David Bromstad's Most Elaborate Halloween Costumes

David Bromstad is a major Halloween enthusiast, and he celebrates the holiday in keeping with his lavish lifestyle. In 2013, he created a graveyard display, complete with headstones, eerie lighting, and a population of frightening ghouls coming up out of the ground. Bromstad's also posted a ton of pumpkin decorating inspo and pics from his family's jack-o-lantern festivities. Beyond using his skills to carve a spooky pumpkin, complete with menacing eyes and pointy teeth, the HGTV star's also applied his imaginative mind to constructing ornate Halloween costumes.

Even when it's not Halloween, Bromstad loves to dress up, like when he showed off his pink cowboy look during peak "Barbie" movie fandom. However, when spooky season rolls around, he takes things to a whole other level. "I love going 'all out' on my costume," Bromstad declared in an October 2014 Instagram post. "I create all of my costumes and even sew and cut and paste and create each year." As an example, the TV host offered examples of past Halloween looks, including a Roman gladiator, a Greek god, and one that had mummy vibes and dark, shadowy makeup.

Bromstad's makeup artistry is impressive, as he demonstrated in 2016. At the time, Bromstad experimented with three distinctive looks: a bloodthirsty ghoul, a creepy marionette, and an unsettling human/broken doll hybrid. While Bromstad's Halloween efforts never disappoint, some deserve extra acclaim. Let's take a look at some of his standout disguises.

In 2014 David Bromstad saluted the Disney live action film "Maleficent" with his own take on the titular character. Dubbed "King Maleficent" by Bromstad, he paired a store-bought all-black outfit with an ankle-length cape that he crafted. The HGTV host accessorized his look with the character's signature twisted horns, long black staff, and an impressive pointy collar that emulated the onscreen costume.

For the pièce de resistance, Bromstad's costume included stunning feathered wings. Due to time constraints, Bromstad partnered with an "amazing artisan to create the main pieces for my costume: 13-foot articulating wings, a headpiece and neck piece," as he explained on his website's blog. Bromstad included some closeups of the outfit on Instagram, which revealed all the textural details of the costume, including the overlapping feathers, the corset-style lacing of his pants, and the gleaming spikiness of the collar.

Although this vast wingspan might have been challenging to wear while partying or handing out candy, Bromstad embraced the opportunity for pretend play. "Halloween is a holiday for the unpractical!" he wrote in his blog. "It is one of those rare days every year that you can go all out and be something that you're not, something you've always wanted to be, something scary and spooky."

David Bromstad celebrated Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts in 2017. Calling himself "Count Blah," the TV host wore a purple greatcoat, black vest, and feathery collar. One of the most enthralling aspects of Bromstad's disguise was his full-face makeup, which he designed. Bromstad had a pasty pallor, perfect for a vampire. He then added shadowy highlights to amp up the spookiness, prominent black brows, and red-rimmed eyes. A bold pair of fangs completed the costume. He even added a touch of red inside the tops of his ears for an added creepy detail.

"Omg I had the best time celebrating Halloween in Salem Massachusetts!" declared on Facebook. "It was everything I dreamed it would be and more, I def think this will be an annual event!" Other than Christmas, Halloween is the holiday that's closest to Bromstad's heart, so spending it in Salem was a perfect choice. The town celebrates Halloween with parties and costume contests, in addition to the historic witch-trial-related attractions that are available year round. While he was in town, Bromstad posted a photo of Salem's Joshua Ward house, a purportedly haunted house with a sinister past.  However, he didn't mention if he ventured inside. When queried about his feelings for haunted houses, Bromstad informed "Pickler and Ben," "I don't like it real. I like it happy."

David Bromstad has a lifelong love of the Disney brand. He worked at the company's parks before he was an HGTV star, and he loves visiting them. In 2018, Bromstad celebrated Halloween at the Magic Kingdom. For his first look, Bromstad dressed as Cruella Deville. "Had the best time at the Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party," Bromstad declared on Instagram. For his recreation of the "101 Dalmatians" villain, Bromstad accented his all-black outfit with red boots and red elbow-length gloves. He topped it off with a stunning furry coat in dalmatian-print that he made himself. One half of his hair remained dark, and the other was sprayed white. After darkening his facial hair, Bromstad added bold brows and colorful eye makeup.

For his second costume, Bromstad dressed as the Queen of Hearts from "Alice in Wonderland." This time the HGTV star's hair was colored a brilliant red, with pink eye shadow to compliment the look. He went all out on his outfit, which included heart-patterned tights, a sequined vest, and a fabulous fur-trimmed red cape, complete with a prominent collar.

On the day of Halloween, Bromstad went with a much simpler look for practical reasons. He described the look on Facebook as "a basic deer as I'm traveling and they wouldn't let me thru TSA with anymore than I had on." Even so, Bromstad's antler headband and white spots were likely provided a festive feel at the airport.

In 2019, David Bromstad celebrated Halloween at home with lots of festive flair. Bromstad put up his first Halloween tree, complete with ornaments, purple lights, spooky black birds, and cobwebs. He hosted his friends for a night filled with creative refreshments, including witches' brew. "I had so much fun creating this environment for my friends. It was a true joy to see their excitement," he wrote on Instagram.

Of course, the party wouldn't be complete without an amazing costume. Bromstad got inspired by Greek mythology and dressed as a satyr — a perfect choice for an evening of revelry. For the satyr's human attributes, Bromstad kept his top bare and showed off his numerous, meaningful tattoos. The HGTV star's been getting ink since the late 90s, and he loves the colors and artistry involved in the design process. 

While the human half was pretty straightforward, the satyr's goat features were more complicated. This part of the costume included massive curved horns, furry pants, and hooves. "Was a very physically challenging costume to wear considering I was in 6" heels onto 4" of hooves that had no heel," Bromstad explained on Instagram. However, given his dedication to the holiday, it's not surprising that the TV host was willing to sacrifice a little comfort for a breathtaking transformation.

David Bromstad invested a ton of time and energy into his decorations and costume for Halloween 2021. "Bone collector craziness. It went along with the theme of my fun creepy decorated home," Bromstad wrote on Instagram. Bromstad's head and chest pieces were comprised of a clever arrangement of different-sized skulls and skeletal hands. The HGTV star combined black and white makeup with a bony mask that covered his mouth. Bromstad proudly noted that he put a lot of effort into creating the elaborate costume. "It took many tries to get this costume to work. Many many fails, but without failure u can't have success," he explained.

Beyond dressing to the nines, Bromstad also decorated his home inside and out. He bathed the living room with a purple glow, illuminating it with candles. Masses of pumpkins, orange glow lights, cobwebs, and giant spiders added to the look. Bromstad decorated his fireplace with skulls and chains to make an eerie backdrop for the party's tarot card readings.

All together, the display and costume were fitting examples of everything Bromstad learned when he worked for Disney and crafted elaborate displays, sculptures, and murals. "Sculptures at Disney are nothing short of immaculate—they can't have any flaws or marks," Bromstad explained to Hart and Huntington Orlando. "It made me appreciate that if you don't have finishing skills in any artistic life, your work isn't going to look expensive or truly finished."