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Halloween Outdoor Lighting Ideas: 25+ Spooky Ways To Light Your Yard

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Looking for some ways to add spooky Halloween outdoor lighting to your yard? These ideas are sure to make your house the coolest one on the block!

Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday, which is why I always go all out with Halloween decorations like my haunted house decor and my annual Halloween graveyard. But no matter whether I’m doing indoor or outdoor decor, I think lighting is what makes or breaks a good Halloween display.

Cool Outdoor Halloween lighting ideas

It’s no secret that I love Halloween…and I especially love doing up my yard with Halloween lights.

And there’s no missing my house on the block. I definitely don’t subscribe to the “less is more” school of Halloween decorating (although to be honest…I don’t really belong to that school for any kind of decor).

Blue, pink and orange Halloween outdoor lighting in a front yard

It’s been many years since I created my first yard haunt with lighting (and I still use all of those lighting ideas in my Halloween yard decor).

However, since then Halloween decorating seems to have taken on a life of its own.

Every year I learn a few more lighting tricks to help make my yard look spooky. So the list keeps getting longer!

Keep reading to find my favorite Halloween outdoor lighting ideas.

1 | Choose the Right Colors

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Orange and blue Halloween outdoor lighting in a front yard cemetery

The first step to getting awesome Halloween outdoor lighting is choosing the right colors.

Blue, green and purple spot lights add the perfect spooky atmosphere for your front yard Halloween cemetery or yard haunt.

Ghost over a Halloween cemetery with orange and blue Halloween outdoor lights

I like to add orange and red lights as the accent colors since they contrast well with the blue and green. (They are opposites on the color wheel).

And they are usually bright enough that people can still see where they are walking.

Purple and orange Halloween outdoor lighting with Halloween tombstone and path lighting

Try to stay away from too much white light for Halloween as it tends to drown out the other colors (you know, the ones that add the spookiness factor).

2 | Use Colored Flood Lights for Atmosphere

Halloween tombstone lit with a blue floodlight

If you only do one kind of outdoor Halloween lighting, this should be it.

Colored flood lights let you provide broad light across a scene, or highlight a specific feature depending on how you position them.

Halloween fence and tombstones lit with blue Halloween outdoor lighting

You can vary the color to provide a different feel for different sections.

Blue, green and purple lighting tend to be eerie and ghostly (great for a cemetery, as I mentioned above) while orange and red are more fiery, like pumpkins and flames.

Halloween ghosts and gravestones in a Halloween graveyard lit with a blue spotlight

Pointing the spot light at light colored props like skeletons, tombstones and ghosts will make them look like they glow in the dark.

For even more flexibility, you can buy LED spotlights that allow you to change the color…then you can re-use them in all kinds of different situations.

These low watt LED flood lights that plug in and have a remote* are perfect for Halloween settings (and can be re-used for other lighting applications as well).

I have also started to use these ones* that come with 4 spot lights spread along one light string.

They’re similar to the originals in that you can still set the color. But they all have to be set to the same one. And you use an app on your phone to control them (rather than a remote).

The big benefit of them is that they only take up one electrical socket. So you don’t need as many extension cords.

Because they are so versatile, I use these two options almost exclusively in my Halloween graveyard.

Halloween skeleton highlighted with a blue flood light

Using white props like skeletons (and my white fence) really reflects the blue flood light and creates a spooky atmosphere.

3 | Replace Porch Lights With Colored Bulbs

A red porch light over a Halloween witch prop

Change out the bulbs in your porch and garage lights with red or orange light bulbs.

This still provides light for guests coming and going from your house, but doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the yard with white light.

An orange porch light behind a Halloween banner adds a spooky effect

You can also use it as back lighting for a Halloween banner* which makes the sign really stand out (get more information on how to use Halloween Banners).

4 | Use String Lights For Accent Colors

Orange String Lights Outline an arbor over a Halloween cemetery

String lights are the same kind of lights that everyone uses for Christmas, but are now becoming more common place for Halloween outdoor lighting as well.

