Traditionally, Halloween costumes have centered around supernatural figures of old: ghosts, witches, trolls, and what have you. Today, of course, that’s not the case. On a modern Halloween night, it’s not uncommon to see pirates, popular movie characters, or even costumes based completely around a pun. The amount of ideas you have to pick from makes choosing the right costume difficult, but these ones are guaranteed winners.

A Superhero, Any Superhero

Thank Marvel and DC for making superheroes big again. Batman, Superman, and the Avengers seem to permeate every facet of our culture, and you’d better believe that includes Halloween costumes. These characters are more popular than they’ve ever been, so whether you’re a young fan or a seasoned enthusiast, dressing up as your favorite superhero is no longer something to be embarrassed about – it’s something to be celebrated.

The Princess and the Zombie

Before superheroes were in vogue, the princess costume reigned supreme of popular Halloween costumes, thanks much in part to Disney. Although the princess may no longer hold the top spot, it’s still a worthy pick. Many boys might not be down to dress in frills and tiara (though who are we to stop them?), so they’ll probably prefer to dress as a zombie, another popular, non-franchise costume idea. Zombies aren’t as in vogue as they were a few years ago, but they’re still a popular costume choice. If you really want to be original, you could always combine the two for a fun spin on the trend.

The Presidential Candidates

Ask many Americans, and they’ll say that the scariest event this year isn’t Halloween – it’s the presidential election. Dressing as a presidential candidate during an election year is always a popular option, and with more eyes on this year’s election than any other year, you can expect to see a lot of people dressing as this year’s already larger-than-life candidates. As you know, the election is a hot-button issue, so if you want to be timely without the risk of getting political, you could always dress as something unoffensive related to the election, such as a voting ballot.

The Old Stand-bys

More and more, Halloween seems to be an opportunity for people to dress up as a way to comment on today’s pop culture trends. Whether the costume is a reference to a popular film or a news event, it’s exhausting to rack your brain for an interesting way to say something about the past year with a costume. Don’t think too hard. Rather, consider the timeless costumes that never go out of style, like pumpkins, devils, skeletons, and animals. While these less “trendy” costumes aren’t as flashy as some of the others, they’re still mightily popular and totally acceptable.

There’s little point to spending too much time thinking of the perfect costume. While your costume might get a few chuckles and nods of recognition, remember that once the night is over, you’re unlikely to use the costume again. Instead, enjoying yourself on Halloween–whether or not you have a great costume–should be your number-one priority.