Halloween Lighting Ideas That Create a Spooky Atmosphere

Think of the last Halloween when you walked into or past a home with cute pumpkins, ghosts, and other Halloween decor. Now, think of the lighting. Didn’t the unusual colors and dim shades make it all spookier? Top-notch Halloween lighting ideas make ordinary props look eerier, transform your home inside and out, and transport you to a haunted house without moving an inch. Find some Halloween lighting inspiration below.

Seven indoor Halloween lighting ideas

Any of these indoor Halloween lighting ideas can make the inside of your home appear absolutely spooktastic:

1. Fake flames

With fake flames, you can conjure up a witch’s bubbling cauldron without lighting any actual fires. Tabletop fake flames can transform your home into a witch’s lair, and hanging fake flames make for an even ghastlier Halloween scene. There’s just something about chains descending from your ceiling and converging in fake fires that suggests your house is indeed haunted. Transforming your home – and the once-placid minds of those who enter – has rarely been so fiery.

2. Floating candles

Dim the lights and cover your walls in fake candles to reimagine your home as a cavernous space full of dark magic. The orange light of fake candles proves especially spooky against dark backdrops, so go ahead and pair your candles with black plastic sheeting. Bonus points if you arrange your candles in eerie shapes such as pentagrams for that classic Halloween horror movie vibe.

3. Glow in the dark

With glow-in-the-dark Halloween decorating ideas, seeing is truly believing. Start with glow-in-the-dark decorations such as evil-looking pumpkins, or splatter your walls with invisible ink. Couple your glow-in-the-dark Halloween props with blacklights that bring out their haunting glow. Then, turn off your everyday ambient lights, switch to black lighting, and watch as things previously unseen glow in ghoulish ways. If you’re throwing a Halloween party, this spooky mood lighting will make for an especially unforgettable time.

4. Props and lights

A glow-in-the-dark Halloween theme isn’t the only way to combine props and lighting for a ghastly gaze. Wrap your dimmest string lights around a plastic pumpkin grove or tiny fake graveyard, then dim your overhead lights almost all the way down. Alternatively, use only props that have built-in lighting such as LED jack-o-lanterns. Chances are these props will have enough lighting to be seen but not nearly enough to fill your space, resulting in an especially spooky vibe.

5. String lights

Virtually every Halloween prop looks better framed by the dim but alluring glow of string lights. Likewise, a door frame outlined with string lights can suggest that there’s more ghastliness to be seen on the other side. That temptation is exactly how you get your guests face-to-face with a creepy skeleton or scheming witch. Don’t be surprised if you get an occasional scream, though a laugh will likely soon follow. After all, Halloween isn’t just about spooking your guests – it’s about a fun, silly time too.

6. Sky lights

Most Halloween lighting ideas fill one small part of your room with spooky vibes, but sky lights can immerse your entire space. Case in point is the BlissLights Evolve laser projector, which floods any room with enchanting starry skies and nebula clouds. Its lighting is ideal for occasions like Halloween when you need pared-back yet far-reaching illumination. Plus, you can control it from your phone, so as your friends look up at your haunting indoor skies, you can unexpectedly change their entire view for a spooky surprise.

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7. Swapping regular light bulbs for colored ones

If you’re limited on floor or countertop space, then try colorful light bulbs for an immersive Halloween lighting experience. They’ll fit your recessed ceiling lighting and most of your lighting fixtures with ease, saving you space for other props and Halloween lights.

A great example of this light swap would be removing a few ceiling incandescents and replacing them with BlissBulbs. These blue, green, or – for maximum Halloween spook – red lights provide just enough starry-sky lighting to see the basics of your room. What they don’t do is add so much lighting that your spookiest Halloween props will be plainly visible. They transform your home into the perfect atmosphere for a Halloween surprise that’ll make your guests jump.

