Halloween costumes aren’t just for humans… let your windows dress up!

If you want to make your home look spooky this halloween, here are a few tips:

1. Silhouettes

You can make an array of decorations with some simple black construction paper/cardboard… black cats, bats, spooky trees….
Stick them to the inside of the window and let it be illuminated with light from inside the home.

2. Orange Lights

Orange lights are a great idea to border your window during October. Not only can these lights improve the Halloween feel on their own, but they can also help to highlight the DIY silhouettes.

3. Caution Tape

Another creepy way to decorate your door is to cover it in caution tape.

Hanging caution tape across windows or the doors can easily help to change the overall atmosphere of your home! Used as a stand-alone decoration or to improve the other decorations. This is an excellent way to make a scene and is fairly inexpensive. If you want to get extra creative you could make cardboard planks to board up your windows and doors.

4. Cutting Board Pumpkins

Fashion pumpkins from round wood cutting boards stained with orange wood stain. Craft leaves from green paper and tendrils from green pipe cleaners. Hang on your door/window as you please.

5. Fake Cobwebs & Spiders

Is there anything scarier than spiders? Fake cobwebs are a great way of decorating your windows and doors. They are easy to find on-line, or if you’re in a DIY mood you can make them yourself by gently stretching cotton balls. For some extra scare-factor, why not add fake spiders.

You can make cobwebs of light grey/white wool made into a web shape or cotton wool that has been warmed for a bit on a radiator and then stretched out to form wispy bits of spider web. Or even cut web shapes out of bin bags/paper!

Fake spiders are another popular option. Cheap & (not so) cheerful! These can be used just by itself or in conjunction with the spider web idea to provide a more cohesive appearance.

6. Blood Spatters

Blood spatters are a great decorating tool if you want to lean more on the macabre side of Halloween decoration, and is sure to send trick or treaters running! You can buy bottles or spray cans of fake blood online, and there are many recipes for making it yourself.

One method for displaying your blood spatter is to splatter red paint on wax paper. Wait for the paint to dry before you fix the wax paper to the window. You don’t want any of the paint to get on the window, because it can be incredibly difficult to remove. You may also be able to use fake blood to make handprints. Once again, however, you should be careful about the fake blood coming into contact with the glass of the window.

7. Ripped drapes

Create spooky looking drapes for your windows out of black or white cheesecloth/old bed sheet with a few rips in it. Add to the effect with some fake spiderwebs.

8. Window stickers

Window clings are one of the easiest Halloween window decorating ideas, since they’re so easy to use and remove. All you need to do is peel them off of the backing, and stick them to your window. They’re repositionable, which makes it fun for kids to rearrange them through the season, and they pop right off when you’re done, leaving zero mess behind.

9. Posters

A life size printout from a picture from a horror movie poster – creepy looking child ghosts, demons or other terrifying characters will all look real when placed up against the inside of your window.

10. Foliage Strands

Leaf it alone! For a less spooky and more seasonal, try hanging leafy strands vertically in your window. A dab of hot glue or a needle and thread is all you need to string the leaves. If you opt to use a needle and thread a tiny knot will stop the leaf from sliding up or coming off the thread.

11. Wreaths

Wreaths are no longer just for Christmas, as homeowners opt to decorate their doors all year round, and Halloween and fall are no exception. So set the scene with a beautiful autumnal and insta-worthy display.

12. Balloon animals

Balloon animals have long been a bit of fun for children at fairs and parties. So why not incorporate these into your Halloween door decoration ideas? Use black/white/orange balloons and find a range of easy you-tube tutorials to make some spooky friends to hang up outside your door.

13. Mummify your windows/doors

Looking for a Halloween door decoration idea that only costs a few dollars, but is big on impact? A little masking tape is all you need to magic up a ‘Halloween monster’ design.

14. Broomstick Door Decor

If you’re planning on wearing a witch costume this year, why not decorate your door with broomsticks? Matching your costume to your decorations is always a good idea.

15. Pumpkin Carving

Not only is pumpkin carving a fun family activity, it’s also a great way to make the outside of your house fit the halloween spirit. From faces to spiders webs, characters to cats, a pumpkin is a great way to decorate with a bit of personality.

16. Make the Jack-o’-Lantern Door

Cover door with orange wrapping paper, overlapping as necessary; secure with masking tape. Cut eye, nose, and mouth from black paper; tape to the door. You can also use your door colour as the foundation for your monster (e.g. dark green/teal door = cut out some Frankenstein features to stick on using coloured card, make your door a big scary face).

17. Turn your windows into Halloween dioramas

Close your curtains to create a backdrop (it’ll help your decor stand out better to passersby), and layer in hanging items, decor on the windowsill, and window-clings or painting for a three-dimensional, layered look.

18. Make an autumnal entrance to your home

It can be as simply as adding a basket next to the door, bursting with crisp autumnal oranges and reds, through artificial flowers and mini pumpkins, or all-out with big floral arches and displays around the door frames. If a fresh pumpkin isn’t your thing, or you want a low-maintenance look, invest in a ceramic pumpkin that you can also personalise to create any theme or colour you desire. This can be pulled out year after year, so is a cost-effective, and environmentally-friendly solution that won’t see you dashing to your local store or pumpkin patch.

19. Doormats

To finalise your entrance, delight and fright guests by swapping out your standard doormat for something a little darker. Halloween-themed doormats are becoming increasingly popular, and you can find every Halloween-appropriate quote and phrase on them.

20. Skeletons

It doesn’t get much creepier than a skeleton in your window. Whether you make one out of paper or buy a plastic one, a skeleton is a steadfast way to spook your neighbours.

21. Bats

Nothing screams halloween like bats. This is another fun craft for yourself and your family. Paper bats are easy to make and stick in windows and doors for a simple spooky look. If you want to have even more fun with this try making silhouettes of other creepy things, like witches, skeletons, ghosts, etc.

22. Paper garlands

If you’re good with scissors this one’s for you. This is another fun one for the family that can be quite easy if you find the right instructions. Have fun making anything from pumpkins to ghosts.