Halloween wall decor doesn’t have to be expensive, especially if you’re just throwing together a last-minute party or you’re on a limited budget like so many of us these days.
If you need some creative Halloween decorating ideas but don’t have the budget for an extensive overhaul of your living space, here are some easy and frugal ideas that will help you create the perfect atmosphere for your big bash!
1) Cute & Cheerful
There are so many ways to spruce up your home for the perfect Halloween experience. You don’t need a lot of money, time, or space to have a great time with friends and family this holiday season.
Add some faux spider webs – buy some clear string lights at the dollar store and tape them along walls, around corners, around windowsills, etc.
Secure them with clear tape on all four sides. Cut up some dollar store tulle into strips (so they’re not too long) and wrap them around the light strings with hot glue.
Try doing one strand of webbing in white, another in black, and another in orange.
Hang paper lanterns from the ceiling by adding hooks that have been screwed into studs on your ceiling joists above each location where you want to hang a lantern.
Light a candle inside each lantern and hang them where it’s safe (away from anything that could catch fire).
Hang the wire hook so it’s about 3 inches away from the top edge of the lantern opening when hanging it vertically above eye level.
Use an egg carton as a template to draw several large circles onto cardboard or heavy paper (cut them out).
Paint half of each circle black; let dry. Then paint the other half of each circle yellow. Poke holes in the centers with a toothpick or scissors.
Use yarn to tie together two adjacent holes, making sure both ends reach outside of the paper/cardboard–one end coming from the center hole and one end coming from an outer hole (to make legs).
Connect two more adjacent holes, then add 4 more adjacent holes, going outward. Now cut off the top rectangle so you can insert candies through the openings left on either side of the spider body shape.
Candies should rest on either side of those rectangular openings like eyes do in real life spiders’ eyesockets.
The final step is cutting out leg shapes from construction paper to use as props alongside your finished project!
2) Spooky & Scary
There are plenty of ways to make your home feel spooky and scary for the holiday season. If you’re tired of the same old decor, consider these budget-friendly ideas:
- Purchase a few pumpkins and carve them into faces or jack-o’-lanterns. We suggest carving out an eerie face with triangle eyes, a wide grin and long pointy teeth for an extra sense of dread.
- Create your own graveyard scene by using some old furniture pieces that you can no longer use in your living room. You can purchase fake cobwebs from any craft store for this project, which will be perfect for creating that cobwebbed look on top of the furniture items or on walls in the background!
- Hang spider webs across the doorway or all around your windows. The classic spider web decoration is inexpensive, but always a good idea if you want to add another creepy element to your space!
- Wrap black fabric over chairs and couches and scatter dusty books around the ground as if they were just knocked off a shelf when something walked through the room.
- Paint window panes red with paint pens so it looks like blood dripping down the glass (this one is sure to get trick-or-treaters running away!).
- If you have kids who love dressing up as their favorite character, place their costumes up against your front door so they’ll know they’ve found the right house!
3) Utterly Tacky but Totally Fun
- Hang Witches Hats From the Ceiling
- Use Black and Orange Curtains as a Curtain for Windows
- Get A Pumpkin Patch Rug for the Floor
- Add Glow Sticks to Candles or Lanterns for Some Extra Spooky Fun
- Put Fake Spider Webs Around the House
- Get Plastic Owls and Hang Them in Trees Outside the House If You Really Want To Do It Right, Add Fake Squirrels Too
- Get Glow Stick Bracelets for Guests So They Can Have a Trick-or-Treat Light Show on Their Way Home
- Slather Glitter Everywhere Like It’s Going Out of Style (It’s Not)
- Invite Neighbors Over For a Real Party With Open Bars and Buffets, Keep The Mood Pumping All Night Long
4) Creepy & Unsettling (but on a budget!)
If you want your haunted house to be the scariest of all, then you’ll need some great wall decor.
It’s easy enough to find a few cheap Halloween props. If you want something a little more creepy and unsettling, then use these tips for budget-friendly ways to spice up your Halloween decor.
For example, hang cobwebs from corners or fill empty bottles with liquid latex so that they’re in place when you pour it out (you can always get these materials at any hardware store).
