57 Eerie Outdoor Halloween Decorations

DIY Monster Wreath

Create a DIY monster Halloween wreath that's a little cute and a little scary. Handmade yarn pom-poms are all it takes to transform a plain wreath form into a jolly Halloween monster. We used green yarn ($2, Michaels), but customize it with any color you like.

Raven Front Porch

Black birds and a classic monochromatic color scheme mean this eerie entrance is ready for Halloween. Hang artificial crows from fishing line and use removable adhesive hooks to attach them to the front door. Use our free template to cut a tree from flexible contact paper but be sure to check on the door's edge to make sure the paint doesn't peel off when you remove the contact paper. Finish your Halloween front porch with mums, faux pumpkins, and lanterns.

Halloween Door Cover

Dress up your fall front door with this easy jack-o'-lantern wrap. Made with paint and felt, this Halloween pumpkin decoration is the cutest way to celebrate the season. We used gold acrylic paint ($5, Michaels), but try making it with black or orange.

All Eye's on You

You won't be able to take your eyes off this simple DIY Halloween hack. Buy some giant googly eyes and attach them to wooden dowels or skewers using hot glue or strong tape. Place them in your bushes or plants to make monsters in any garden.

Halloween Twig Wreath

Make a cheap Halloween twig wreath with supplies from your backyard! A bundle of sticks creates the base for this spooky door decoration. Finish it with stretched spider web and creepy plastic spiders.

Add Some Flair to Your Front Yard

Give your outdoor Halloween decor a mysterious twist with a grouping of masquerade-theme pumpkins. To make them, cut paper mask shapes with holes for the eyes and use glue or pins to attach the masks to the pumpkins. Stagger different sizes and colors of pumpkins over the porch steps or line a walkway with these spooky faces.

Giant Halloween Spiders

These huge DIY spiders are bone-chilling when hung with twine, wire, and exterior adhesive hooks. Nearly seven feet across, these gargantuan creates will turn your home into a house of horrors. Make them with faux fur, black foam tubes, and half sphere wire forms from a florist's supply shop.

Ornaments in October

It seems like Christmas decor hits the shelves earlier each year, but you can use the early holiday spirit to your advantage. Use orange, purple, and black ornaments to create a jewel-toned wreath that's perfect for Halloween. Complete the DIY Halloween wreath with decorative skulls, spiders, and eyeballs and use hot glue to hold everything together.

Skip the Mess

Carving pumpkins can mean a mess and not-so-pleasant smells, especially after a few days or weeks. Trade your carving knife for paint brushes for an easy painted pumpkin craft. Copy this owl inspiration or use any of our Halloween pumpkin stencils to inspire your own creation.

Scary Spider Webs

Attack of the giant spiders! These Halloween yard decorations are oversized and perfect for decking out your front porch. Made with braided yarn, these large faux spiderwebs can be reused year after year. We can even show you how to make your own giant spider decorations to go with the webs.

Halloween Doormat

Use our free printable stencils to create a DIY Halloween doormat that's perfect for greeting trick-or-treaters. Halloween pumpkin decorations go way beyond carving with this boo-tiful fall porch decoration.

Stacked Pumpkin Tower

Spell it out! This Halloween pumpkin decoration is made with string art, faux pumpkins, and glittery spiders. Create your string art and add faux spiders to a trio of pumpkins. Glue them together, place in a plain grapevine wreath ($6, Michaels), and fill in gaps with dried moss.

Halloween Farmhouse Porch

Typically inviting farmhouse style takes an unnerving turn with a mass of mischievous mice and a ghostly greeting that says it all. Don't let the natural country charm fool you; this particular porch screams, "Beware!" A few metallic elements add a touch of chic to this country scene.

Editor's Tip: Keep the ladder, corn stalks, and pumpkins but replace letters and mice with pretty fall decor so this setting can greet guests when Thanksgiving rolls around.

Oversize Bat Decorations

These larger-than-life DIY outdoor Halloween bats are a fun and easy way to decorate your home for the season—and the winged creatures are actually easier to make than they look! They're made from plastic hangers, pipe foam insulation, and black trash bags, which also makes them a budget-friendly craft.

Wooden Spider Wreath

This creepy-crawly Halloween spider wreath is made with plain wooden beads. A quick coat of black spray paint transforms it into a scary spider. Add the spooky creature to your fall front door and prepare for the screams!

