If you’re looking for the perfect Halloween decor theme this year, it’s time for a scary movie marathon. As if you need another excuse to have a cozy night in, the horror genre offers so much inspiration. Whether you’re a fan of earlier classics like Halloween and The Exorcist or modern favorites like It, these films can give you a starting point for your home’s Halloween decor.
These six spooky themes will help you stage a Halloween party, decorate your front yard, and perfect your mantel display. Read on for the Halloween decor you should try based on your favorite horror film.
Halloween: Classic Nostalgia with a Twist
According to experts, traditional Halloween decor is on trend this year. If you’re a fan of the 1978 classic Halloween, aka Jamie Lee Curtis’s film debut, consider incorporating nostalgic seasonal decor with a scary twist.
As Michael Myers stalked Haddonfield looking for his next victims, classic Halloween decor abounded throughout the small town. Carve jack-‘o-lanterns for your porch to place alongside weathered lanterns, and play with motifs like black cats, witches, and ghosts. Take your nostalgic decor one step further by adding a scary twist with realistic animatronics, dark colors, and fake blood.
The Exorcist: Gothic Victorian
Widely regarded as one of the greatest horror films ever made, The Exorcist (1973) is a classic many cinephiles watch religiously (pardon the pun). If you’re one of them, go with gothic Victorian decor this Halloween.
This dark aesthetic uses a moody color palette and is characterized by ornate details, vintage inspiration, and a touch of supernatural, black magic references. Gather up antique gold or silver candlesticks, creepy black-and-white photographs, and dried florals, and stick to colors like burgundy, black, and grey. Incorporate plenty of metals like gold, silver, and brass. And you have to add a possessed doll or two to give a final nod—just make sure you have your holy water on hand.
Adam Albright
A Nightmare on Elm Street: Supernatural Spookiness
Is Freddy Kreuger your guy? If so, channel all things supernatural in your Halloween decor this year. This can include anything from life-sized skeletons to ghoulish ghosts or evil witches. As long as it’s otherworldly and nightmarish, it fits. Don’t be afraid to incorporate references from the movie, like an Elm Street sign and a killer hand.
Matthew Clark
Saw: All Things Gore
If you hit play on the Saw franchise (which is up to 10 movies now and premiered in 2004) every spooky season, chances are you’re a fan of all things gore. Get grisly with your Halloween decor this year by featuring plenty of fake blood, amputated body parts, big faux knives, and other “sharp” instruments.
Halloween parties are a scary good opportunity to play with the gore aesthetic, especially at the snack table: Have fun making a batch of zombie brain cupcakes, a stomach-churning charcuterie board, edible “eyeball” Jell-o, a floating hand fruit punch bowl, and so much more.
Scream: Campy Halloween
With its clever combination of scares and laughs, exaggerated drama, and satire, Scream (1996) is heralded as groundbreaking in the campy horror genre (it’s one of the main films the Scary Movie franchise made into a hilariously-successful parody). Take a page out of its script and bring the same fun, over-stylized, and theatrical look to your Halloween theme this year.
Get creative with adding bright colors, bold patterns, and plenty of playful and satirical horror references. Paint your pumpkins instead of carving them, dress up your skeletons or scary Halloween figures, and deck your home out in ’90s-inspired decor. Above all else, remember to have fun with it. And you have to convince someone to dress up as Ghostface on Halloween—extra points if they make menacing phone calls to partygoers.
It: Haunted Circus
Get into the spirit of It and bring a haunted circus aesthetic to your home this Halloween. This theme presents so many fun opportunities—from skeletal circus animals to zombie performers, tattered circus tents, creepy clowns, and everything in between. You can even feature Pennywise himself if you’re feeling brave. Don’t forget to incorporate It‘s iconic floating red balloon and yellow jacket whenever you can.
