How do I make the dress look dirty and wet?

Soak the dress in tea or coffee to yellow it, then paint the hem and sleeves with watered-down brown and green acrylic paint. Spraying it with water mixed with glycerin keeps it looking wet without drying out quickly.

Can I see through the wig?

Yes, if you thin out the front strands of the wig and style them in thin, wet clumps, you can easily see through the gaps while keeping your face hidden from the outside.

What shoes should I wear with a Samara costume?

Samara is barefoot. For safety at parties or outdoors, wear simple flesh-colored flats, nude sandals, or stick-on invisible sole protectors.

AI-generated example

Samara Costume

Seven days. Recreate the iconic, terrifying well-dwelling ghost from The Ring.

Samara Morgan from The Ring is one of modern horror's most terrifying icons. Perfect for Halloween or horror conventions, this costume is instantly recognizable by her waterlogged, dirty white nightgown and long black hair draped over her face. It is a highly effective, budget-friendly look that relies heavily on distressing and eerie styling.

Difficulty: Easy
Time: ~45 min
Budget: $25–60

See yourself as Samara →What you need Buy the Samara costume

Try it on

See yourself as Samara

One clear photo of yourself; we render you in this costume — face untouched, full body, about 20 seconds.

Choose or drop a photo of yourselfJPG · PNG · HEIC

One render, $1. No account needed — if it fails you're not charged. Pricing.

Your photo is sent to Google's Gemini API to make the render and isn't used for training. Renders are AI-generated and labelled.

Want a different costume on this photo, or a whole group in costume? Open the Try-On Studio.

Samara costume — Example look · AI-generated

You as Samara

Result

What you need for a Samara costume

Short on time? Buy it ready-made

Spirit Halloween sells the complete Samara costume — one box instead of 5 pieces.

Shop Samara at Spirit ↗

White nightgown or shift dress
A simple, long-sleeved white cotton or linen nightgown that reaches past the knees.
DIY: Use an oversized white long-sleeve t-shirt or a plain white maxi dress.
Amazon
Long black wig
A straight, waist-length black wig with bangs or styled to drape completely over the face.
Amazon
Fabric dye or acrylic paint
Brown, grey, and dark green acrylic paint or fabric dye to simulate well water, mud, and rot.
DIY: Soak the dress in strong black tea or coffee to yellow and age the fabric.
Amazon
Hair gel or water spray bottle
Clear hair gel or a water spray bottle to give the wig a wet, stringy, and matted appearance.
DIY: Mix water and a small amount of leave-in conditioner in a spray bottle.
Amazon
Pale face makeup
White and grey cream makeup to create a dead, waterlogged, and pale complexion.
Amazon

Rather not assemble it? See ready-made Samara costumes at Spirit Halloween ↗

How to put it together

1
Age the nightgown by soaking it in a tub of hot water mixed with black tea or coffee to dull the bright white color.
2
Use diluted brown, grey, and dark green acrylic paint to paint stains, mud splatters, and waterlines around the hem, sleeves, and collar of the dress.
3
Apply pale white cream makeup to your face, neck, hands, and arms, blending in grey or light blue eyeshadow around your eyes and fingernails to look waterlogged.
4
Put on the long black wig and apply a generous amount of clear hair gel or water to separate the strands into wet, stringy clumps.
5
Pull the front sections of the wet wig forward so they completely cover your face, leaving just enough gaps to safely see through.
6
Put on the distressed nightgown, go barefoot (or wear flesh-colored flats), and practice walking with a slow, jerky, disjointed posture.

Makeup & hair

Apply a pale, dead-looking base coat to all exposed skin, adding dark purple and grey shading around the eyes and under the fingernails. The hair is the most crucial part: use gel or water to make a long black wig look soaking wet, stringy, and draped entirely over the face.

Samara for couples, groups, kids & more

couples: Pair with someone dressed as the cursed videotape, a retro CRT television set, or Noah/Rachel from the film.
group: Gather a group of J-Horror ghosts, including Kayako from The Grudge and Sadako from Ringu.
kids: A simplified version using a stained white nightgown and a black wig, keeping the makeup minimal and less intense.
Plus size: Look for a loose-fitting, oversized white cotton nightgown or kaftan which naturally drapes well.

Tips

Keep a spray bottle of water mixed with a little glycerin handy to mist your wig and dress throughout the night to maintain the 'wet' look.
If you are going barefoot for photos, wear flesh-colored slip-on shoes or stick-on sole protectors for safety while walking around.
Practice the iconic creepy crawl or the jerky, twitchy movements from the movie to make your entrance unforgettable.

Samara costume FAQ

How do I make the dress look dirty and wet?: Soak the dress in tea or coffee to yellow it, then paint the hem and sleeves with watered-down brown and green acrylic paint. Spraying it with water mixed with glycerin keeps it looking wet without drying out quickly.
Can I see through the wig?: Yes, if you thin out the front strands of the wig and style them in thin, wet clumps, you can easily see through the gaps while keeping your face hidden from the outside.
What shoes should I wear with a Samara costume?: Samara is barefoot. For safety at parties or outdoors, wear simple flesh-colored flats, nude sandals, or stick-on invisible sole protectors.

Did you know? To film the terrifying scene where Samara crawls out of the television, a stuntwoman performed the movements backward, and the footage was played in reverse to give her motion an unnatural, unsettling quality.