Transform Your Yard into a Haunted Playland with These 13 Outdoor Halloween Decor Ideas
Autumn has officially arrived! Cue the pumpkin spice lattes, cinnamon scented candles, cozy textiles—and creepy Halloween decor. This spooktacular holiday largely takes place outside, where all those trick-or-treaters will venture, so it’s a fun excuse to share the spirit for the whole neighborhood, whether that means setting out friendly jack-o-lanterns or something more macabre.
Looking to go big on your front porch or stoop? Balsam Hill’s Mercedes Feller suggests leaning into traditional fall decor. “It’s not Halloween without pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns, and I love decorating with an abundance of them to make a strong statement,” she tells ELLE DECOR, noting that the whole family can join in on carving them. “Stack them, mix sizes and colors, and place them at varying heights.” And if you’d like to keep things low-key, battery-operated jack-o’-lanterns with LED lights can be used year after year.
For the more supernatural aesthetic, Feller recommends using a spotlight to illuminate your decor from a distance. “Halloween lighting is key, as nighttime is when the holiday really comes to life,” she explains. “Get spooky with foliage or twig trees with built-in lights for an eerie glow. And I love illuminated silhouettes, as the shadow they cast on the house really gives you that haunted house feel.”
Wondering where to begin? Whether you’re all about a classic assemblage of cheery pumpkins or you’ve gone full Edward Scissorhands on your ghoulish setup, these 13 spooky outdoor Halloween decor ideas will get you excited and inspired for the season—and, no doubt, earn you neighbor-of-the-year points.
Colorful Pumpkins
For those of you wanting to add an eclectic look to your Halloween decor, you’ll love this display. Vanessa Sanchez made the most of her large yard to go all out with her outdoor decor. “There is a local shop that sells beautiful Mexican tile and pottery. When I saw these pumpkins, I knew they were perfect for my Halloween porch,” she explains. “I added natural elements, like mums and marigolds, plus a fun doormat and wreath to complete the look.”
Spooky and Whimsical
If you like a spooky aesthetic when decorating for Halloween, this whimsical corner idea is just what you need. Halloween queen Jillian Hensel chose traditional pieces in black and orange to really pop against the white furniture. “I made sure to use items with varying textures and heights to add depth,” she explains. “The playful black cats and greenery add charm to the creepy pumpkins for a look that is just spooky enough to be fun, not scary.”
Spidey Sense
“I love lighthearted, playful, and whimsical Halloween decor that has just the right amount of spookiness and isn’t too scary,” says the House of Hood’s Chelsee Hood. For this porch display, she added checkered pillows, pumpkins, spiders up the wall, and an unexpected skeleton in the wooden column of the porch.
Witching Hour
Happy Happy Nester’s Janine Waite spares no restraint when decking out her front porch for Halloween. This display includes a DIY yarn spider web, a collection of local pumpkins, and festive orange twinkle lights. “I used temporary Velcro and fishing line to hang black witch hats from the porch ceiling for a magical touch,” she adds.
Skeleton Greeting
Katrianne Laing’s favorite holiday has always been Halloween. “It has always been such a fundamental part of my life, all the way back to my childhood,” she explains. This waving pumpkin man reminds her of the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze in Sleepy Hollow, New York, which served as the main inspiration for her decor set—which is complete with a neon spider web and hanging lights.
Witch Property
“Witches were brewing in my head when I spotted these light-up cackling ladies,” says Graceful Home and Hound’s Kimmarie Shafer. To complete this look, she added a bubbling cauldron with a brew of bats and murder of crows. She made sure all who enter know to proceed with caution, as the sign says.
Twinkly Lights
Adding twinkly lights around spooky decorations, as did Balsam Hill on this front porch, can lighten the mood and give your porch a cozier feel. We’re especially loving the branch accents throughout, which give it a rustic look.
Smiling Jack O’Lanterns
Using reusable jack-o'-lanterns as pots is the easiest way to spruce up your front porch. These yellow mums, paired with the spider webs along the stair railway, create a welcoming entrance. For the final touch, an oversize spider on the door wraps everything together.
Spider Takeover
For Laura Salter, Halloween decor is always go big or go home. “Our theme was spiders and skeletons for this look,” she explains. “We wanted to make the front of the house look like it was crawling with spiders—on the porch, the banisters, the planters, etc.” The skeletons seemed like a natural addition, she adds, as did a variety of mums and pumpkins for color.
Floating Candles
If you love the movies with Harry Potter floating candles, you’ll want to try this easy DIY project. Happy Happy Nester’s Janine Waite discovered a simple method to make these eerie candles hover from the ceiling. This effect is perfect for the season, and it will make your porch look equally mysterious and magical.
Bewitching Display
Creating any kind of silhouette will give a spooky look to your front porch and easily fill up space. This silhouette of a witch with her pot and cat catches a bigger-than-life shadow in the background. Enter, if you dare!
A Chilling Hello
House flipper and decor connoisseur Carly Jordan loves incorporating fall touches in with Halloween decor. Although they can be pretty similar, adding a waving skeleton and a warning sign at the front of your home will automatically give it the Halloween look. “Mixing and matching all types of things and creating a spooky vignette on a front porch is one of the best things of the season,” she says.
Hidden Skeleton
Skeletons are a quick and easy addition to your bare porch! Placing a boney friend in the corner of your staircase with some pumpkins is the perfect solution for a cute and festive Halloween moment.
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