It’s frightening how much money can be spent for Halloween, not only do you have to buy costumes for the whole family but you also have to turn your house into a haunted mansion. If you’re looking to save some ideas to save money by making your own outdoor Halloween porch decorations that are wickedly creative, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a list of 51 cheap and easy DIY outdoor Halloween porch decoration ideas with most materials sourced from the dollar store.
Let’s get spooktacular!
Halloween Porch Decoration Ideas #1. DIY Monster Face Archway
Watch the cars slow down in front of your house with this monster’s mouth entrance. With minimal supplies, this project is highly effective at grabbing attention and making a memorable impression. For a boost in your social media presence, consider using Mixx to enhance your Instagram followers and likes.
You don’t even have to have an archway to do this, the same effect can be replicated with your front porch or garage entrance.
What you will need:
- Foam board
- Hand saw blade
- White, black and green paint
Tutorial: Nifty Thrifty Living
2. DIY Bloody Foot Runner
It’s close to midnight and someone has tracked a bloody mess on your runner! You can buy this bloody foot runner online but it’s pretty inexpensive and easy to make it yourself.
Guests coming to your door will think twice about entering the scene of the crime thanks to this disturbing floor runner you created.
What you will need:
- Old white sheet
- Red paint
- Double-sided tape
- Your feet
Tutorial: Using a long length of an old white table sheet or purchased floor runner and some red paint, paint the soles of your feet red and start stamping on the sheet.
Additional drops of red paint will also create the illusion of a murderous scene inside the front door.
3. DIY Eyeball String Lights
These eyeball string lights is a fun way to get the kids involved without being too scary.
Your family will be laughing together as you draw creepy eyeballs onto ping pong balls and seeing them light up.
What you will need:
- Christmas lights
- Ping pong balls
- Sharpies
Tutorial: Landee See Landee Do
4. DIY Giant Bloodshot Eyeball
Speaking of eyeballs, for the overachievers out there – you can decorate your front porch or yard with these giant bloodshot eyeballs to have the trick or treaters remember year after year.
What you will need:
- Large exercise ball
- Beach ball
- Acrylic paint
Tutorial: DIY Network
5. DIY Garage Door Victim
This takes Halloween decor to gruesome new levels.
In an effort to get creative with her outdoor Halloween decorations, Johnnie Mullins placed two very convincing dummies in her driveway and covered them with fake blood.
These driveway dwellers were so life-like that a few of her neighbors actually called the police.
What you will need:
- Old shirt and jeans
- Shoes
- Straws
- Plastic bag
Tutorial: There wasn’t any step by step tutorial online, however you can get old clothes and shoes from the thrift store and fill them with straw.
You will need a plastic bag and fill it up with blood (apparently butcher shops sell blood if you ask nicely and explain that it’s for Halloween). Alternatively check this out:
[amazon box=B09DWK2C7V]
6. DIY Wicked Witch Legs
If the garage door victim was too gruesome, then you’ll love the wicked witch legs poking out of a bush.
Actually, her legs can be poking out of pot plants, front yard, underneath a door or garage.
What you will need:
- Chicken wire
- Scrap cardboard
- Modpodge glue
- Newspaper
- Spray paint
- Old pair of shoes
- Long black and white socks
Tutorial: Grillo Designs
7. DIY Zombie Buckets
Want to replicate The Walking Dead TV series and bring on the zombie apocalypse?
Then try making these dismembered scary zombies with buckets and a few cheap supplies – just don’t get too close or they will bite!
What you will need:
- 5 gallon bucket
- Roll of wire
- 2 fake hands
- 1 fake head
- Duct tape
- Knife
- Drill
Tutorial: Dapper Cadaver
8. Decorate Your Tree With Spider Cobwebs
You can’t get that old haunted house feeling without spider cobwebs!
To create this freaky effect, you will need white body bag hung upside down on a tree and artificial spider cobwebs wrapped and spread evenly around your tree.
What you will need:
- Artificial cobwebs
Tutorial: Unfortunately there wasn’t a specific tutorial for this image but it’s kind of self explanatory.
