5 Outdoor Halloween Decorating Ideas

The best starting point for Halloween is the front porch. No matter what sort of layout you have to work with, there are endless opportunities. Just use your creativity and have some fun with it.

Start with one or two large décor pieces. In the left image, a life-size skeleton in a cowboy costume cheerfully greets trick-or-treaters. Layer in fall throw pillows, an area rug, a few mums and a Halloween wreath to create a festive fall front porch that adults and kids will love. 

In the right image, handing out candy feels like a chore to this family, so they're letting their skeleton dole out treats to the neighbors.

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Spiders bring the scaries and this 4-foot creepy crawler with lighted eyes is sure to spook the neighbors. Dress up a front porch, yard or windows with one or several spiders and webs. They're weather-resistant and easy to set up and also take apart to store in the off-season.

With the spider as this front door's focal point (left image), we'll add webbing, corn stalks, a Halloween sign and some lighted pumpkins as accent pieces. Choose from standard pumpkin designs, pre-painted pumpkins or pre-lit jack-o’-lanterns to create a perfect display with minimal effort. 

If you want to go the DIY jack-o’-lantern route, carving pumpkins is a fun activity for the whole family. It allows kids to be creative (with adult supervision) and gives them photo-worthy mini-masterpieces they can be proud of. Add a whimsical touch with LED candles. These flameless, light-emitting-diode candles offer the brilliant illumination of real candles, and some even flicker like a real flame.

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Outdoor Halloween inflatables and lighted decorations are some of the most eye-catching décor items for your yard. In the left image, this 9-ft freestanding lighted alien inflatable is no exception. He'll let all the trick-or-treaters and neighbors know there's new life in town. If you prefer more earthly creatures, we have a large variety of inflatables including pumpkins, animals, birds and more. Or continue along the scary path with vampires, witches, skeletons, ghosts and monsters. 

Some inflatables incorporate motion or have supersized designs that show off your Halloween spirit. Inflatables and lighted decorations can stand alone, or you can use them as part of a larger haunted house, haunted trail or cemetery theme. They’re always a favorite among kids.

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If you prefer cute and cuddly over spooky and scary, a dog-themed front porch is a welcome sight for trick-or-treaters. On this front porch a devilish pup has a canine companion that's disguised as a friendly ghost. Another cute greeter is this skeleton dog with a lighted bone. For more festive decor, layer in pumpkins and Halloween lights in orange and purple for a friendly doorstep that kids will delight in. 

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If you're ready to go full haunted house — gory and gruesome — we have the animatronics for you. In the left image, Soul Sucker, the demon reaper, creates a terrifying scenario. He's motion-activated and his villainous voice will leave trick-or-treaters wary of coming close. In the right image, a scary witch will make you second guess the need to grab that candy on the porch. Continue the creep factor with a fog machine, evil jack-o'-lanterns, tombstones and moody lighting. 

Lighting is always important when you're creating a creepy scene. Halloween string lights are the perfect accent for any kind of display. They add just the right amount of ambient lighting, come in a multitude of colors and can be incorporated into nearly any design. Orange and purple are the traditional varieties, but you can also find novelty designs with skeletons, spiders and bats for a chilling effect. Finally, a Halloween light projector can cast scary and shadowy figures across the front of your home and yard. 

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Once your Halloween porch, patio or yard is nearly perfect, add a few more outdoor Halloween decorations to complete the look. Statues, figurines or signs are great choices. Some of the more popular themes include spiders, bats, monsters, skeletons and haunted houses.

Add a Halloween wreath to the door or garland around the door frame and porch railings. For a spooky look at night, try a pre-lit LED wreath and garland to lend an eerie glow.

If you have outdoor furniture on your porch, make the most of the space — not to mention make your sitting area more comfortable — by adding some Halloween- or fall-themed throw pillows. And, of course, you’ll also want a welcome mat and door banner to greet visitors and trick-or-treaters.