Heidi Klum Arrives at Her 25th Halloween Party as a Severed Human Hand

Heidi Klum marked the 25th anniversary of her annual Halloween party dressed as a realistic severed human hand. The supermodel, now the defining figure of celebrity Halloween, returned with one of her most unnerving looks yet.

Klum has built her reputation on prosthetic-heavy, transformation-costumes that often require a small production team. The severed hand continues that pattern: lifelike detail, full-body commitment, and a single night of use.

What did last year's costume involve?

The 2024 party featured Klum as Medusa, complete with a headpiece of writhing snakes and a trailing tail. Her husband, musician Tom Kaulitz, appeared as an ancient Greek soldier she had turned to stone.

Klum told Variety at the 2025 event that a team of 15 artists created the Medusa costume. That figure translates to more than half a full crew of a stage production, working on a single outfit.

Asked about the elaborate look, she said: "This is only good for the night. Tonight. Everything goes down the drain, so to speak, in the shower."

Why does Klum insist on live spectacle?

Klum frames her Halloween parties as a defense of in-person, physical showmanship in a digitized entertainment culture. "There still needs to be people that create moments with real people … to me, it's like a beautiful art," she told Variety.

Her argument: a costume built by hand, worn once and washed off, carries a value that screen-based spectacle cannot replicate.

What are her most memorable past costumes?

The 2025 edition marks 25 consecutive years of the party. Past looks include:

• E.T. from Steven Spielberg's film
• Fiona from "Shrek"
• Jessica Rabbit
• The werewolf from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video
• A peacock
• A worm
• A butterfly

The range runs from Hollywood characters to pure creature concepts, with the worm costume ranking among her most-discussed appearances.

What else has Klum done this year?

Earlier in 2025, Klum hosted the 22nd season of "Project Runway," serving as a judge alongside Nina Garcia and Law Roach. She returned to the fashion competition in 2024 after leaving in 2018. Before that exit, she had hosted 16 seasons since the show's 2004 debut on Bravo — a 14-year first run.

Klum also co-created a second fashion competition, "Making the Cut," with longtime collaborator Tim Gunn. The Prime Video series launched in 2020 and ran for three seasons.

The takeaway: Klum treats Halloween as a yearly commission in performance art, spending artist teams and single-night materials on costumes she destroys by morning. With 25 editions now behind her, the party has outlasted both of her television competition series combined.