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Charming to Chilling: A Guide to Halloween Decorating Styles

Jul 29th 2024

creepy cobweb covered candleabra with jack o lantern and witch's hat, mummy blurred in background

It’s coming! The witching season will soon be here, when neighborhoods are “haunted” by ghosts, ghouls and gourds of all shapes and sizes.


Given Americans’ fascination with Halloween, it’s no surprise we love setting a spooky scene with Halloween decorations. According to the National Retail Federation, about 73% of American households decorated for Halloween last year. That’s even more than the 69% of consumers who decorated in 2022. Over all, Americans spend millions of dollars on Halloween costumes, candy and decorations.

Just walk through any big box store to see why. Those giant witches and skeletons are strangely compelling.


If a particular door wreath or Halloween inflatable has caught your eye, you’re probably already aware that Halloween decor falls into distinct styles from

 kid-friendly and cute to ghastly and gruesome.


What are your favorite Halloween decorations? Do you prefer a subtly spooky touch? Or do you decorate for full-on fright factor with all-out gore?


Below, we’ve outlined a few different approaches to decorating for Halloween. See which one appeals to you and explore our full range of Halloween decor to find many more examples of outdoor Halloween decorations, Halloween wreaths, lights and indoor autumn decor that fit your particular style.

Happy Halloween

orange mini lights and pumpkin lights hanging from black iron fence in rain
This style is kid-friendly and not very scary. Look for ghosts and pumpkins with friendly smiles, bright colors and lots of lights and lighted decorations. Designs and shapes of cute Halloween decorations are fairly simple, but that doesn’t make this style boring. 


Decorate your door with a colorful Halloween wreath or fun door wrap and put lighted Halloween silhouettes in the window. Hang a Halloween flag from the front porch and set cheerful path lights along your walkway as an invitation to trick-or-treaters.

13.5 inch lighted orange Halloween jack o'lantern window silhouette
24-inch black, orange & purple shatterproof ball ornament wreath
Set of three 36 inch standing Halloween costumed kid figures
Set of 5 lighted ghost Halloween pathway markers

Spooky Halloween

RIP Halloween gravestones and pumpkin on lawn
This Halloween decorating style ups the fright factor a notch for a vaguely creepy vibe. Think skeletons and bones, moonlit graveyards and mildly menacing Halloween figures. For a spooky Halloween look, you might stand a few tombstones on the lawn and place a giant spider on a web


Set a raven on your porch rail. Hang Halloween flags featuring eerie images. Window silhouettes with bat or black cat images send out a soft but spooky glow, as can a Halloween projector. Enhance the mood with orange or purple Halloween lights or novelty lights featuring skeletons, spiders or bloody eyeballs.

6 count bone-shaped Halloween lights
24 piece tombstone outdoor Halloween decorations
12 inch lighted holographic Halloween skull silhouette
28 inch by 40 inch pumpkins and ghost spooky Halloween house flag

Horrifying Halloween

Hooded figure with painted face holding pumpkin in weird blue and red light
Does your Halloween yard decor send chills throughout the neighborhood? If you define your style as “the scarier, the better,” you are definitely into horrifying Halloween decor. You delight in menacing ghosts, zombies, skeletons and other sinister creatures of the night. 


For maximum creep factor, any Halloween decoration that appears decayed, blood covered or downright evil is a win. Hideous Halloween figures are the obvious go-to, but don’t overlook lights, Halloween trees and some strategically placed props to create a setting that induces absolute terror.

set of 6 skeleton skulls decorations
16.5 inch pre-lit skull and bones Halloween wreath
3.5 foot lighted inflatable spider outdoor yard decoration
31.5 inch Zombie of Montclaire Moors outdoor decoration

Animated Halloween

evil pumpkin head figure eerily lit at night
What ups the Halloween scare factor? Things that screech, flail, wail and go bump in the night! Animated Halloween decorations are among the most popular, featuring everything from sound-activated scurrying spiders to motion-activated screaming creepies. 


Almost any creature you can envision is featured in animated Halloween decor, including possessed pumpkins, zombie vampires, evil clowns, werewolves and tree men with glowing eyes.

