Most Halloween party-goers dress up as sexy cats or slutty nurses but not this couple. Husband and wife, Dan and Vicki Rutter decided to be very different on Halloween and decided to go as the scariest video game characters they could think up.

Vicki Rutter as the nurse from Silent Hill

How long did it take to make your costume?

Vicki Rutter: “It took me an afternoon and five evenings, about 15hrs total. The dress, shoes and tights were about an hour of that but the mask took the longest as it was all papier mâché then textured and painted and had to dry out each time it was touched up.”

Why did you choose to be a Silent Hill nurse?

“I have always loved/been scared of the silent hill games and loved the film interpretation of the nurses. The nurses are sexy as well as horrific, they shouldn’t be attractive but they are.”

Did many people recognise your costume?

“Yes, when wearing the mask though the mask freaked out a lot of people as it looks quite gruesome up close.”

Why choose a video game character over more traditional costumes?

“There is no imagination in a lot of store bought costumes, they all look cheesy and with cosplay Halloween costumes you know your outfit will be unique.”

Dan Rutter in his "head crab" costume

How long did it take to make your costume?

Dan Rutter: “I started mine the Saturday before the halloween weekend and continued working on it every evening until the following Saturday. With the couple of late nights I worked it out to be 28 hours the majority of which was spent on my mask.”

Why did you choose the Head Crab costume?

“I’m a big fan of Portal and all the Valve games but Head Crab zombie just seemed to be a great combination of zombie and geek reference. Plus I’d seen the paper craft Head Crab before and foolishly thought that looks cool – I will build that in an afternoon!”

Did many people recognise your costume?

“One person leaving the train station as we arrived asked for my picture, everyone at the party knew who I was but we were all like minded people. On the way home while traveling up the escalator (with my mask on) I had lots of people recognising me and taking my picture.”

Were there any inspirations behind your costume?

“I think that actually the seed was planted by seeing you as Chell at Eurogamer and as I’ve said before, Portal and the rest of the Valve games are amongst my favourites. I think at that point I was like, hey I’m gonna dress up as someone from a game I like!”

Why choose a video game character over more traditional costumes?

“Vicki and I are huge gamers and the chance to dress up as characters we have enjoyed was great. Plus we are both crafty arty people and to hire/buy something would be a cop out.”

It’s great to see gamers representing their favourite characters on Halloween, we hope to see more of you next year!

Boo!

Did you go out this Halloween dressed as a video game character? If so, e-mail your snaps to Joystuck and we’ll feature the best ones next week.

Photo credit: Chris Hughes-Copping