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DIY Haunted House Halloween Decor in the Entryway

6 ideas to make your own DIY haunted house Halloween decorations using items from thrift stores, antique stores, or what you might already have.

Welcome to our haunted abode! Just kidding. It’s really only haunted in our entryway. 😉

We’re not huge Halloween decorators around here, but the one spot where I always add some spookiness is our entryway table in our foyer because it’s the one place trick-or-treaters see.

So I decided to have some fun this year by making a few DIY haunted house Halloween decor pieces.

entryway haunted house decor

Creepy, right?! I think I’ll need to avoid eye contact with it for the next month because it kind of freaks me out in the dark. (And also because I’m scared of absolutely everything having to do with Halloween.)

The girls aren’t even fazed. Olivia named the fake crow Wilbur, and Regan named the veiled statue bust Elsa (of course). I named the skull Fred because he’s looking a little “thin in the skin”. Ha!

DIY haunted house styled entryway

The best part though is I was able to mostly reuse items from around the house or in my regular decor stash to make some DIY haunted house Halloween decor. Some of the items came from antique shops or thrift stores originally.

If you want to recreate the look, here are some ideas to do it yourself.

6 DIY Haunted House Halloween Decor Ideas

entryway table styled with DIY haunted house Halloween decor

1. DIY Skull Vase

If you have a regular sized fake skull in your Halloween decor stash, you can turn it into a DIY skull vase in minutes. Just use a floral foam block and whatever artificial flowers you might already have (or check out the dollar store).

Supplies

  • Fake skull (I mean… you could use real but then I’d have questions.)
  • Floral foam block
  • Knife
  • Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
  • Wire cutters
  • Faux flowers of your choice
fake skull with floral block foam on top

Steps

  1. Using a basic kitchen knife or utility knife, cut the floral foam block to the size you need to fit the top of the skull.
  2. Attach the foam block to the top of the skull with hot glue.
  3. Once the glue is cooled, begin cutting your faux flower stems with wire cutters and placing the ends into the floral foam.

The end result looks like a vase made from a skull! And since you didn’t have to actually cut a hole in the top of the skull, you’ll still be able to use it in a different way next Halloween.

DIY skull vase, Halloween portrait, and vintage Halloween decor

Creepy, right? Definitely gives off Dia de Muertos vibes. He’s kind of scary but he also just looks like he’s ready to party.

Go on with your bad self, Fred.

DIY skull vase using floral block and fake flowers

2. DIY Spooky Halloween Portraits

If you have any picture frames lying around the house, print out a few spooky looking vintage portraits to cut out and display.

You can snag several free printable Halloween portraits here.

Or you can find more Halloween art here to download and print.

vintage picture frame with creepy Halloween portrait

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3. Put a Crow On It

Okay, this one isn’t REALLY very DIY, but it’s a very simple idea you can pull off anywhere in your house. Whatever room you want to look spooky, just stick one of these fake crows on random objects throughout your house.

Place a crow on a bookshelf, on a lamp, on a tabletop… anywhere.

“Wilbur” seems fairly content sitting on top of this veiled statue’s… I mean… “Elsa’s” head. 😉 Definitely giving an Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” kind of feel.

Just don’t tell Wilbur he’s not actually a raven.

veiled statue bust with fake crow on top for DIY haunted house

4. DIY Apothecary Display

I love scooping up old dome clocks at thrift stores, removing the mechanical clock pieces, and using the glass casing to use as DIY apothecary displays. If you happen to have a cloche or an apothecary jar, those work too.

Put a little Spanish moss in the bottom and whatever creepy object on top to sit inside of the bell jar.

I used this plastic skeleton hand, but you could use a fake spider, a black rose, a flameless candle, a bat cut out from black card stock, a Christmas village house figurine spray painted black… just keep your mind open about possible objects you might already have that could look a little ominous.

DIY Halloween decor skeleton hand in a cloche

5. Candelabra Display

If you shop at antique stores, keep an eye out for an old candelabra or just raid your house for a pair of candle holders you might already have. I found this one for about $20 a few years ago. The rusted patina on it adds to its beauty!

Put some flickering flameless candles in it so you don’t have to worry about a fire hazard, but the candles will still look realistic.

candelabra with flameless candles, vintage picture frame, and skull vase

6. Mirror Message

This haunted house Halloween decor one is SO easy to do. Just grab a tube of red lipstick and write a message on a mirror in your house.

Here are some ideas of messages to write:

  • “Nevermore”
  • “Something wicked this way comes”
  • “Bubble bubble toil and trouble”
  • “Get out”
  • “You’re next”
  • “Boo”
  • “Redrum”
  • “I see you”
  • “The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir… beware.”
  • “Beware”
  • “Mirror mirror on the wall”
Nevermore written on mirror in red lipstick

I’m sticking to the Poe’s “Raven” theme with “Nevermore”.

More DIY Haunted House Halloween Decor Ideas

  • Collect old books from thrift stores to use as risers for decor (pictured below).
  • This black cheesecloth can make just about any table top look spooky for just a couple of bucks.
  • Spanish moss from the craft store is great to scatter underneath decor to look like old dust and debris you’d find in a haunted house.
  • For any picture frames already on your walls, just hang them crooked.
  • One pack of fake spider webs goes a long way. Stretch them out across chandeliers, banisters, shelves, picture frames, and any other places around your house.
  • Stick some twigs from your yard in a vase. It costs absolutely nothing except a few minutes to pick up sticks from the ground.
haunted house halloween decor on entryway table

There is a house in our neighborhood that always sets up a haunted motel tour in their house for all of the neighbor kids to walk through on Halloween night, and it is SO much fun! I might not ever get to that level, but I can definitely see the draw in decorating for it.

Have you ever made any DIY haunted house Halloween decor yourself? This is the first year that I’ve really started to get into it. There are so many possibilities and opportunities for creativity!

More Halloween Decor Tips and Resources

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