15 Halloween AI Photo Prompts to Steal: Costumes, Pets and Products

These are 15 Halloween prompts we wrote and ran this October: ten looks across people, pets, products and a party, then five bonus vampires. Of the ten, four turn an everyday photo of people into a costume shoot, two dress up pets, two stage products and two start from words alone. Every prompt is printed in full below, and all 13 photo prompts are also one-click templates in ReelyArt Studio, so you can upload your own photo and get the same look.

How to use these prompts

There are two ways to run each look:

• Use the template. Each photo look below has a "Use this template" link. It opens Studio with the prompt and the model already set; you add your photo and press Generate.
• Copy the prompt. Paste it into Custom mode, attach your photo as the first image and pick the model named under the look. Edit any detail you like: the costume, the colors, the words on a poster.

The two text-to-image prompts at the end have a "Use this prompt" link that fills in the prompt and the model for you.

Every "before" photo here is itself AI-generated, so no real person's face appears in this post. The images were made at 2K and 3:4 with the same models that run in Studio:

Model	Looks	2K cost in Studio	Free plan
Nano Banana 2	Final girl, vampires, dog, cat	3 credits	Yes, at 1K and 2K
Nano Banana Pro	Family porch	5 credits	Paid plans
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst	Couple's horror poster	3 credits	Yes, at 1K
FLUX 3	Candle, charcuterie board	4 credits	Yes, at 768 and 1K
Ideogram 4.5	Potion bottle, party invite	3 credits (Medium)	Yes, at Low

People

1. The final girl, hiding

One selfie becomes a frozen moment from an 80s slasher film: she hides behind an overturned bunk bed in a summer-camp cabin while a red road flare burns on the dock outside. Opening with "A still frame from a 1981 horror film" sets the whole look before any detail arrives. The light does the rest: the red flare from one side, cold blue moonlight from the other. Placing her "in the lower left third" leaves the empty doorway most of the frame, and that empty space is where the tension comes from.

A still frame from a 1981 horror film, shot on 35mm Kodak film with an anamorphic lens. The woman from this photo, with exactly the same face, hair and features, hides inside a dark summer-camp cabin, crouched low behind an overturned bunk bed, one hand pressed over her own mouth to stay silent, eyes fixed on the doorway. Through the open screen door behind her, a red road flare burns on the wet wooden dock outside and its light spills across the floorboards; rain streaks the window. Her face is lit only by the red flare from one side and cold blue moonlight from the other. Off-center composition: she sits in the lower left third and the empty doorway fills the rest of the frame. Real film grain, soft halation around the flare, natural skin texture, no retouching. No blood, no visible villain, no text.

Model: Nano Banana 2. Use the Final Girl template

2. The vampire, the morning after

Instead of a costume, a moment: the vampire alone at the head of a wrecked banquet table, raising a glass of red wine to the candle while dawn shows in the window behind him. Naming the genre ("a prestige vampire drama") and the camera ("an ARRI Alexa with vintage Cooke lenses") pushes the image toward a film still. "The tip of one fang is just visible" keeps it to a hint, and "no fantasy glow" keeps it from looking like a game render.

A cinematic still from a prestige vampire drama. The man from this photo, with exactly the same face, skin tone, beard and features, sits alone at the head of a long banquet table after the party has ended. He wears an Edwardian black velvet dinner jacket over an open-collared shirt and a silver signet ring, and holds a crystal glass of dark red wine up to the candlelight, studying it with a slight smirk; the tip of one fang is just visible. Toppled candelabras, pools of melted wax, abandoned plates and a fallen chair fill the table. Behind him, a tall window shows the first cold blue light of dawn creeping in, the only cool tone in a warm amber room. Shot on an ARRI Alexa with vintage Cooke lenses from a low angle across the table: his face sharp, the foreground candles soft. Deep shadows, fine film grain, natural skin texture, no fantasy glow, no text.

Model: Nano Banana 2. Use the Vampire Morning After template

3. The couple's 70s horror movie poster

A park photo of a couple becomes a drive-in movie poster, title and tagline included. GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst spelled both lines correctly on the first try. Put every word you want on the poster in quotes and end with "No other text", so nothing else gets printed.

Turn the couple in this photo into the stars of a 1970s horror movie poster. Keep both of their faces exactly as they are. They stand close together at the edge of a moonlit cornfield, she holds a lantern, he looks over his shoulder at a dark farmhouse with one lit window on the horizon. Painted in the style of 70s drive-in movie posters: airbrushed illustration, rich orange and deep teal palette, worn paper texture with fold lines. Title across the top in big distressed serif letters: "SOMETHING IN THE CORN". Tagline under the title: "They should have stayed on the road." No other text. No gore.

