11 Spooky Halloween Party Decoration Ideas

3. Drape with spiderwebs

Easily transition a normal space into a creepy one by hanging fake spiderwebs everywhere. One of the simplest DIY Halloween party decoration ideas is to make those webs out of cheesecloth. Just soak it in water, and gently pull it apart for a web effect.

Douse it with coffee or tea, or add food coloring, to make a multicolor effect. Drape your handcrafted webbing inside or out and use it for costuming effects as well.

4. Set a mood with digital décor

All you need is a simple projector to instantly create depth and mood for large wall spaces or exteriors. Rent equipment or find a cool A/V-equipped venue on Peerspace. This former recording studio in Austin has everything you need, and a beautiful plush retro lounge vibe for a hip multi-media party to wow your guests.

Select scary images to run on a loop or use your favorite classic creepy video clips. Even scenes of trees or flocks of birds are more mysterious in grayscale. Don’t worry if the backdrop isn’t uniform — this creates a cool effect on exposed brick or to get noir shadows from interesting architectural features. Add background audio of suspenseful music to take your party vibe to the next level.

5. Go batty

Halloween party decorations take on an eerie feel with sneaky bats emerging from all directions. Cover the venue’s door with flocks of paper or foil bats that you can source from party supply stores or the internet. Hang toy bats from the ceiling or suspend from paper garlands.

Try your hand at making a simple mobile with black cardstock cutout bats. Add some cute stuffed animal bats to your kid’s menagerie. Set out plates of bat-shaped cookies with colored frosting. Origami bats create an original look for wall or ceiling décor and makes for a fun kids’ table craft activity.

6. Serve up a witch’s brew in a killer location

Easily turn adult or child-friendly beverages into magical potions with colorful labels or set out a witch’s brew in a cauldron! Spiced — or spiked — apple cider is a classic, and pink lemonade works great as a refreshing alternative.

A yard display with dry ice creates the boiling effect or bring that feel indoors with a fog machine to make the snack area mysterious. If you feel like going big this year, rent this Peerspace performance venue in Santa Ana, California, and bring your smoke machine as part of the decoration. The space can accommodate 165 of your favorite ghouls and ghosts.

7. Craft with festive skulls

Take your party vibe from cutesy to scary with skulls! Find paper embellished with skull patterns or get bolts of skull fabric to make garlands. For easy outdoor Halloween party decoration, cut out simple skull patterns from white cardstock and glue them to wooden dowels to line the sidewalk.

If you host your party at a Southwest locale like this lovely downtown Santa Fe adobe venue, consider decorating with sugar skulls and other Day of the Dead symbols.

8. Mummify everything

For some reason, the ancient mummies of Egypt have taken on a scary connotation, so go with it for your next Halloween party theme! Unroll fabric bandaging to “mummify” — well, everything! Wrap the doors or rails into a (past) life-size bundle, and add black paper or felt circles for eyes. Print and hang images of mummy cases and Egyptian iconography to complete the effect.