconic song, but a different section that says “round and round.” In order to make the spinning effect, I recommend setting your phone up on a spinning desk chair or using a lazy Susan. When it’s time to transition from your regular clothes to costume, make the next clip continue to spin and make sure to stop and take a step back to show off your costume!
- “Paint The Town Red” by Doja Cat
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With the overall aesthetic of Doja Cat’s Scarlet album, it’s obvious that a song like “Paint The Town Red” would dominate spooky szn. This transition is perfect if your costume is something red like Little Red Riding Hood or a vampire. For this, all you have to do is jump from your regular clothes into your chilling costume when Doja says, “Mm, she the devil.”
- “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga
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“Poker Face” by Lady Gaga has been pretty popular lately on TikTok. So what better use for it than your Halloween transition? To achieve these results, as you are lip-syncing the words, slowly lower your camera so that you are looking down at your phone. When she says “Russian roulette,” turn your screen to “flip” to you in your costume. If you happen to have an additional costume, you can continue this transition by swiping across the screen when she says “gun” to reveal your second look!
- “Nothing ever stays dead” from Arcane
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If you liked the Netflix show Arcane, then you’ll like this transition with a line by the villainess, Jinx. To do this transition, you start in your regular clothes and you hold some sort of prop, like a comb or makeup brush. After it says, “Nothing ever stays dead,” switch to your costume and strike the prop like a knife — kind of like you’re eliminating your regular self and stepping into your costume.
- “Get back here, I’m not done” from Scream
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With the continuous success of the Scream movie franchise, the iconic Ghostface is still widely popular during spooky season. So for those dressing up as either Ghostface or any other spooky villain, try this transition by “answering the phone” when it rings, and swiping the phone across the screen to transition into your costume. When Ghostface says, “Get back here, i’m not done,” use this as an opportunity to play with different angles to spook your viewers.
- Mother Gothel x “Demons”
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Personally, I believe Mother Gothel to be one of the best Disney villains. So when I came across this transition using a Mother Gothel line and a Doja Cat song, I knew it would be perfect for the spooky season. For this, all you would need to do is recite this villain’s lines and when she says, “Oh look, you’re here too,” move the camera closer to your face and then outwards when you record the next clip in costume.
- The Scream Queens Halloween speech
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Scream Queens was a beloved show by much of Gen Z. This short-lived series not only brought all the vibes, but also some pretty iconic quotes. For this transition, recite the beginning of the monologue and when it says “see halloween,” raise your hands up over your head and switch to your spooky scary look when the beat drops.
- “Bad Girls” by M.I.A.
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This next transition is one of faves. For this, start in your regular outfit and when it says “hands up, hands high,” lift your arms above your head like you just got caught red-handed. Then at the scream, put your hand over your mouth as if you were screaming, and for the transition, smooth hour hands over your head in your Halloween costume.
- “My Life is a Dark Room” from Beetlejuice
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This one is for my Beetlejuice fans. This transition is beginner-friendly and uses some lovely words from Lydia. All you have to do is start in your regular clothes, when Lydia says, “One big dark,” turn off the lights and then turn them back on at “room” all dressed up in your dazzling costume!
- “Halloween is coming, you have to get ready”
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You may be familiar with this TikTok sound by singer Halsey. However, what we’re focusing on is the transition. For this, start in your normal attire and when it says, “You have to get ready,” do a kick in which your entire foot covers the camera. After the kick is when you reveal your kickin’ costume. To avoid kicking your phone, position the phone more than leg’s length so your foot doesn’t connect with the screen.
- “Agora Hills” x “SexyBack”
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This last transition again incorporates Doja Cat with a nod to the Scream franchise. It features the lyric, “No, you hang up” from the song “Agora Hills” behind an instrumental of Justin Timberlake’s, “Sexy Back.” Similar to the first Scream transition, you’re talking into a handphone for the first few lyrics and when Doja says the second, “You hang up,” you swipe the “phone” across the screen and make the next clip you in your costume.