Halloween Decorating Ideas
Decorating the house and yard for Halloween is a lot of fun because there are so many possibilities. Sometimes I go for scary decorations; other times I go for a fun Halloween theme. I like to make my outdoor decorations scary to give trick-or-treaters a fright. That may sound mean and nasty but believe me, they seem to like it. You will find many Halloween decorating ideas in magazines and online sites. If you are on a tight budget, you can also find ideas for inexpensive Halloween decorations.
If you are decorating your home for Halloween, my advice is to stick to a specific theme. If you want a graveyard scene, decorate your yard with tombstones. The inside of your house can be decorated with skeletons.
You may want to make your home look like a haunted house. In that case, you should have a haunted tree in your front yard, complete with a ghost and black cat. Drape your furniture in white sheets and festoon your house with fake cobwebs. Cobwebs work best in corners. You can also put cobwebs over part of a window or the front porch. Giant spiders and ghosts will complete the haunted house look.
Pumpkins also make a great decoration for Halloween. Instead of using real pumpkins, why not use fake pumpkins made of styrofoam. This is a practical Halloween decorating idea because you can use the same decoration every year. You can also carve more intricate designs on a styrofoam pumpkin. To light your pumpkin jack-o-lantern, use a flashlight or a glow stick, never a candle.
Your Halloween decorating ideas will really shine if you have lights to add drama to your outdoor and indoor decorations. Lights can make your Halloween decorations stand out. You can find inflatable Halloween yard decorations that come with lights. You can also purchase lights for this purpose at most home improvement stores. Place the lights at strategic locations for a dramatic effect. You can even experiment with red, green or orange light to give an eerie glow to your Halloween decorations.
Here’s an inexpensive Halloween decorating idea that you might want to try. All you need is black poster board. Cut out designs of witches, bats, ghosts, and other Halloween figures from a sheet of poster board. A pumpkin carving kit can serve as a guide. Next, tape the poster board on the inside of your windows. When you turn the lights on inside the house at night, the cutouts will be illuminated. This is a great window dressing that’s easy to make and does not cost much.
Halloween Food Ideas
When it’s Halloween kids (and grownups) like to eat food that tastes great but looks gross. Think of punch that looks like bathwater, or moldy looking cheese balls. Cookies can be decorated to look like vampires, pumpkins, or spiders. I love Halloween parties where the food looks like something you would not want to eat, but in fact they taste yummy. There are dozens of recipes and Halloween food ideas that you can find online. You can even bake a cake and decorate it to look like a graveyard.
Halloween party food is just as delicious as any other party food, but you want them to look gross in keeping with the occasion. The food does not really have to look disgusting, although personally I like to have one or two with a definite “yucky” factor. There are many Halloween food ideas that you can find online. One of my favorites uses large round crackers and taco ingredients to make grinning jack-o-lanterns. Spread the crackers with sour cream and top with taco meat and shredded cheese. Slice some tomatoes, peppers and olives. Arrange to make jack-o-lantern faces.
A Halloween food idea that’s sure to be a big hit is the Pizza Centipede. Make individual pocket pizzas, about 3 to 4 inches in diameter, and stuffed with pepperoni and cheese. Arrange 4 or 5 pocket pizzas for each centipede. Use shreds of carrots for the legs. For the head, use a large red tomato with olives for the eyes (use toothpicks to attach the “eyes”). Top the head with a small sprig of parsley for the “hair.”
For a sweet Halloween treat kids love cupcakes decorated to look like spiders, brains, mummies, bats, or ghouls. Edible eyeball treats made of frozen vanilla pudding, LifeSavers Gummies, and jelly beans are all-time favorites.
A Halloween food idea that my family loves are monster toes. To make this Halloween treat, you will need cocktail wieners, 6-inch tortillas, some toothpicks and ketchup or mustard. Cut a wedge into one end of each wiener for the toenail. Cut the tortillas into 3/4-inch wide strips, about 4 inches long. Warm up the tortilla strips in the microwave for 10 to 30 seconds to soften them. Roll each cocktail wiener in a tortilla strip. Secure with a toothpick. Bake at 350 degrees in a preheated oven for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and fill each toenail with ketchup or mustard. Don’t forget to remove the toothpicks before serving.