You could also put some styrofoam heads on your walls or try using battery powered lights inside jars or vases for an even creepier effect.
Lastly, make sure to set up plenty of skulls or other spooky decorations around the house!
5) Full-on Zombie Apocalypse Survival Mode
It’s October and the time has come for spooky decorations, pumpkin spice lattes, and families everywhere to get ready for a month of trick or treating.
Depending on your budget this time of year can be either really fun or really costly but with these budget-friendly ways, you’ll be able to have your decor and eat it too.
- Use paper towel rolls as an opportunity to bring in some color while still keeping it inexpensive. Covering them in colored construction paper is a great way to add some flare without breaking the bank.
- Get creative with those old milk jugs by painting them black on one side and white on the other. These make great ghosts!
- If you don’t want to spend any money at all then try printing out some free printables online that are both spooky and adorable. A quick Google search will provide lots of options!
- Hanging up plastic spiders from the ceiling gives a little bit more height while also adding another element of creepy crawlers.
- Turning books into makeshift lanterns are a simple way to give off that warm glow without having to buy any expensive candles.
- And finally, if you want something extra special then why not make your own haunted house using cardboard boxes? With just some string, scissors, glue sticks, and markers it would look like something out of Disney World – only better because there won’t be any lines!
6) Totally ghoulish & amazing
- Create a spooky scene in your living room with a fog machine, some cobwebs and spiders, and a projector playing clips from horror movies.
- Hire a professional makeup artist to come in and make up your guests for the occasion. You can have them show off their work on everyone or do individual looks for each guest.
- Invite some musicians over to play spooky tunes at your party! You can provide them with a list of songs you’d like them to play or ask them to take requests from the crowd during their performance. It’s always fun when there are people wandering around while music is playing!
7) Perfect for your Harry Potter fans!
This year, instead of spending a fortune on new wall decorations for your Halloween party, you can use some of the following ideas to spruce up your party.
Whether it’s putting up a few cobwebs in corners or hanging an old iron chandelier from the ceiling for that old creepy effect, these are sure to please your guests.
- Hang a dusty old iron chandelier from the ceiling – this gives off that old creepy vibe and is perfect if you’re throwing a themed party like The Shining or The Exorcist.
- Put up some cobwebs in corners – these spooky webs will instantly give off that eerie feeling and can be found at any craft store for about $4 for 100ft.
- Give each guest their own jack o’lantern when they arrive by placing them all over the house – just make sure not to place them near anything flammable as these candles can be dangerous!
- If you have room, hang a big black tarp in one of your windows so it looks like something is creeping in from outside.
- Throw some fake spider webs around the house – this way spiders seem more realistic and who doesn’t love those little critters?
8) Aspiring cinephiles will love this one!
There’s no doubt about it, we all know October 31st is the time for trick or treating, but have you ever wondered why?
The answer dates back to the ancient Celtic tradition of Samhain which was a celebration of the dead. It also marks the end of summer and the beginning of winter.
In order to celebrate this festival, many cultures would light bonfires and throw fresh herbs on them like sage, rosemary, juniper berries, and thyme.
This was done because they believed it would help ward off evil spirits that were roaming around.
Once the bonfires were lit people would dance around them in costumes in order to confuse spirits looking for human prey.
They also had their own version of trick or treat where they would go from door to door asking for food. They would say trick if the person at home says yes, and treat if they said no.
As a result, people now wear costumes on Halloween to avoid being recognized by any wandering spirits as well as to give them an opportunity to collect treats!
9) Put pumpkins in your yard
Grab a handful of pumpkins from the pumpkin patch and stick them in the ground in your yard. Add some orange ribbon or string lights for an extra festive touch!
For another spooky decoration, grab one of those creepy gravestones that you can buy at any store, attach it to a piece of rope, then hang it over your front door.
If you’re not up for making this by yourself, stop by Michael’s Craft Store and pick one up already assembled.
Conclusion
It’s important that your home is decked out in spooky, not scary décor when you have a little one running around. We hope you found our 9 ideas helpful.
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