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Whether you want to welcome guests with cute autumn decorations or to spook trick-or-treaters, these Halloween porch decor ideas will inspire you!
It’s best to start making decoration plans months ahead of Halloween, but a lot of these ideas can be assembled in a short notice. I typically have a bin of Halloween items so I can just recycle the previous years’ decor and add a few additional ones.
And be sure to stock up on items as soon as they’re released. Stores like Dollar Tree release their Halloween stock in early August (sometimes the very end of July), according to my local store associate.
Want to find some great deals on all the products you’ll need? Check out these Hobby Lobby sales and hacks that’ll save you hundreds. Here are a few other stores that often carry an assortment of creative and spooky front porch items:
1. Hang skulls in bunches for a scary Halloween front porch idea.
These skulls can be some pretty cheap Halloween decorations if you get them at Dollar Tree. Some of the plastic skulls come with holes in the back so that you can insert rope; otherwise, drilling a small hole is required to hang them vertically. Before you make the trip, make sure you read up on the things that you should always buy at Dollar Tree.
2. Create a scary face front door decoration.
Halloween door decorations are some of my favorites! It’s easy enough to just buy a banner or decal (Home Depot has cool scary teeth decorations), but if you’re more of a DIYer, it’s super easy.
First, decide what type of image or scene you want. To add a pop of color, tape brightly-colored construction paper to your front door, then drape white tissue paper to give a mummy look.
Add eyes using paper plates (Hefty is a great heavy duty option) to make a googly-eyed monster. Be sure to use coupons when you buy them.
3. Use fishing line and tea lights to hang glowing witches’ hats.
These are also great if you don’t have a traditional front porch — outdoor Halloween house decorations are fun, too. LED light sticks can also be used to illuminate the porch for the entire month of October.
You’ll need:
- Witch hats
- Long household needle
- Fishing line (2 – 3 feet)
- Safety pin
- Flameless tea light or LED light stick with a clip
Instructions:
- Determine where you want to hang the hats, and attach Command hooks to the ceiling of your porch.
- String pre-cut fishing line through the needle and feed it through the outside of the hat, working your way inside of the hat without pulling it all the way through. Discard the needle and tie a safety pin to the fishing line.
- Add the lights by attaching the safety pin to the fishing line.
- Create a loop at the end of the fishing line to hang on the hook.
4. Hang paper lanterns in multiple colors and sizes.
Paper lanterns can often be found at Dollar Tree, but you can likely find them at other stores — like Target and Walmart — for your Halloween front porch decor. Specialty paper lantern stores may appeal to you and can be used year-round.
Use hooks to hang the lanterns and add decorative curtains and a door hanger to finish the look. Easy and cheap Halloween decorations are the way to go.
5. Make a wreath out of pipe insulation, webbing, and plastic spiders.
You can easily find pipe insulation at Home Depot for under $2, making these wreaths some pretty cheap Halloween decorations. The plastic spiders and cobwebs are staples at dollar stores. Check out Home Depot Hacks You’ll Regret Not Knowing before you make the trip.
6. Hang your witch outfit on a clothesline.
As far as Halloween front porch ideas go, this should be on your list every year because it’s so easy. This old-school laundry setup is simple with a clothesline and wooden clothesline clips.
If you need a new witch costume for the occasion, then read up on these Spirit Halloween tips to save you cash on costumes.
7. Decorate your front gate with bloodied zombie hands.
Halloween front porch ideas are best when they’re creepy and a little silly. If your Dollar Tree is out of zombie hands, skeleton hands will work just fine. Glow-in-the-dark skeleton hands are an awesome way to dress up those pots, too. You could even dip the fingertips in red paint for a gruesome presentation.
8. Attach black crows and LED string lights to porch rails.
If space is limited, these black crows make great Halloween porch decor for your apartment balcony. Removable glue dots do the trick to secure them in place without the hassle of string or wire. You could even perch one in your window sill. Add mini waterproof string lights to make your space really glow.
9. Hang black tulle garland along with paper lanterns.
These Halloween front porch ideas are similar to the witch hat display. Here, you’ll drape heavy duty twine and alternate with orange paper lanterns, black tulle, and orange tulle. Measure your area first to determine the lengths of your materials.