7-foot animated tree man with lighted eyes
6 foot hanging lighted ghoul Halloween decoration with sound activation
10.5 inch grim reaper Halloween candy bowl with animation
6 foot Lighted animated scary butler standing decoration

Witchy Halloween

black and purple shoes with curled toes and large buckles on worn wooden porch with sign offering Free Flying Lessons
If smiling jack o’lanterns are too standard and you find flailing animated figures a bore, you might adore a witchy Halloween. This classic Halloween look subtly embraces the spirit of the season. 


Start with black Halloween candles and black wreaths. Intensify the ambience with a Halloween lantern or purple lights. Halloween pillows and throws are soft reminders of the season, while signs and wall art add a touch of fun.

24 inch burgundy and black roses with spiders Halloween Wreath
12 inch black witch's boot with purple glittered roses
100 count purple LED mini lights
Set of 3 flameless flickering black wax-look pillar candles

Autumn Celebration

display of pumpkins, mums, cornstalks and scarecrows in country like outdoor setting
If smiling jack o’lanterns are too standard and you find flailing animated figures a bore, you might adore a witchy Halloween. This classic Halloween look subtly embraces the spirit of the season. 


Start with black Halloween candles and black wreaths. Intensify the ambience with a Halloween lantern or purple lights. Halloween pillows and throws are soft reminders of the season, while signs and wall art add a touch of fun.

24 inch peachy pampas grass artificial harvest wreath
18x30 inch checkered fall harvest pumpkin doormat
set of 2 orange and beige braided fall harvest pumpkins
100 count amber mini fall harvest lights

When to Decorate for Halloween

Some people are ready to put up their orange and black decorations any time of year; others prefer to keep Halloween decorating limited to a few weeks. That being said, there is no definite time that’s considered acceptable to decorate for Halloween. The holiday just doesn't generate the same controversy as “Christmas creep.”


In fact, according to YouGov, 43% of Americans begin decorating for Halloween between October 1 and 15. Another 21% decorate sometime between October 16 and 30. Conversely, a significant number of respondents (13%) start setting out the jack o’lanterns and other Halloween decor sometime in September.


In northern regions, seasonal changes seem to naturally inspire a change in decor. It isn’t uncommon to see Halloween decorations pop up a full month or more before the actual October 31 holiday.


If you’re eager to decorate for Halloween, Martha Stewart’s experts suggest starting small in September by setting out pumpkins and other fall harvest decor. There’s plenty of time in October to break out the rest of your Halloween decorations. 
carved jack o'lanterns featuring a cat face and traditional smiling pumpkin face

Most Popular Halloween Decorations

What decoration makes you instantly think of Halloween? Some people are inspired by witches and black cats, while others appreciate more macabre decor.

According to one recent poll, the top 10 most popular Halloween decorations in the United States are:

  1. Pumpkins

  2. Corn stalks

  3. Skeletons

  4. Black cats

  5. Witches

  6. Tombstones

  7. Spiders and spider webs

  8. Crows

  9. Bats

  10. Ghosts 

Why Do People Decorate for Halloween?

If you think you’re seeing more and more Halloween decorations every year, you’re not wrong. Halloween is second only to Christmas in decoration sales.


Why do so many people enjoy decorating for Halloween? Maybe it’s because Halloween doesn’t evoke the same strong emotions as other holidays. Unlike your Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, which might come with a side-serving of uncomfortable family issues, Halloween is meant to amuse. The decorations, costumes and candy, trick-or-treating and even haunted houses are mainly for entertainment. That could make Halloween a more stress-free holiday for a lot of people.


Plus, for people who love to decorate their lawns, it doesn’t hurt that October weather is generally more favorable for outdoor decorating.


On the other hand, maybe it all comes down to the fact that Halloween is just for fun!


Ready to expand your Halloween decorating theme this year? Check out our extensive selection of Halloween decorations, including lights, animated figures, flags, lawn decorations, porch decor and more!
Charming to Chilling: A Guide to Halloween Decorating Styles

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