Every neighborhood has it. The one house on the block that’s quaint and conventional 11 months out of the year. But then, when October rolls around, their DIY Halloween decorations look like something out of a nightmare.
The month of October is the only time of year a person’s house can defy and terrify the Joneses. And many people go all out when it comes to making their houses look straight out of a horror movie.
But let’s face it: Many store-bought decorations are expensive. And because they look manufactured, a lot of them lose their horrifying appeal.
DIY Halloween decorations are the way to go when it comes to transforming your digs into a house of horror. But with no shortage of concepts, how do you narrow down your focus?
Some Halloween home decor ideas are scarier than others. In this article, we’ll break down Halloween decorations guaranteed to raise hair. Neighbors, deliverymen, and trick-or-treaters will tremble when they go to ring your doorbell!
Translucent Ghosts
What’s a haunted house without some ghosts lurking around? People have long created ghosts out of white sheets and cheesecloth. But what really makes a ghost seem real is when it glows or appears translucent.
To create this creepy effect, you’ll need lots of packing tape. If you have a mannequin or a dress form, use it as your model. Don’t have either of these? You can use a real person to moldhttps://diyprojects.ideas2live4.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/10/Packing-Tape-Ghost-01.jpg the figure – just don’t wrap their head!
Wrap your model with the sticky side of the packing tape out first. Once you finish wrapping the first layer, go over it with more packing tape with the sticky side facing down. If you have to use someone as your model and need to create the face, try using a Styrofoam head or an actual wig head.
Cut the tape to remove the figure from the model. Then, retape it back together. You can use plastic bags or cheesecloth to give it a floating and draping appearance.
You can make your ghost glow by inserting LED rope lights inside your tape figure. If you have another type of LED light, you can shine it above or behind the figure. Either way, the packing tape will absorb the light and create a glowing effect.
Ghost Silhouettes & Other Haunted House Ideas
Looking for ghosts to lurk around your yard in the backdrop? You can mold a full-bodied side profile of a ghost with chicken wire. Up close, the chicken wire will be more noticeable. But from a distance, it’ll look like there are multiple ghosts haunting your grounds… And they make for some pretty easy DIY Halloween decorations.
If you want to create the quintessential haunted house, there are a few DIY Halloween props you can use.
You could dig up a small part of your lawn (or create a messy pile of dirt). You can then place a skeletal arm or a full skeleton model in the dirt pile. After all, the ghosts in your yard were once living. You don’t necessarily need a skeletal model, either. If it looks like someone (or something) has crawled out of the earth, you can create that effect with a pile of dirt alone.
Have some leftover packing tape? Tape it from the top and bottom of your windowsills. At night, dim the regular lights in your house and cast LED lights out the window. The packing tape will create a translucent glow from inside.
If you already have a fog machine, you can place it somewhere in your yard so the fog can drift around the yard. It will look like traces that your ghosts leave behind. Be sure to cast some light from the ground so people passing by can see the fog.
Don’t have a fog machine? You can never go wrong with dry ice. To make dry ice fog seem like smoke, you can add it to an insulated container of hot water.
Coven of Witches
A coven refers to a gathering of witches, and the oldest ones were once believed to take place in forested areas. If you live near the woods or have lots of willowy trees in your yard, your house could be the perfect setting for a coven.
Of course, you’ll need some witches if you want to host a coven on the premises. But we’re not talking about cackling witches on broomsticks. We’re talking about the hooded witches you may remember from the opening theme of American Horror Story: Coven. And it’s very easy to recreate these grim reaper-like DIY Halloween decorations with a witchy twist.
First, you’ll need a piece of sheathing plywood as the base, as well as two lumber studs about 4 feet in length. Then, attach the lumber studs to the plywood sheath with corner braces.
You’ll also want to attach another lumber stud that connects the two longer studs. This stud will serve as the shoulders, so it should rest longer than the diameter of the other studs. Then, you’ll attach a Styrofoam head on this stud.
For the arms, you’ll want to attach PVC pipes using elbow pipes. This will create the effect of the witches raising or putting their arms out. Then, you’ll want to take a couple of pool noodles and create slits down the length of them. That way, you can slide the PVC pipe inside the foam. Then, wrap the “arms” with duct tape.
Next, you’ll want to take chicken wire and cast it over the entire base. The chicken wire should also cover the upper portion of the arms. Then, stick the base of an old broom (or anything that’s long, thin, and pointed) through the Styrofoam head.
For the final touches, drape a long ratted heavy cloth over the entire figure. Then, take a shorter cloth and drape it over it again with more slack in the front.
DIY Halloween Decorations for Your Porch & Garage
If your house gets lots of trick-or-treaters, making use of your porch is key to causing a fright this year. And there are lots of scary and small DIY Halloween decorations that can go a long way.
You can create the illusion of bleeding candles by dripping red wax onto white or black candles. Dripping the red wax can get messy, so make sure to use newspaper.
Decapitation is some people’s worst fear. You can play on this fear by making it seem like you’ve placed people’s faces in jars.
First, take photos of the front and side profiles of your face and your family’s. Then, you can merge all these images into one on Photoshop. After printing them out, laminate them.
Next, fill some jars with water and add a few drops of food coloring. Green, yellow, orange, and red create some of the creepiest effects. Then, place each laminated photograph into a jar. These creepy DIY Halloween props go great on windowsills, benches, or porch shelves. Or, you can place them in your refrigerator as a prank!
The garage often gets overlooked when it comes to Halloween home decor ideas. But if trick-or-treaters need to walk past your garage, make it look like you have zombies stuck inside.
Using black construction paper, cut out the shape of your hands. Create a variety of hand grips and shapes to make for a chaotic scene. When you’re done, tape them to the windows of your garage.
The final touch of a terrifying trick-or-treat experience is your costume. Be sure to wear a scary and creative costume on Halloween. The neighborhood won’t forget!
Create DIY Halloween Decorations This Year
Halloween is still over a month away. But if you’re serious about having the scariest house in the neighborhood this year, now is the time to plan!
With these terrifying DIY Halloween decorations, you’ll not only cause a scare. You’ll impress the entire neighborhood with your handy and crafty skills.
Decorating your home is a no-brainer when Halloween is your favorite holiday. But how else will you enjoy the scariest (and best) time of year?
If you live around Dallas, Texas, there’s no better haunted experience than Thrillvania. With three different attractions, you, your friends, and family are in for a thrill of a lifetime. Get your tickets for the 2018 season today!