House Halloween Costume Guide: Dr. Gregory House

House Halloween Costume Guide: Dr. Gregory House - How to make a Dr. Gregory House costume from the FOX hit series House.

"Hello, sick people and their loved ones! In the interest of saving time and avoiding a lot of boring chitchat later, I'm Doctor Gregory House; you can call me Greg. I'm one of three doctors staffing this clinic this morning.... I am a bored... certified diagnostician with a double specialty of infectious disease and nephrology. I am also the only doctor currently employed at this hospital who is forced to be here against his will.... But not to worry, because for most of you, this job could be done by a monkey with a bottle of Motrin. Speaking of which, if you're particularly annoying, you may see me reach for this: this is Vicodin. It's mine! You can't have any! And no, I do not have a pain management problem, I have a pain problem. But who knows? Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm too stoned to tell.... Okay, well, I'll be in Exam Room One if you change your mind." --Dr. Gregory House (played by Hugh Laurie) from the FOX television show "House."

With a self-introduction like that, it's easy to see why television audiences love this antisocial misanthrope. As the brilliant diagnostician with virtually no bedside manner, Dr. House will find out what's wrong with a patient while calling him or her an idiot. The insulted patient is usually grateful towards House for solving the mystery causing the sickness. Women adore him for his rugged good looks, intelligent snarky remarks, and his damaged personality. Men want to be him because the women adore him. Halloween offers an opportunity to dress up as Dr. House. Whether or not someone will want to continue dressing up as House is one's discretion.

Taking a look at the provided reference image, Dr. House would make for a simple Halloween costume but would require some preparation. The first thing you need is a steady amount of stubble. I prefer to get my stubble the old fashioned way by growing it out. This may not be the best method if a professional, clean-shaven look is what your job requires or if you're a female who wishes to crossdress as House for Halloween. One simple way to fake stubble used by my friends is to apply spirit gum to the face where facial hair should grow (under the nose, around the chin, and the sides of the cheeks) and smearing dried ground coffee on the spirit gum coated areas. For a more realistic facial hair look, cut some fur off a stuffed animal or bits of hair off a doll with hair matching your hair color and use spirit gum to stick it on the face int he previously mentioned areas.

If you have a spare empty prescription bottle around and preferably in your name, you can fill it up with white Tic-Tacs and use it as a prop bottle of Vicodin. If you really do take Vicodin, that's even better but don't pop them at every dramatic or comedic moment. That stuff can really mess with your head and unless you already have the skill, it won't improve any chances of hitting the correct diagnosis.

Clothes are a necessary but the clothes do not make the man in this costume's case. Like any convincingly real drama, House's has a different change of clothes for almost every episode. But based on some lines and quips from the series, there is some consistency when determining what to wear:

(Season I: Pilot)
House: "See that, they all assume I'm a patient because of the cane."
Wilson: "Then why don't you put on a white coat like the rest of us?"
House: "Then they'll think I'm a doctor."

(Season II: The Mistake)
Stacy: What are you hiding?
House: I'm gay. Oh! That's not what you meant. It does explain a lot, though: no girlfriend, always with Wilson, obsession with sneakers...

(Season III: One Day, One Room)
House: "I am wearing a rumpled shirt, and I forgot to brush my hair this week. You've got athlete's foot in your nose. I'm ready to be judged.

Based on those lines, it's noted that Dr. House refuses to dress like a doctor. So doctor lab coats and scrubs are unnecessary. Sneakers are the norm for House's footwear. And House usually wears everyday clothes to look like the everyday man. So any man can dig through his closet and use his work clothes as a House costume unless the man is a doctor whose work clothes consist of lab coats or scrubs. In the reference picture, House wears blue jeans, a black shirt, a gray blazer, and sneakers. That's easy enough to replicate from my closet. And the clothes don't even have to be ironed or properly maintained. House doesn't care how others see him, why should you when you're dressing up as him for Halloween?

Probably the most recognizable physical characteristic of Dr. House is the limp on his right leg. I can easily recreate a limp thanks to method acting (I just imagine getting hit on the right leg by a baseball bat). But an easier way to recreate a limp is by placing a rock or other small object inside the right shoe before wearing it. The uncomfortable sensation of your foot stepping on a foreign object inside the shoe will result in a very convincing limp.

Now all you need is a cane to assist in walking like House. House uses a few unique looking canes throughout the seasons, but my favorite is the black one with flames. I found a site that sells reproductions of that cane and bought a couple for myself. It is a pretty good canes that can support my weight and has the cool appeal of flame stickers around the bottom. I fear the stickers may peel off but that's why I bought an extra. Even though this cane is no longer used as of the fifth season, I always associated the flame cane with House. The flames really do make it look like you're going fast.

And there you go, an easy House costume for Halloween. How well you develop an uncaring, sarcastic, antisocial, and generally snarky attitude is limited to your own acting abilities and/or personality.