Halloween is a special holiday for plenty of reasons outside of candy. For one, it's a great way to really appreciate and welcome the fall weather. It may be a little chilly while you're out trick-or-treating with your kids, but that's part of the fun.
Secondly, it's obviously the best time to break out your spookiest decor. While it's great to have outdoor decorations that'll tell the neighborhood kids that you're serious about Halloween, it's also good to change up the interior of your home. Even if you're not holding a party this year, turning your home into a haunted house for the family may add to the fun. Or, if you're close enough with your neighbors or want to surprise close family members with a celebratory haunted house this year, it'll add a bit more incentive and make you more excited to fill your shopping cart with cobwebs and gravestones.
One of the best parts about constructing a haunted house is that there's no wrong way to do it. (Just make sure it's not too scary, especially since you don't want to give your kids any fuel for potential nightmares.)
1. Reuse Old Dolls and Turn Them Into a Creepy Mobile
If you have children younger than 10, you can soften this idea up. Make sure not to use any dolls that might have a prominent significance in their life. If the dolls are in rough shape, this is a great way to give them a secondary purpose.
Old-fashioned dolls can often be found at a store like Goodwill, and that may be your best bet. Remember, you're aiming for spooky and scary — not traumatizing. Several dolls can be hung on a mobile. If you purchase a wreath from a store like Michaels, that can serve as your mobile base.
Dolls, in general, have a bit of a creepiness factor to them — and the older they are, the more haunted they may appear.
2. Block Off One Room With Police Tape
When you buy crime scene tape, you have a world of possibilities at your fingertips. If you have a kid who happens to be a prankster, maybe you can choose their room to tape up. It's funny and harmless, yet adds an additional layer of spookiness to any haunted house.
Crime scene tape can also easily be taken outside. Have a playset? Tape it up. Live near a bunch of trees? Maybe you can make your entire house a crime scene (and hastily cut the tape when it's time to greet trick-or-treaters).
3. DIY Your Own Body Bags
Do you have duct tape and plenty of black garbage bags? Then you can easily create a body bag.
Like humans, body bags come in all shapes and sizes. But they'd be an excellent addition to a haunted house, and they're fairly easy to put together. All you need to do is create a "dummy" by filling old clothes with newspapers. Leaves would also work, if you happen to have a lawn full of them.
You can tape a bunch of papers to resemble a circular "head" that will give the body bag more shape. It's important to make sure that it looks like a real human could be inside (even though random bags of trash around the house can be horrifying for parents for other reasons).
4. Add Some Haunted Window Silhouettes
If you're iffy on the spook factor, then this idea should be perfect. Halloween window silhouettes can be funny, scary, or even charming. And there's no shortage of them. Pink Tree Design on Etsy has a great silhouette that'll add a hint of intrigue to your home.
In general, Etsy has a bunch of great decor that'll make your home stand out. StanleyJsLazerCutz is another shop to check out for great window silhouettes that'll look great in your house.
5. Create Your Own Labels for Household Items
How haunted is a house, really, if there's non-spooky food in the fridge? Turn your beverages into potions. Change the labels on everyday snacks to make them slightly more ghoulish. Stickers can be made at home, or you can even just use blank shipping labels and a permanent marker.
When labeling food items, it's important to unleash your creativity. What would a witch have in their pantry? This is also a special way to make Halloween breakfast even more fun for your kids.
6. Dress Pets in Spooky Costumes
Transform your dog into a bat with this simple set of wings. Or maybe your dog can be a mummy who's wandering around the house. Your pets are a big part of your home and your home's vibe, so have some fun and transform them into spooky creatures.
7. Make Your Own Cauldron Candles
If you consider yourself a crafty individual, these cauldron candles are bound to be a ton of fun to whip up over a weekend. Candles are a great holiday decor, since they're one of the few things that could technically be used year-round. There's nothing wrong with displaying some small cauldrons in January, especially if you're all about that witch life.
It's great to DIY your own decor. Not only is it fun, but you'll really take a lot of pride in your decorations when you've crafted them yourself.
8. Designate Each Room With Fun Novelty Signs
Sure, on days that aren't Halloween, your child's bedroom is just their bedroom. But on Halloween, it can easily become the Autopsy Room. Signs can also transform your entire home. Maybe instead of a residential house, it can be a spooky inn for a night or two.
9. Find the Perfect In-Home Halloween Soundtrack
If you work from home, you might not want to listen to a bunch of screams and zombie noises all day. But surely your fellow employees will appreciate the Halloween dedication if it's playing during a Zoom meeting.
Music is a great way to set the pace. Aside from "The Monster Mash," you can add "Thriller," "Feed My Frankenstein," and "Somebody's Watching Me" to the mix. Sound effects are also great to mix in, just to add a level of fright. You don't need to have a party to pump up the jams.
10. Make a Haunted Mirror
If you're the kind of DIYer who loves experimenting with LED lights, then this craft will be a perfect way to make your home spooky. If you have a bunch of frames without any purpose in your home, this is a great way to use them. You might also want to pick up some window film before getting started.
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