Lots of people string up Christmas lights; fewer go all Clark Griswold and deck their halls with over-the-top decorations. The same is true for Halloween. People may put it out pumpkins, but it takes a certain kind of fan of the macabre to litter the lawn of limbs and envelope the porch in spider webs.
We rounded up photos of some ghoulishly good Halloween decorations in the photos above. If it inspires you to start terrifying the children in your own neighborhood, we have some suggestions for decorations too.
If you really like to light up your house, color-changing LEDs are a great option. Whether you choose between eerie green or festive orange, you can always keep them up (and off) until Christmas. Bonus: You can put them in your carved pumpkins, too. It will set the mood for the rest of your haunted house …
As trick-or-treaters creep toward your house, silent, watchful crows stare down at them from the trees. They’ll have to walk between gravestones — with undead occupants about to emerge — to get to your front door. Sinister silhouettes in the windows may deter them, as could the thought of the giant spider that left its intricate web. Is the knocker hidden behind that wreath of snakes? Maybe a Snickers isn’t worth all this effort.
For those brave enough to enter your home, they won’t find a reprieve from the terror. Glowing eyes peek from under the furniture, and a curling fog seems to follow your every footstep. They won’t know why, but they find the portraits of your dearly departed ancestors so unsettling. Perhaps a drink from the bar will steady their nerves, as long as they read the labels closely. Wouldn’t want to pick the wrong poison. On their way out, they’ll notice the bloody handprints of the last victim who tried to escape …
I may have read too many Goosebumps books in my youth.
Updated October 15, 2016 by Dan Evon: Added new decorations for 2016.