Heidi Klum unveiled an 8-foot-tall, hyper-realistic replica of her own severed left hand at her 25th annual Halloween party, proving why she has held the title of 'Queen of Halloween' for more than 25 years.
The supermodel's annual transformations have become legendary. In 2022, she stripped away her human form to become a giant, ultra-realistic earthworm. In 2024, she teamed up with her husband Tom Kaulitz for a pair of advanced, motorised animatronic E.T. suits. Her 2015 Jessica Rabbit transformation was equally intense, recreating the cartoon's exaggerated proportions with the help of a team of Oscar-winning prosthetic artists.
A Hand Built with Gruesome Detail
This year, for her 25th annual Halloween bash, Klum transformed into the severed hand, designed alongside special effects make-up artist Mike Marino. The costume was packed with surprising details, including micro-replicated jewellery featuring precise replicas of Klum's real-life pieces, such as a thumb ring she has worn for 15 years and her exact diamond engagement ring.
There was also a hidden romantic tribute, as the team replicated her finger tattoo of her husband's name, "Tom", onto the costume's ring finger because he was away on tour, the Independent reported.
Months of Sculpting and Engineering
Marino's team reportedly 3D-scanned Klum's actual hand to mimic every vein, palm line, crevice and joint. Rather than walking normally, she scurried across the red carpet on the tips of her giant, lacquered red fingernails, evoking "Thing" from The Addams Family.
The wrist portion exposed dangling, blood-soaked ligaments and white bone sticking out. Klum's actual eyes and mouth peeked directly out from the centre palm of the hand, letting her stick her blood-covered tongue out at photographers.
The Costume's Long Timeline
Klum conceptualised the giant hand a year before her 2025 Medusa costume, but when she pitched it to Marino he reportedly told her he had to finish Medusa first. Marino later said it took months of intricate sculpting, 3D scanning, moulding and engineering, calling it "one of the most elaborate costumes ever made".
On Halloween day itself, it reportedly took a team of roughly 15 prosthetic artists between five and six hours to paint Klum, apply the gory facial prosthetics, and secure her inside the enormous structure.
