Best Halloween Decorations Ideas - Witches, Skeletons, Ghosts, Cats - Oh, My!

With Halloween approaching, it’s time to think about what types of decorations you want to decorate your home. If you’re planning a Halloween party, you will need a variety of décor to make your home and yard festive.

If you are merely handing out candy to the neighborhood trick-or-treaters, then perhaps you’ll just want to invest in a few key Halloween items for the front yard. There are several basic, timeless decorations you should consider.

Scary, dangling skeletons are a key item in decorating for Halloween. I have a four foot cardboard skeleton that acts as the perfect Halloween greeter on a dark night, with hinged arms and legs that can be moved at angles as you wish.

Small skeletons work well, too, for posting all over the walls inside. .Plastic, cardboard, whatever--any kind works great.

My favorite skeleton is my skull (well, not literally mine) that is motion-activated, lighting up when people walk by it. Skeletons are great items to spread throughout your home for the holiday, inside and out.

Of course a witch is an integral part of Halloween décor. From pictures of witches on the wall, to decorative witches’ hats, or figurines on the counters or floor, you must include witches in your Halloween party décor.

Outside, think about getting one of those witches that look like they just flew into a tree. Now, those are fun!

Ghosts are also a staple as far as decorating for Halloween goes. They are great for indoors and outside. Attach cut-outs to indoor walls, and hang ghosts from ceiling fans. Outside, hang ghosts in the yard from trees to greet your guests or spook your trick-or-treaters.

How could any Halloween be complete without blood?

Oh, yeah! Anything that looks bloody is a great effect on Halloween. There are many cool, bloody items and appendages to choose from! Bandages, body parts, candles dripping with blood—all of these have a ghoulish, eerie effect.

I have a hand dripping with blood that is one of my favorite Halloween decorations. While at times I clean out, clear out, letting the old stuff go and perhaps moving on to acquire new décor, I can't seem to let go of these bloody hands. They are ghoulishly delightful!

It doesn’t hurt to have a number of bloody body parts lying around to add to the gruesome atmosphere on Halloween night.

As morbid as it may seem to some, the cemetery look in the yard is very effective in spooking up your Halloween décor. Fake tombstones with R.I.P. easily turn your yard into a scary, Halloween night. Add some cobwebs, too, to spread throughout the yard and over the graves.

Any extra? Add to corners inside the house.

Having had two really cool live black cats in the past, I am partial to this decoration. To me, black cats are special with their dark, mysterious look. Throw some posters or cut-outs on your walls to include these lovely, stealthy creatures as part of your holiday décor.

I have some “scary” black cat stuffed animals that I distribute in key places around the house. Outside, you can put out a cat figurine or blow up figure to cross the path of those who dare pass in front of the infamous black cat.

These decorations are a basic part of any Halloween décor. You can also dress things up by throwing some orange and black streamers all around. Streamers really make the atmosphere festive and are great on a budget, as they're pretty cheap! Mix streamers in with some of the more sophisticated Halloween decorations, and have the best Halloween party ever!