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Bored Panda
Jonas Zvilius

50 Cheap And Creepy DIY Halloween Decor Ideas That Look Unbelievably Cool

We’re well into spooky season, pandas. The leaves are falling, the pumpkins are begging to be carved, and the nights are getting longer and cooler. So if you’re looking for ways to turn your humble abode into a haunted house, you’ve come to the right place!

We took a trip to the Halloween Decorations and DIY Facebook page and gathered some of their most impressive pics down below. From creepy yard signs to gory garden decor, enjoy scrolling through these spooky photos. Keep reading to also find a conversation with Kristen Stafford of the Halloween Art and Travel Podcast, and be sure to upvote the pics that inspire you to go all out this Halloween!

#1 Simple But Effective Halloween Decor

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To find out more about DIY projects for spooky season, we got in touch with Halloweenist and host of the Halloween Art and Travel Podcast, Kristen Stafford. Kristen was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and discuss why she loves decorating for October 31st so much.

"It feels like I’m greeting long-term treasured friends when I pull out my Halloween decorations every year," she shared. "It’s a wave of excitement and nostalgia. I live for the challenge of keeping some things the same while innovating new ways to decorate."

#2 My Witch House From Last Halloween

Image credits: Carla White Baynar

We also asked Kristen how she decided to decorate this October. "I focused on a mixture of a cottagecore, woodland creature, and witchy decorations," she revealed. "It gives off a fairytale vibe. Blending everything together is like composing a symphony."

"I recovered two simple slip seat cushions with woodland animal fabric. Recovering slip seats is an easy DIY project that makes a huge impact. The fabric options available are endless and provide for fun and creativity," the host explained. "I also picked up some dried moss and glass display boxes from a craft store. I added multiple colors of moss to the bottom of the glass boxes and added faux bones and a few small Halloween decorations I already had on top. It looks amazing and was so easy (and no mess!)."

#3 I Wanted To Share The Pumpkin Arch I Built This Year

Image credits: Kimber Grobman

Finally, Kristen shared some advice for readers who may not be DIY experts but would like to participate in decorating for Halloween this year. "Start simple with your DIY decorations and build up. Paper witch hats are easy and low-cost to make. There are loads of 2D and 3D patterns available on the internet. The paper hats can then be placed on decor you already have to spook it up," she shared.

#4 We Are Under A Burn Ban And I Had Made These Refractory Skulls Hoping To Use Them In My Fire Pit. So, I Made A Faux Fire That Turned Out Pretty Realistic!

Image credits: Pat Fultz

"I also recommend getting glass display boxes. It’s even easy to find coffin shaped ones. Line the bottom of the box with dried moss and then place some nature-based decorations on top, like faux bones, little Halloween collectables, plants, rocks, sticks, etc.," Kristen says.

"Another option is to put down a base of shredded black or orange paper, and then arrange marbles, candy, or collectables on top. The possibilities are endless. To elevate it even more, add a battery operated votives or fairy lights."

#5 My Apartment Complex Is Hosting A Decorate Your Door For Halloween Contest. I Went With Beetlejuice

Image credits: Nathalie Arroyo-Perez

As October 31st approaches, you might be planning many ways to scare your friends or neighbors. Perhaps you’ll show up to the office in a mummy costume or bring a plate full of Oreo bats for your friends to devour at your Halloween party! But whether you’re preparing your little ones for trick or treating or you aim to spend the evening out at a club, it’s always fun to spice up your home with festive decorations.

That’s why groups like Halloween Decorations and DIY on Facebook are so exciting. This community, which has amassed an impressive 225K members, is “designed to inspire Halloween enthusiasts” who are looking to up their decor game, the group’s description notes. Here, you can find tasty treats, creepy decorations for your home and all sorts of creative ways to embrace the spooky season while it’s still here! 

#6 Some Of The Bottles And Jars I Have Painted Over The Years

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If you’re curious about how Americans decorate for Halloween, Angi.com has got you covered. They conducted a survey last year that found that the majority of Americans who participate in spooky season make sure their decorations are up before October 9th. Nearly the same amount of people also take down their decor during the first week of November.

Over two thirds of survey respondents said that they’ll spend between three and six hours putting up Halloween decorations, and half reported that they decorate their front yards with inflatables. Nearly 73% of Americans believe that there’s nothing wrong with gory Halloween decorations, and over a third actually put up gruesome decor in their own homes. 

#7 My Attempt At The Chicken Wire Ghost.. For The Simplicity In Appearance, She Was Extremely Hard!

Image credits: Denise Steven

#8 My Wife Was Kind Enough To Let Me Paint Her New 12ft Skeleton With The Colors Chosen By Our Daughter

Image credits: Stephen Kesler

#9 Made My Hell Pallet

Image credits: Alarna Love

As far as how much Americans are willing to shell out to turn their homes into creepy attractions, a third of survey respondents said that they’ll spend between $100 and $249 each year. Over a fifth admitted that they’ll spend between $250 and $499. And certain states are willing to go all out when it comes to Halloween decor, as 28% of South Dakotans report that they’ll spend over $250 each year. Meanwhile, over a third of New Yorkers do the same.

#10 10 Ft Spider Silhouette I Made For Our Garage Door!

Image credits: Nicole Nicole

#11 Utilizing 50 Plastic Roaches From Amazon Creates An Ideal Frightening Experience In Our Guest Bathroom

Image credits: Lonnie Noble

#12 Over In Cheshire UK Halloween Decorating Is Nowhere Near As Popular Here As It Is Over In ?? But We Do Our Best!

