8 Easy DIY Halloween Lighting Ideas

Halloween is around the corner, and there's no better way to create a festive atmosphere than by using LED lighting to decorate your home. Lighting can significantly amplify the spookiness of your decorations by creating eerie shadows or spooky effects. Incorporating lighting into your decoration ensures you can enjoy your decor at all times of the day. Additionally, creative outdoor Halloween lighting helps attract trick-or-treaters and makes it safer for them to navigate to your front door. Instead of buying typical run-of-the-mill Halloween decorations that can be expensive or unoriginal, we recommend making these decorations yourself! Below, we’ve listed our favorite indoor and outdoor Halloween lighting ideas that are sure to turn your home into your very own haunted mansion. You can find all of the items used in our DIYs at the craft store for an affordable price, and you can repurpose your existing lighting or shop our wide range of holiday and decorative lighting here.

These glowing ghosts and eyeballs are a great way to add festive indoor Halloween lighting around your home. Since they are easy to make, this is a perfect craft for kids. We found that using a warm white light gives the best effect, but you can use any white string light for the ghost and eyeball decor. 

Required materials:

• White LED string lights
• Ping pong balls
• Markers
• For Ghosts only: liquid glue, cheesecloth/gauze, and a small paintbrush

Steps:

1. Take a ping pong ball and use sharp scissors to poke a hole wide enough for the string light to fit through. If there is a logo on the ping pong ball, poke the hole there so it doesn’t distract from the overall effect. We recommend poking the hole before decorating the ping pong ball so you don’t accidentally smudge or damage the decor in the process. Make sure your string light bulb fits in the ping pong ball. We recommend pushing the ping pong down to the wire so it is more secure.
2. Once your ping pong balls fit around the string lights, it is time to decorate them! When decorating, be sure to draw your design on the side of the ping pong ball and not on the direct other side of the hole. When you hang the ping pong balls, this will let the drawings be more visible.
1. For the hanging eyeballs: With colorful permanent markers, draw an eye on the side of your ping pong ball. Be sure to include small squiggles coming out from the center of the eye!
2. For the hanging ghosts: Draw a variety of surprised, frightened, or scary faces onto the sides of your ping pong balls with a black permanent marker. Once you are happy with your designs, prop up your ping pong balls with a few inches of space below and around them. Using the paintbrush, cover the ping pong ball with a medium coat of paint. Take a small square of cheesecloth (5” x 5”) and stick the square to the ping pong ball, making sure the fabric covers all sides of the ball. You should have some fabric hanging off the ball which will be the flowy part of the ghost. Paint an additional layer of glue onto the cheesecloth-covered ping pong ball to make sure the fabric will stick. You can add glue to the hanging cheesecloth to mold it into a flowing effect. Repeat for the rest of your ping pong balls. Allow at least a few hours for the glue to dry.
3. Once your ping pong balls are decorated, fit them over the string light bulbs. If you want permanent decor, you can apply a small dab of glue or a small piece of tape to your ping pong balls and the string lights. Otherwise, pushing the balls to the string light wires will secure them enough. 
4. Finally, find the perfect spot to hang your string lights around your house, and enjoy!

This DIY submerged skeleton bones craft is perfect for creating eerie decor to line your shelves, mantles, and counters. With only three simple steps, this craft is the easiest Halloween lighting DIY on our list!

Required materials: 

• Submersible LED tea lights OR submersible LED accent lights
• Mason jar or sealable glass container
• Fake skeleton hand, skull, or fingers
• Water

Steps:

1. Take your mason jar and drop your submersible tea light or accent light to the bottom.
2. Next, take your skeleton bones of choice and place them into the mason jar.
3. Fill up the mason jar with water and secure the top to prevent water from leaking out. If your bones changed positions when the water was poured in, reposition it so that it floats in the center of the jar. Using the remote, set the color of the accent light to a spooky color. Enjoy your spooky floating skeleton bones!