Scary Sidewalk

A little chalk goes a long way. Sets of ghoulish hands and well-shaded cracks create the ultimate optical illusion. To get the look, use outdoor adhesive to attach plastic hands to the sidewalk, then use black chalk to make it look like the hands are rising up out of the concrete. This spooky look is sure to capture the attention of any neighbors or trick-or-treaters. Plus, it's easy to remove the hands and hose off the walkway when the holiday is over.

Crash landing

Not every outdoor Halloween decoration has to be scary. Ramp up the giggles by staging a 'broom flight gone wrong' in the front yard. Don't worry if you don't have a tree in your front yard—you can spice up the side of your house or a garage door instead.

Cold Hands Wreath

You've heard of cold feet, but how about cold hands? This wreath is simple to make but stands out among other Halloween door decorations. Paint a collection of plastic skeleton hands with metallic spray paint, then mount to the edges of a chalkboard base. If desired, write a spooky message in the middle.

Black and White Pumpkins

Black is the new orange! Make these pretty Halloween porch decorations by painting around a stencil on a real or faux pumpkin, then outline the stencil shape with crafts nails. Weave string in and around the nails to create a spiderweb effect.

Daunting Garland

Classic fall foliage looks less friendly when it's painted an unnatural shade. Black spray paint ($4, Target) transforms basic leaf garlands into eerie Halloween outdoor decorations. Wrap them around a banister, porch rail, or pillar.

Quoth the Raven

Make a pile of pumpkins a little scarier with faux animal skeletons. This raven, for example, contrasts well with a pile of pretty painted pumpkins. Set up your display at the base of a planter or on a porch step.

Outdoor Paper Lanterns

These outdoor Halloween luminaries are so simple—and the kids will love helping with this project. Decorate an assortment of paper bags with stickers, paint, tape, and vinyl, then arrange them on the front porch or line them up your driveway to welcome trick-or-treaters. Choose battery-operated tea lights for worry-free lighting on Fright Night.

Talking Pumpkins

Let your Halloween outdoor decorations talk back. These stylish pumpkins were painted a sleek black, then lettered with metallic sheets and decorative tacks. Stack pumpkins horizontally or vertically to spell out spooky sayings.

Batty Wreath

This festive Halloween wreath is the perfect blend of spooky and stylish. Orange chevron ribbon dresses up a basic straw wreath (from $3, Michaels), but the real star is a trio of glittery bats perched on the bottom. Hang using patterned burlap ribbon.

Bird-Theme Entry

One bird: Not a big deal. A whole flock of them? Well, that's a scary Halloween yard decoration. Assemble a collection of faux ravens arranged in a variety of poses on your fence, porch banister, deck railing—even your roofline! Secure with cable ties and black duct tape.

Rat Silhouettes

Think of the spooked responses from passersby when a crowd of whiskered pests marches up your front walk. Trace an oversized rat outline on a large piece of paper, then transfer to plywood. Cut out the rats, sand, and paint them black. Screw vertically aligned U-brackets ($2, Lowe's) to the back of each rat. Prop up each rat by slipping the U-bracket over a plant stake pushed into the ground.

Spiderweb Doormat

Ensnare trick-or-treaters with this crafty Halloween porch decoration that resembles a spiderweb. To make, cut a 3x4-foot lightweight black mat into a 36-inch-diameter circle using heavy shears. With chalk, draw a spiderweb design onto the mat. Cut clothesline into pieces to fit your design, and singe the ends of each piece to prevent fraying. Use heavy-duty white glue to attach the clothesline pieces over the chalk lines.

Pumpkin-Decorated Arrival

You can display outside Halloween decorations without going to great lengths to be scary. Pumpkins—the most treasured symbol of the season—used to be bland and basic, but new types and shapes add visual and graphic texture. Stack several pumpkins on top of each other to create a no-carve pumpkin display; accent with potted seasonal flowers and tall dried cornstalks. For a little bit of an eerie atmosphere, add a faux raven or large spider.

Hallowen Pallet Decoration

Play with all the colors of Halloween with festive painted pallet decorations. Create your own ghost and pumpkin outdoor Halloween decorations. It's easy to line your walkway come trick-or-treat time.

Flying Bat Display

Ominously animate your Halloween yard with colonies of airborne bats. Enlarge and trace our bat patterns onto black foam-core board and cut out; poke two holes into each bat for black cable ties to hold it onto a branch. Stick tall limbs into the ground or into sand-filled buckets. Place the largest bats high on the branches and smaller ones toward the bottom, making sure each cable tie is tight. Keep the Halloween theme going throughout the house with more fun DIY bat crafts.