Fold your tulle over lengthwise a few times so that you can easily cut it into 5-inch strips and have 20 – 30-inch lengths. You can always vary the lengths to fit your space.
Bundle the tops of six to seven strips and tie with a scrap piece of tulle. Repeat for the remaining strips. This loop is needed for the twine to go through. Add some paper lanterns or even fake bats for these fun Halloween house decorations.
10. Cut black garbage bags into strips to create a witch’s curtain.
When you’re in a pinch for a quick front porch idea, a black trash bag can come in handy. With the bag laying flat, use sharp scissors to create a fringed look (1-inch wide strips). Be sure not to cut all the way through, and it’s ok if the lines aren’t straight. Tape or staple the fringed bag for a creepy doorway effect. Try black tablecloths from Dollar Tree for some super easy and cheap Halloween decorations.
11. Set out a witch’s cauldron with various Halloween-themed items.
A cauldron is a great and versatile decorating vessel that can hold up to the weather and whatever wacky ideas you have. You could just add candy for visitors. Or stuff it with old newspapers and then top it off with some loose straw (sometimes called nativity straw). You could fill it with some unique Halloween porch decor like a black crow, small witch’s broom, skull, glow-in-the-dark skeleton hand, pumpkins, or pillar candle.
12. Stack pumpkins in a planter to make an autumn topiary.
If you don’t want traditional Halloween porch decor, then keep it centered around your favorite harvest colors. Start decorating at the end of September and add a few Halloween items a month later.
Stack different sized pumpkins on top of your pot until they’re secure. Tuck leaves or straw in between to add to the theme. With neutral fall items, you definitely won’t run the risk of frightening the trick-or-treaters away.
13. Transform your entire front porch or garage into a monster.
Talk about an entrance! You’ll definitely need a ladder to hang the eyes and teeth. For a DIY option, trace out the teeth and mouth on a 1-inch thick foam board and cut out using a handsaw. You can leave the board as-is or paint it with flat white paint.
You’ll need a steady hand to hand-paint the eyes and teeth with acrylic paint. Use long screws to hang the pieces. If you can, consider attaching claws at the bottom, too, for some well-rounded Halloween porch decor.
14. Create spooky draperies with cheesecloth fabric.
Three yards of cheesecloth can be purchased at Joann for around $6. Depending on your porch size, you can effortlessly pull off this look. Hang with hooks or tape. Don’t forget to use a Joann coupon for extra savings.
15. Use ribbons to hang fall door decor on your front door.
Use fall-themed ribbons to hang wreaths or door signs. You could also tie small wooden letters around the ribbons to spell out FALL or whatever you like. Paint the letters in seasonal colors for a blast of color.
Placing a Command hook on the inside of your front door not only holds Halloween ribbons in place, but also they won’t be seen when draped over the top of the door.
Check out these other extremely cool things you can do with Command hooks!
16. Turn regular branches into spooky trees.
Free Halloween porch decor? I’m in. Find a few tree limbs — already fallen, of course — and perch them against the corners of your porch. Add a few pumpkins and you’re all done!
17. Tuck a bunch of rubber snakes under your doormat.
This is a Halloween house decoration that’ll creep out trick-or-treaters for sure! Fake rubber snakes are easy to find online, at your local dollar store, or party outlet. Maybe sprinkle a few fake spiders and bugs to add to the fright.
18. Prop a giant spiderweb on.
Buying a huge outdoor spider web on Amazon is a speedy solution. To DIY, get a roll of black duct tape for about $5 on Amazon and create a spiderweb shape near the entry of your front door on top of a white drop cloth.
Add some other cheap Halloween decorations, like Dollar Tree spiders and pumpkins, to complete your Halloween front porch look. Trick or Treat banners and hanging ghosts would really tie it all together.
19. Fill glass lanterns with pinecones and pumpkins.
Less scary, more autumnal. Either way, it’s a cute and easy Halloween front porch idea. Fill glass lanterns (plastic lanterns could work in a pinch) with items around your yard. Or stock up on wallet-friendly items from Dollar Tree, like leaves, pinecones, faux pumpkins, and spiders.
