Cheap Halloween Decoration Ideas
Lighting, Fake Blood, Fog Machines, Spider Webs, & Other Simple Tips
Aug 13, 2009 Naomi Rockler-Gladen
Everyone loves decorating for Halloween, but store-bought decorations can be way too costly. Here are some budget-friendly ways to decorate for Halloween parties, trick or treaters, and other
Halloween Lighting
Playing around with basic lighting is a good way to create a festive Halloween look for cheap. For an easy, spooky effect, attach a cardboard cutout bat, ghost, or other scary creature to the bulb end of a flashlight. Shine the light into an indoor or outdoor space to create an eerie shadow, Another easy and inexpensive tip is using a black light with glow-in-the-dark decals and paint.
In addition, some of the simplest and most obvious lighting choices can be used to decorate a space. Candles, alone or inside a jack o'lantern, add a classic touch. Orange or clear strands of light in a darkened room, or "Christmas" style on the outside of a home or on a bush, also are festive.
Fake Spider Webs
Fake spider webbing is one of the cheapest finds in costume shops, and can be used liberally to create a realistic Halloween cobweb effect. For even cheaper spider webs, purchase cotton batting at a craft store. Of course, spider webs are properly decorated with fake spiders, which are inexpensive and easy to find around Halloween. For a background effect, decorate a black backdrop (which can be created using black trash bags) and decorate with an abundance of fake spider webs.
Fake Blood
Fake blood can be purchased at costume stores, but why bother when it's so easy to make? The simplest way to make fake blood is simply to combine light corn syrup and red food coloring until the right color is achieved, and then to add a few drops of milk to thicken it up. Other more complicated and realistic recipes for fake blood are easy to find on the web.
Fog Machines
These instant special effects generators are much less expensive than they used to be; simple ones can easily be purchased new for under $25, and even cheaper used. Most of them just plug into an outlet and run by using water. Unlike professional fog machines, cheap ones can't be run continuously over a long period of time and need a reheating period. Some come with remote controls.
Creepy Ice Cubes
For an easy way to make Halloween party drinks more spooky, freeze plastic bugs or gummy worms in ice cubes. For an added "bloody"effect, add a few drops of red food coloring before freezing, or make the ice cubes out of watered down red Kool-Aid. The creepy cubes can be served in drinks or added to a big bowl of punch.
Creepy Music and Halloween Sound Effects
An inexpensive way to accentuate Halloween decorations is with some spooky background music or sound effects, like a werewolf, a scream, a ghoulish laugh, and so forth. Halloween sound effects can be purchased cheaply, especially if they're used, or these can be downloaded for free or cheap on various websites.
Halloween Fun for Cheap
With a little creativity and some minimal crafting skills, it's easy to decorate for Halloween on a budget. By using simple lighting and music and combining these with inexpensive items like fake webs, homemade fake blood, and fog machines, spooky Halloween effects can be created on the cheap.
Create a Spooky Effect with Candles
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