Spooky Candle Urn

Turn the spook factor up a notch on your Halloween front porch decor with this DIY black candle urn. Made with foam pipe tubes and battery-operated tea light candles, they're easy to assemble. Plus, since they use battery-operated candles, you don't have to worry about the candles sparking a flame.

Upside-Down Witch Halloween Urn

This easy-to-make Halloween porch decoration looks like a wayward witch landed headfirst in a moss-filled urn. To recreate this DIY witch decor, dress bendable mannequin legs in striped hose and buckled shoes. Place upside down in a tall urn filled with reindeer moss ($7, Michaels) by your front door.

Skeleton-Adorned Porch

Give your visitors a frightful hello with a welcome from these bare-boned greeters. Pose several Halloween skeleton decorations on the porch and on the roof, securing them with fishing line. Add props as appropriate to your Halloween aesthetic—scary or whimsical.

Toxic Spill and Insects

Poisonous it is not: This "puddle"—meant to look like a toxic spill—is actually hardened white glue ($2, Walmart). Outline a desired shape on a melamine sheet; fill in with glue and let dry. Using a font of your choice, create a "poison" label and attach to an empty bottle. Remove the dried glue puddle from the melamine, place it and the bottle where desired. Attach plastic insects with more glue. Add this scary Halloween decoration to your front porch, deck, or stairs.

Spooky Garage Door Decor

Scary Halloween decorations should start with your garage door! The key to creating this scary scene is a combination of black vinyl ($2, Michaels) and card stock. Turn on your Halloween lights so the zombies glow during the night.

Mummy Hands Wreath

Halloween wreaths don't have to be complicated to make! A simple masking tape technique is all it takes to create a pair of spooky mummy hands. Add them to a plain grapevine wreath and finish with faux spiders and webbing.

Candy Corn Front Porch

A fun color palette and playful touch suggest a handful of yum is most certainly just a knock away. Greet trick-or-treaters with this bright Halloween front door. Make your own wreaths by wrapping foam forms with yarn. Add our free printed message to set the scene.

Editor's Tip: Make the stacked candy corn displays! Simply remove the stems from three faux pumpkins, then drill holes in the bottom and top of two and the bottom of the third. Paint then slide onto a dowel set in floral foam.

Carved Craft Pumpkin

Use one of our free pumpkin carving patterns to carve a craft pumpkin to add to your Halloween decor. It's just as easy (maybe even easier!) as carving a real pumpkin, but you don't have to worry about these pumpkins rotting—so you can display it year after year.

Monster Garland

Whether you're throwing a Halloween party or just decorating your home for the season, this colorful monster garland is easy enough that anyone can make it. Assemble a garland of paper lanterns and use hot glue to attach oversize eyes and paper monster mouths.

Snakes Under the Doormat

Guests will step back in fear, thanks to a slithering mass of snakes. Spray-paint rubber snakes ($3, Party City) glossy black. Create various lengths of snakes by cutting them in two; arrange at the edge of thick plastic-foam board and glue to the edges. Set the board underneath a doormat.

Spiderweb Wreath

Easy-to-find supplies and a few minutes are all it takes to create this elegant, holiday-theme wreath. Cut enough spiderweb fabric to cover an embroidery hoop; secure with hot glue. Attach a plastic spider with another dab of hot glue; tie a bow made from black ribbon and hang.

Bat-and-Cat Garage Door Design

Think of your garage door as a giant canvas on which you can place a multitude of outdoor Halloween decorations. This temporary artwork is made from removable black cloth tape (in 2- and 3-inch widths) and black crafts-foam sheets cut into spooky shapes. Simply use loops of tape to press the silhouettes into place on the garage door.

Yarn-Ball Wreath

Kids can help create this whimsical, colorful wreath with a hidden surprise—spiders! Start by assembling materials: 40 to 50 plastic-foam balls (1 inch, 1½ inches, and 2 inches wide); fuzzy black and plain black, green, purple, and orange yarn; a 12-inch medium-density fiberboard (MDF) wreath form; seven 12-inch-long black chenille stems; and googly eyes. Wrap and cover one large, two medium, and two small plastic-foam balls with fuzzy black yarn, using hot glue to secure. (These will be your spiders.) Wrap the remaining plastic-foam balls with the black, green, purple, and orange yarn. Tie four lengths of black yarn to the wreath, spaced evenly, to create eight spokes. Weave a continuous spiral with a long length of black yarn to create a spiderweb. Hot-glue the yarn-covered balls to the wreath, then attach the fuzzy yarn balls. Cut the chenille to create legs (eight 3-inch pieces for the large spider, sixteen 2-inch pieces for the medium spiders, and sixteen 1½-inch pieces for the small spiders); insert into the yarn balls and bend to form legs and feet. Hot-glue the spiders to the yarn balls and hot-glue eyes to the spiders.

