How Did Heidi Klum Become Medusa for Halloween? (Hint: It Took Six Months)

Happy Halloween! It’s not officially All Hallows’ Eve until Heidi Klum unveils her costume, and tonight, the supermodel debuted her highly anticipated look in New York City. Drumroll, please: For her 24th annual Heidiween party, Klum slithered onto the Hard Rock Hotel red carpet dressed as… Medusa! “I look forward to Halloween all year,” Klum told Vogue shortly before arriving at the event. “I have been doing this for 24 years, and hope I can do it forever. Every year, I get more inspired and more enthusiastic. It is just a perfect day to be silly, dress up, dance with friends, be creative, and eat candy!”

Year after year, Klum keeps fans guessing as to what she’ll dress up as: She has arrived as Jessica Rabbitt, a peacock, E.T., and a notoriously-creepy worm. This year, she switched things up yet again, and was inspired to reinterpret a mythological Greek figure. “I wanted to explore the classic monsters of history, and reimagine one in a modern way,” says Klum. “Medusa stood out to me as truly iconic—mysterious yet ferocious. The legend of her turning humans to stone has fascinated audiences for centuries. In museums, countless paintings and sculptures depict her haunting power, a testament to how terrifying and compelling she remains.”

The hand-painted costume—which required nine hours in the makeup chair—features extraordinary details, like moving mechanical snakes placed atop Klum’s head. “I love that all of the snakes move independently—they look so real,” says Klum. “I also have a custom split snake tongue that is just next level. I love a challenge, so I am always striving to outdo myself from the years before.”

Photo: Getty Images

This was no last minute choice for Klum, who is known to plan her outlandish costumes years in advance. For her serpentine-chic look this evening, however, Klum did get a later start than usual. “But we still had few months to work on it,” she says. Around April, when the idea struck, Klum called up her close friend Mike Marino—the special effects artist who she works with every year—to make her vision a reality. “He immediately said, ‘Hell yeah!,’” says Klum. “He is a great collaborator, because he can not only bring the costume to life, but also comes up with ideas to make it even bigger and better.”

Of course, it was not just Klum and Marino who worked on the eerie design. It took more than 15 people and six months to create the end result. “Mike and his team are so respected in the industry—they have a bunch of Oscar nominations, and an Emmy award for The Penguin,” says Klum. Though they are a widely skilled group of artists, Klum says her favorite part of working with her dream team is their unbridled enthusiasm for the macabre: Every year, they are able to match her freak. “At their heart, they are just kids going wild with a box of crayons,” says Klum. “They bring so much creativity and artistry and wonder. I love working with them.”

Klum with husband Tom Kaulitz

Photo: Getty Images

Klum will be spending the evening partying with ghosts and ghouls at her star-studded Halloween bash. “I made sure that I can dance in my costume,” assures Klum, “because my friend Questlove is deejaying, and I am ready to shake this rattlesnake tail!” In addition to her splashy debut, Klum is also looking forward to seeing what her friends and other gusts dress up as. “Every year, I am stunned at the amazing costumes that they all create, and really appreciate that they put in so much effort,” says Klum. (No lazy costumes allowed.) “They all inspire me and are a reason why I do this. I started this party to make people happy, and it thrills me that, all of these years later, I am still bringing smiles to so many people. Happy Halloween!”