Heidi Klum
Heidi Klum

NEW YORK — Heidi Klum has once again lived up to her reputation as the queen of Halloween, this time transforming into a giant, gruesome severed hand.

The supermodel and TV host unveiled the costume Saturday night, Oct. 31, at her 25th annual Halloween party, held at Cathédrale at the Moxy East Village hotel in New York City.

Her own left hand

The costume was modeled after Klum's own left hand. It featured long red nails, her thumb ring, her engagement ring and wedding band, and even a tattoo of the name of her husband, musician Tom Kaulitz.

Klum's face appeared near the bloodied wrist, with blood dripping from her mouth. The top of the hand ended in a gory mix of dangling ligaments, tendons and bone, designed to make it look freshly severed.

Klum said the idea came to her last year when she looked at her hand and thought she might be able to fit her body inside a giant version of it.

Months in the making

Klum created the costume with her longtime collaborator, special effects makeup artist Mike Marino.

She said it took about five to six hours to get into the costume on the day of the party, while the costume itself took about five months to create.

The look was heavy and difficult to maneuver. "Hands down, the hardest thing is carrying it," Klum told The Associated Press.

Husband absent

Kaulitz, who often joins Klum in elaborate couples costumes, did not attend this year because he was on tour.

Klum said the hand would have made a great couples costume. Speaking to USA Today, she joked that if her husband had been there, he could have dressed as the other hand. "He could have been my right hand!" she said.

Klum's daughter Leni noted that her mother had incorporated her actual wedding ring into the costume's jewelry.

A Halloween tradition

Klum's annual party has become one of the most anticipated events of the Halloween season, with fans eagerly waiting each year to see her latest transformation.

She began hosting the party about 25 years ago and has since become known for over-the-top costumes that often require hours of prosthetic makeup.

Last year, she dressed as Medusa, the mythological monster, complete with a headpiece of writhing snakes, while Kaulitz went as an ancient Greek soldier turned to stone. In previous years, she has transformed into a giant worm, a peacock, E.T., Fiona from "Shrek" and Jessica Rabbit.

Klum teased her 2026 costume for weeks on social media, telling fans it would be "very, very bloody."

Star-studded guest list

The party, presented by Apothic and Butterfinger, drew celebrity guests in their own elaborate costumes, including Questlove.

Elsewhere in Hollywood, other stars also went big for Halloween, with Zendaya channeling Halle Berry's look from an "X-Men" premiere and Lisa Rinna recreating Kylie Jenner's style.

A busy career

Klum, a former Victoria's Secret model, is known for hosting the fashion competition series "Project Runway," which she returned to last year after leaving in 2018. She previously hosted the show for 16 seasons. She also co-created and hosted Prime Video's "Making the Cut" with Tim Gunn.

With her 25th Halloween party now behind her, fans are already wondering how Klum will top a giant severed hand next year.