Not So Deadly Decorating Tips for Halloween


It’s not the holiday where you have to hang garland on a fake tree, but Halloween sure can make you feel spooky and spirited with all of the fun and Scary Halloween Decorations available. But it’s not all about orange and black crepe paper chains. You can decorate your home to simply celebrate October 31 and scare little trick or treating goblins or add lots of frightening frills for that Halloween party you are throwing. Whichever the case, we’ve given you a wealth of suggestions to make the most of your decorating talents.

  Halloween Decorating Tips


White Shadows

Probably the cheapest thing you can do to decorate for Halloween is add white sheets to different areas of the house. Pin white sheets to your front windows and open the windows just a crack to make the sheets blow gently with every breeze that rattles by. Also, turn out your regular lights in the front rooms and add spotlights to shine on the sheets for dramatic effects from the outside.

Toss white sheets over your furniture to give tables and chairs that overall uninvited haunted house feeling. Draped sheets throughout the house will also add a sense of a home that hasn’t been lived in for a long time. Strategically place a few black plastic or rubber spiders on the white sheets to create additional contrast and creepiness.

Go Shopping

One of the easiest ways you can add fear and fright to your Halloween decorating is to head to the store and go crazy with the inexpensive, yet scary props that are everywhere. Sure, you can choose paper pumpkins for the windows and crepe ghosts to hang from the ceiling, but think outside the box to papier mache tombstones, rubber hands, cottony cobwebs, and the like.

While you are shopping, check out the gory creations like severed limbs, bloody torsos, and a fake axe or two. You will find a lot of great props for Halloween decorating that fit within your budget.

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Candles, Candles, and More Candles

What haunted (or semi-haunted) home isn’t complete without an array of pillar candles throughout? Kill the electric lights and use lots of candles. Choose any color that you wish from dark colors like purple and red to even white candles. For an authentic spooky feel, select a large candelabra and light the candles within it. Place it in a very noticeable spot like your foyer table or in your dining room to ensure that it’s easily seen by whoever crosses your threshold.

One of the nice things about using lots of candles is that they cast shadows on the walls, adding to the atmosphere of Halloween without you having to do any further decorating work unless you want to.

Carve those Jack O’Lanterns

October 31 wouldn’t be Halloween without a few carved pumpkins for maximum autumnal effects. Years ago, people simply carved typical faces into their pumpkins, but today, more and more individuals are getting creative with their gourds. Do whatever you like – if faces are your thing, carve your pumpkin with a kooky look on its face or a scary scowl or even a big smile. Should your creative juices get flowing, try carving a witch or a cat or some other design that suits your fancy.

Once you have completed your artistic work, add two candles to your pumpkin and light them. Two candles within the pumpkin ensures that your design can be seen and that your masterpiece is properly illuminated so that it can be seen for miles and miles – okay, well maybe just for those nearby.

Icy Effects

Create the spooky and foggy mood of a cemetery after midnight with an inexpensive concoction of dry ice and hot water. Add pieces of dry ice to hot water in an insulated container and watch the steam rise! You can even turn on a small fan to circulate your “fog” throughout the room or into a specific area.  

Jars of Gore

Get some large jars (mayonnaise jars would work great) and add a mish mash of great items to create the essence of a mad scientist’s laboratory. You might have one jar with a rubber hand in it, another with a huge spider, still another with a Halloween mask. Fill the jars with water and add a couple of drops of red or green food coloring to give the objects a sickening hue. Want to make one or two of your jars look murky and old like they’ve been sitting on a shelf for the past 200 years? Add a couple of drops of milk to the colored water.

Music for the Savage Beast

When decorating for Halloween, you’ll want to appeal to all senses. So, of course, you will have lots of wonderfully frightening decorations up and about to scare the daylights out of anyone who happens to come near your house. But you can also make sure that your home sounds as creepy as it looks.

Consider a soundtrack of scary music like the theme from Halloween or the Twilight Zone. If neither one of those ruffles your feathers, find some CDs with other zombie-like sounds: think chains rattling, women screaming, loud footsteps coming closer, squeaky doors opening slowly. Play the music when the trick or treaters bang at your door, if you dare!

Final Tip

For further fun and screams, place creepy creations into bowls by your front door. As guests or trick or treaters arrive at your home, let them put their hands into the bowls without looking. They might be touching squirming worms (cold, cooked spaghetti), someone’s brains (chopped tomatoes), eyeballs (cool, peeled grapes), or blood (warmed tomato juice). Just keep a towel nearby so that you can sponge off the goop from messy hands.

Halloween Decorating Supplies - ShindigZ.com