You can place whatever scary item you like on the tree you like and start wrapping the cobwebs until you have a cocoon effect.
9. Halloween Spirit Jugs
If your family goes through a lot of milk, use this opportunity to make these friendly Halloween spirits jugs.
This outdoor Halloween decor is a great way to re-use your plastic waste and is inexpensive as they come.
What you will need:
- Clean gallon milk jugs
- Black marker
- Craft knife
- Christmas lights
Tutorial: Eighteen 25
1 Halloween Porch Decoration Ideas #10. DIY Tree Eyes
Ever looked at an old tree and felt like it was staring back at you?
Let the trick or treater’s imagination run wild with these tree eyes and keep a closer eye on your
What you will need:
- Poster board
- Paint
- Fishing line
Tutorial: There wasn’t a specific tutorial but it’s pretty simple to replicate. You just need a white poster board, draw large eyeballs on it and cut them out.
Using purple and black paint, paint the eyeball cutouts, hook a fish wire through them and tie it off to the trees.
11. DIY Foam Hanging Foam Bats
You can’t go wrong with black bats for Halloween decor. Kids big and small will love making these fun googly eye black bats hanging from the tree.
What you will need:
- Black craft foam
- Googly eyes
- Scissors
- Fishing line
Tutorial: HGTV
12. DIY Trash Bag Giant Spider
This GIANT trash bag spider is the right mix of spooky and fun for Halloween.
You just need some supplies from Lowes or the dollar store and a bit of patience in putting it all together!
What you will need:
- White poly clothesline
- Pipe Insulation
- PVC elbow joints
- 2 mini red reflectors
- Black gaffer tape
- Black spray paint
- Trash bags
- Filler (newspaper, plastic bags etc)
Tutorial: Mom Endeavors
13. DIY Plastic Bag Skeleton
Don’t have the budget or space for a life size skeleton? With a bit of patience, you can put together a life size skeleton out of plastic bags and pop it in your front porch or garden patio yard.
Please be environmentally responsible and re-use your plastic skeleton for next year.
What you will need:
- White plastic bags
- Wire clothes hangers
- Clear tap
- Thread
- Black marker
Tutorial: Instructables
14. Hanging Cage Prop
This Halloween cage prop looks like real metal but it’s really plastic so it’s lightweight and all materials can be bought at the dollar store.
You can customize your cage by adding fake miniature animal skeletons or whatever creature you like in the cage.
What you will need:
- Laundry baskets
- Plastic chains
- Zip ties
- Black spray paint
Tutorial: The Navage Patch
15. DIY Body Bag
A really easy last-minute DIY Halloween prop that will send shivers through your spine!
You can suspend your body bag from trees, leave it on your lawn next to a graveyard display.
What you will need:
- Milk Jug
- 2 liter bottle
- Trash bags
- Gaffer tape
Tutorial: Glorious Train Wreck Mom
16. DIY Halloween Glass Jar Lights
Got a bunch of empty pickle glass jars? it’s time to paint and decorate them for Halloween.
Use acrylic paint to draw bats, spiders, jack-o-lantern faces or any spooky thing you like on the jars.
What you will need:
- Glass jars
- Acrylic paint
- Battery powered tealight candles
Tutorial: Kids Kubby
17. Foam Halloween Tombstones
Create a personalized and creative outdoor Halloween display with these foam tombstones.
You can handwrite or carve scary quotes on these lightweight and inexpensive tombstones.
What you will need:
- Styrofoam sheet
- Bread knife
- Spray paint
- Permanent marker
Tutorial: HGTV
18. DIY Bone Mobile
Besides placing bones on a grave, why not hang them up for Halloween decor this year? All you need to do is drill a hole and hang them up with a cotton string or fishing line.
What you will need:
- Plastic bones
Tutorial: A Wee Meenit
19. Monster Mash Up Pumpkins
Put a spin on your typical Jack-o’-Lantern with these adorable little guys made with gourds, aluminum wires, and branches from your backyard.
