Heidi Klum has broken down her creative process for the elaborate Halloween costumes that have defined her career for a quarter century.
The model and television host, 53, spoke with Christian Allaire and Margaux Anbouba on Vogue’s The Run-Through podcast ahead of her 25th annual Halloween party, held Thursday night at an undisclosed location in New York City. Klum explained the philosophy that has driven her most memorable transformations over the years.
“I try to always come up with something that no one has done before,” she said on the podcast. “I also always try to come up with something unexpected, or it’s a shape that maybe a human body doesn’t normally fit in.”
That approach has produced some of pop culture’s most talked-about Halloween moments. Her past costumes have included Jessica Rabbit, Princess Fiona, E.T., and a skinless human body, each requiring extensive prosthetics and hours of application.
This year’s look remained under wraps until the party itself, though Klum had been dropping hints across her Instagram account for days. One post showed what appeared to be fake bodily organs. Her final clue came on October 30, when she shared an image of what looked like a bizarre mouthpiece.
The teases have fueled widespread speculation among fans. Many guessed she might be drawing from the 2024 horror film “The Substance,” while others suggested Vecna from “Stranger Things” as a possible inspiration.
Klum offered one more cryptic detail during a September interview. “It goes very well with red wine,” she told the outlet. “It’s very, very bloody.”
That comment connected to her professional partnership with Apothic Wine. The company released a “Type A Blood Bag” of wine on September 17, a Halloween-themed product that has since sold out according to its website.
“A great glass of wine is always fun… and most of the time you think of something gory when you have a blood transfusion bag,” Klum said of the collaboration. “That’s what Halloween is all about. We go gory, and we go there,” she added.
The blood bag promotion marked another extension of Klum’s Halloween empire, which has grown from a private celebration into a major cultural event drawing celebrities and media attention each year. The 2024 edition represented a milestone, with 25 consecutive years of parties behind her.
Klum’s commitment to physical transformation through prosthetics and costume design has set her apart in an era when celebrity Halloween costumes often amount to little more than themed outfits. Her willingness to spend hours in makeup chairs and to adopt forms that distort or conceal her own body has made the annual reveal an anticipated moment in the entertainment calendar.
The German-born host first launched her annual party in 2000, building it gradually into one of the most high-profile Halloween events in the entertainment industry. Each year, the location and the guest list remain closely guarded until shortly before the event, while her own costume typically dominates coverage in the days that follow.