22 Easy DIY Halloween Decorations for Inside

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Create a Spooky Home Without the High Cost

Store-bought Halloween decorations can be expensive and look the same as everyone else's. You want your home to feel festive and unique, but you don't want to spend a fortune on plastic skeletons. The solution is to make your own. With a few basic supplies and some creativity, you can craft a memorable atmosphere. This guide gives you 22 ideas for DIY Halloween decorations for inside your home. These projects are simple, affordable, and make a big impact.

1. Floating Witch Hats

This decoration adds a touch of magic to any room. You will need inexpensive black witch hats, fishing line, safety pins, and removable ceiling hooks. First, attach a length of fishing line to the point of each hat with a safety pin. Then, tie the other end to a ceiling hook. Hang the hats at different heights to create the illusion that they are floating in mid-air. This works especially well in an entryway or over a dining table.

2. Eerie Paper Bat Swarm

A swarm of bats makes any wall instantly spooky. This is an effective and low-cost handmade decoration. You need black cardstock, scissors, and double-sided tape. First, print a bat template in a few different sizes. Trace and cut the bats from the cardstock. Fold the wings slightly to give them a 3D look. Then, arrange them on a wall in a swooping pattern. Start them from a corner, a fireplace, or a doorway for a dramatic effect.

3. Ghostly Cheesecloth Figures

Create ethereal, free-standing ghosts with cheesecloth and starch. You need cheesecloth, liquid fabric starch, a balloon or bottle for a mold, and black felt for eyes. First, drape the starch-soaked cheesecloth over your mold. Let it dry completely. Once it is hard, remove the mold, and the cheesecloth will hold its shape. Add small black felt eyes to finish the look. Place these figures on shelves or tables.

4. Creepy Spider Web Mantel

Transform your fireplace into a spider's nest. Get bags of stretchy cotton spider webs and a variety of plastic spiders. Start by stretching the webbing thin. The thinner you stretch it, the more realistic it looks. Drape and anchor it across your entire mantel, picture frames, and any objects on top. Then, place plastic spiders of all sizes throughout the web. Some should be large, others small.

5. Apothecary Jar Display

Make a collection of spooky ingredients for a witch's pantry. Collect glass jars of different shapes and sizes. You can find these at thrift stores. Fill them with items and add handmade labels. For example:

Eyeballs: Peeled grapes or lychee fruit in water.

Worms: Gummy worms in water tinted with green food coloring.

Spider Eggs: Tapioca pearls in a cloudy liquid.Print aged-looking labels with names like 'Eye of Newt' or 'Venom' and attach them with twine.

6. Spooky Book Covers

Give your bookshelf a haunted library feel. This is a simple paper craft for your inside decor. Print spooky book cover designs from the internet onto regular or textured paper. Look for titles like 'Advanced Potion-Making' or 'A History of Ghosts.' Cut them to size and wrap them around books you already own. Secure the covers with tape on the inside. Arrange them on a shelf or stack them on a side table.

7. Candlelit Window Silhouettes

Create eerie scenes for your windows that look great from both inside and out. Cut Halloween shapes like cats, witches, or haunted houses from black construction paper. Tape them to the inside of your window panes. At night, place battery-operated candles or lamps on the windowsill behind the cutouts. This backlights the shapes, creating a striking silhouette effect for anyone looking at your house.

8. Creepy Crawly Staircase

Make it look like pests are invading your home. Buy a pack of plastic rats or spiders. Use removable adhesive putty to stick them to the vertical part of each stair riser. Arrange them so it looks like they are crawling up or down the stairs. It’s a simple indoor decoration that surprises anyone walking upstairs.

9. Ghostly Mirror Message

Leave a startling message on any mirror. Mix one part white craft glue with one part water. Use a small paintbrush to write a creepy message like 'Help Me' or 'I'm watching you' on a mirror. Let it dry completely. It will dry clear and be almost invisible. When the mirror fogs up from a shower, the message will reappear. This is a great, subtle decoration for a guest bathroom.

10. Potion Bottle Collection

Repurpose old glass bottles into a colorful potion display. Collect empty wine bottles, olive oil bottles, or any glass container with an interesting shape. Clean them and remove the labels. Fill them with water and a few drops of food coloring to create different colored 'potions.' Add a pinch of glitter for a magical effect. Finish them with corks and custom-printed labels tied with twine.

11. Hanging Cage Props

Create spooky hanging cages from laundry baskets. You need two identical round plastic laundry baskets, black spray paint, and zip ties. Spray paint both baskets black. Place a prop, like a plastic skeleton or a rubber raven, inside one basket. Place the second basket on top, upside down, to form a cage. Use zip ties to connect the two baskets. Hang the cage from the ceiling with a chain or rope.