String lights lining the walkway and outlining the trees and bushes for an outdoor Halloween yard display

String these along fences, over arbors, or over bushes as you would Christmas lights…but again, it usually works best not to use white bulbs.

Orange and purple Halloween lights with creepy cloth over an arbor

Purple and orange lights are easy to come by around Halloween and work very well.

Orange string lights under a witches cauldron look like burning embers

You can also use them in more non-traditional ways. Put a coiled up string of orange lights under a witches cauldron* to make it look like it’s simmering on coals.

LED string lights with a remote

Like the flood lights above, string lights also come in an LED version* with a remote to set the color.

They are quite a bit more expensive to buy than the regular kind.

But they are cheaper to run (since they are LED) and I can use the same ones for all of the holidays. Which means I can leave them up between Halloween and Christmas. And that saves me a ton of time! So I have switched all of mine over.

5 | Make A Cauldron Boil

DIY witches cauldron Halloween lighting effect using a mister and orange string lights

Continuing with the witch theme from above, you can also use Halloween outdoor lighting to make the cauldron look like it’s boiling using a mister*.

Put a shallow dish with water in the cauldron and add the mister.

The water should cover the top of the mister by about 1/4″ for the best mist effect.

Halloween yard display with witches and boiling cauldron

Add some witches to really make an outdoor Halloween scene.

The light from the mister will also help to draw attention to the cauldron.

6 | Set Out Luminaries

Halloween "Enter If You Dare" Luminaries in a front yard decorated for Halloween

Luminaries are bags with words or designs printed on the front of them that are lit from within.

Halloween "Dare" Luminary

You can buy them pre-made from the store (I got the Enter If You Dare ones from grandinroad.com*…they are usually available for the couple of months before Halloween).

Or if you are interested in making your own, this video from Southern Living shows you how.

7 | Add a Lightning Machine

The next one of my Halloween outdoor lighting ideas is to plug your lights into a lightning machine*.

A lightning machine doesn’t really create lightning, but it does cause all of your lights to flicker on and off to the beat of music…which gives your yard the look of lightning.

If you’re planning on adding cemetery music to your outdoor decor, consider plugging all of your lights into a lightning machine for added drama.

Place the lightning machine near a speaker and make sure that the sound is loud enough that the machine can pick up the beat (otherwise it will look like it’s not working).

8 | Use Halloween Path Lights

Halloween Path Lights

Halloween path lights perform 2 important functions in your Halloween outdoor lighting scheme:

  • looking spooky (obviously)
  • putting some light on the ground so people can see where they are walking.
Halloween outdoor path lights in front of a tombstone

This will prevent anyone from tripping over your decorations or cords.

9 | Add solar Lanterns

Halloween graveyard with solar lanterns around the outside

These solar torch lights* that look like they have flames inside are perfect for a Halloween graveyard.

I like to use them like path lights, so they outline where people are supposed to walk.

To make them taller, I stuck the end of them in a PVC pipe that I painted black and made into a fence with some chain.

When Halloween is over, I put them out in the backyard as real path lights. So they’re functional all year round.

And since you don’t have to plug them in, you can put them anywhere.

Solar powered lantern beside a styrofoam tombstone and skeleton rat

Or if you’re looking for something smaller, these old-fashioned lanterns are also solar powered.

So you can put them where you want them and don’t have to use up another electrical outlet.

10 | Put Out Pumpkins

Halloween outdoor pumpkin light in a planter

Whether you use a real carved pumpkin or plastic ones that you plug in, no Halloween scene is complete without at least one pumpkin.

Halloween outdoor pumpkin light held by a Halloween skeleton prop

I try to place them in unlikely places so they are a bit of a surprise.

11 | Add Strobe Lights

Buy some inexpensive mini strobe lights to add a spooky blinking effect.

I prefer the ones with plugs for my outdoor display because they can be turned on and off at the outlet (at the same time as all of the other lights).

