True Blood's Bill Compton Vampire Costume

HBO's True Blood is one of the most popular, addicting shows on television and is sure to be the basis for many Halloween costumes. With a bevy of colorful characters (such as: Sookie Stackhouse, Sam Merlotte, and Lafayette Reynolds) there are plenty of enticing options for a True Blood costume. You can't go wrong, though, by turning on the Southern charm and dressing up like vampire Bill Compton!

Bill Compton is, through the first two seasons of True Blood, the love interest of America's new sweetheart, Sookie Stackhouse. Unlike other vampires, Bill Compton fights to retain a shred of humanity. He is concerned with the safety of the humans in the town of Bon Temps, LA, the setting for True Blood. This compassion, along with a definite air of mystery, makes him very attractive to Sookie Stackhouse... and millions of female True Blood fans!

Here are a couple of suggestions for a Bill Compton Halloween costume:

1. The clothes. In True Blood, Bill Compton mostly wears neutral or drab colors. His clothes are typically normal, human fare (no capes!). Dark jeans and a button-down shirt will suffice, provided that the shirt isn't too crisp and veers towards the "plain" side of things. Make sure the shirt is tucked into the jeans and leave the top button undone, as that is how Bill usually wears his shirt.

Another look that Bill Compton sometimes goes with is still wearing jeans, but pair them with a long sleeve, v-neck style t-shirt, preferably off-white.

For the true die-hard fan, don't forget that Bill was turned into a vampire during the civil war. If you want to find a civil war outfit, you will be going above and beyond the call of duty. Your "Sookie Stackhouse" will definitely be impressed by the extra distance.

2. The makeup. This is a key component, given that the clothes aspect of the costume is not terribly unusual. Remember, vampires cannot live in light and are not out tanning themselves. Bill Compton is pale, and you'll want to be, too.

To achieve the ever-desirable pasty vampire look, you will need to find some decent powder. Your local Halloween specialty store is sure to offer options, but you can normally find vampire makeup kits at national retailers, as well.

In addition to creating a pale look on your face with light makeup, you will also want to use dark makeup to shadow right under your cheek bones, to create a "sunken" effect. Some dark makeup conservatively shadowing underneath your eyes will help complete the look.

3. The hair. Bill Compton's hair is dark, so if you are blonde you may want to consider either wearing a wig or perhaps choosing to be a different character (Eric Northman is a Scandinavian vampire with blonde hair!). Bill's hair is shaggy, but not terribly long. It doesn't extend much further beyond the top of his neck. Also, Bill wears sideburns, which go down to about half and inch below the earlobe line.

Bill Compton's facial hair is generally "5 o'clock shadow" length. If you can grow a decent beard, shave the morning before the big Halloween party and it should come into the right consistency by the time you are ready to don your costume. If you have light facial hair, or it comes in rather patchy, you might want to use some dark make-up to fake the hair. Apply it lightly on your cheeks and goatee area.

4. The fangs. Don't' forget your piece de resistance! Pick up a set of fangs from either your local retailer (WalMart or Walgreen's are good sources) or Halloween specialty store. Additionally, party stores will normally carry fangs, as well. The price of a set will typically run between ten and twenty dollars. There are various levels of quality, but it is entirely up to you how much you want to spend.

This year, consider letting your inner vampire out of the coffin and choose to wear a Bill Compton costume!