19 Most Scary Halloween Decorations of 2023

You just can’t beat Distortion’s Wretched. I found a video on YouTube of this one in action and I didn’t want to sit through the entire thing. And that’s just a video of it in a brightly lit room.

She’s a detailed, latex mold shell filled with foam for structure and easy carrying. In a half-kneeling, half-sitting position, Wretched is about two and a half feet tall. Her too-wide mouth has amazing detail down to each individual tooth. The blood has a great wet look to it, plastering her gown to her chest as the blood poured down her neck.

Did I mention she has no eyes? Because she has no eyes. It’s terrible and I hate looking at it.

She plugs into any 110 volt outlet and just shakes and shudders for a real Clive Barker vibe. On its own, this one doesn’t make any noise, but it does come with a corresponding CD of noises for her which is pretty adorable for 2019.

Wretched is made by Distortions which creates some high-impact haunted house props, but you’ll need to buy this one off Amazon if you want to ensure it arrives before Halloween. 

With a skin-crawling leg span of 26 inches, even people who like spiders will be wary of this arachnid decoration.

When activated by motion or sound this spider launches itself into the air with a loud shocking noise before lowering back down to get ready for its next victim. The huge fangs and so many shiny black eyes make this spider so much creepier than other brand’s fuzzy counterparts.

This thing has scared me in the past and I know it’s going to scare me in the future. Whenever I come across it in a store or haunt, I know it’s going to jump at out at me–but so help me, every single time I practically leap out of my skin.

That’s what I love about this one. It’s basically a guaranteed scare. Even if some cocky teen knows what it does, the chances they won’t flinch are almost none.

It operates with 4 AA batteries (not included) no there are no cords to deal with. It’s generally pretty stable but if you have tipping problems, you can weigh the base down with some rocks. It’s approved for outdoor use, but not for in the rain so keep it under cover. 

What if you want a professional haunt level ghostly scare? At that point, you need to get into projections for hologram effects. AtmosFear FX has the best options and the most detailed images.

Their Phantasms DVD comes with images sets specifically designed for each projection mode: on your television, projected on a wall, window projections, hologram projections, and 3D form hologram projections.

You can either play this DVD for television mode or use a projector (I use a TopVision projector) to play your images onto a wall or a suspended white sheet or frosted shower curtain. This makes it look like these ghosts are actually floating in your home or in your yard.

Frosted shower curtains do a decent job but they do make hologram projection fabric that is meant to be invisible in the dark so you only see the ghouls. 

This Zombie Invasion DVD is absolutely killer. It has modes that make it look like a hoard of zombies is right up against your windows, making passersby freeze in their tracks. They also have a video that’s perfect for projecting onto your wall that make it appear as though zombies are punching holes through your wall. You can see these in action in this Youtube video.

What’s particularly cool about AtmosFear’s projections is some of their DVDs like their Phantasm edition have a 3D form mode where you can place a hologram sheet over a human-shaped form and it will look like a ghost is really standing in the room. They have an easy to set up inflatable 3D form that’s meant for this but if you’ve got a random mannequin hanging around in your basement (I don’t know what you get up to) that could probably work.

It looks a little complicated to set up, but it’s not as hard as it seems. AtmosFear has a helpful set up guide with videos to walk you through it. 

If you don’t have a projector, I recommend TopVision. Their newest projector has built-in speakers, crisp images, and is nice and easy to store.

If you’re looking for an affordable scare for party-goers, check out this shower curtain.

This is perfect is you’re hosting a Halloween party for giving your guests a real startle when they head to the bathroom. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t had the need to check behind the shower curtain after watching a particularly scary movie and this preys directly on that fear.

It’s a really nice printing that manages to get a realistic 3D look from the shadowy figure and realistic colors and transparencies of the smeared blood. It’s well-done enough that you can see the killer’s fingers on the right side of the curtain are bent and the ones on the left are flat against the curtain. There’s no doubt this gives your guests goosebumps. 

Plus, it’s a perfectly functioning shower curtain. You could leave it up all night long if you don’t like your friends that much.

A little different from the other decorations, this one is more interactive. Control this 9.8 inch across spider from up to 10 meters away which is more than 32 feet.

The remote lets you move this creepy-crawly in all directions, including backward. 