12. Enchanted Floating Candles

Recreate a magical hall with floating candles. This indoor craft uses paper towel tubes and LED tea lights. First, paint the paper towel tubes white or a creamy off-white, letting the paint be a little uneven for texture. Use a hot glue gun to create 'wax' drips around one end of each tube. Then, push an LED tea light into the top. Hang them from the ceiling with clear fishing line at different heights.

13. Creepy Specimen Jars

This idea adds a mad scientist feel to your decor. Find some large glass jars with lids. Place creepy plastic toys inside, like spiders, snakes, or even small dolls. Fill the jars with water and add a few drops of green or yellow food coloring to make the water look murky. Set them on a shelf or desk for a disturbing display.

14. Black Branch Centerpiece

Create a dramatic and dark centerpiece. Collect some fallen branches from your yard. Trim them to a suitable size. Spray paint them matte black. Arrange the black branches in a large vase or pot. You can hang small, lightweight ornaments from them, like tiny plastic skulls or paper bats. This is a great piece of DIY decor for a dining table or entryway console.

15. Mummy-Wrapped Vases

Turn any glass jar or vase into a mummy. All you need is a glass container, gauze from a first-aid kit, and googly eyes. Wrap the gauze around the jar, overlapping it to create a mummy-like texture. Secure the end with a dot of hot glue. Leave a small gap in the wrapping and glue on a pair of googly eyes. Place an LED tea light inside to make it glow.

16. Raven & Crow Perches

Positioning fake birds around a room adds a classic gothic feel. Purchase a few artificial black crows or ravens from a craft store. Place them in unexpected spots inside your home. They can perch on top of curtain rods, bookshelves, door frames, or picture frames. It gives the feeling that your home is being watched.

17. Dripping 'Blood' Candles

This is a simple way to make normal candles look gory. Take a plain white pillar candle. Light a red candle and hold it over the white one. Let the red wax drip down the sides of the white candle. The more drips you add, the more it looks like blood. Do this over a protected surface. Group a few of these candles together for a sinister look.

18. Haunted Portrait Gallery

Make your family photos part of the decor. Find old, ornate picture frames at a thrift store. Print black and white photos of ghosts or classic horror movie characters. You can also use a photo editor to add a ghostly effect to your own family photos. Replace the existing art in your home with these spooky portraits for the month of October.

19. Gourd & Pumpkin Creatures

Use small pumpkins and gourds to create little monsters. This is a fun craft for families. Use paint, hot glue, and various craft supplies to give them personality. For example:

Paint a small pumpkin white, then glue on googly eyes and wrap it in gauze to make a mummy.

Glue plastic vampire fangs into a small incision on a gourd.

Use black thumbtacks for eyes to create spider or bat pumpkins.

20. Spider Egg Sacs

These hanging decorations are simple to make and look very creepy. You need white pantyhose or tights, plastic spiders, and a foam or plastic ball. Place the ball inside the pantyhose, then fill the surrounding space with cotton batting and small plastic spiders. Tie the top with a string. Hang these sacs from the ceiling or a doorway. They look like they are ready to hatch.

21. Spooky Terrarium

Create a miniature haunted scene inside a glass container. Use a large glass jar, cloche, or fishbowl. Add a base of soil or black sand. Then, create a scene inside. Use small, bare twigs for dead trees, moss for an overgrown ground, and a small plastic skeleton or skull as the centerpiece. You can also add a tiny, handmade tombstone from a piece of clay or stone.

22. Shadow Puppet Corner

Dedicate a corner to casting creepy shadows. Cut out scary shapes from black cardstock, like a spindly hand, a monster's head, or a witch on a broom. Tape these cutouts to thin wooden skewers. Place a single lamp on the floor, aimed at a blank wall. Position your shadow puppets between the light and the wall to cast large, distorted shadows. It’s an interactive decoration that changes with a simple movement.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I use for Halloween decorations at home?

You can use common household and craft items. Things like black paper, cheesecloth, glass jars, cotton balls, and fallen branches are great starting points. Repurposing items like laundry baskets or wine bottles also works well for creative decorations.

How can I make my house look scary for Halloween on a budget?

Focus on high-impact, low-cost projects. A swarm of paper bats or cheesecloth ghosts costs very little but fills a large space. Dimming the lights and using candles (or LED alternatives) creates an instant spooky atmosphere for free. Stretchy cotton spider webs are also inexpensive and can cover a large area.

How do you make simple ghost decorations?

The easiest way is to use cheesecloth and liquid starch. Drape the soaked cheesecloth over a bottle or a balloon. Once it dries, it will hold its shape. Another simple method is to draw a face on a white balloon or hang white trash bags cut into strips from tree branches.

Conclusion

You don't need a big budget to make your home feel ready for Halloween. These 22 ideas show that a little creativity and some basic supplies are all it takes to create a spooky, fun, and unique space. By making your own decorations, you get a look that is entirely your own. Which idea will you try first? Share your creations in the comments below!