Easy to go as a witch doctor and not have to worry…just wear a long white coat, a stethescope a witch’s hat, paint your face green…big nose wart and a broom
Why? In my view, that changes it from a costume to a cartoon, and is not an improvement.
I get that the skeleton thing ties in to the mood of witchcraft/black* arts/hobnobbing with death. It’s just that I think the rest of the outfit you described is pretty good for representing a witch doctor. You’ve done a good job of assembling the stereotypes and symbols. Most people will get it and you won’t be hearing “what are you supposed to be?” all night long. But adding the body suit takes it over the top to an “everything but the kitchen sink” approach and weakens the impact rather than strengthens it. Sometimes less is more.
*Akin to black magic, nothing to do with ethnicity.
Isn’t a costume a sometimes absurd caricature? Isn’t the whole idea to dress as a caricature for the evening? I went as a Blazing Saddles KKK member one year, complete with “Have a Nice Day” and smiley face. Being that I’m not a KKK member in real life, people recognized it as an absurd costume. If I was a KKK member, then it would have been the same thing I wore to work every day and not “stepping out” at all.
I don’t see the problem with it. Sounds like a good costume.
There are at least two race-neutral alternatives:
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Spray your hair with deodorant and go as an armpit.
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Procure dark glasses, sandals, and a volleyball and go as a nudist. A fanny pack with car keys and a bottle of Coppertone will add another nice nuance to the ensemble!
When I think of witch doctors, I always think of Dr. Bombay.
Actually, I’d love to have as my PCP, someone who is an MD and an actual ‘witch doctor’. That would be cool. 
The area for offense, in my opinion, is that Western society’s main view of a witch doctor, from B movies and everything else, is based on a grave misunderstanding of the religions of other people, and stubborn insistence on not correcting any misconceptions because the other religions are not that important. It’s a mish-mash of a bunch of different religions and spiritual traditions, and coincidentally (hmm), those traditions come from cultures that aren’t white. Almost as if it doesn’t even matter if we lump them all together.
I get that most people having fun with a witch doctor stereotype are basing in on things like the 1958 pop song, and the Scooby Doo episode where a witch doctor crashes a luau (spoiler: he wasn’t really a witch doctor). The problem to me is that it’s one of the only portrayals of these religions. Other kinds of stereotypical costumes aren’t troublesome in the same way – a Mad Scientist is also based on scary/creepy/funny images in movies and literature … but in our culture, we have tons of other representations of scientists, and we understand that most scientists are real, regular people who go to work every day. I think most – not all, but most – people in the US would be hard-pressed to provide a lot of factual information about the cultures and traditional spiritual beliefs of the people that the witch doctor stereotypes are based upon. It’s hard for me to separate the typical lack of knowledge about these cultures with the reality of how the people in these cultures were treated by the West for so long (as ignorant, as laughable, as less civilized than Western cultures).
So while I wouldn’t call it the most racist thing I’ve ever encountered, a witch doctor costume with no context strikes me as a little basic and unaware.
I’ve made a little flowchart:
– Actual disregard for non-white people from other cultures that resulted in actual harm to those people leads to a general ignorance of their cultural traditions.
– A general ignorance of their cultural traditions leads to the creation of scary/creepy/funny yet inaccurate stereotypes in books and movies.
– Scary/creepy/funny yet inaccurate stereotypes in books and movies leads to Halloween costumes.
So some people look at the Halloween costumes as only calling back to the books and movies. These people are probably not offended, that’s fine. I get the aesthetic, I do!
Other people look at the Halloween costume as one of a series of outcomes that you can’t just break away from the chain. This is where some folks might question the costume choice. I don’t think they’re irrational, and I think even if you personally don’t have this view, it’s reasonable to expect that some people you encounter might feel this way.
You could add a bone in your nose and go as Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. (One of my favourite musicians)
Pretty much every Halloween costume these days is racist or cultural appropriation. There still are a few safe choices though.
So maybe go as a ghost like this one here:
I can’t hear the word ‘constipation’ without thinking of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. 
Costumes are based on exaggerated ideas. Modern nuns don’t really look like this either. On the plus side, it’s hard to screw up “black clothes, white collar” when doing a priest.
What if the OP was to go as a “Sexy Witch Doctor”? All bets are off then.
According to Wiki, there seems to be many types (and skin colors) of Witch Doctors.
*Witchcraft and magic
Types
African witchcraft (Vodun · Witch smeller)
Asian witchcraft (Kulam · Onmyōdō)
Australasian witchcraft (Makutu)
European witchcraft (Akelarre · Benandanti · Brujería · Cunning folk · Seiðr · Völva · White witch · Witch-cult hypothesis)
North American witchcraft (21 Divisiones · Granny woman · Hoodoo · Huna · Pow-wow · Santería · Vodou · Voodoo)
South American witchcraft (Candomblé)
Contemporary witchcraft (Feri Tradition · Kitchen witchcraft · Stregheria · Wicca)*
Because it would be stupid, that’s why.
It’s like if I wanted to dress as a nun, I would get one of those black and white habits, sensible shoes, and a rosary. But I wouldn’t lighten my skin to look like a white person. Skin color is irrelevant to the essence of a nun, even though most nuns are probably white.
Thank you for your thoughtful response. I wasn’t totally ignorant of where the possible offense might lay but I appreciate you expressing your opinion without judgement
Around here they tend to come in all colors, both traditionally and the ones peddling their wares on late night TV, but maybe you guys wouldn’t call those a “witch doctor”. It’s one of those slang-y terms about which I’m never 100% sure.
I think the American term for those folks would be “huckster” or “snake-oil salesman.”
Here, we, or at least I, have had my idea of a “witch doctor” informed by shows like Gilligan’s Island and I Love Lucy among other goofy portrayals. My interest in the origins and facts about “them” whomevery “they” may be is about the same as my interest in any religion; well nigh nil. Not because they’re not white; it’s just not on my radar to take interest in that particular facet of life.
Memories of cops with straps un-done on their holsters, hands on the butts of their guns, screaming at me to put my hands on top of my head… all because I thought it would be fun to walk to a “Halloween Party” dressed as ‘Jason’… in overalls and with a burlap sack mask.
Your call, your funeral.
I wouldn’t do it.
Ace Ventura, The Three Stooges. Hell, Saturday morning cartoons IIRC.
If anyone asks, just say you’re going as the witch doctor from Gilligan’s Island.
Now you’re emulating a TV show character, not an actual cultural religious entity.