It has glowing red eyes and long furry legs that wiggle and come to rest with one little front leg raised just like tarantulas move. He uses four AAA batteries to get his wiggle on.

Is it going to fool anyone in the daylight? Doubtful. The movement isn’t perfect and it does make a mechanical whir. But in the dim setting of a haunt or Halloween party, when you’ve got music or spooky sounds playing, this could wreak havoc on your guests’ nerves. 

Imagine setting this huge spider on the table by the snacks. That alone will be enough to make some people twitchy, but then it moves and can even react to them. For arachnophobes, this is one of the most scary Halloween decorations possible and they are not going to be happy with you.

I don’t generally get freaked out by dolls, but sometimes there’s just one that makes me go, “Nope.” This Haunted Doll is one of those.

Between the cracked face, dirty dress, and grimy feet (like she’s been running around) this doll has serious creep factor.

At 15 inches tall it’s small enough to easily store but big enough to be uncomfortable. She takes two AA batteries (included) and is sound-activated. When she “wakes up” spooky jack-in-the-box style music plays and she’ll say things like, “Come play with me,” and “You dropped me and I broke. That made me angry.” Again, no thanks. Check, please.

If you know you’re going to have guests with doll phobias, this is a good option. My only issue is that any sound-activated device is never going to be 100 percent spot on. 

Okay, I’m straying from the strictly decorations guidelines, but real talk: the scariest Halloween decorations of all time are always decorations that are actually people. 

Throw on this horrible scarecrow mask, work gloves, flannel shirt, jeans, and stuff yourself with straw and go sit or lay around with your other props. Be as still as you can, then lunge with a yell to get your trick-or-treaters screaming. 

Never underestimate the power of lighting.

Simple but effective, this battery-operated (three AA included) 20 inch, overhead “fluorescent” lighting unit flickers to perfectly replicate that moment in a horror movie when you know something terrible is about to happen. The threat of darkness can get hearts racing as much as actual darkness.

I was in a Halloween store last weekend and of all the ghoulish latex masks and fake blood, it was one flickering lantern that got the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up. It actually surprised me how much of an effect it had. The scare of the money ratio is extremely high.

Along with the flickering, the unit has an option to project Halloween sound effects which are kind of bad quality but you can turn them off and just use it for lighting. The casing is artificially aged to look rusty and gross, and the LED fake fluorescent tubes are tinted black at the ends like they’re about to burn out. Since they don’t need to plug in and weigh under a pound each, these lighting units are easy and quick to install.

Plus they’re cheap–you get a lot of fear for your money here.

An important note: if you’re going to be using any flickering lights, make sure you’re warning your party guests because flashing can trigger seizures in some people.

Classic, easy, and cheap, plastic window covering sheets transform a normal window or glass door into a backlit scene of horror.

I have a few and I’ve seen a lot of them and this bloody scene is the scariest out there. It captures the 3D effect with the fading hands that look like they are reaching out to you.

These sheets are simple to install. I just tape mine up using blue painters’ tape and call it a day. When you want to scare the neighbors, make sure you have a good bright light on in that room and that’s the end of set up. Can’t beat that or the price. 

If you’re sick of the fake-looking bodies you can find at Halloween department stores, check out this prop that was cast from a real human body and created under direction from coroners for training simulations.

It was designed after real crime scene photos to simulate the state of a body after several weeks of decay. The exposed ribs, stretched drying muscles, and viscera are realistic enough that it’s sort of hard to look at for long and I’m a huge horror movie buff so gore doesn’t generally get me.

There’s something about this level of detail and the fact that the wounds aren’t over the top that pushes this body into the realm of things we’re genetically coded to fear.

This movie-quality, poseable prop corpse is about as real as you can legally get for your haunt. 

Beyond the sheer, looming size of it, this prop uses the best scare tactic of all: inspiring viewers to let their guards down and then seizing that small moment for a jump scare they’ll remember their whole lives.

Sleeping Giant starts out at about seven feet tall when seated in his chair and appears to be sleeping when no sensors have been triggered. The giant’s belly moves in and out to show breathing, his mouth moves, and an included speaker plays realistic snoring sounds. The size and movement of this alone are impressive but he’s just getting and comes with two pressure sensors.