However, you can also get these strobe lights* that are specific for Halloween which come with spooky Halloween sounds and are usually battery operated. Since there is no cord, you have a little more flexibility on where you can place them.

In either case, I like to put them in bushes so that the strobe creates spooky lighting effects with the branch shadows.

12 | Add Eyes To The Bushes

Blinking eyes in a bush make spooky Halloween outdoor lighting

Make it look like people are peeping out of your bushes by installing these flashing light-up eyes*.

These lights are easy to install and add the creepy factor to any of the bushes in your yard.

13 | Hang neon signs

No Vacancy neon sign hung in an arbor decorated for Halloween

Neon signs are another way to add some spooky lighting to your yard haunt.

Especially if you can find one that matches your theme, like the “No Vacancy” sign from my haunted hotel graveyard.

14 | Use Moving Light

Halloween kaleidoscope spot light with white creepy cloth

A kaleidoscope spot light* creates this really cool-looking orange and purple mixture of lighting.

Reflecting it off some white creepy cloth* over an arbor makes your entry way glow.

Fire and ice Halloween outdoor light projected through plants

Or project it through some tree branches to get a spooky shadow pattern behind it.

These spot lights are similar to regular flood lights except the light rotates like a kaleidoscope and it often has a mixture of colors.

Pumpkin with blue and orange Halloween outdoor lighting

The lights create a wave effect that makes the shadows look like they are moving.

15 | Project Ghosts In Your Windows

Halloween ghost projected in a window

Next on the list of Halloween outdoor lighting ideas is to add some projected images to your Halloween decor.

To make Halloween spirits come to life, try projecting a phantom video in your window. This one is behind my Halloween cemetery and looks very realistic!

I use a Halloween holographic projector to create a ghost that floats in and out of view in my window.

To use it, hang up a semi-transparent piece of fabric (like this one*) on the inside of a window and project one of the included videos onto it from inside the house.

The exact projector model I have isn’t available anymore, but you can buy this one* that’s similar on Amazon.

It comes with 6 Halloween holographic videos (you can see what they look like on the linked page above).

But it will also play videos from other sources if you prefer. Which is great because you can use it anytime you want to project video, like setting up an outdoor movie night in the summer.

16 | Use lighted props

Halloween skeleton horse and carriage with red lights

These days there are a ton of Halloween props available, and a lot of them come with their own lights.

Like this carriage that I got from Home Depot (which unfortunately they no longer carry).

The problem with most of them is that they’re battery operated, which used to be a bit of a show stopper for me. (I’m not running outside every night to turn them on and them turn them off again.)

battery replacement pack

But then I found these gadgets that replace the batteries with a plug-in version. And they come in different sizes so you can get the one you need:

17 | Make Ghosts Glow

Halloween ghosts lit up at night

If you prefer to use real ghosts, lighting them properly will make them glow and look like they are floating.

Uplighting is the best way to do this.

Position a spotlight at the bottom of the ghosts that is pointed directly up at them. Blue or green usually gives the eeriest effect.

Yep…I use those same LED spot lights* for this, too.

18 | Uplight Some Dead Branches

Spooky blue light in Halloween outdoor yard display

Just like in regular landscape lighting, uplighting is a great way to add atmosphere to your yard. And atmosphere is definitely what you want for your Halloween yard haunt!

Place a spotlight at the bottom of whatever you want to light, and then point the light up to highlight your object.

In this case, I stuck some dead branches in a large tub and hung some white creepy cloth* from them. The blue flood light* makes them glow.

Trees and creepy cloth with a blue up light for Halloween

If you can place your light so that it hits the leaves of a tree as well, that will give your yard even more of a spooky factor.

As I have mentioned before, I use these low wattage LED Flood Lights* for all of my Halloween spot light needs.

They are relatively inexpensive. You can change the color of the light any time you want with the remote control. And they can be re-used for other events throughout the year.

19 | Create Silhouettes

Spooky outdoor Halloween decor created with crows, creepy cloth and a blue spotlight

Backlighting is another traditional landscape lighting method that works for Halloween too.