Model: GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst. Use the Horror Movie Poster template

4. The family on the front porch

A couch photo of four people becomes a Halloween-night porch scene in matching witch and wizard costumes. With a group, say how many people there are: "keep the same number of people" guards against someone going missing or a stranger appearing. All four came back, in their own faces.

Put the family in this photo on the front porch of a classic American house on Halloween night. Keep every person's face, age and features exactly the same, and keep the same number of people. Everyone wears matching witch and wizard costumes: pointed hats and dark capes with orange lining. They are carving pumpkins together on the porch steps and laughing, the kids holding up a freshly carved jack-o'-lantern. A row of glowing jack-o'-lanterns, a cobweb-draped railing, dry autumn leaves and a string of warm orange lights. Blue dusk sky, warm candlelight on their faces, candid lifestyle photography, shallow depth of field.

Model: Nano Banana Pro. Use the Family Porch template

Pets

5. The trick-or-treating dog

A golden retriever on a living room floor heads out trick-or-treating in a witch hat and cape, candy bucket in its mouth. The camera sits low, at the dog's eye level, which is how pet photographers make a dog the hero of the frame.

Dress the dog in this photo in a Halloween costume and take it trick-or-treating. Keep the dog's breed, fur color and markings exactly the same. It wears a small black witch hat and a purple cape and carries a plastic pumpkin candy bucket in its mouth, trotting down a leafy suburban sidewalk at dusk. Front yards with carved pumpkins and fake gravestones, kids in homemade ghost and pumpkin costumes blurred in the background, glowing porch lights, fallen orange leaves. Low camera angle at the dog's eye level, warm golden-hour light, shallow depth of field, playful and photorealistic. The candy in the bucket is in plain, unbranded wrappers; no logos or readable text anywhere.

Our first run said only "kids in costumes", and one background kid came back as a well-known comic-book superhero. Naming the costumes ("homemade ghost and pumpkin costumes") fixed that, and the next run put a branded candy bar in the bucket. The last sentence of the prompt keeps the wrappers plain. Brands and licensed characters slip into the details you leave open.

Model: Nano Banana 2. Use the Trick-or-Treat Dog template

6. The witch's cat

An orange tabby on a sofa becomes a witch's familiar on an open spellbook, between candles and a crystal ball. Two light colors again: warm candles in front, a blue full moon behind. Nano Banana 2 labeled the potion bottles by itself ("Lunar Dew", "Dragon's Blood", "Mandrake"). Add "no text on the bottles" if you want them blank.

Turn the cat in this photo into a witch's familiar. Keep the cat's fur color, markings and eye color exactly the same. It sits on an old open spellbook on a wooden table, surrounded by melting candles, small glass potion bottles, dried herbs and a crystal ball. A full moon glows through the window behind it and soft wisps of smoke curl in the candlelight. The cat looks straight into the camera with calm, knowing eyes. Warm candlelight against deep blue moonlight, photorealistic, cozy and a little spooky.

Model: Nano Banana 2. Use the Witch's Cat template

Products

7. The candle in a fall scene

A plain photo of an amber candle jar on a kitchen counter becomes a seasonal listing photo: lit wick, small pumpkins, cinnamon sticks, low fog. The prompt names the lens ("100mm macro") and the genre ("home-fragrance advertising photography"), and FLUX 3 matched both. This is the shot to try on an Etsy or Shopify product before a fall sale.

Place the candle from this photo in a moody Halloween product scene. Keep the jar's shape, glass color and size exactly the same, with the wick lit and a soft flame. It stands on a dark weathered wooden table among small white and orange pumpkins, dried maple leaves, cinnamon sticks and a few scattered acorns. Low fog drifts across the table, warm candlelight glows through the amber glass, deep shadows fall behind. Dark, warm color palette, shot at eye level with a 100mm macro lens, shallow depth of field, premium home-fragrance advertising photography.

Model: FLUX 3. Use the Candle Shot template

8. The perfume as a potion

A perfume bottle on a white table becomes "Elixir No. 13" on an apothecary shelf, wrapped in green smoke. Ideogram 4.5 kept the bottle's shape and round cap and wrote the handwritten tag exactly as asked.

Turn the perfume bottle in this photo into a witch's potion. Keep the bottle's shape, cap, proportions and the pale gold color of the liquid exactly the same. It stands on a dusty shelf in an old apothecary, between antique glass jars, dried flowers and a brass scale. Glowing emerald green smoke rises from behind the bottle and curls around it, lit by a single candle. An aged parchment label tied to the neck with twine reads "Elixir No. 13" in handwritten ink. Dark, rich, cinematic product photography, emerald and gold palette.