The first pressure sensor triggers a loud fart sound while at the same time an included fog machine blows smoke from his back end. It’ll get a laugh but the brilliance of this is that now people think they’ve seen all that big troll can do. They think he’s a funny toilet humor troll and with his hulking size, he clearly couldn’t be expected to move.

But then the second pressure sensor is triggered–and Sleeping Giant is now awake. He shoots to his feet, now standing 11 feet and six inches tall. That little figure in the photo is six-feet tall for scale. The giant’s eyes and mouth are open and he’s screaming a sound that will run right through you.

Everyone will be screaming and more than a few will be running at this point. And now you’re a legend.

Sleeping Giant comes with this huge troll, chair, speaker, amp, three cassette tapes with corresponding snore, fart, and scream sounds, fog machine, cords, and two pressure sensors. You’ll need to bring your own air compressor and enough space to fit something like this.

Nothing creates more buzz than a nearly 12-foot giant troll that jumps scares the daylights out of people.

There’s something terrifying about the unseen and Wake Up Dead plays with this using a bloody sheet.

You can’t see what’s under the sheet but you know it can’t be good from the sheet plastered to a screaming mouth while the body convulses.

The life-size body has great detail in what you can see which is mainly her feet and the shape of the mouth as it’s contoured by the sheet draped over her. 

This one is easy to operate and shaking is activated by simply being plugged in for a constantly disturbing visual.

Give trick-or-treaters the creeps with this animatronic mother and baby covered in fake mold.

Their bodies, made of durable PVC, are sunken and desiccated. The skin and included clothing are treated to look like both mother and child are rotting covered in mold.

When switched on, Mommy rocks back and forth and sings and talks to her baby. The motion isn’t perfectly natural, but if you sit her back in a rocking chair, she will actually make the chair rock and it goes a long way to making the movement more realistic.

Moldy Mommy is light and easy to assemble. Her motor plugs into any standard outlet. She can either be always on, sound only activated by a step-pad, or sound and movement-activated by a step-pad. You can adjust the volume of her southern-accented voice from the control panel.

Set this up on your porch with a hidden step-pad and give those trick-or-treaters a real jump. Honestly, this is worth it just for the seriously freaky baby. You could hide that baby anywhere in a haunted house and it would give people nightmares.

On a related note, Momma and baby aren’t directly attached, so you could make Moldy Mommy hold and rock any other Halloween prop for your own unique spin on it. Oh, the possibilities.

Perfect for your front yard graveyards this zombie pulls himself out of the ground, raising up about six inches before sinking back down. This is by far the best rising from the dead grave crawler out there.

From Distortions, he is professional quality and hand-painted. I mean, look at those teeth. Your guest will be glad he’s hasn’t quite figured out getting out of his grave yet.

This one is made of a latex shell filled with foam so he looks solid but is still light to carry and store. He plugs into any outlet and is fine for outdoor use, just keep it out of the rain. The zombie itself doesn’t make any sound, but it comes with a corresponding soundtrack CD in case you’ve got a CD playing kicking around somewhere still. 

Hate clowns? Then you’ll really hate this seven-foot tall clown with glowing green eyes, claw-like fingers, and nightmarishly long, disproportionate legs.

Sweet Dreams comes with his own base to hold him upright so he towers over all your guests. The scale of this thing along makes it one of the most scary Halloween decorations around. It’s huge. Your new clown “friend” plugs into any normal outlet and can be set to always on, activated by infra-red sensor, or activated by (included) step-pad.

When on, Sweet Dreams turns side to side, moving his mouth as he says three creepy phrases, and the little child he’s holding by the feet screams and struggles to get free. The detail on the little girl isn’t super realistic but the extreme, surreal size of the clown is what really pushes it ahead of the pack.

Good, creepy organs and body parts are hard to find. Too often they look rubbery, off-color, and just plain fake. This is not the case with Lester.

Lester is a made-to-order zombie head created by a horror prop artist at Spookmart based in Massachusetts. This isn’t a mass-produced item but one that will be made after you order it. That does mean your gnarly skull won’t be shipped out the same day you purchase it but Spookmart has a turnaround of about one to two days so you won’t have to wait long.

This head is cast in plastic, covered in a layer of gross “skin”, and hand-painted. The eye is taxidermy-quality glass for extra realism.

If you want something that no one else on your block is displaying, then Lester might be for you.