Halloween Decoration Ideas

Published July 25, 2024
October is the month for all things spooky. Ideas for Halloween decor are as limitless as your imagination. There’s so much more to Halloween inspiration than witches, skeletons and zombies. If you’re looking for creative ways to decorate indoors, outdoors and beyond, read this guide for Halloween decoration ideas. Check out the easy trunk-or-treat ideas for dressing up your car for a safe and fun Halloween night.
Table of Contents
Make It Spooky
Go All Out Outdoors
Illuminate the House
Incorporate Inflatables
Go Big
Add Little Pops of Halloween
Make It Spooky

Choose a creepy theme, like spooky skeletons, witches or ghosts and decorate the inside of your home.
- Use indoor Halloween decorations to spruce up your home’s foyer, main hallways or dining areas.
- Side tables and end tables are great for displaying small trinkets like gourds, skull props and spiced candles. Finish the look with a candelabra for added drama, and drape pieces of straw and a faux spider web around the table.
- To light up the area, wrap a set of string lights around the table. Choose a set with bigger bulbs for maximum impact. Some Halloween lights even flicker for a creepy effect.
- If you’d like Halloween decoration ideas that will enhance your walls, consider using themed temporary wallpaper. Choose darker colors with an eerie design like a skull pattern or a flock of ravens.
Go All Out Outdoors

Spookiest house on the block? Yours, of course. The front porch is what trick-or-treaters and passerby see first, so why not go all out?
Halloween yard decorations are key to a celebratory Halloween display. Fun items to add to your outdoor Halloween decorations include faux Halloween tombstones, a Halloween fog machine, witches, animal skeletons and even imitation zombie limbs.
Illuminate the House

Don’t forget to spruce up your entranceway when planning your outdoor Halloween decor.
- Hang string lights in orange and purple around the front door and windows to bring the whole look together.
- Halloween projection spotlights set the mood on your front porch. Choose lights with interchangeable slides that cast ghoulish shadows and put on a show for the neighborhood. Some have multi-color modes while others use black and white images for classic silhouettes of your favorite creepy creatures.
- Add a jack o’ lantern or two to add to the haunted decor.
Incorporate Inflatables

Fill your yard with life-sized Halloween inflatables. Fill out your eerie scenes with big characters, like a family of ghosts or an ax-toting jack-o'-lantern with a haunting grin! Inflatable haunted houses and castles also attract attention. The more items you add to the scene, the more festive your display will appear.
Go Big

Drive up the fear factor by transforming living spaces with larger-than-life decor. Opt for huge spiders that hug the wall, oversized witches, zombies and skeletons. The bigger the display, the better the fright.
Add Little Pops of Halloween

If you don't want to go big with Halloween decoration ideas, you can add just a sprinkle of spookiness to every room. Opt for little pops of spirited decor.
- Swap out your regular throw pillows with seasonal ones that help set the scene.
- Use Halloween-inspired plates and serveware.
- Add wall art, candles, candy bowls and other decorative items to dress up your side tables.
Choose Classic Fall

Whether you have small children at home or prefer to keep your decor more classic, there are plenty of ways to spruce up your porch and yard as Halloween approaches.
- Friendly-faced scarecrows make sweet fall greeters when placed by the door.
- Try bales of hay and stacks of pumpkins in various shapes, colors and sizes.
- Decorate with fall florals like mums in autumnal shades.
- Don’t forget to add a welcoming wreath to the door.
Trunk or Treat Ideas

Trunk or treat has risen in popularity as a safe Halloween alternative to trick-or-treating in unfamiliar neighborhoods.
Typically held at church or school parking lots, it's also ideal for families in rural areas or for those who want to keep all Halloween activities outdoors. Whether you're keeping your car in the driveway or joining a community event, if you plan on decking out your trunk for Halloween, here are a few easy trunk-or-treat ideas and tips to keep in mind.
- Turn the trunk into a scene from your favorite scary movie or TV show or transform the entire car into a famous movie monster.
- Go for kid-friendly rather than eerie and transform the trunk into a giant gumball machine or deck out the entire car in fall-themed decor like pumpkins, leaves and hay.
- Pre-bagged treats make handing out candy for trunk or treat easier. You may also choose one designated person to hand out treats or set up a treat table near the car to keep things safe and orderly.
Halloween Wreaths

Wreaths aren't just for Christmas anymore. Create a different kind of Halloween display with wreaths. Hang a Halloween wreath covered in skeletons, spiders, pumpkins and more, or invest in a classic faux wreath in black or orange. Place your Halloween wreath outside your front door, or add one to your fireplace mantel. Better yet, DIY a wreath to make it your own.
DIY Halloween Decorations

You don't have to stop at a DIY wreath. Take some posable skeletons and display them on your lawn. Big or small, posable skeletons can be manipulated into the wackiest poses. Even the 12-foot Skeleton can get in on the fun!
Your DIY creation can be as simple or as silly as you want. The ideas for Halloween decor are endless. Weave in items already in your garage to make a scene. Pose skeletons enjoying a bonfire, playing
a lawn game and more. You can even go a step further: Create costumes for your skeletons, set them up so they reference a scene from your favorite movie, or make a spooky tablescape and garland. If skeletons aren't your thing, one of the easiest DIY decorations is carving, painting or simply displaying a pumpkin on your front porch. Add some fake cobwebs to the mix, too.
Try out the most attention-getting Halloween decoration ideas. Transform your home into a spirited spot with Halloween-themed decor. Add life-sized outdoor inflatables, spooky props and colored lighting to make your home inviting to trick-or-treaters.
Looking for the products to complete your Halloween project? Download The Home Depot Mobile App to search for ideas for Halloween and buy the items you need. We have options to deliver online orders when and where you need them. Plus, if you need to rent a ladder to install your decor, we can help with that too.