How I built a Helen costume from Death Becomes Her with a real, working hole through my stomach, using two tablets, two webcams, a little sewing and some liquid latex.
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This Helen costume puts a working hole through your stomach. Two tablets and two webcams show what's behind you on the front, and what's in front of you on the back. It's my favorite thing I've ever worn to a Halloween party, and it's easier to build than it looks.
If you've seen Death Becomes Her (1992), you know the scene. Madeline shoots Helen with a shotgun and she falls into the pool. Then Helen rises back up, soaking wet with mascara running, and there's a clean hole straight through her middle that you can see right through. It was a one-of-a-kind effect in 1992, and it still holds up.
Most versions of this costume use a printed photo of a background. A printed photo only works in one spot. This version uses live video, so the hole stays "see-through" wherever you walk, and people will follow you around trying to figure it out.
Everyone at the party who had seen the movie recognized my costume instantly. And even the people who hadn't seen it thought it was super cool that they could see right through me!
A Three-Year Winning Streak (and How It Ended)
For the three years before this one, I won our neighborhood costume contest.
1. The Big Bad Wolf Carrying Little Red Riding Hood in a Box
2. Headless Marie Antoinette
3. The Magician's Assistant from Beetlejuice
This year I came in second. To my own husband.
He went as Mrs. Doubtfire, in a costume I literally threw together with thrift store finds and a wig. He worked the room so well, and it was so out of character for him, that he stole my votes. Almost everyone agreed my costume was by far the coolest, but votes are votes.
You can actually spot him in my main photo above: look through the hole in my stomach and he's on the other side of the deck.
At a Glance
- Difficulty: Intermediate (basic sewing plus a basic tech setup)
- Build time: A couple of hours, once you have working gear
- Battery life: 4+ hours on a full charge
- Skills: Straight-line sewing, working with liquid latex, installing an app
Materials and Tools
Tech
- 2 Amazon Fire HD tablets (they don't have to be new; see the tip in Step 1)
- 2 USB webcams (you'll strip off the base and cover; their cables are long enough to reach around your side)
- 2 USB to USB-C adapters (the webcams have a standard USB plug, and the Fire tablets take USB-C)
- Full HD Endoscope, Borescope app PRO from the Amazon Appstore (lets the Fire tablets show a USB webcam)
Harness and pouches
- Canvas fabric (I used this because I already had it on hand, but any canvas will work)
- Clear vinyl, for the pouch windows (plus a scrap for the wound step)
- Velcro tape, to close the top of each pouch
- 1 inch elastic, for the waist straps
- Webbing and adjustable slide clips, for the shoulder straps
- 3/8 inch elastic, for the loops inside the sweater that hold the cameras and cables
Wound
- Liquid latex
- Paint brush
- Black nail polish
- Optional: red paint or nail polish for a fresher-looking wound
Costume
- Red sweater (I used one I already owned; this one is similar)
- Black leggings and black heels (I used my own)
- Mascara
Tools
- Sewing machine, scissors or a rotary cutter, pins or clips, measuring tape
How the Illusion Works
The trick is crossed video feeds: each tablet shows the live view from the camera on the opposite side of your body. The screen on your stomach shows the room behind you, and the screen on your back shows the room in front of you.
Front webcam (points forward) → plugs into the back tablet → people behind you see what's in front of you
Back webcam (points backward) → plugs into the front tablet → people in front of you see what's behind you
Because the feed is live, the "hole" keeps working as you move. Anyone looking at you sees the world behind you, right where your stomach should be.
Step 1: Set Up the Tablets and Webcams
Get the tech working on a table before you build anything around it. It's much easier to fix a cable problem now than once it's sewn in.
Finding webcams that actually worked with the tablets took me weeks of testing. Everything in the materials list is what finally worked, so you can skip that part!
Tip: you don't need two new tablets. I bought one new Fire HD and borrowed my daughter's Kids Fire tablet. I switched it to an adult profile and took it out of its kids case so it would fit the pouch.
- Get the tablets ready to show a USB webcam. I used Amazon Fire HD tablets with the Full HD Endoscope, Borescope app PRO and a USB to USB-C adapter on each webcam cable. It's sold as an endoscope app, but it works with ordinary USB webcams too. That's the trick if a search for "webcam app" comes up empty.
- Install the app on both tablets and turn off auto-lock and screen timeout.
- Cross the cables. Plug the front-facing webcam into the back tablet, and the back-facing webcam into the front tablet. Run the webcam cables around your side, not over your shoulder, so they stay short and hidden.
- Strip each webcam down. I unscrewed the base and removed the outer cover so only the bare camera was left, which keeps it small and flat. The cameras don't attach to the tablets; they get held in place inside the sweater with elastic loops (see Step 2).
- Set the app to full screen and flip or mirror the image if needed so the view lines up with the real world behind you.
- Test the illusion. Stand in front of a mirror or have someone take a photo. Adjust the zoom so objects on screen look about the same size as they do in real life.
Step 2: Build the Harness and Pouches
The harness holds a tablet flat against your front and back, at the same height, without sagging after a few hours.
- Measure your tablets. No pattern needed: make each piece just barely bigger than the tablet on all sides, plus a couple of extra inches at the top for the Velcro closure. If your tablets aren't the exact same size, just measure each one separately and sew the pouches to different sizes.
- Cut a canvas back panel and a clear vinyl front panel for each pouch. The vinyl window protects the screen while keeping it visible.
- Sew each pouch with basic straight seams down both sides and across the bottom. Leave the top open so you can slide the tablet in and out to charge it, and add a strip of Velcro tape across the opening to keep it closed.