What you will need:
- 12 Gauge craft wire
- Pumpkins
Tutorial: Woman’s Day
Halloween Porch Decoration Ideas #20. DIY Mailbox Goblin
Fake flower stems hold his horrific mailbox goblin in a swirl of pretend vines. A gaping red mouth and white teeth cut from craft foam glued to the mailbox’s front gives that creepy critter hungry expression.
What you will need:
- Foam balls
Tutorial: Woman’s Day
21. DIY Cardboard Coffin
Real coffins made out of wood are really expensive but not with this cardboard coffin. You can use any cardboard boxes lying around the home and pick up wood shelf adhesive liner from the dollar to recreate this look.
What you will need:
- Cardboard boxes
- Wood shelf liner
Tutorial: Jay Munee DIY
22. Crime Scene
Create a crime scene with ‘crime scene tape’ and wooden yard stakes around a body bag. See #15 DIY Body bag tutorial to complete this Halloween prop.
What you will need:
- Crime scene tape
- Thin wooden yard stakes
23. Zombie Pallet Gate
You can find old shipping wooden pallets everywhere, visit your local nursery, hardware store or any small business and they would be more than happy to let you take old wooden pallets in their hands.
What you will need:
- Wooden pallets
- Red paint
- Plastic chain
Tutorial: Atta Girl Says
24. Headless Man
This headless man will scare the living daylights out of you 🙂 There was no tutorial for this but an old suit from the thrift store and wooden stands make it’s an easy and cheap Halloween decoration.
What you will need:
- Old black suit and jacket
- Filler – straws and plastic bags
25. DIY Spider Egg Sacs
Add a bit of ooey-gooey element to your Halloween decor this year by making your own spider egg sacs that hang at your entrance in the most creepy manner.
What you will need:
- Old white tights
- Baseballs
- Hot glue & gun
26. DIY Witches Broom
It’s the witching hour and your kids will need this to sweep away any negative energy around the house 🙂
These witches broom sticks are so easy to make, all you need to do is bundle little sticks around one big stick and then wrapped it with rope or twine.
What you will need:
- Branches and sticks
- Rope or twine
Tutorial: Over The Big Moon
27. Hanging Ghosts
There are so many variations for hanging ghosts but you can haunt your front yard with these easy-to-craft floating fabric ghosts.
Hang them from a tree or light post to give trick or treaters a fright.
What you will need:
- White paper lantern
- White fabric
- Scissors
Tutorial: HGTV
28. DIY Mummy Prop
This impressive life size dummy will is made on the cheap with trash bags and gaffer tape. The tutorial is easy to follow but you will need a human model so if you’re claustrophobic – borrow a mannequin to create this Halloween prop. If you
What you will need:
- Trash bags (please be eco-friendly re-use for next year)
- Masking tape
- Bandage Gauze
Tutorial: Crafty Mommy & Me
29. DIY Floating Witches Hat
Add a bit of whimsical magic with these floating witch hats. They even light up, making them a fun and only slightly eerie Halloween decorating idea!
What you will need:
- Inexpensive Witch Hats
- Fishing Line
- Long Needle
- Battery powered tealight candles
Tutorial: Polka Dot Chair
Halloween Porch Decoration Ideas #30. DIY Spider Lights
You can line these spider lights along your walkway and create something a little creepy and fun.
The good news is that you only need 4 items these lights and you can use them as indoor Halloween decor too!
What you will need:
- Empty glass jars
- Spider webs
- Rubber spiders
- Battery powered tealight candles
31. DIY Snake Wreath
Spook trick or treaters with this snake-laden wreath. All you need is an assortment of plastic snakes and floral wire from the dollar store to create this snake wreath.
What you will need:
- Grapevine wreath
- Plastic snakes
- Floral wire
- Spray paint
Tutorial:. Dollar Store Crafts
32. DIY Spooky Welcome Mat
The humble doormat is such a ridiculously easy and cheap way to convey a haunted message.
Hunt down a cheap mat at your door store, spray on vampire teeth and “welcome” your guests in for treats.