Halloween Inflatables: Decorate Your Yard for Halloween
Many people celebrate Halloween in a big way, and a week or so before the big day you will find decorations and Halloween inflatables sprouting up in every yard in the neighborhood. Pumpkins, ghosts and skeletons are positioned at strategic places to provide a Halloween theme.
Inflatable yard decorations are the most popular outdoor Halloween decorations. They’re even more exciting these days because they now include lights and sounds. Some Halloween inflatables even come with animation. Trick-or-treaters will get a good scare when they go to your house on Halloween.
Whether you have a large or small yard, you will find an inflatable yard decoration for Halloween that is just the right size. Some decorations include a hearse with ghosts, a pumpkin scene, or a witch with cape.
My personal favorite is the 7-foot tall skeleton playing a pipe organ. Its creepy lights and spooky music sends chills down my back. Imagine being greeted by this décor when you walk up to the front door. Kids pretend to scream in fright when they hear the organ playing but I know they love the scary, shivery feeling it gives them.
Another favorite Halloween décor for the yard is the 8-foot tall Inflatable Tree. It comes with a scary ghost and pumpkins and provides the perfect Halloween touch to any yard. The tree lights up to give your yard an eerie glow at night.
You can give trick-or-treaters a scare as they walk to your front door with the inflatable Haunted House with a Dead Tree and Rising Ghost. This Halloween inflatable yard décor comes with lights and animation. As you walk past the gravestone, a ghost rises from behind. You can put the inflatable décor on your walkway, and trick-or-treaters can walk through the house. The haunted house comes with a gargoyle and a giant spider. A green-eyed black cat awaits inside the house to give everyone a fright.
Other inflatables for the yard include a Headless Horsemen Carriage, a Grim Reaper Carriage with Horse, and a Skeleton Train with a Ghost and Vampire. Play some creepy music and you’re all set for Halloween.
Halloween inflatable decors come in all sizes. Some are 6 to 10 feet tall while others are much smaller. If you want smaller decors, you can find inflatable tombstones and pumpkins or jack-o-lanterns for the yard. Many of these inflatables come with lights. Larger Halloween inflatables come with a pump to inflate them. When it’s time to put them away, simply deflate the yard décor for easy storage.
Inflatable yard decorations for Halloween are made of heavy duty material such as nylon or vinyl. They can withstand outdoor weather and temperature variations. Halloween inflatables offer an affordable and easy way to make your yard spooky and scary for Halloween. Just a note though, they sometimes freak out pets, so maybe introduce them before unleashing any strange moving yard decor.
Halloween Movies
Halloween is the perfect time to watch a scary Halloween movie. At my house, it’s practically a family traditional to watch a couple of horror movies while scarfing down buckets of popcorn. After our Halloween movie marathon, we vote on who screamed the loudest. The winner (or loser, depending on how you look at it), gets to do the dishes.
Halloween movies are often gory, horrifying, exciting, or creepy. One of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen is “Halloween.” This popular “slasher” film was first released in 1978. So far ten “Halloween” movies have been released, including a remake in 2007 and a sequel two years later.
The “Halloween” franchise revolves around the character of “Michael Myers”. Michael was committed to a sanitarium as a child for murdering his big sister. He escapes 15 years later and starts killing the people of Haddonfield, Illinois. The gruesome killings happen on Halloween, which is when the movie takes place. “Halloween” is said to have started the “slasher” film genre, which is really one of the most gruesome ways to kill people.
If your idea of a perfect Halloween is to watch a movie where you scream your head off from start to finish, go ahead and watch “Halloween.” Better yet, purchase the “Halloween: The Complete Collection” box set. It contains the first 8 films which you can watch over the Halloween weekend. It’s really scary, so don’t say you weren’t warned.