The first run locked the shape and cap but not the liquid, and the green smoke turned the perfume green with it. For a real product that is a different product. Lock its color by name ("the pale gold color of the liquid"), as the prompt above does.

Model: Ideogram 4.5. Use the Potion Bottle template

Party

These two start from words alone.

9. The haunted house party invite

A screen-printed party poster with three blocks of text, all spelled correctly by Ideogram 4.5. Change the date, time and address inside the quotes and it is ready to send. Halloween falls on a Saturday this year.

Halloween house party invitation, vertical poster. A haunted Victorian house on a hill under a huge full moon, bats circling, glowing orange windows, bare twisted trees. Bold vintage horror lettering at the top: "HAUNTED HOUSE PARTY". Below the house: "Saturday, October 31 · 8 PM". Smaller at the bottom: "Costumes required · 13 Hollow Lane". Black, pumpkin orange and bone white palette, screen-printed poster texture, clean layout with plenty of space between text blocks.

Model: Ideogram 4.5. Use this prompt in Studio

10. The coffin charcuterie board

A coffin-shaped board with prosciutto roses, brie, grapes and cheese ghosts with olive eyes, shot from above. Every item on the board is named in the prompt, so you decide what is on it. Use it to plan a board before you buy anything, or as the picture on the invite.

Top-down photo of a Halloween charcuterie board on a dark slate table. A wooden board shaped like a coffin, filled with prosciutto roses, salami folded into fans, wedges of brie, black olives, blackberries, purple grapes, orange cheddar cubes, crackers, and small ghosts cut out of white cheese with olive-slice eyes. Mini pumpkins, a few candles and scattered fall leaves around the board. Soft directional window light from the left, rich textures, appetizing editorial food photography.

Model: FLUX 3. Use this prompt in Studio

Bonus: five more vampires

The morning-after vampire got five siblings, all on Nano Banana 2. The first four are built the same way: a genre line, a single moment, two light colors and a named camera. The fifth swaps the film still for a flash-lit party snapshot.

The letter by candlelight

A castle great hall late at night: she seals a letter with red wax over a candle and looks up mid-motion. "Looking up at the camera mid-motion" is what turns a posed portrait into a caught moment.

A cinematic still from a prestige vampire drama. The woman from this photo, with exactly the same face, hair and features, sits alone at the far end of a long oak table in the great hall of a medieval castle, late at night. She wears a high-collared black silk gown and dark garnet earrings, and is sealing a letter with red wax over a candle flame, looking up at the camera mid-motion with a calm, knowing half smile; the tip of one fang is just visible. Iron candelabras, a pewter goblet, scattered parchment and a cold roast left untouched. Behind her, a tall stone archway opens onto a dark corridor lit by a single wall torch; faint mist curls along the flagstones. Shot on an ARRI Alexa with vintage Cooke lenses from a low angle down the length of the table: her face sharp, the foreground candles soft. Warm amber candlelight against cool blue shadows, deep blacks, fine film grain, natural skin texture, no fantasy glow, no text.

Model: Nano Banana 2. Use the Vampire Letter template

The midnight pour

She pours wine at the head of a table set for twelve, every other chair empty, while the curtains lift in front of open balcony doors. The empty chairs tell a story in one line of the prompt.

A cinematic still from a prestige vampire drama. The woman from this photo, with exactly the same face, hair, freckles and features, stands at the head of a long candlelit banquet table in a Gothic castle dining hall at midnight, pouring dark red wine from a crystal decanter into a single goblet. She wears a deep crimson velvet gown with long sleeves and an antique silver choker; her head is tilted, eyes on the camera, lips parted in a slow smile that shows one fang. The table is set for twelve but every other chair is empty and pushed back. Tall balcony doors behind her stand open to a moonlit night, curtains lifting in the wind, fog drifting in across the stone floor. Shot on an ARRI Alexa with vintage Cooke lenses, medium shot from slightly below: her face sharp, the candle flames in the foreground soft. Warm candlelight on her face, cold silver moonlight on the curtains, fine film grain, natural skin texture, no fantasy glow, no text.

Model: Nano Banana 2. Use the Vampire Hostess template

The chess game in the storm

A tower study in a thunderstorm, a chess game against no one and a captured knight held up to the camera. Lightning in the window gives the cold rim light the prompt asks for.