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Nine outdoor Halloween lighting ideas

To match your spooky indoor Halloween experience with plenty of outdoor ghostliness, try the following outdoor decor and lighting ideas:

1. Lighted branches

If dead branches fall from the trees in your yard, don’t throw them out. Gather them and throw them in a bucket, then cover them with spiderweb-like fabric. Then, light everything in the bucket with string or laser lights for an inviting but slightly spooky atmosphere. Setting up this Halloween decor idea also makes for a great DIY project you can try with a friend, plus it’s a fantastic way to draw in trick or treaters from afar. Who else on your block is getting this creative in celebrating Halloween?

2. Bushes with eyes

Imagine if, suddenly, the bushes in your front yard started having eyes. You’d be creeped out, right? With certain outdoor lights, you can make your bushes look like they can see and make passersby do a double-take. You can buy outdoor lights shaped like pairs of eyes, or a few pairs of floodlights cleverly arranged in your bushes can do the trick too. As long as seeing your bush means believing the bush can see, you’ve pulled off this unusual Halloween lighting idea.

3. Pumpkin lighting

Here’s a Halloween classic: Hollow out your pumpkins and place lights inside them. Of course, you’ll also want to carve a hole or face into your pumpkin for the spookiest results. Alternatively, you can buy a plastic jack-o-lantern and place a fake candle inside it. Whichever route you take, don’t be shy about flanking your front door with your haunting but cute lighted pumpkins. They’re about as obvious a sign as possible that Halloween is here and you’re loving it.

4. Net lights

It’s one thing to set up some fake tombstones and skeletons in your front yard. It’s another to light them for big-time spookiness. For the latter Halloween lighting setup, colorful net lights are your friend.

As their name suggests, net lights appear similar to a net when laid out on the ground. Once your net lighting is down, you can place your graveyard atop it to achieve that big-time eerie factor. You’ll have a ghastly decoration lit in an eerie color that provides a haunting experience for passersby and guests alike.

5. Ghosts galore

Place your outdoor ghost decorations above bright white floodlights to make their sharp glow even stronger and spookier. Alternatively, ditch the tangible ghost decorations and project abstract ghost figures onto your windows. Sure, this outdoor Halloween lighting idea is technically one you’ll set up indoors, but it’s an excellent way to share Halloween wow and wonder with the whole community.

6. Moving lights

Stationary Halloween lighting is plenty spooky, but moving lights give your Halloween setup a sense of motion that enhances its eeriness. Staring down a demonic-looking jack-o-lantern or a creaky old skeleton feels much more intense amid swirling lights that suggest a sense of life. No, your decorations won’t actually come to life, but for just a second, passersby and guests might instinctively feel like they will. And that’s exactly the spook factor to go for on Halloween.

7. Accent string lights

As with indoor Halloween lighting, string lights work great for accentuating your best outdoor Halloween decor pieces. Wrap them around your trees to give the decorations under their branches a haunting glow that elevates their playful dread. Frame your front door with them to gently guide trick or treaters to your doorstep. Your outdoor string lighting options are virtually limitless, just like the level of spook you should go for on this haunting holiday.

8. Colorful outdoor light bulbs

If your front door has an awning or some sort of overhead covering where folks can duck from the rain, replace any fully-covered lights there with colorful bulbs. Turn off all your usual outdoor lights and have only your red BlissBulb shine down onto your front door. The Halloween-appropriate hues will recast your entryway in a whole new light that, alongside your props, suggests a spooky adventure.

9. Colorful floodlights

For an even bigger splash of color in your outdoor lighting, colorful floodlights get the job done. They can fully transform the exterior of your home into a true sight to behold and match your Halloween decor vibe. The BlissLights Oblivia is an especially great fit for Halloween lighting, as it dazzles in blue, green, or red – whichever color you prefer for all your Halloween needs. With its bright illumination and vast surface area coverage, it casts your entire home in the exact Halloween glow you’re seeking.

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Use BlissLights for indoor and outdoor Halloween lighting