If you have props that work well as silhouettes (like these crows), lighting the scene behind them will make them stand out.

Blue and orange Halloween outdoor decor with a fence outlined with back lighting

It’s fairly easy to create a fence silhouette just by putting most of your spot lights inside the fence.

20 | Add Misters to an Outdoor Bird Bath Or Fountain

Halloween outdoor lighting with two misters in the bird bath

If you have (or can add) an outdoor water feature, misters* give you two-for-one spookiness.

They add light to the scene as well as providing mist.

I like to put a couple in the birdbath to transform it into a spooky Halloween misting cauldron.

21 | Use Creepy Cloth To Reflect The Light

Front yard arbor decorated for Halloween with blue and purple lights and white creepy cloth

The next entry on my list of Halloween outdoor lighting ideas is white creepy cloth*, which isn’t actually lighting at all. But it definitely makes the lighting show up much better in the yard.

And in case you haven’t noticed, I use it A LOT in my Halloween yard haunt.

Part of the reason is because it looks…well…creepy.

But the other part is that creepy cloth is great for reflecting light.

It looks like it is glowing in the dark, even though there aren’t any black lights in my yard.

This arbor effect was created with a blue spotlight in the front, orange string lights over the arbor and a kaleidoscope spot light* behind the arbor.

Creepy cloth illuminated with blue light looks spooky for Halloween

It doesn’t matter what color of light, you are using, it will show up better when it is being reflected by a surface that adds texture and spookiness to the scene.

And creepy cloth* adds both of those qualities!

Make sure to get the white kind, since the grey and black ones don’t reflect the light nearly as well.

Creepy cloth can be re-used every year, so it’s a good Halloween decorating investment.

22 | Lay Net Lights On The Ground

To really make a Halloween graveyard stand out, try laying down some net lights.

I used blue lights to make it look spooky. Green or purple would have a similar effect.

If you can find dim white ones, they could also work. Especially if you have fog floating over the top.

Skeleton on an outdoor bench lit with blue lights.

Combining them with spot lights really makes your Halloween props (like this skeleton) stand out.

23 | Light An Underground Crypt

Halloween underground crypt lit with an orange spot light.

Okay, so this isn’t really underground. But it gives the illusion that it is.

I created this by wrapping the outside of a palette with this brick scene setter*.

Then put an LED spotlight* on the inside.

And positioned a few skeleton hands to make it look like they were trying to escape.

24 | Put Everything On A Timer

As much as possible, I try to use plug-in lights and accessories for my Halloween outdoor lighting.

Then I can put them all on an outdoor timer* and don’t have to worry about making sure everything is turned on every night.

You can also get a stake version that has 6 outlets* which gives you even more outlets for all the extension cords.

25 | Buy Lots Of Extension Cords

Speaking of extension cords, if you’re using a lot of lights (like I do), you’re going to need some multi-outlet outdoor extension cords.

This multi-directional one* is one of my favorites.

The other great thing about the timers and extension cords, is that you can use them again for Christmas or any other time you want to have lights on a timer.

Hopefully you’ve found some Halloween lighting inspiration that you can use in your own yard.

26 | Waterproof the connections

Nothing is worse than getting all of your Halloween lights set up perfectly, only to have them all go out because some water got in one of the plugs and tripped the breaker.

Especially on Halloween night. (Ask me how I know!)

So if you have problems with this, you’ll probably want to invest in some extension cord covers.

They come in different sizes: This one for small plugs* (like the two-prong plugs of regular string lights) and this one for larger plugs* (like the three-prong plugs on extension cords.

If you have a whole bunch of connections to make in one spot, you might also want to invest in a couple of these boxes* that can keep a multi-plug extension cord dry.

Well, that’s it for my Halloween outdoor lighting ideas. Hopefully, you’ve found some inspiration to set up your own spooky display.

