Halloween in New England is and always has been a wicked big deal. I like to think we in the Monadnock Region take it up a notch and celebrate the spookiest season with a passion that surpasses pumpkin spice. 

From our traditional pumpkin festivals and local pumpkin chucking to endless corn mazes and haunted hayrides, October here is unrivaled. Neighbors even compete for the most attention-grabbing Halloween displays. And it’s time to say: Game on! Here are some killer ideas for a spooktacular front yard.

Make Your Yard Shine Bright

With the shortened daylight hours, so much of the fun happens after dark, right? I recommend adding brilliant solar lighting to your yard to illuminate your ghoulish decor. 

Set the spook factor with backlit crows and line the walkway with floating ghosts and wicked smiling pumpkins. Finish the look with drapey LED lights, using a tree, awning, railing, pillars, bushes, archway or trellis. 

When it’s holiday season, we often think of rainbow or classic white strings of lights. But for this season, blue, green, purple, or orange sets give a great, eerie feel. Bonus: the added light will also provide safety measures when those littles take to the streets on Halloween night.

Set a Mischievous Mood

Now that all your hard work will be well lit, add embellishments and elements to scare the pants off people. The first trick up my sleeve is setting the scene of a seance. Three witches and a glowing, boiling cauldron ought to do the trick! A brew crew like this one will have your trick or treaters staying for a spell or two. 

There is, of course, always the half-buried effect, as well. Witch or skeleton feet peeking out of the ground can catch visitors off guard. Think about putting frightful creatures in other unexpected places, too. In the town next door, there’s a house with a skeleton riding a motorcycle at the end of the driveway. It always surprises me and gives me a good laugh when I go by. 

Finding a frightful sight when you look up is good fun, too. Imagine bats, haunted souls, vampires, ghosts, and mummies. Hang them from your porch ceiling and front trees. It can be as simple as leaf-filled trash bags with a twist tie dividing your ghost’s top and bottom. Ducking under creepy swaying creatures and darting from lawn to lawn over crunchy leaves is one of my core childhood memories.

Get your kids involved in spinning a giant web on the corner of your home’s siding and craft a paper mache arachnid waiting for its prey. An old rope or used laundry line makes great larger-than-life webbing.

Who’s Up for Tricks or Treats?

Make sure your house will be the most popular stop on the block with a dedicated candy display. Place a wooden “trick or treat” sign by a distinctive, skeleton candy bowl days before the real night so everyone anticipates your treats (or tricks!). 

Speaking of tricks, here’s one for you. Get a volunteer to play dead on the big night only to have them awaken at the right moment. Just think of the shrieks you’ll generate. Or keep it simple by hanging a motion-sensor ghoul from the door that lights up or sends spooky sounds out into the night.

An Ideal Blend of Wicked and Wonderful

Many people prefer to reserve their entryway for mums, hand-carved pumpkins and fall florals, but why not also dress it with headstones, black metal cats, or skeleton candelabras?

Lock in the best-dressed house on the block with a headless horseman, soul-sucking scream creatures, and eerie music warning of danger ahead. One fun one to do with kids is to craft backlit window scenes. Use black construction paper to create a moon, gnarled trees, and maybe a lonely graveyard. 

Take those creepy vibes to the next level by gluing cotton balls and googly eyes to the outside of mason jars. Then place them along the front steps with candles inside for a ghostly effect. Paired with stacks of colorful pumpkins or jack-o-lanterns, these make Halloweed come to life for anyone who stops by. There are tons of fun ideas, so let your creativity loose and relish in this wicked time of year. However you go to town on your spooktastic curb appeal, I hope it brings you as much thrill as it does me!