Image credits: Toby Whittle

When it comes to which decorations are most popular across the United States, a few tend to stand out. When asked which decoration homeowners would purchase if they didn’t have to worry about their budget, the most popular response was an animatronic witch, zombie or monster. A family of 12-foot skeletons was also coveted by many Americans. And in Delaware and Wisconsin, a 2-story inflatable was the most popular choice, while residents of Kansas and Oregon said they’d like to have a lifelike werewolf in their yards. 

#13 My Little Halloween, ?

Image credits: Denise Steven

#14 All Credits Go To The Original Author And Creator Of This Hanging Creature. We Loved It Do Much, We Created One For Our Home During The Celebration Of Halloween In Our Town

Image credits: Corine Ranshuijsen

#15 Halloween-Decorations-And-DIY-Pics

Image credits: Paul Holster

There’s no question that Americans are willing to spend when it comes to Halloween. According to a 2023 survey from the National Retail Federation, a whopping 73% of Americans participated in Halloween-themed activities last year. It was expected that those celebrating Halloween would spend over $12.2 billion on their decor, costumes and more last year, while the average person was expected to spend over $108.  

#16 Infinity Well…

Image credits: Ailin Lojo

#17 Spider Cronuts ?️

Image credits: De Knutsel Zusjes

#18 Local Scarecrow Contest, Although I Didn't Place, It Was Fun To Build

Image credits: Mike Gangwer

You might be wondering how Americans can possibly spend so much on Halloween, but if you break the holiday down, it’s easy to see how it can become expensive. There’s decorations, candy to pass out to trick or treaters, costumes for yourself and your children, food and drinks for parties and more. In fact, on Halloween candy alone, Americans spend over $3 billion annually. 

#19 Count Chocula And Nosferatu

Image credits: Tom Taggart

#20 Halloween-Decorations-And-DIY-Pics

Image credits: Bobby Turner

#21 Halloween-Decorations-And-DIY-Pics

Image credits: Paul Holster

Costumes are another high-ticket item for those embracing spooky season. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans spent over $4 billion last year making sure that they, their children and their pets were able to fully embrace the holiday. And when it comes to the most popular looks, kids tend to go for Spiderman, princesses, ghosts, superheroes and witches. Meanwhile, adults like to dress up as witches, vampires, Barbie, Batman and cats. And as for what we dress up our pets as, pumpkins, hot dogs, bats and bumblebees are the most popular choices.  

#22 Halloween-Decorations-And-DIY-Pics

Image credits: Denise Fensterer

#23 Halloween-Decorations-And-DIY-Pics

Image credits: Marie Birbeck

#24 My Witches Cauldron Project Turned Out Pretty Good! ??‍♀️ ?

Image credits: Laurie Rued

Are you feeling inspired to transform your home into a creepy, haunted house this Halloween, pandas? Keep upvoting the pics you find particularly amusing or impressive, and let us know in the comments below how you plan to decorate this spooky season. Then, if you’d like to check out another Halloween-themed article from Bored Panda, we recommend reading this one next!

#25 But I'm Such A Halloween Freak That I Always Decorate My House. I'm The Only One In The Street

Image credits: Annelies Zwarts

#26 Oogie Boogie. This Was Easy And Fun To Make And It Looks So Cool At Night!

Image credits: Mathew Zapata

#27 DIY

Image credits: Nancy DV

#28 I Made This Today With A Frame I Had In The Garage And Stuff From Family Dollar, What Do You Think?

Image credits: Kristen Brendel

#29 Skeleton Pic I Made From An Old Frame

Image credits: Bridget M. Chandler

#30 Some Of Our Skeleton Scenes!

Image credits: Kim Watkins Carter

#31 Spent The Last Few Weeks Making These Out Of Plastic Pumpkins From Michael’s And Foam Clay

Image credits: Lonnie Noble

#32 What To Do On A Sunday Afternoon, Make Spider Egg Sacs

Image credits: Marygayle Browning

#33 Our Haunted Mansion Theme Last Halloween

Image credits: Ondrea Kelly

#34 My Version Of Father Time

Image credits: Becky Luttrell

#35 Halloween-Decorations-And-DIY-Pics

Image credits: Dan Dymock

#36 Wanted To Make A Jack In The Box For Our Carnevil Themed Halloween Party This Year But Made A Jill In The Box Instead And Here She Is!

Image credits: Teagan Hill

#37 I Have Always Loved Decorating For Halloween. ?

Image credits: Robyn Butler Townsend

#38 Jitters House In Edmonton (Canada) This Year! ??

Image credits: Caitlyn Murray

#39 We Carved All The Crafting Pumpkins, Just About 6 Are Store Bought

Image credits: Jazmyn Bustamante Salinas

#40 He Greets The Passerbys At The Entrance Of My Home

Image credits: Amalthea Emaleth

#41 Not Nearly As Incredible As My Halloween Loving Friends In The Us But I Love Halloween But Here In The UK We Are Limited On What We Can Get

Image credits: Dorothy Morrison

#42 Hubby And I Made A Tree This Year. I Love It!!

Image credits: Jennifer Niehoff

#43 It Is A Small Three Foot Skeleton Did The Whole Plastic Wrap And Heat Gun, Used A Little Wood Stain

Image credits: Harald Marshall

#44 It's A Work In Progress!!

Image credits: Anthony Moss

#45 First Time Making Outdoor Decor

Image credits: Carrie Adkins-Fletcher

#46 Happy Halloween!

Image credits: Sally Torbitzky

#47 A Few More Candidates From The "Monster Party"!!!

Image credits: Rick Hartley

#48 My Annabelle

Image credits: Cherie Harper Pierce-Wilson

#49 Coffin I Made

Image credits: Jason Sonnleitner

#50 Welcome To My Spooky House ????

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