‘KPop Demon Hunters’ to take over the streets this Halloween

Eight-year-old Betsy Schruder poses for a portrait in her Halloween costume as Zoey from Netflix's "KPop Demon Hunters," in Toronto, on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan

Earlier this year, eight-year-old Betsy Schruder had a tough decision to make: Glinda, Benson Boone, or Zoey from “KPop Demon Hunters”?

Ultimately, her choice was clear: she’d join the legions of kids dressing up as characters from Netflix’s runaway hit this Halloween, donning black space buns, a turquoise tank top and purple pants to embody the bubbly popstar-by-day, demon slayer-by-night.

“I like how she sometimes turns into cartoons and when she cries out popcorn,” Betsy says by way of explanation.

Though Betsy has seen “KPop Demon Hunters” fewer times than some of her peers -- a paltry twice -- she knows all the songs by heart and regularly watches clips online.

The film, which was written and co-directed by Toronto’s Maggie Kang, follows Rumi, Zoey and Mira, a trio of young women who balance their day jobs as the K-pop group Huntr/x with their demon-hunting alter egos.

When the band members face off against demon boy band the Saja Boys, Rumi is forced to confront her true identity.

Since hitting Netflix back in June, the streaming platform says it’s become its most-watched film. The soundtrack has also broken into the mainstream, with the song “Golden” spending weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.

Meanwhile, Saja Boys’ “Your Idol” hit No. 1 on the U.S. Spotify chart, surpassing BTS as the highest-charting male K-pop act in the platform’s history.

The seasonal retailer Spirit Halloween last month listed “KPop Demon Hunters” as the trendiest costume of the year, followed by “Wicked”-themed looks. Meanwhile, Netflix aimed to cash in on some of the Halloween by sending the animated film to theatres for special sing-a-long showings across the U.S. and Canada between Oct. 31 and Nov. 2.

Betsy’s mom Katelyn Schruder says this is the first year her daughter was decisive about her costume. Typically, she wavers until the last minute.

Betsy anticipates being one of several Zoeys in her class, and she expects to see some Rumis too. The question is whether they’ll all be wearing the same outfit.

Betsy will wear Zoey’s turquoise tank top to school, and then for trick-or-treating she’ll add a fuzzy yellow bucket hat and bomber jacket that Schruder customized to match the outfit Zoey wears when she first sees the Saja Boys.

Schruder says she also had to get creative with the hair. The online shops were fresh out of Zoey wigs, so she purchased one for another popular character’s costume: Wednesday Addams. She twisted the braids into space buns to match Zoey’s signature style.

Six-year-old Reese Chow, who lives north of Toronto and has seen “KPop Demon Hunters” at least 10 times, also considered dressing up as Zoey.

“But I didn’t want bangs,” she explains.

She opted for Rumi instead, and her mom Renata Leung consulted with other parents to find links to a costume she could order online -- complete with purple hair extensions for the character’s long braid.

Then, she studied TikTok tutorials to figure out how to braid the purple strands into her daughter’s black hair convincingly.

In previous years, Leung says her daughter has dressed up as princesses: Rapunzel, Elsa and Cinderella.

She says Rumi was a “refreshing” change -- and an emotional one.

“It’s a character that takes a lot of control,” she says. “And, for a mom, it’s like a little bit of the princess era being sprinkled away. She’s growing into a new childhood age that I’m having a bit of a hard time grasping.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2025.

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press