Ghoulish Glaring Eyes

These unblinking eyes are sure to make guests do a double take. Select plastic foam balls ($4, Michaels) in varying sizes and draw large pupils using a permanent marker. Use a toothpick or stick to hold pairs together. Attach the pairs of eyes to a dark bench or fence so they pop.

Pumpkin Message

Trick or Treat! Happy Halloween, Boo: Whatever your Halloween sentiments, use pretty pumpkins to spell it out. Use painters tape to mark off stripes; paint with black acrylic paint. Trace letters or words with stencils; use a small brush to paint them with more black paint; let dry. Using a large drill bit, cut out evenly spaced holes.

Night Sky Porch

A vivid yellow moon, fall mums, and a pillow balance the striking black cat silhouettes on this fall front porch. Create your own Halloween wreath using two wire wreath forms and yellow electrical tape. Simply set the smaller wreath inside the larger one, offsetting so the hoops almost touch on one side. Wrap with electrical tape until the crescent shape is finished.

Editor's Tip: Make the cat patterns using our free pattern, medium-density fiberboard, spray paint, and wood glue.

Flame Pumpkin Display

A pile of pumpkins transforms into a campfire-inspired display with our free pattern and a simple carving technique. Finish the Halloween front yard decoration with a few logs and a cozy blanket. Use battery-powered lights to give the "fire" a realistic flicker.

Trick-or-Treater Silhouettes

For less scary Halloween yard decorations, cut out some costumed trick-or-treaters. This ghost and witch fit right into the Halloween scene with their candy-filled buckets. This is also a great way to leave candy out for real trick-or-treaters who may stop by when you're not home.

Owl-in-Tree Door Silhouette

Simplify the window silhouette concept by crafting just one shape and placing it in a prominent spot: your front door. All who ring your doorbell will be greeted by this chilling display, perfect for trick-or-treat night.

Crow and Pumpkin Display

Pay homage to the spooky bird mascot of the season with this easy weekend DIY project. Carve a few Halloween pumpkins and stack them outside. Finish the pumpkin display with an assortment of faux crows ($25, Oriental Trading).

Witches and More Window Silhouettes

Show the neighborhood your Halloween spirit with a facade of sinister decor. Copy, enlarge, print, and cut out our silhouette patterns. Trace onto black paper. Cut out the silhouettes and tape onto the inside of indoor windowpanes. Illuminate your display from the inside with a few strategically placed lamps.

Hanging Jack-o'-Lanterns

Light your sidewalk with a lineup of Halloween pumpkin decorations. Hang carved jack-o'-lanterns from shepherds hooks using hangers crafted from heavy-gauge wire. Battery-powered candles keep the pumpkin Halloween lights illuminated without risk of fire.

Window Webs

Give giant spiders (created from plastic-foam balls) a place to call home with window webs spun from a few crafts store supplies. These Halloween window decorations are sure to spook even the bravest of visitors.

Cat and Jack-O'-Lantern Silhouettes

Skip the standard jack-o'-lantern and step it up a Halloween notch with pumpkin-face silhouettes. The scary Halloween yard decoration gets some company from a pack of black cats.

Outdoor Skeleton Crew

Gather a group of Halloween skeletons to act as spooky yard greeters. Perch the gang on a bench or ledge and add top hats and bow ties. These guys are sure to create a bone-chilling Halloween.

Hanging Ghost Gourds

Adorn your front stoop with a tangle of lifeless branches and vines hung from porch rafters. Paint gourds white and add ghostly expressions with black paint. Suspend gourds from the rafters so they hang down among the vines. When darkness comes, the apparitions will be illuminated by shifting shadows, a scene guaranteed to frighten and chill.

Mummy Statues

These Halloween lawn decorations take spooky to a new level. You'll scare the pants off passersby with a front yard featuring mummies that eerily rise and pose to haunt the twilight landscape. Look for mummies at Halloween supply stores, or make your own with old mannequins and bandage wraps.