With October almost here, it’s the perfect time to share some Halloween porch decor ideas to help spookify the outside of your home! Whether you’re hosting a Halloween party or simply want to amuse your trick-or-treaters, these simple, fun ideas will be a hit. Let’s get to it with the ghoulish details… (post includes commissionable links; for more information, see my disclosure statement {here})
Spooky Skeletons
Full-size posable skeletons are my favorite Halloween decorations to use both inside and out. I have two of {these posable skeletons} that I’ve posed doing just about everything from folding laundry,
to scaling the outside of our home:
Years that I go more low-key in my Halloween decorating, I simply pose them on our front steps for the trick-or-treaters. If you have a chair on your front porch, that’s a great spot for them too, waving to those who walk by like {this friendly skeleton} from Grandin Road:
Last year we went big and invested in {this giant 10′ skeleton} for our front yard and loved him:
He’s easy to assemble and the base is super sturdy so I never worried about him toppling over. You can really tell how huge this guy is in this pic with my daughter standing next to him:
I added an outdoor solar spotlight similar to {this one} to light him up at night and cast a spooky glow.
Want ideas for decorating your front porch for fall with pumpkins, mums, and lanterns? Check out my post on fall front porch ideas!
Creepy Candles
Spooky lighting with flameless candles is perfect for casting a ghoulish glow on your front porch. You can place flickering candles in lanterns or decorative candelabras for a touch of gothic elegance. Or if you have a covered front porch, you can hang “floating” candles like {these}:
While they give the appearance of floating in midair, these candles are actually hung on a clear string, are battery-operated, outdoor-rated (for a covered area), and can be placed on a timer. Another popular option is {this set of 12 white flameless candles} with flickering lights that emulate the soft, flickering flames of real candles.
Want to take it to the next level? Add some floating witch hats like {these} to the mix!
Or check out {these witch hats} as a more budget-friendly option.
Wicked Wreaths
While wreaths have long been a symbol of warm welcomes, do a 180 for Halloween and transform your wreath into something wickedly unique! You can buy a spooky Halloween wreath such {this lit wreath with black leaves and a spider web across the middle}:
or {this skull and bones wreath}:
You could also make a few spooky additions to a wreath that you already have for a more budget-friendly decoration. Simply add a pair of skeleton hands such as {these} and a skull such as {this one}. Other ideas for additions to your front door wreath include black feathers, fake spiders, a pair of black ravens, or a few faux bats.
If you prefer to buy instead of DIY and you’ve got a sizable budget for your Halloween decor, I adore this handmade boho chic Halloween wreath found {here}:
Sinister Spider Webs
Faux spider webs draped across your porch railings, suspended from the eaves, or cascading down your front door are a great way to add a spooky vibe! You can make your own using white polyester batting from the craft store by stretching it into a thin layer and teasing apart the fibers for a gauzy effect. Or you can find a similar online option complete with fake spiders {here}.
If you want a more cutesy than spooky vibe, I think {this lit spider web} is so fun:
You can also skip the web and go BIG with a spider or two. {This huge hairy spider} has bendable legs so can be posed crawling up the steps or around a porch column:
Also check out {these smaller spiders} that are a steal at $5 each! I added similar sized spiders scaling the columns of our front porch last year along with orange string lights similar to {these}:
Ghostly Greetings
Nothing says spooky like ghosts! I like the idea of hanging some spooky ghosts like {these} so they’re hovering above your front porch. But I LOVE the idea of placing a ghost or two peering out of your house in front of a glass window or door like this decked-out home featured on Pottery Barn:
Pottery Barn no longer sells these cuties, but I found the cutest DIY for them! On Instagram, @notyetafarmhouse shared how to make them with a styrofoam ball on top of a tomato cage that she then wrapped in string lights and covered with a sheet and fabric mesh:
Check out her video {here} to see how it all came together – so cute!
Bats in the Belfrey
Felt bats are a fun and inexpensive way to add some Halloween vibes to the inside of your home, such as {these bats} creatively placed swooping up a fireplace surround:
You could create a similar look outdoors on your front porch too like with {these bats and witch hats}:
Another option is {this group of bats} that are made with PVC, making them great for outdoor use with the addition of some Command strips to help them stay attached to your home in rain and wind.
Or if you want to invest in bats that will be able to weather the elements year after year, {these metal bats} would be a great choice:
And with that, I’m off to drag my skeletons and spiders out of the attic and get busy! Happy spooky decorating!
XO,