What you will need:
- Jute doormat
- Cutting mat
- Acrylic paint
- Paint brushes
- Small paper plate
Tutorial: Creative Alive
33. DIY Black Cat O’ Lanterns
Create a spooky trio of glossy black cats to watch over trick-or-treaters at your door. Their pumpkin eyes literally glow and stare back at you.
All you need are a few pumpkins in feline shapes ― long or pear-shaped for the body, small and round for the face.
What you will need:
- Pumpkins
- Tealight candles
- Black spray paint
Tutorial: Sunset
34. Haunted House Silhouettes
Even though these silhouettes are placed inside your house, the goal is to create a shadow that suggests to passers-by outside that something “not nice” is happening just on the other side of the wall.
What you will need:
- Black paper roll
- White chalk pencil
- Scissors
- Silhouette images
Tutorial: Makezine
35. DIY Black Pot Plants
Need a dead simple project that looks dark and lifeless? Spray black paint to a fake plant, top it off with black sand and display it on your front porch.
No tutorial needed 🙂
What you will need:
- Faux plant
- Black spray paint
36. DIY Chic Pumpkins
If gruesome doesn’t do it for you and aesthetic chic lines are your thing. Then you will love combining black and white stripes with gold polka dots to create a suite of pumpkins for display.
What you will need:
- Black acrylic paint
- White acrylic paint
- Gold round studs
Tutorial: Brit Co
37. DIY Bat Doors
Want to a colony of realistic-looking bats perching on your front porch?
This tutorial is not as cheap as the other Halloween decorations but makes an oh so stylish yet dark entrance.
What you will need:
- Black stiffened felt
- Hot glue & gun
Tutorial: Between Naps On The Porch
38. DIY Vinyl Door Decorations
Is your front door feeling a little bare this Halloween?
Just like the haunted silhouettes, you can decorate your front door into a fun and festive Halloween decor with something as simple as a vinyl tablecloth.
What you will need:
- Adhesive black vinyl
- Painter’s tape
Tutorial: Practically Functional
39. Easy DIY Packing Tape Ghost
Most packing tape ghost tutorials required a live person to create a ghostly form, but this tutorial contained hacks that looked extremely realistic without breaking the bank.
What you will need:
- Packing tape
- Borrowed mannequins
Tutorial: Crazy Green Thumbs
Halloween Porch Decoration Ideas #40. DIY Chicken Wire Cheesecloth Ghost
This impressive cheesecloth ghost is transparent, blows in the breeze and real-enough-looking that it’s creepy!
Although the tutorial was for a life size ghost, you could easily replicate this will a medium size version and cut down your time.
What you will need:
- Chicken Wire
- Cheesecloth
- Fishing line
- Faux skull
Tutorial: DIY Show Off
41. DIY Creepy Crawly Spider Pumpkin
This is a super easy Halloween decor display and everything can be found at the dollar store. the ‘tutorial’ is pretty self explanatory.
Take bug… add glue to pumpkin… stick bug in glue… Repeat.
What you will need:
- Foam pumpkin
- Rubber spiders
- Hot glue & gun
Tutorial: The Kim Six Fix
42. DIY Man Eating Monster Plant
This is by far my favorite outdoor Halloween decoration because it has so many repurposed materials that can be found in your yard.
These whimsical plants look like they are from the cult class “Little Shop of Horrors”.
What you will need:
- Artificial pumpkin
- Tree branch
- Fake leaves
- Hot glue & gun
- Flower Pot
- Green paint (or any color you like)
Tutorial: Eden Makers
43. DIY Cemetery Entry Pillars
Don’t let the size of this outdoor Halloween decor scare you, it’s actually cheaper than you think.
These cemetery entry pillars are made of styrofoam and you can find them your local buy / sell group on Facebook for next to nothing.
What you will need:
- Styrofoam
- Foam cutter
- Paint
Tutorial: Instructables
44. ‘Keep Out’ Door
This ‘Keep Out’ Halloween door looks amazing even without the other decorations surrounding it.
It’s made simply with cobwebs and cardboard as ‘wooden’ slats. Bolts have been glued to each slate but you could even paint these on to save even money.
