Halloween Yard Decorations: Delightfully Scary Decor Ideas
Halloween is right around the corner, so I want to share some fun outdoor Halloween decoration ideas with you. I used to do a decorating job in the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years, celebrating this wacky holiday. I no longer work on this project now that I live in Tucson, but it sure is fun to look back at all these delightfully scary Halloween yard decorations.
The lady of the house was crazy for Halloween, which is putting it mildly! The front yard outdoor decorations for Halloween slowly expanded over time and had dedicated storage space in her garage and attic.
Ghosts, zombies, skeletons, black cats, purple trees with limbs that move, fog machines, grim reapers, rats, spiders, lots of real or faux pumpkins and gourds, mums, butlers, maids, and skeletons that scream out frightening cries in the night – you name it – it’s all here in all the best ways.
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The front porch and yard outdoor decorations you see here have been collected and re-used for years. They come from wholesale display houses, retail catalogs, the San Francisco Flower Market, the Los Angeles Mart, and even K-Mart, Sears, and Orchard Supply Hardware. Each year the displays are slightly different, so the current year outshines the last year.
This whole yard display is reuse at its finest. Some of these Halloween yard decorations were expensive, but many were not. You don’t need to break the bank to have a welcoming and delightful front yard display.
Many years ago, some of the decor took flight over the Pacific Ocean when a fierce storm rolled in the day before Halloween. Those Halloween props that remained look all the more authentic, tattered, and dirt-stained. How’s ever heard of a clean ghoul?!
Here are some scary outdoor Halloween decorations that inspire you for your yard, porch, and front door. These are the best and most unique Halloween decorations I’ve ever worked with, and they’re perfect to put on display all month long and a great way to greet trick-or-treaters and Halloween party guests.
For my fellow Halloween fans, find your witches’ hat and broom and get ready to take off to a haunted house and garden!
Halloween Yard Decorations Ideas
Halloween Front Porch Decorations
The entire neighborhood loved this decorated front porch. There’s so much to see and hear as many figures move and talk. A mixture of fall garlands adorn the porch railings, and pumpkins and squashes line each step staying up right through to Thanksgiving.
Wondering how to reuse Halloween decor for a new look every year? This post on How To Reuse Halloween Front Porch Decor will help you.
TIP: The ghoulish figures and zombie decorations spanning the length of the front porch are tied together to the porch posts (but with some slack) using fishing line. They move and flutter in the wind but stay facing the street and walkway. Otherwise, they spin around like crazy, and the effect isn’t the same when you’re looking at their backs.
TIP: This house got a new paint job at one point. We protected the railing going up and around the front porch from wire marks by first covering it with saran wrap and then with soft rubber open-cell material (used for drawer and shelf lining) on top of that. This was the best way to help the heavily decorated garland grip on and stay in place.
“WHEN BLACK CATS PROWL AND PUMPKINS GLEAM, MAY LUCK BE YOURS ON HALLOWEEN.” – UNKNOWN
Halloween Graveyard Decorations
Halloween decorated yards are so much fun, and this cemetery scene steals the show every year. Many photos are taken of it on Halloween night, soon after people enter through the gate.
Because the lawn is artificial, all the decor is attached with fishing line and wire to posts and screws on painted plywood platforms. The headstones are made of various materials, including styrofoam, fiberglass, resin, and plastic. Even the foam tombstones have held up fairly well over time, and all it takes is a little paint to touch up any missing chunks.
Some of the figures didn’t weather that storm too well. They’re a bit battered and look much better on the ground next to the gravestones. I always added some faded hydrangea flowers from the garden for that “Morticia Addams” touch.
A Halloween cemetery is a fitting addition to any front yard. Get lots more info & ideas on How To Create A Spooky Graveyard.
TIP: Position some of your tombstones at an angle – it makes the graveyard look older and gives a spooky look effect.
TIP: Tatter and slit the ghosts and ghouls more than they already are. That way, they’ll flutter in the wind and look all the more eery!
Where to Buy Halloween Decorations:
Tools & Supplies
1- Fishing Line // 2. Wire // 3. Wire Cutters // 4. Scissors // 5. Stake // 6. Extension Cord // 7. Spotlight // 8. Hammer // 9. Steel Pegs // 10. Timer
Front Yard Decor
1 Halloween Bats // 2. Lifesize ghoul // 3. Black Cat Yard Signs // 4. Hanging Skeleton // 5. Skeleton Stakes // 6. Creepy Cloth // 7. Spiders // 8. Lit Broomstick // 9. Reaper // 10. Enter If Your Dare // 11. Jack O Lantern // 12. Black Cat
More Front Yard Decor
1 Spider Web // 2. Skeleton // 3. Black Cauldron // 4. Witch // 5. Spider // 6. Set of 3 Spiders // 7. Ghost // 8. Plastic Chains
Graveyard Decor
1. RIP Tombstones // 2. Welcome Tombstone // 3. Black Stake Hands // 4. Cross Tombstone // 5. Skeleton Bones // 6. Skull // 7. Demon Tombstone // 8. Tombstone Set // 9. Bloody Arms // 10. Skeleton Arms // 11. Creepy Cloth // 12. Cemetery Fence
Halloween Decor: Front Porch & Pathway
1. Glowing Jack O Lantern // 2. Twig Garland // 3. Twig Wreath // 4. Beware Archway // 5. Witch Figurine // 6. Moaning Butler // 7. Pumpkin Halloween Door Mat // 8. Sidewalk Sign // 9. Orange Halloween Wreath // 10. Broomstick
“WHEN BLACK CATS PROWL AND PUMPKINS GLEAM, MAY LUCK BE YOURS ON HALLOWEEN.” – UNKNOWN
Halloween Decorating Tips
Here are a more few tips which should make your decorating endeavors a lot easier:
1. Fishing line is essential to a job like this – we usually go through 3 rolls.
2. Also have plenty of covered and green wire on hand.
3. Map the electrical before you start connecting the Halloween string lights. This job has a lot plugged in, which must be figured out in advance. There is only so much that can be plugged into one outlet.
4. Put all your things electric on exterior timers. It saves you from having to plug and unplug them every evening. Plus, it conserves energy.
5. A fog machine or 2, along with strobe lights, is a big way to take your displays to the next level on Halloween night.
6. Pack all your ghouls, goblins, headstones, foliages, rats, bats, and other Halloween decorating accouterment away as carefully as possible. The best thing is to make sure they’re completely dry before doing so. You’ve invested and want them to look just as good (and mildew-free) next year.
Halloween Decorating Video Guide
I’ll leave you with one last quote:
“I’LL BET LIVING IN A NUDIST COLONY TAKES ALL THE FUN OUT OF HALLOWEEN. ” – CHARLES SWARTZ
Note: This post was originally published in 10/2016 & was updated in 9/2020. We updated the products in August 2022 & in August 2023 to allow you to shop for the latest Halloween decor!
I wish you a festive fall season. We always thought these were the best Halloween yard decorations, as did all who saw them. I hope this inspires your spooky season and gives you a few delightfully scary ideas to create your own eerie Halloween yard display!
Happy Halloween!
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Nell, the founder of Joy Us garden, was born into a gardening family and grew up in Connecticut’s countryside. After living in Boston, New York, San Francisco, & Santa Barbara, she now calls the Arizona desert home. She studied horticulture & garden design, working in the field all her life. Nell is a gardener, designer, blogger, Youtube creator, & author. She’s been gardening for a very long time & wants to share what she’s learned with you.