The year 1978 was a very good year for Halloween movies, because that was also when “Dawn of the Dead” was released. Directed by George Romero, “Dawn of the Dead” was a sequel of “Night of the Living”, which was the start of all those zombie movies. “Dawn of the Dead” cranked up the scare factor with the goriest scenes.
Another scary movie that you will want to watch on Halloween is “The Thing.” This movie is about a crew stationed at a base at the Antarctic. The movie would have been boring, if not for the fact that a crew member has been taken over by a shape-shifting alien. If you have a weak stomach, skip this movie.
Creepy, eerie and horrifying are words that best describe “The Ring.” This scary Halloween movie was released in 2002, starring Naomi Watts. What makes this movie freaky is the weird young girl who climbs out of a well and kills people. “The Ring” was based on a Japanese movie that happens to be scarier and creepier than the American version.
If you have young children at home you will not want them to watch scary Halloween movies that could give them nightmares. Don’t worry; there are Halloween movies for kids. Your little one will love the classic “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”. Children will also love “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Dr. Seuss – It’s Grinch Night!”
There’s a Halloween movie for kids of all ages. Be sure to pick a movie that’s appropriate for those watching the film.
Halloween Party Ideas
It’s never too early to start planning for your Halloween party. My birthday falls on November 1, and ever since I can remember I’ve always had a Halloween party for a birthday party. Does that make me an expert on Halloween parties? I really don’t know. But one thing sure, I have tons of Halloween party ideas under my hat.
First Things First: Pick a Theme
I’d say the most important thing when organizing a Halloween party is to come up with a party theme. I can hear you saying, “It’s a Halloween party, dummy!” True, but you need something more specific. Once you’ve decided on a theme, you can plan your decorations, games, entertainment and food. Don’t worry; there are lots of Halloween party ideas for every theme. Your theme may be vampires, zombies, witches, or monsters. Your Halloween decorations, food, entertainment, games and music should revolve around your theme.
Witch Theme
This Halloween party idea has unlimited possibilities. Ask your guests to come as their favorite witch or warlock. For your Halloween decorations, you can use cauldrons, witch’s hats, broomsticks, and black cats. Favorite fictional witches include The Wicked Witch of the West, Broomhilda, the Witches of Eastwick, and the 3 witches from Macbeth.
For your Halloween party food, you can serve a Witch’s Brew in a black cauldron. You can also serve mini witch’s brooms. These are really easy to make. You will need thin pretzel sticks and a roll of Fruit by the Foot, cut in 2-inch lengths. Use kitchen scissors to cut a fringe on one side, leaving about 1/4 inch at the top. Wet the uncut edge with a little water and roll it into the pretzel. You now have a mini witch’s broom.
Haunted House Theme
This is one of my favorite themes for a Halloween party. You can be as creative as you want with this Halloween party idea. Set up a haunted house for your guests. Decorate the house with pumpkins, cobwebs, ghosts, and spiders. Turn off the lights and tell the story of the murdered Hal O. Ween. Pass around his body parts. Peeled grapes can be the eyeballs, unpopped corn kernels are teeth, and cooked spaghetti can be intestines. Play some spooky music to heighten the suspense. Later, you can tell ghost stories. Whoever tells the scariest story wins a prize.
More Halloween Party Ideas
Popular Halloween party themes include ghosts, goblins, monsters, and pumpkins. A Halloween Murder Mystery Party is also great fun for adults. Party guests take part in the storyline and help solve the mystery.
For a successful Halloween party, choose a fun party theme. Plan your party well, and be sure to serve delicious Halloween food. Make sure you have lots of entertainment and great music. Now that you have some Halloween party ideas, it’s time to start planning for a fun-filled Halloween party.
Halloween Songs
If you want everyone to have a blast at your Halloween party, you will need the right Halloween songs to set the mood. Halloween songs are usually scary and creepy in a fun way. There are many songs and music that send chills down your spine. This is the type of Halloween songs that I like to play when greeting kids who come for trick-or-treat. There are also Halloween songs that are fun to dance to. Your place will be jumping when you play these songs at your Halloween party.
