In pictures: 20 years of Halloween costumes on the New York subway

Famously overcrowded with seemingly some of the most eclectic people alive, New York’s fast-paced nature has never managed to dissuade millions of people from flocking to build a life there every year. In 1989, German photographer Seymour Licht followed his heart and ended up in NYC, after meeting a born-and-bred New Yorker who eventually became his wife. Describing it as “energising, innovative and overwhelming”, the city has been his home ever since.

Regardless of someone’s background or purpose, there is one place that brings all native New Yorkers, city transplants and tourists together – the subway. Buried up to 180 feet underground, the MTA subway, while efficient, is incredibly chaotic and often feels like a separate, subterranean world as opposed to an extension of the city.

In 2003, Licht was on his way to the Halloween parade in Greenwich Village when he saw a person dressed as Iron Man use all his human force to try to keep the subway doors open. Once he arrived at the parade, his field of vision was obscured by the swarm of photographers so he decided to focus his attention on the obscure encounters he had previously witnessed underground. The following year, Licht skipped the parade altogether and began to point his lens entirely towards the people travelling underground. While it was equally as vibrant as the parades, the subway gave Licht a more intimate look at the city’s underworld and the people who make it.

Now, two decades later, Licht has curated a book with his favourite images over the years. Released this month, Halloween Underground, documents both Halloween and the Day of the Dead on the subway. “Most people dislike being photographed on the subway. You risk being yelled at or even being accosted,” he explained, discussing the experience of photographing on the subway. “But on Halloween, people in New York generally are in a party mood and welcome being admired for their costume or being photographed.”

His favourite image from the collection, “Double Doll”, depicts an optical illusion costume that shows a big doll holding a smaller doll with a human face. “It is such a clever costume; you really must do a double-take to figure it out,” he explained. “I love that both dolls’ eyes are closed as if they are sleeping. This peaceful portrait serves as a wonderful contrast to some of the other photographs that feature the traditional blood and gore associated with the holiday.” Other images feature different incarnations of Catwoman, fallen angels, Carrie, aliens, astronauts with vacant stares and even an appearance from Frankenstein.

In one, a nun with a terrifying, hollow face stands with a companion on the train platform. Licht originally saw just the nun on a platform on Union Square but as he caught up with her to ask her to be in a photograph, she was suddenly joined by a skull bride holding a bouquet of flowers. “It was totally spontaneous,” he explains. “Both the nun and the corpse bride are characters from horror movies. I think they look great together. People in New York can be playful, and they can surprise you. I love that about the city.” With a city as hectic as New York, it can be difficult to find a sense of stillness and be centred. “I can get inspired by slowing down and just watching the diversity of people go by on a street corner,” Licht explains on finding inspiration in the city. 

While the book highlights the intricacies and lengths people go to transform themselves during Halloween, Licht’s hope for the images is to reflect a sense of joy that can come from the innocent act of dressing up. “I hope that people will enjoy looking at the outburst of human creativity which is really the engine of this behemoth of a city. People have an innate drive to play. I believe that ‘grown-ups’ do not play enough. Play provides stress relief, and creativity makes us happy,” he explained. “Every adult has an inner child. This child needs to come out sometimes, be playful and wild – in a good way. I wish that people open the book and feel as if they fell down a rabbit hole like Alice in Wonderland. I invite them to partake in a journey the outcome of which is uncertain. I wanted it to be edgy, preposterous, comical, and fun.”

Visit the gallery above for a closer look.

Halloween Underground is out now and available here.

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