A cinematic still from a prestige vampire drama. The man from this photo, with exactly the same face, hair, stubble and features, sits sideways in a carved high-backed chair at a small table in a castle tower study during a thunderstorm, playing chess alone by candlelight. He wears a dark charcoal frock coat over an untied black silk cravat and a loosened white shirt, one elbow on the chair arm, holding a captured ivory knight between two fingers and looking straight into the camera with a faint smirk; one fang catches the light. A half-empty goblet of dark red wine, dripping candles and an open pocket watch on the table. Behind him, a narrow arched window flashes white with distant lightning over a rain-soaked valley. Shot on an ARRI Alexa with vintage Cooke lenses at eye level across the chessboard: his face sharp, the foreground chess pieces soft. Warm candlelight, cold lightning rim light, deep shadows, fine film grain, natural skin texture, no fantasy glow, no text.

Model: Nano Banana 2. Use the Vampire Chess Game template

The first night

A newly turned vampire on his first night, sitting on the banquet table in a coat a size too big and grinning to show two brand-new fangs. "Half proud and half nervous" gives the face something to act.

A cinematic still from a prestige vampire drama: a newly turned young vampire on his first night in the castle. The young man from this photo, with exactly the same face, hair and features, sits on the edge of a long banquet table among the leftovers of a feast, boots resting on a chair. He wears an antique black velvet coat that is a little too big for him over a white ruffled shirt with an open collar, and holds a heavy silver goblet, grinning wide at the camera to show two brand-new fangs, half proud and half nervous. Melted candles, spilled grapes, a toppled silver candelabra and a cobwebbed iron chandelier with a few candles still burning. Behind him, a tall stained-glass window glows faintly with moonlight. Shot on an ARRI Alexa with vintage Cooke lenses from a low angle at the end of the table: his face sharp, the foreground candles soft. Warm amber candlelight against cool blue moonlight, deep shadows, fine film grain, natural skin texture, no fantasy glow, no text.

Model: Nano Banana 2. Use the Vampire First Night template

The flash-lit hotel bar

The odd one out: a flash-lit fashion snapshot instead of a film still. Direct on-camera flash, heavy grain and "slightly tilted framing like a party snapshot" make it look caught at 2 a.m., and the wine glass held over one eye tints half her face red.

A flash-lit fashion editorial photograph with a cinematic, slightly dangerous mood. The young woman from this photo, with exactly the same face, eyes and features and her long platinum-blonde wavy hair, sits at a cluttered dinner table late at night in a dark, old-fashioned hotel bar with deep burgundy walls and dim red lamps. She wears an oversized black suit jacket, a crisp white shirt with a loose black silk tie, thin gold-rimmed glasses and dark red lipstick. Pose: she leans toward the camera with one elbow on the table, her head tilted, and raises a glass of red wine at eye level so that the bowl of the glass covers one eye and tints that half of her face red; her other hand rests at her collarbone. She looks straight into the lens with a cool, magnetic half smile, lips slightly parted, the tip of one fang just visible. On the table: an ornate porcelain plate with a half-eaten slice of red velvet cake, a silver knife and tangled pearl necklaces. Behind her, a shelf of old dusty liquor bottles with plain blank labels and no writing, half lost in shadow. Direct on-camera flash: hard frontal light on her face and the table, glossy highlights on her skin and the glass, a crisp shadow on the wall behind her, everything beyond the flash falls into red-black darkness. Moody dark red and black palette. Shot on 35mm film with heavy visible grain, slightly tilted framing like a party snapshot. She is the only person in the frame. No text, no logos, no brand names, no watermark.

Model: Nano Banana 2. Use the Vampire Flash Bar template

Why these prompts work

• The lock comes first. Every photo prompt says what must not change, in the second sentence, before any costume or scene: the face, the breed and markings, the bottle's shape.
• Name the count and the color. "Keep the same number of people" held the family together; "the pale gold color of the liquid" kept the perfume itself.
• Two lights, two colors. A red flare against blue moonlight, cold dawn in a warm room, moonlight behind candles. Two colored lights read as Halloween night with no blood or monsters in the frame.
• Words in quotes, then "No other text". Posters and tags came back spelled right, with nothing extra.
• Close the open details. "Kids in costumes" let a licensed superhero in and an unnamed candy came back branded. Naming the costumes and asking for "plain, unbranded wrappers" kept both out.

Make them yours

Swap the nouns and keep the structure. The final girl prompt works for anyone once you change "woman" to fit. The dog prompt works for a cat with a smaller hat, and the candle prompt works for a mug, a jar of jam or a bar of soap. For more on lighting a product, see lens flare and sunlight in AI product photos. To change a prompt's camera, the camera angles guide has a line for each shot.