Sources

Click the images below to buy the products:

Solar Lantern Outdoor Garden Decorative Old Lantern with Flickering Flame Vintage Lantern Hanging Lights for Camping Patio Yard, 2 Pack
Photography Diffusion Fabric 15x5 feet/4.5x1.5 Meters Nylon Silk White Seamless for Soft Boxes Light Tent and DIY Lighting Control Modifier
AAXA HP3 Halloween Projector (2022 Model) for Haunted Windows, Holographic Projections, HD 1080p Support LED Portable Projector with 6 Onboard Spectral Illusions Ghosts and wraiths, Built-in Speaker
28 ft. 16/3 3-Outlet Multi-Directional Outdoor Extension Cord
Peep N' Peepers Flashing Eyes Halloween Lights with Automatic Timer (1 Set)
GBGS Halloween White Strobe Light Super Bright 24 LEDs, Adjustable Speed, Flash Party Lighting for Kids, Children, Christmas, Birthday, Soft Eye-Caring
Morris Perfect Storm Box Lightning And Thunder Effects Machine
Ollny Halloween Creepy Cloth 80 x 200 in, Scary Gauze Doorways Spooky Giant Tapestry for Halloween Party Supplies Decorations Outdoor Yard Home Wall Decor, White
Brizled RGB Christmas Lights, 115ft 300 LED Christmas String Lights with Remote, 29V Plugin Color Changing Christmas Tree Lights Indoor Outdoor Xmas Light for Christmas Halloween Tree Party Home Decor
Lenink AC Power Supply Adapter for AAA Battery,Replace 2 AAA Battery,Black
Lenink AC Power Supply Adapter for 4 AA Battery, AA Battery Replacement for LED Light, Decorations (Black, 1.8m/5.9ft)
Solar Torch Lights – Solar Flame Torch Lights Outdoor 4 Pack 2 Modes Always-On/Flickering Flame Matte Lampshade Auto On/Off Pathway Lights Solar Powered Stainless Steel IP65 Waterproof Path/Beach/Yard
SockitBox – The Original Weatherproof Connection Box – Indoor & Outdoor Electrical Power Cord Enclosure for Timers, Extension Cables, Transformers, Power Strips, Lights, Tools & More – Medium – Black
Twist and Seal Mini Holiday Light Cord Protector and Christmas Light Plug Cover - Green (10 Pack)
IP66 Waterproof RGB Complete Color Changing Landscape Lights Kit Bluetooth App Control, 48 Watts Total, Extra Long Cord, Built-in Timer, Programming, Music Sync, Mesh Capable(Complete 4 Light Set)
Woods 59746WD 24-Hour Automatic Photocell Remote Control Timer with 3 Grounded Outlets Ideal for Automating Holiday Decorations, Christmas Outdoor Lighting, Weatherproof, Adjustable up to 80 ft. away, 125-volt, 60-hertz
AGPTEK 12 LED Water Fountain Pond Fog Atomizer HS0005 Air Humidifier, Muticolor
Union United Solutions 55160 Cauldron, 16", Black
GLW 20W LED RGB Flood Light Waterproof IP65 Dimmable Color Changing 16 Colors 4 Modes Remote Control Garden Light Otdoor Light with US 3-Plug

Other Halloween Outdoor Decorating Ideas You Might Like

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Halloween outdoor lighting ideas

This post was originally published on October 20, 2016 but was updated with new content on September 26, 2022.


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29 Comments

  1. Hello – How many 10W LED Flood Lights do you typically use to achieve the look you desire?

    1. Hi Brie…I use 7 of the flood lights for my front yard…2 at the front, 2 at the sides and 3 to uplight bushes, tombstones or other Halloween decor. But it will depend on how big of a space you are trying to light. My Halloween display area is about 15′ x 25′ if that helps.