20. Use trick-or-treat pails as planters.
Your jack-o’-lantern pails are more useful than just for candy than you thought. This idea could begin in September and last until Thanksgiving if you want. To make them creepy, add some copper spray paint or glow-in-the-dark spray paint. Get it on Amazon for around $15.
21. Make spiders with styrofoam balls and pipe cleaners.
Apply several coats of black spray paint to a few styrofoam balls. Then stick eight pipe cleaners in for legs. Add googly eyes as an option. These will look adorable on your front steps along with an assortment of pumpkins.
22. Turn a few pumpkins into black cats.
Oriental Trading’s light-up black cats are beautiful as Halloween front porch ideas. There is a DIY craft that can be just as elegant looking — paint stacked pumpkins black and orange.
Look for pear-shaped or long pumpkins to configure the “cat.” These are easier than regular jack-o-lanterns in some ways because you don’t need to hollow out the body portion! Just paint that sucker black. Learn how to construct the cat-o’-lanterns here.
23. Trace and cut out a colony of bats made of stiffened felt.
You can find stiffened felt on Amazon for about $0.55 a sheet. Or just use black construction paper. Use a bat template (try the one from Made Everyday), lay the template over the felt/paper, and cut out the bat. Repeat for each one.
24. Build a Halloween fairy garden in a cauldron pot.
If you’re crafty (which you obviously are if you’re reading this), you can make this Halloween idea using a large terracotta pot, an apple crate, a witch’s cauldron, or even a mini teacup. Add rocks, moss, flowers, and miniatures to finish your theme. We have the step-by-step instructions for the Halloween fairy garden so it’s easier to assemble.
25. Turn your front door into Jack Skellington.
You could always buy a Jack Skellington front door decoration, but making one is so much fun.
You’ll only need black construction paper and black electrical tape to pull off this large display. Using a Jack Skellington template for the eyes and nose makes this project easier. After cutting those out, use the electrical tape for the rounded mouth.
26. Add hanging and falling zombies to your porch and roof.
There’s really not much to this front porch idea. Pick up a falling zombie on Amazon or a pack of posable skeletons and position them as you please. Use zip ties (get assorted sizes) and plastic light clips to secure them in place and to protect them on windy days.
27. Place fake tombstones or make tombstones out of foam board.
Fake tombstones are pretty easy to find online, but wouldn’t it be funny to make your own with creepy messages? With a steady hand and paint, you can turn boring styrofoam sheets into festive tombstones for your front porch scene.
Two 2x12x36 floral styrofoam sheets will cover the making of two tombstones, along with:
- Sharpie
- Serrated knife
- Paring knife
- Black spray paint
- White and dark gray acrylic paint
- Paintbrush
Get all of the steps here.
28. Stuff leaves into white trash bags and draw ghost faces on them.
Consider this a dual purpose craft — it gets rid of fall leaves and it’s an easy front porch decoration. Amazon’s Jack Skellington lawn bags will look pretty cool around your porch.
If you can’t find ghost leaf bags, don’t fret — make your own. Fill three to five 13-gallon white kitchen garbage bags with leaves (enlist help from your friends and family).
Once tied shut, draw teardrop-shaped eyes and a mouth on the bags with a Sharpie. Ideally, you could draw the face before you stuff them, but the bag stretching may distort the face, which actually may be ok.
29. Turn milk or juice jugs into illuminated ghosts.
Start thinking about this front porch idea at least a month in advance to collect the gallon jugs. Or ask your friends and family to hand over theirs when they’re done. Take six clean (and empty) milk or juice gallon jugs and draw various spooky faces with a Sharpie.
Carefully use a knife to cut a half-dollar-sized hole in the lower back of the jug. Line the jugs up side by side and insert battery-operated string lights in each. Solar-powered lights and clear Christmas-style white lights work too, but you’ll need an electrical outlet nearby.
30. Create a Halloween farmhouse-themed front porch.
Haven’t quite figured out your Halloween front porch plan? How about a mishmash of items for a fall and Halloween look? Use rocking chairs or any other household seats to store skeletons, pumpkins, scarecrows, flowers, spider webbing, or any of the above mentioned items like black crows. Use different heights, colors, and styles to finish the theme.
