10 Essential Haunted House Props

At Halloween, there’s nothing kids (and adults) love more than a haunted house. Want to create your own? No problem! We’ve put together some ideas for a haunted house to get you started. There are some basic haunted house supplies and haunted house decorations that are essential to create a spooky atmosphere.

Here are some haunted house props you can’t live without:

• Candles: This Halloween haunted house prop is very basic, but makes all the difference. Lighting lots of candles throws a flickering light on everything and makes anything look spooky. This means even where you haven’t decorated will look spooky! If you are invited a lot of kids to your haunted house, try out flameless candles or even an plug-in candelabra to make sure everyone stays safe.

• Spider Webs: Spooky fake spider webs make your doorways, furniture, or railings look like they haven’t been touched in years. The best haunted houses look like abandoned houses that are only home to ghosts, and spider webs help with this look!

• Sheets to Cover Furniture: Keeping with the abandoned house theme, white sheets thrown over furniture gives the look that no one has lived in the house in years. Cover your cheeriest looking furniture and arrange it randomly so it looks like someone was moving or storing furniture.

• Ghosts: No haunted house is complete without ghosts! Hang some from a tree in front of your house by hanging a balloon and covering it with a sheet. Paint or draw black eyes on the sheet where it covers the balloon. You can also check out these fabulous Halloween yard decorations.

• Black Crows: Black birds give an ominous feel to any house. Put fake black birds perched on the eves of your house and inside on the tops of cabinets and doorways so they are looking over your guests.

• Spooky Noises: A silent house is spooky, but not as spooky as one filled with crashes and screams! Plug in your iPod to speakers and put haunted house sounds on repeat. If you have an extra set of speakers, set this up outside too!

• Glowing Eyes: This fun idea is easy and makes the outside of your house look extra spooky. Just cut two eye-shaped holes out of toilet paper tubes and put a green glow stick inside. Put these glowing eyes in the bushes around your house.

• Turn the Lights Off!: This tip might seem obvious, but it’s very important! Everyone gets more afraid in the dark. If the moon is bright or the street lights are shining in through your windows, cover them with shades or even just sheets.

• Lots of Leaves: To make your house feel spooky and abandoned, rake the leaves back onto your lawn, and scatter them randomly. You can even spread them around your porch.

• Eyeballs and Brains: This is the part of haunted houses that kids love the most! Greet them at the door and tell them that in order to enter they have to feel around in the bowl of eyeballs and brains (cooked spaghetti and peeled grapes) to find the key.

With these haunted house ideas and props you’re sure to scare all of your guests. So grab some friends to dress up and hide around the house. Have them jump out and scare your guests every time they turn a corner!