  2. Hi Wanda – Thank you so much! Appreciate your insight. I love your display and have been inspired to focus on the outside of my house this year. All the best! Brie

  3. Love, love, love Halloween! I even went as far as marrying a guy whose birthday is Halloween!HA!HA! I have accumulated quite a bit of Halloween “stuff” in the past few years and usually start decorating around the middle of September. I really like all the new battery operated, automatic shut-off lighting and solar lighting. I don’t do the gory stuff that’s out there…that’s not my idea of Halloween. Witches, ghosts, bats, cats, etc. is my theme. I usually buy a few new things each year. When I saw your lighting effects and the spotlights that you used, I immediately went to Amazon and bought 3 of them. 🙂 This year I want to create a haunted “photo booth” in my garage…that should be fun. We live in the country, so we always have a bonfire/weeny roast and I have a walk out basement; soooo, I “spook” it up. Thanks for the idea with the spotlights…Halloween lovers unite.:)

    1. That’s awesome, Pat! Your Halloween display sounds fabulous! I also love all of the new Halloween gadgets that come out every year, and can’t help buying a few even though I already have a shed full of them. And I’m with you on leaving out the gory props…I just do the spooky ones 🙂 Have a great Halloween haunt!!

    2. Hey pat where do you live? I’m in Long Island NY and if you love Halloween and your close come by I do a great display.

      1. Hi Frank! I have some great props for a large cemetery. Do you set up professionally? I’m in New York also.

  4. Susan Hendrick says:

    Can you tell me what color those flamingos are before being lit. I have some black ones I collected but then was disappointed in how they looked. What color lighting would I use to make them look like yours?

    1. Hi Susan…my flamingos are mostly gray with some black markings on them. I lit them with a blue spot light, but I think the gray reflects the light better than black would. You could try painting yours a lighter color and see if that would help make them stand out more.

  5. Hi Wanda,

    Your Halloween Decor is absolutely amazing! I love Halloween Decor and you definitely speak to my soul with your creations. Do you offer services to decorate events?

    Thank you for sharing!

    1. Thanks, Jorge! I am always happy to hear from a fellow Halloween lover! I am not offering any event decorating services at this time. Sorry!

  6. Hi Wanda,

    I love your Halloween display!! I’ve been trying to work out decent prop and backdrop lighting for a couple of years, but am having some issues. The main issue is that flood lights tend to be too bright from certain angles. I’m worried that they’ll be too distracting to drivers coming down our street. Do you have any tricks that help with this?

    Thanks for sharing your amazing work!

    1. Wanda Simone says:

      Thanks Andrea! Yes, I worry about the flood lights being too bright also. I usually try to angle them so they are not pointing in the direction that cars will be coming from. But if they’re still too bright and you have LED flood lights (ie. that don’t get too hot), you could try taping parchment paper or wax paper across the front of them which will cut down on the glare. Or sometimes I put black creepy cloth in front of the lights which helps some.

  7. Cheryl Robertson says:

    Hi Wanda,

    LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, all your ideas. I have been doing yard haunts for years (as well as a Christmas one) and always struggle with lighting. One huge problem I have is a corner streetlight, it lights up a corner of my yard that Kinda ruins lighting i try. Ideas? Thanks

    1. Wanda Simone says:

      Thanks, Cheryl! I have a streetlight close to my house, too…and it is hard to work around. I usually try to block the light by hanging some creepy cloth on a tall prop on that side of the yard (like large branches stuck in big tubs to look like dead trees). It doesn’t completely block out the street light but it does help to filter it a bit so that the rest of my lights show up better.

  8. Oh my, it looks absolutely amazing. The level of dedication and the pieces and accents you’ve chosen is top notch, your house looks like it’s pretty popular during Halloween. It would be pretty wild if your whole neighborhood had a design contest, that would be such a treat for the kids.

  9. Lenore Gajewski says:

    I was wondering if you might have any ideas on how we can cover our outdoor decorations. We don’t have a covered porch and alot of our stuff could get ruined if left exposed. Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

    1. Wanda Simone says:

      Hi Lenore…I don’t have a covered porch either and it does make it tricky. Unfortunately, I don’t have any good solutions for that. I just take in the stuff that could get wrecked when bad weather is forecast.