Easy Haunted Decoration: 20 Ideas for Indoor and Outdoor Fun
A haunted house isn’t just for amusement parks—it can start right at home.
Whether you’re planning a spooky Halloween bash, setting up for trick-or-treaters, or just want to give your space an eerie atmosphere, there are easy ways to create a haunted look without spending a fortune.
With a mix of DIY tricks, budget-friendly buys, and clever illusions, you can transform your home into something straight out of a ghost story.
1. Glowing Red or Green Window Silhouettes
Nothing sends shivers down a spine faster than creepy glowing figures staring from a dark window.
Cut out shadowy shapes like witches, ghosts, or sinister hands reaching out, then backlight them with red or green LED lights.
At night, it will look like something supernatural is lurking inside.
2. Ghostly Floating Candles (Harry Potter Style!)
Recreate the Great Hall’s floating candles using battery-operated LED tea lights and invisible fishing wire.
Hang them at different heights from the ceiling, and they’ll look like they’re levitating on their own.
This works especially well in dimly lit hallways.
3. Spooky Fog That Creeps Across the Floor
Nothing says haunted like a thick, eerie fog creeping around the ground.
A low-lying fog machine works wonders outdoors and in, especially around porches, graveyard setups, or dark hallways.
To keep the fog hugging the ground, add dry ice for a chilling effect.
4. Shadowy Hands Behind Curtains
Use black construction paper or cutouts of zombie or ghostly hands and tape them to the inside of a thin white curtain.
At night, place a light behind them to cast an unnerving silhouette that looks like something is trying to break through.
5. Haunted Mirror with a Ghostly Reflection
Take an old mirror and lightly mist it with hairspray and black paint to create a fogged-up, aged look.
Print out a ghostly face, tape it behind the glass, and when the light catches it just right, you’ll have an eerie figure staring back.
6. Creepy Doll Display
There’s something deeply unsettling about old dolls with cracked faces and blank stares.
Arrange a few on a shelf or have them peeking out from behind curtains.
If you want to up the scare factor, remove an eye or two and add a recording of eerie giggles nearby.
7. Gory Handprints and Messages on Windows
Use red food coloring mixed with corn syrup to create realistic blood splatters and handprints on windows and mirrors.
Want to send a chilling message? Write something unsettling like “GET OUT” or “HELP ME” for a classic horror-movie vibe.
8. Creaking Sounds and Phantom Whispers
Sound is half the scare. Hide Bluetooth speakers around your home and play eerie sounds like:
- Distant whispers
- Slow, creaking doors
- Faint childlike laughter
- Sudden, echoing screams
Set them on timers so they go off just when someone least expects it.
9. Spiders Everywhere!
If there’s one thing people fear almost as much as ghosts, it’s spiders.
Drape your home in fake cobwebs, stick plastic spiders all over the walls, and even hide a few inside lamp shades.
For an extra jump scare, attach some to invisible thread and lower them unexpectedly.
10. A Skeleton Emerging from the Ground
For outdoor decorations, half-bury a plastic skeleton in your front yard to make it look like it’s crawling out of a grave.
Add some dirt and a few broken tombstones, and you have an instant backyard cemetery.
11. Horror Movie Doorway
Frame your front door with a terrifying theme:
- A psycho asylum look with bloodstains and handprints
- A “Do Not Enter” crime scene with caution tape
- A witch’s lair with dried herbs, spellbooks, and flickering candles
This sets the mood before guests even step inside.
12. Moving Portraits That Watch You
Take an old picture frame and replace the photo with a holographic ghost image that changes based on the angle.
You can also print out a creepy Victorian portrait and cut out the eyes, then place it over a dark space so it looks like the eyes follow people around the room.
13. Sinister Jack-O’-Lanterns with a Twist
Carve jack-o’-lanterns but go beyond the typical smile—try making them:
- Screaming with hollowed-out eyes
- Dripping with red wax “blood”
- With small LED lights in their mouths for a fiery glow
Place them in unexpected spots, like on stairs or inside dark corners.
14. The Haunted Hallway of Horror
If you have a long hallway, turn it into a haunted maze:
- Hang black sheets to create a narrow, disorienting path
- Use motion-activated lights that flicker or turn off suddenly
- Add a hidden fan to make lightweight objects sway like unseen hands are moving them
15. Zombie Hands Grabbing at Visitors
For an outdoor setup, attach rubber zombie hands to sticks and place them along a path.
When visitors walk by, it will look like hands are reaching up from underground. Add some dirt or leaves for realism.
16. A Chandelier Wrapped in Cobwebs
Turn a regular chandelier into an abandoned mansion piece by draping it in fake cobwebs, letting some plastic spiders dangle, and using dim, flickering bulbs for that eerie candlelit effect.
17. An Abandoned Dollhouse of Horror
Take an old dollhouse, paint it in dark, faded colors, and distress it with dirt and scratches.
Add tiny broken furniture, creepy dolls, and fake bloodstains inside.
If you have a small speaker, play faint ghostly whispers or music box tunes near it.
18. Ghosts That Appear in Photos Only
Print out translucent ghostly figures and place them in picture frames around the house.
To the naked eye, they just look like regular family photos, but when people take pictures, the ghostly shapes appear in the background.
19. A Door That Knocks by Itself
Attach a small motor to your door with an intermittent timer so it knocks every few minutes.
People will check, and no one will be there—instant paranormal paranoia.
20. A Glowing “Demon” Behind the Shower Curtain
Cut out the shape of a sinister figure from black plastic or fabric, then tape it to the inside of a shower curtain.
Place a red LED light behind it, and when someone enters the bathroom, they’ll be greeted with a terrifying shadow.
With these easy haunted decoration ideas, your home will go from ordinary to absolutely terrifying in no time.
Whether you go for subtle eerie touches or full-blown horror movie vibes, these decorations are guaranteed to make your house the spookiest on the block.
