50 Easy DIY Outdoor Halloween Decorations to Impress Your Neighbors
The best cute and creepy decor for your porch, front lawn and backyard.
When it comes to festive Halloween decor, the outside of your home is just as important as the inside. If you ask us, it's never too early to start decking out your home with DIY outdoor Halloween decorations, many of which are cheap and easy to make at the last minute.
Below, we have a creative roundup of creepy outdoor decor, including Halloween wreaths and fun pumpkin displays (no-carve and carving design ideas included!). Follow our instructions to make skull lanterns, witch hat luminaries, spider egg wreaths and googly-eyed doors. Then, put your carving skills to the test and DIY scary pumpkin gravestones, crows and glowing jack-o'-lantern arrangements.
When trying this mix of cute and spooky Halloween crafts, encourage family members to sport their best costumes to really amp up their fangtastic mood. No matter what ideas you choose to make this year, your neighbors and Halloween party guests will surely feel the fright!
Feather Pumpkin
Use our feather template to carve this elegant design on your pumpkin's surface. Even beginners can join in on this craft by tracing the template with these washable chalk markers. Use Lino Cut tools to carve away the surface skin of the pumpkin, all while carving a mix of long and short strokes for texture. The bigger your feather, the bigger they'll think the imaginary bird is!
'Batty' Pumpkin
Start by painting your large pumpkin a vibrant hue, like this flirty pink. Then, hot glue paper bats to the gourd to display on our porch!
Paper Bag Luminaries
Create eye-catching luminaries by placing white bags inside darker ones to use as the liner. Add sand to anchor them then place tea lights inside for a warm, welcoming glow.
Monster Wreath
Blogger Ananda made this monster wreath in just five minutes! All it takes are recycled magazine paper, cardstock and an artificial boxwood wreath.
Headstone Pumpkins
Talk about eerie! This headstone pumpkin is inspired by old cemetery headstones. You'll need our headstone template when carving. Add lights, then place your new headstone on the front porch to welcome party guests.
Eyeball Wreath
Make your own eyeballs with this eyeball clip art. Print them onto clear stick paper then cut out the pupils with scissors. Stick them to ping pong balls, then attach them to a foam wreath form with glue.
Crow Pumpkin
Here's one for the bird lovers out there. For this crow design, first clean your pumpkin with a water and vinegar spray mixture. Use a pumpkin carving knife to cut a round opening from the bottom of the pumpkin. Scoop out the inside pulp, before tracing this crow template onto the pumpkin using washable chalk markers. Cut along the template's lines before placing string lights inside.
Succulent Pumpkin Family
Gather pumpkins of different sizes. Scoop out the guts, fill the inside with soil and place your succulents on top to create your very own pumpkin family. Then, draw their faces on the front with paint.
Pumpkin Arch
This rainbow pumpkin arch was made using styrofoam pumpkins. Spray paint them in your desired colors (the brighter, the better), then use a drill and wire to connect them in the shape of an arch.
Star Pumpkin
Paint or spray paint your pumpkin white. Carve out the bottom so you can scoop out the insides. Draw star or diamond shapes all throughout and use a carving knife to cut them. For the final touch, place tea lights or Christmas lights inside.
Skeleton Pumpkin Topiary
Create your own spooky skeleton for the front porch by stacking two faux pumpkins on top of each other. Note: use a round pumpkin for the base and an oval shape for the head. Just spray paint them white and draw on black accents for the face and ribs.
Dried Flower Wreath
Adorn your front door with this rustic harvest wreath that you can easily make yourself. Secure dried branches, flowers and grass onto a pampas grass wreath form by weaving together larger and smaller pieces. Once you're happy with your creation, use floral wire or hot glue to add last-minute touches like dried fruit and mini pumpkins.
Skull Lanterns
String lights with a Halloween twist? Yes, please. You can't go wrong with this attention-grabbing design decked out with skulls. Cut faces out of black paper and paste them onto white paper lanterns.
Spider Egg Wreath
Here's a DIY project your child wouldn't mind tackling. Attach plastic spiders and Styrofoam balls to a twig wreath form and finish the look with gauzy spiderweb material.
Black Magic Frame
Cover a vintage frame in black spray paint, and once it's dry, cut out butterfly and Halloween-appropriate calligraphy art to dress it up. Hang your frame with any ribbon of your choice.
Witch Legs
Fill a few wooden crates with poisonous apples (don't forget the witch legs) and wait for visitors to be scared out of their minds.
Front Porch Candy Urns
It's always a good idea to offer up treats wrapped up inside individual bags that kids can grab and go. Set up a treat station on your front steps with black urns and our "Pick Your Poison" calligraphy art.
Googly Eyes
When in doubt, rely on googly eyes to amp up your Halloween decor. Place them on your front door and in planters for a fun and festive look.
Eyeball Garland
Why settle for regular-size eyeballs when you can go big? These giant versions are just the right size to make playful garland.
Get the tutorial at Paging Supermom »
Pumpkin Craft Stick Door Hangers
Amp up the exterior of your home with these kid-friendly door hangers that are crafted with painted craft sticks and pipe cleaners.
Monique Valeris is the home design director for Good Housekeeping, where she oversees the brand's home decorating coverage across print and digital. Prior to joining GH in 2020, she was the digital editor at Elle Decor. In her current role, she explores everything from design trends and home tours to lifestyle product recommendations, including writing her monthly column, "What's in My Cart."
Mariah Thomas (she/her) is an assistant editor for Good Housekeeping, where she covers home and lifestyle content. Mariah has more than four years of editorial experience, having written for TLC, Apartment Therapy, Women's Health and Avocado Magazine. She received her master's degree in journalism at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and published her first book, Heart and Soul: Poems of Thoughts and Emotions, in 2019. She's also the founder of RTF Community, a platform for creatives of color to connect, learn and showcase their work.
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