What you will need:
- Plastic chain
- Artificial cobwebs
- Cardboard
- Permanent marker
Tutorial: Woman’s Day
45. DIY Skull Wreath
This Halloween skull wreath is super easy and even more inexpensive to make than the snake wreath.
The skulls are made from styrofoam and can be bought from the Dollar Tree. It adds a touch of creepy elegance…
What you will need:
- Styrofoam mini skulls
- 16.5 gauge rebar tie wire
- Hot glue & gun
- Ribbon
Tutorial: Tried & True
46. DIY Spider Pumpkin
Halloween doesn’t always have to be scary… it can be cute and kinda creepy when you make this spider pumpkin.
To give it that creepy look, make them using extra large pumpkins!
What you will need:
- Small, medium and large pumpkins
- Long thin branches
- Hot glue & gun
- Small paper plates
Tutorial: Unfortunately the website for this tutorial has expired but it’s really quite simple to make.
- Use the three pumpkins as the spider’s body
- Stick together long branches to the middle pumpkin body using a hot glue gun
- Create eyes with small plates or white cardboard cutouts with button beads. Strategically place the spider near your entrance or staircase.
47. DIY Canning Jar Ring Pumpkin
I know what you’re thinking… .not another pumpkin decoration. But this is such an adorable pumpkin made from canning jar rings!
Great for those who love preserving their own food and don’t like creepy Halloween decor. It’s also made in under ten minutes.
What you will need:
- Canning jar lids
- Cinnamon sticks
Tutorial: Yellow Bliss Road
48. DIY Yard Skeleton Zombies
With some dark imagination, you can creep the heck out of your neighbors with these super easy and inexpensive yard skeleton zombies.
What you will need:
- Foam skeleton head
- PVC pipe
- Old clothes
Tutorial: Craftibilities
49. DIY Halloween Candy Door Hanger
This cute candy door hangers save you carrying out candy every time the doorbell rings and lets trick or treaters grab a piece of candy when you’re not there. Genius!
Since it backs onto a chalkboard, you can even write them a little message on the chalkboard 🙂
What you will need:
- Chalkboard
- Half fake pumpkin
- Wood burning tool
- Screw and drill
- Black and white paint
Tutorial: Cherished Bliss
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Halloween Porch Decoration Ideas #50. DIY Posable Skeleton Prop
I love this skeleton hand prop because it’s posable and so cheap to make! Since it’s made with wire, tin foil and masking tape, you can bend the skeleton fingers whichever way you want and display it on your lawn.
What you will need:
- Wire clothes hanger
- Paper
- Tin foil
- Masking tape
Tutorial: Laura Erikson
Bonus Halloween Porch Decoration Ideas: Skeleton Milk Jugs
A skeleton made from old milk jugs is one decoration that is easy on the wallet, environmentally friendly and frightfully festive. You can also use glow-in-the-dark paint to make your skeleton even spookier!
What you will need:
- Empty plastic milk jugs
- Marker
- Scissors
- Hole punch
- Fishing line
- Hot glue & gun
- Optional: Glow-in-the-dark paint
Phew, that was a monster list of creative outdoor Halloween porch decoration ideas made by some majorly talented people!
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the significance of decorating the porch for Halloween, and why is it a popular tradition?
Decorating the porch for Halloween is a popular tradition because it adds to the festive spirit of the holiday, creates a spooky and welcoming atmosphere, and allows homeowners to showcase their creativity.
Can you provide some general tips for creating a Halloween-themed porch display?
General tips include using a cohesive color scheme, incorporating lighting for ambiance, and choosing a theme or style that suits your Halloween decor preferences.
Can I use the Halloween porch decoration ideas for both small and large porches, or are there specific recommendations for different porch sizes?
The decoration ideas can be adapted for both small and large porches. The article provides suggestions for maximizing space and making the most of your porch, regardless of its size.
How can I incorporate safety measures into my Halloween porch decorations, especially if I’m expecting trick-or-treaters or guests?
Safety measures include ensuring clear paths, avoiding fire hazards, and using non-toxic materials for decorations, especially if young children will be visiting your porch.