Halloween Front Door Decor

To make a spook-tacular impression on Halloween, create a front door display to please every goblin and ghostie that comes to visit. Whether you choose to decorate using a scary theme or family-friendly harvest theme, the possibilities for Halloween door decor are numerous.

Spooky themes.

Cobwebs, giant spiders, and monster mouths are just a few of the creepier Halloween door decorations that are easy to create and look great. Choose your door theme to match the rest of your Halloween decorations. If you are turning your front yard into a haunted graveyard, continue the theme by making your front door a large tombstone. If your theme is a dungeon of horrors, design your door as a dungeon door.

Once you have decided upon a theme, it is time to cover the door with base paper. Think of this as setting your canvas. Depending on your theme, choose orange, black, brown, white, or even dark purple paper. Plain rolls of single color wrapping paper works well as does using brown packaging paper. Attach the paper to your front door with removable double-sided tack. To work around the front doorknob and lock, have a friend hold the sheet of paper up to the door while you lightly trace the sight of the knob and lock in pencil on the paper.

For a tombstone theme, cover the door in black or grey paper. Draw a large tombstone shape onto the paper with white or grey poster paint. Create a nameplate using your family name like "Enter into the Smith's Crypt. This crypt is the final resting place for four but there is always room for more!" For the final touch, drape cobwebs along the top and sides and glue several small plastic spiders into the web.

Spin a web of creepiness to greet your trick-or-treaters. Cover the door in black paper. Using clothesline cord, create a giant spider web across the entire width and length of the door. Attach the ends with heavy-duty double-sided tacky putty. At the center of the web, attach with wire a large, spooky spider. Some Halloween stores sell giant spiders that are painted with luminous paint for a glow-in-the-dark effect; these are effective for this door design. Don't forget to add smaller spiders and randomly drape bits of web fluff for a dramatic effect.

To turn your door into an open monster's mouth by covering the door with green paper and creating large glowing eyes with construction paper painted in luminous paint. For the open mouth, cut jagged teeth from heavy white paper. Start the top of the mouth about one foot up from the bottom of the door. Continue the mouth onto the front porch and attach the bottom layer of teeth about two feet away from the base of the door. Purchase a red plastic tablecloth from the dollar store and cut it into a long, forked tongue that your guests can walk on as they come to your door. Attach the tongue with double-sided tape.

Other spooky themes may include a dungeon door made from brown paper and poster paints or even a creepy cave entrance with the door covered in black paper with bats hovering from string tied above the door. For a bit of spooky comedy, attach to the center of the door a "splat" witch, the kind where it looks like a witch on a broom has crashed into the door.

Not-so-spooky themes.

Fall harvest is a great way to celebrate Halloween without the spooky elements. Theme materials can center on pumpkins and gourds, cornstalks, hay bales, and autumn colors.

Design a "Welcome to our Patch" door starting with black paper for the background. From a sheet of brown paper draw a tree with several branches, cut it out and attach it to the center of the black paper. You can make the tree have a 3-D effect by using strips cut from brown grocery bags and attaching them to the tree for bark. Attach homemade leaves in oranges, yellows, and reds. Fall leaves can also be purchased by the bag in hobby stores.

Cut a full moon from white paper and hang towards the top of the door. Out of orange paper create large pumpkins, one for each member of the household and don't forget to include pets. This is a great project for the kids to help with. Make sure to put your name on each pumpkin and then "plant" them in the pumpkin patch around the tree by attaching with double-sided tape. In yellow poster paint, letter artistically near the top of the door the greeting "Welcome to our Patch."

A quick and easy door design that is fun and non-spooky is the jack-o-lantern door. Cover the door with orange paper. Using black paper cut eyes, nose, and mouth to resemble a carved pumpkin and attach these pieces with double-sided tape. This design takes less than 30 minutes from start to the minimal clean up and will make your front door a stand out when the trick-or-treaters begin to arrive.

Decorating a door for Halloween can be fun, creative and the perfect way to express your enthusiasm for the Fall's biggest holiday.