- Leave a small cable slot at the side of each pouch for the webcam cable.
- Make the straps. I used 1 inch elastic around the waist so the pouches sit snug against your body. Then I added webbing shoulder straps with adjustable slide clips that go over the shoulders and cross in the back. Together they keep the screens from shifting as you move.
- Attach the pouches so the two screens sit at exactly the same height, front and back. Try it on with the tablets inside before final stitching.
Tip: Vinyl can stick to itself and to the presser foot. A strip of tissue paper or a Teflon foot helps.
Mount the cameras inside the sweater. The cameras aren't attached to the tablets. Each camera peeks out through its own small camera hole, cut directly above the big screen hole (see Step 3), so it sits just above the top of the tablet. On the inside of the sweater, sew little 3/8 inch elastic loops to the left and right of each camera hole to hold the camera snugly in place. Then sew a few loops along the inside side seams and run the cables through them. This keeps the cables from tangling or slipping out as you move.
Stitch the harness into the sweater. Since the cameras live in the sweater and are already plugged into the tablets, it's much easier to keep everything together. I added a couple of stitches to tack the harness shoulder straps to the inside of the sweater so the whole rig stays perfectly in place, and the entire costume goes on in one piece.
Step 3: Make the Wound
The latex edge is what turns "a tablet on a sweater" into "a hole through Helen." It frames the screen, hides the edge of the sweater cut-out, and disguises the camera lens.
Heads up: some people are allergic to latex. If you're not sure, test a small dab on your skin first.
- Cut the holes in the sweater, front and back. Cut a big hole a little smaller than the screen, then a small camera hole directly above it, close enough that both will fit inside the wound outline. No need to finish the cut edges; the liquid latex seals them as it dries.
- Slip a piece of clear vinyl inside the sweater behind the holes. It keeps the latex from soaking through the knit or dripping into the holes.
- Brush liquid latex onto the front around both holes with a paint brush, so the camera hole ends up inside the wound. Leave the holes open so the screen shows through and the camera can see out. Let it dry about 30 minutes.
- Repeat on the back, then let everything dry about an hour.
- Paint both wounds with black nail polish to give them depth, darkest toward the center. The black around the small camera hole is what hides the camera lens, so don't skimp there. Add red accents if you want a fresher look.
Step 4: Final Assembly
- Charge both tablets to 100%.
- Slide the tablets into their pouches and plug in the cameras (they're already in the sweater, so it's all one rig).
- Start the app on both tablets.
- Put the whole thing on at once, just like pulling on a sweater. No separate harness to strap on first!
- Check from the front and back with a phone camera, and adjust the slide clips if the screens don't line up with the holes.
- Finish Helen's just-out-of-the-pool look: black leggings and heels, wet hair (I kept mine wet all night), and mascara running down your face.
Troubleshooting and Tips
- Screen goes dark: Turn off auto-lock and battery saver, and keep the app in the foreground.
- Battery dies early: Start with both tablets at 100%. Mine lasted the whole 4-hour party with charge to spare.
- Image looks too big or too small: Adjust the zoom in the app.
- Image is backwards: Use the app's mirror/flip setting.
- Feed freezes: Reseat the cable and the USB-C adapter, and check the cable hasn't slipped out of its side-seam loops.
- Tablets get warm: This was never an issue for me, but if yours do, leave a little air gap in the pouch and take breaks with the screens off.
- Illusion looks off from the side: It works best straight on, so pose square to the camera for photos.
FAQ
How do you get a webcam to work on a Fire tablet?
With a USB to USB-C adapter and the Full HD Endoscope, Borescope app PRO. It's sold as an endoscope app, but it works with ordinary USB webcams.
Do I need to buy two new tablets?
No. I bought one Fire HD and reused my daughter's Kids Fire tablet. I switched it to an adult profile and took it out of its case.
Do both tablets have to be identical?
No. Mine were two different versions. Each tablet works independently, showing only the camera plugged into it, so it doesn't matter which ones you use.
Can I use phones instead of tablets?
I thought phones were too small. The edges of the screen have to be hidden behind the wound to keep the effect believable, which cuts down how much of the screen shows through the hole, and a phone just wasn't big enough.
Do I have to use Fire tablets?
Fire tablets are the only ones I tested, but any tablet with a USB-C connection that can download apps should work.
How long does the battery last?
Both tablets started at 100% and lasted my whole 4-hour party with charge to spare.
How long does it take to make?
A couple of hours once you have the right gear. Finding webcams that worked took me weeks, which is why I've linked exactly what I used.
Do I need a sewing pattern?
No. The pouches are rectangles cut just barely bigger than the tablet, sewn with straight seams on the sides and bottom.
Do I need to finish the sweater's cut edges?
No. The liquid latex seals them as it dries.
Is it comfortable?
Totally! Unlike some of my previous costumes, I could dance, sit and go to the bathroom without any issues. It was the most freedom of movement I've had in a costume in a really long time.
Can you sit down in it?
Yes, no problem at all.
If you make your own Helen, I'd love to see it! Leave a comment and tell me how it turned out.
More DIY Halloween Costumes
- Illusion Costume: The Big Bad Wolf Carrying Little Red Riding Hood
- Headless Marie Antoinette Costume
- My Magician's Assistant from Beetlejuice Costume
This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through one of my links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog and allowing me to continue sharing projects and ideas!
MagpieTayleetot is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. All items used in this tutorial were purchased by me and I did not receive anything in exchange for this post.
