TRENDING • HALLOWEEN
Set the eerie scene with these spooky home decor ideas
PUBLISHED | 01 OCTOBER 2024
One minute you’re checking the weather app to see if it’s a taps aff day, the next the leaves are falling from the trees and it’s officially spooky season. While the costumes and trick-or-treating are a fun part of the Halloween festivities, it's the decorations that really get us into the ‘spirit’ of things.
As this is actually the only time of year the ghosts and ghouls have a well earned rest, it’s up to us mere mortals to take up their ethereal mantle. So we’ve compiled a selection of creepy and fun Halloween items to adorn your home that won’t have the dearly departed turning in their graves…
FROM BEYOND THE RAVE
Love this guy, he’s scary and kind of jolly at the same time. I reckon this is what I’ll look like still raving long into the next millennium.
This Maxee Halloween Lighted Skeleton Set includes a skull head with a jaw that can be opened or closed and a pair of ground insert hands that can be bent freely to create different poses. It also comes with LED lights in different colour choices with three modes - fast flash, slow flash, constant light - which makes it a real standout piece in your garden.
It should be terrifying enough to scare off the neighbours but, knowing mine, they’ll probably just tut.
LET ME OUT!
That’s what your Halloween party revellers will be yelling when they clap eyes on this bad boy. With his blood-curdling scream and glowing eyes, this Screaming Animated Prisoner Decoration is perfect for unleashing a startling surprise on unsuspecting guests. When someone moves in front of the cage this activates the motion sensor and the prisoner opens the bars and starts to scream.
You can hang him from fireplaces & entrances or, if you’re feeling extra impish, place him inside a food & drinks cupboard. That’ll sort the greedy monsters out.
ELDRITCH
For next level Halloween action, this BeamZ Pumpkin Smoke Machine features a flashing pumpkin light with eerie fog emanating through the eyes and mouth for a spine-chilling effect - perfect for any Halloween decor. The good thing about this that it’s not just single use - you can easily detach the pumpkin face and use the smoke machine for other parties and events. The water-based fog fluid it uses is also eco-friendly and safe.
Time to don a goth hat and do the gravedigger dance. Fun fact: did you know that when a goth dies their voice joins the choir at the beginning of “This Corrosion”?
Want to get into the Halloween spirit with less hassle and without breaking the bank? These pumpkin, tombstone and skull Window Halloween Lights are a nice budget option to complement your spooky decorations. And who doesn’t like pretty glowing colours, right? Each light comes with suction cups to stick to windows and also self-adhesive hooks for hanging them wherever you fancy. I like that these have low energy consumption (they use x3 AAA batteries) and have an automatic 6 hour timer.
There are other light decoration options available such as witches hats, cauldrons, and spell books. Handy for sending the neighbours subliminal messages.
COMING LIKE A GHOST TOWN
A Halloween scene is not complete without inviting some spooky ghosties to tea. These cute Ghost Candles are made from beautifully carved durable wax and come as a set of 6 different styles. These decorative pieces can be grouped together to keep each other company or you can place them in nooks and crannies around the home.
The one on the bottom right is a definite candidate for my bedside table as it looks exactly how I feel when I have to get up in the mornings.
For a serious, more moody alternative these eye-catching Flameless Pillar Candles will add a fittingly creepy atmosphere to your Halloween festivities. These timeless flickering LED candles are made from real paraffin wax for an authentic look without the worry of dripping wax and smoke going everywhere. They take x2 type AA batteries and have a handy 6 hour timer mode to help extend battery life.
There are other patterns available such as witches, graveyards, and gnarled trees on red coloured glass to make your All Hallows’ Eve even more spooky. Bwahahaha.
SMOKE AND MIRRORS
One of the scariest video games I ever played was the much underrated Clive Barker's "Undying". There was a particular scene where the respectable family portrait changed to a complete horror show when viewed from a different angle. So I was thrilled to find you can get something similar in real life.
These Haunted Picture Frames are, at first glance, a normal portrait then they change to a terrifying image of death and despair, freaking out your Halloween guests into the bargain. Call on the “Help! My House Is Haunted” team - it might just be their most genuine investigation yet.
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the scariest of them all.
Watch this ornate speaking Haunted Mirror come alive with a glimpse into the future or make you question how much you had to drink the night before. It’s sound and motion activation sensor triggers when someone is close by, exclaiming sinister phrases such as, “you treat this house like a hotel” or “it's like Blackpool illuminations up here”. Oh, wait, that’s the parents. Seriously though, this mirror makes a brilliant addition to your spook fest and is something a bit different from the usual Halloween paraphernalia.
Scrying not recommended.
JEEPERS CREEPERS
Scare the bejesus out of everyone with this Giant Spider. Its wide hairy leg span and red glowing eyes is the stuff of nightmares. Imagine opening your curtains in the morning to THAT! The spider is illuminated with 82 purple static lights and will be sure to stand out in the dead of the night. As it needs plugging in, it comes with a waterproof transformer to withstand the good old UK weather.
You could have some wicked fun with this - why not place it on the steering wheel of a loved one’s car as a nice surprise then tell them you fancy emigrating to Australia.
WORLD WIDE WEB
Give your new giant pet a home with this stretchable Spider Cobweb complete with 30 of his own mini spider minions. The web is made of 100 grams of high-quality cotton so be assured it’s safe and non-toxic for your furry baby. As it comes vacuum packed, you’ll need a bit of patience stretching it out but once it’s done it looks spookily realistic.
Let’s hope the real spiders don’t decide to take up residence.
BLOODSUCKER PROXY
Halloween wouldn’t be complete without a cauldron of flying vampire bats. These Luminous Bat Decorations come in a set of 24 different sizes with colourful LEDs to give a sinister moonlight glow. They have double-sized adhesive tape so you can pretty much place them on any smooth surface and they are supplied with LR44 button batteries. The 3D design makes them genuinely look like they are fluttering around.
It’s all enough to drive you batty.
FANGS FOR THE MEMORIES
Add the finishing touch to your spooky setting with these cheap and cheerful Halloween Window Stickers. As the stickers are made from PVC, they are easy to peel off and can be reused for future ghoulish soirées.
The decals come in a variety of designs including bats, evil dead trees, some mad church thing with fangs and the obligatory spiders. You’ll be seeing them in your sleep at this rate. Be sure to check under the bed clothes first before surrendering to the twilight world of slumber.