When talking about Halloween songs, Michael Jackson’s popular “Thriller” is often the first song that comes to mind. This pop song has a catchy tune and creepy lyrics that will get everyone singing and dancing. The song’s music video is unforgettable, with dancing zombies in their scary makeup. In addition to the scary lyrics, the music also comes with zombie sounds, graveyard noises, and blood-curdling screams. “Thriller” is my personal favorite in Halloween songs.
If you want to scare people witless, you can play the theme from the movie “Psycho.” This song has no lyrics but it doesn’t need words to create that feeling of intense fear and apprehension. When it comes to putting people in the right mood for Halloween, this song is just perfect.
If you’re coming up with a collection of Halloween songs, don’t forget to include the classic Disney’s Thrilling Chilling Halloween Sound Effects, 13 Days of Halloween, the original soundtrack of Creepers, Dark Matter by Antonio Gonzalez Jr., Hotel California by the Eagles, Black Magic Woman by Santana, Witchy Woman by the Eagles, and Halloween by Dave Matthews and Band.
One of my favorite CD’s of Halloween songs is the “Halloween Music Collection” by the band Midnight Syndicate. I like the way they blend their music with sound effects to create songs that are horrifying yet thrilling. Their songs include Family Secrets, Raven’s Hollow, Awakening, Army of the Dead, Grisly Reminder, and Vampyre.
Other collections of Halloween songs include “Extreme Halloween Collection”, which is a collection of the best songs from classic horror films. Another collection guaranteed to get your party guests dancing and jumping is the “Ultimate Halloween Party Music Collection.” The CD contains the danceable Halloween songs “Monster Mash”, “Shout”, “Devil Went Down to Georgia”, “Ghostbusters”, “Love Shack”, and “Thriller”.
If you’re putting together a playlist of Halloween songs, be sure to include some music videos, especially Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Get some songs that your guests can dance to, including a few for background music. Some eerie and spooky Halloween songs and music will provide the right background while you play Halloween games.
Halloween Treats
Every kid loves a treat for Halloween. As a kid I also loved dressing up in a Halloween costume, but that was because I knew it meant we were going out for trick or treat. Just thinking of the Halloween treats I would get sent shivers of excitement down my spine. Back then many of the treats we got for Halloween were homemade. We also made treats at home and I still remember how good they tasted.
Store-bought Halloween candy is great, but for me homemade treats are best. My favorite Halloween treat when I was little was candied apples. I loved the sweet caramel coating. When we made them at home, I liked mine dipped in chopped nuts. They’re easy to make and do not cost a lot of money.
Another Halloween treat that I haven’t had in years is taffy. Taffy pulling is hard work but I didn’t mind. I could never get enough of the sweet, chewy treat. For me, nothing tastes better than freshly made homemade taffy.
I can also remember Mom making fudge, pumpkin pies and caramel popcorn for Halloween. These were treats that we always had each year for Halloween.
Popular Halloween Treats
Halloween treats these days are often store-bought candies. Chocolate candy bars are the most popular, such as Hershey’s, Baby Ruth, Snickers, Butterfinger, Three Musketeers, Nestle Crunch, Almond Joy, Milky Way, M&M’s and Reese’s Pieces. Bite-size bars are preferred over large sizes.
Other candies that are very much in demand include Candy Corn, Razzles, Sour Patch and Life Savers. Trick or treaters always prefer candies. It seems that Halloween is the time of year when “healthy eating” flies out the window.
If you’re thinking of offering something healthy for a Halloween treat, you may have to think again. Kids associate Halloween with chocolate and candy bars. If you offer something else you and the kids will only be disappointed.
Unique Halloween Candy Treats
If you want to offer something unique and uncommon to your trick-or-treaters, you can buy some pumpkin lollipops, candy teeth with fangs, and gummy Halloween candies shaped like skulls, goblins or witches. There are also candy charm bracelets and necklaces with a Halloween theme.
Kids will be excited to get these unique candies because of their novelty. Their Halloween design is something that kids will definitely love.
While the popular candy bars are found in practically all supermarkets and convenience stores, you may have to order the specialty sweets online. You will want to get them early before stocks run out.