For more ideas on how to use submersible LED tea lights, check out our video here.

Enjoy your jack-o-lanterns safely and for longer by swapping out candles for LED tea lights. The heat from traditional candles will dry out the inside of the pumpkin and make it rot faster. Plus, if you need to leave your pumpkin unattended, LEDs are safer than real flames.

Required materials:

• LED tea lights OR LED accent lights
• Pumpkin
• Carving supplies (sharp knife, spoon, and marker)

Steps:

1. Using your knife, cut a circle around the pumpkin's stem at a 45-degree angle. This will create a lid that won't fall inside.
2. Using the spoon or scraper, remove all the seeds and stringy pulp. Make sure the inside walls of the pumpkin are scraped clean.
3. Draw your design onto the outside of your pumpkin. You can freehand your design or use a stencil. 
4. Next, it is time to carve your pumpkin! Starting from the center of your design and working outwards, begin carving. This helps prevent putting unnecessary pressure on areas you've already carved. Use a sawing motion and take your time. Wipe away any leftover marker lines with a damp cloth.
5. Turn on your LED tea light or accent light and place it inside the pumpkin. Put the top back on your jack-o-lantern and enjoy!

Creating a haunted house or haunted maze is a great way to make your Halloween party more scary and unique. This DIY is very customizable based on your home and the area you wish to create the haunted house. If you plan to use a fog machine directly next to your lighting, be sure to choose LED strips with an IP64 rating or above in case there are water droplets/particles. 

Required materials:

• UV LED strip lights
• Optional decor
• Fake spider webs
• Fake spiders
• Chains
• Caution tape
• Fog machine
• Invisible Ink
• Black fabric

Steps:

1. Clear the area or room you'll be turning into a haunted house. Ensure there are accessible power outlets or get extension cords if needed for the UV LED strips.
2. Mount the UV LED strip lights along the ceiling or floorboard so they cast their glow downwards and upwards. UV light makes white and neon colors fluoresce, so strategically placing the lights to have the maximum spread of light will amplify this effect. Remember to keep wires and cords out of walkways to prevent tripping hazards.
3. To create dark corridors or areas and to cover up your everyday home decorations, hang black fabric or plastic sheets from the ceiling. This will create a dramatic contrast with the glowing effects from the UV lights.
4. Utilize white and neon-colored decorations, as they will glow intensely under the UV light. Examples include neon-colored papers, fabrics, or items that glow in the dark like white skulls and bones. Consider draping white fabric to create 'ghosts' or using white strings to form a spider web. 
5. You can also write or draw scary messages or designs on walls, floors, or fabrics using invisible UV ink or markers. These will be invisible in regular light but will eerily appear under UV light. If you are planning to use invisible ink on your walls and floors, be sure to buy ink that is washable.
6. Finally, add spider webs, fog machines, sound effects, and other typical haunted house props to elevate the spooky atmosphere.
7. When you are ready to let people into your haunted house, turn off the overhead lights and plug in your UV strips!

One of our favorite ways to create Halloween decor that trick-or-treaters can enjoy is to make a light-up picture window with LED strips or string lights. Having additional lighting from strips or string lights ensures you don’t have to keep your house lighting on. Additionally, orange or purple lighting helps give a spookier effect, and using plug-in LED lights will help save energy when compared to leaving your house lights on.

Required materials:

• RGB LED strip light kit OR orange/purple LED string lights
• Black poster board paper
• Tape
• Scissors

Steps:

1. Measure the perimeter of your picture window. Find lights that are long enough to extend that length and that will have room to reach the nearest outlet. For extra large windows, you can link multiple string lights or use solderless connectors to connect LED strip lights. 
2. Plan out what shapes and figures you want to display in your house windows. The larger the shape, the easier it will be to see from far away. Take this into consideration when deciding how big you want your figures to be. On a large poster board trace the design and cut them out with scissors. For larger shapes, you may have to tape several pieces of paper together. 
3. Tape your shapes to the inside of whichever window you want to decorate. Be sure that there are no objects like tall bushes or outdoor furniture blocking the windows.       
4. Hang your LED string lights or mount LED strip lights around the perimeter of the window. If you have a curtain around your window, install the lights between the curtain and the glass. This will ensure that the lights will be seen more clearly from the outside while not being as distracting to your interior home lighting. To prevent your lights from overheating, make sure that your lights don’t come into direct contact with the curtain fabric.

