This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s summer intern
Olivia Charlson. Find her on Instagram at @olivialee2000. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.

Run for your lives! Live-action is killing the content we once held near and dear to our hearts. Maybe that’s a bit melodramatic — but I’m not the only one distressed after seeing the new live-action Monster High movie trailer and character posters. I don’t doubt that some actors and crew are going to bring some fun elements to the movie, but someone on that costume crew must have had their head screwed on too loose or the blood sucked out from under them! I’ve seen countless comparisons all over Youtube and Tiktok of cosplayers shown next to the new looks for the movie and they’re much better. It makes fans wonder why the styling had to wander so far from the original designs. I never thought I would be wishing our childhood 2010 fashion options back into place. Here are my rankings of the new designs for our favorite “ghoul friends” from best to worst.

Frankie

I think Frankie looks kind of cute here. Their design in the movie doesn’t seem to be too awful, it just seems lazy and kind of cheap. The original designs on the show had a ton of detail! Where are the bolts? Why is the blue makeup such a different shade than the rest of the series and dolls? I think the redesigns were intended to be family-friendly, but the original blue plaid skirt could have just been longer. Overall I’m not mad, just disappointed.

Cleo

I would’ve liked to see a better update for Cleo’s costume. The cartoon version would have been hard to fully recreate and make cute at the same time. I get that. But I still think her skirt is bad, the hair is awkward and the jewelry was a second thought. They should have just played on the original color scheme more.

Draculaura

Why is this outfit so … boring? Draculaura in the series gives people the most room to play with because it’s such a feminine style with so much gothic detail. A split dye and a black dress is uncreative. The outfits could be modernized in a cool way. Ditching the vest in the original for a Lolita style or long-sleeved corset would maybe make up for the character being changed for the worst.

Clawdeen

I guess I shouldn’t expect much from a reboot. At this point, the styles are completely different ideas than any of the original animations. But come on! I wanted more. The nerdy hot topic vibes of this outfit just don’t work (and I still shop there). The original costume had the tacky early 2000’s animal print and fur, but these pieces put together in this version screams cheap. Also, you can not throw glasses on an outfit in order to change how people perceive the character. Double also, I’ve seen countless cosplayers able to pull off the teeth and the ears for Clawdeen while the movie could not.

Lagoona

This was my first view of this movie. Lagoona’s costume is blinding and painful to look at. It looks like someone bought it at Claires or Justice. Yes, again, this movie is supposed to draw in a younger audience as opposed to my 21-year-old butt. However, who looked at this new design and thought it would draw more people in to have the characters so watered down? The original hidden scales, fishnets and accessories throughout the costume added to the character. There are ways to modernize characters without gutting them.

This movie is a hot mess. It is fun to follow the drama — I’ll admit. But I’m even more disappointed at this than the Winx remake. I can hardly keep from squirming watching the characters sing in the teasers. Putting aside all of the other production, this movie makes me wonder where cinema styling is heading. Are we going to see better character reimaginings in the future or are we doomed for fashion designed for money grabs and hate-watching?

Do you have any thoughts on the new Monster High movie costumes? Comment below!

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