Elevate your outdoor Halloween lighting by using RGB flood lights, spot lights, or various RGB plug-in bulbs. These lights can be used to add a haunting effect to gravestones, skeletons, and spooky signage. If you already have LED flood light or spot light fixtures and want to repurpose them for Halloween, choose compatible RGB plug-in bulbs such as MR16, PAR36, or G4 bulbs. Or, you can find RGB flood lights and spot lights. For a cheaper, energy-efficient option, try RGB solar flood lights!

Required materials:

• RGB flood light or spot light
• Plug-in MR16, PAR36, or G4 bulb
• Various outdoor decorations of your choice

Steps:

1. Gather the outdoor Halloween decorations that you wish to illuminate. Strategically position them around your lawn, walkways, porch, or garden. 
2. Consider the different lighting techniques you want to use. Uplighting can be used to create dramatic shadows in objects that have ridges or bumps, such as skeletons and gravestones. A shadowing technique is used to project the shadow of an object onto a wall or surface behind it. Think about how you can play with shadows and create spooky light effects with your decorations. 
3. Plan which lights will display which colors. A mix of oranges, purples, and greens is popular for Halloween lighting. You can also choose RGB smart bulbs that can display various colors.
4. Once you know how you want your lighting to look, it is time to install your lights. Ensure there is enough room between your decorations and the light fixture to allow the light beam to travel and make its effect. Be sure to move any wiring out of the way to eliminate tripping hazards. You can also combine lighting with a fog machine for an increased haunting effect!

This is a simple and creative way to repurpose your outdoor landscape lights into your Halloween decorations. You can find festive metal silhouette figures on Etsy or Amazon, but you can also use small objects that have a distinctive, clear outline instead.

Required materials:

• Spot light or flood light
• Metal silhouette figure OR small Halloween-shaped object
• Optional: ground stake

Steps:

1. Find a large, blank wall on the exterior of your house that you will project your shadows onto. Make sure there is a cleared space at the bottom of the wall that will allow your light to shine upwards without interruption.
2. Stick your metal silhouette or Halloween-shaped object into your yard. If your Halloween object does not already have a way to secure itself into your lawn, attack it to a metal landscape mounting stake to better secure it. Place your object with 3-4 feet between it and the wall. If there is not enough space, the shadow will appear too small. If there is too much space between the object and the wall, then the edges of the shadow might appear blurry.
3. Place your flood light or spot light around 1-2 feet away from the silhouetted object. Push it far into the ground so it is positioned below the object. Angle the light beam upward so the light casts the shadow up onto the wall.
4. Play with the positioning of your silhouette object and your light until you are happy with the result. Secure any wires and move them away from general foot traffic areas. If you don’t want to deal with wiring, you can choose solar-powered lights.

If you want Halloween lighting that is more festive than scary, then these lights are perfect for you. 

Material Required:

• Orange or purple string lights
• RGB A19 bulbs
• Orange or purple torch path lights

Steps:

1. Mount orange and purple Halloween string lights on your home’s gutters, windows, pillars, door frame, trees, and bushes similar to how you would install Christmas lights around your home. C7 or C9 Halloween string light bulbs are perfect for this and give a traditional feel to your outdoor lighting. Use installation accessories if needed.
2. Install RGB smart bulbs in outdoor hanging lanterns. Make sure your bulbs are rated to be installed in enclosed fixtures. Set the color of these lights to be orange, purple, or green. 
3. A combination of these lights in various themed colors will be sure to make your home ready for Halloween!