Vintage Halloween Decorations That Will Make Your Place Look Like A Haunted House From The ’20s

Vintage Halloween decorations are a great alternative to anything too cartoony or scary if that's not your thing. And thanks to low-maintenance decorations like Halloween cutouts and throw pillow covers inspired by antique signs, it's easy to pull off the effect. So if you’re feeling mummified by Halloween Instagram trends, we’re here to say, you’ve stumbled upon the right place. We’ve sourced some out-of-the-ordinary autumn inspiration to deck out your home for the spookiest holiday of the year.

If you want your (haunted) house to stand apart from all the other boring homes on the block, we suggest going retro. After all, there's nothing wrong with (grave) digging into trends of the past to get inspo for today's Halloween decor. And let's not forget — these vintage decorations can inspire a pretty swingin’ 1920's or 1950's Halloween party that no one will forget.

There is perhaps no better way to go vintage with your Halloween decorations than to buy a metal, printed sign. Made from aluminum tin, this ghostly, ghoul-y print is painted with just the right assortment of colors to make it feel authentically vintage. The sketched-out line drawing and added pop of green along the ghost's perimeter add the feel of stinky, sticky slime that will have your trick-or-treaters so sketched out, they might not even knock to ask for candy! In fact, they might feel so tricked, they just go scampering back down the driveway, utterly terrified, come Halloween night. That being said, if you don't want to scare away your trick-or-treaters on October 31, maybe hang this vintage sign indoors. It's pretty creepy, after all.

Add a bit of vintage flair to your living room couch with this four-pack of Halloween-themed pillow covers. Featuring all-knowing owls, creepy crows, the skull of someone rather unfortunate, and a somehow creepy kaleidoscope of orange monarch butterflies, this set of pillow covers feels straight off the set of Pretty Little Liars. With an almost sepia kind of color scheme, dark, brooding lines, and a gothic texture afforded by the architecture of old timey gates and chandeliers, just one throw pillow can start to make your home feel more like a haunted house than a lived-in one. With three more pillows strewn about, your home will transform into the Haunted Mansion at Disney World in no time!

So long as your blood is still pumping and your heart is still beating, you may not need to read this how-to book, Handbook for the Recently Deceased. However, you still might want to! This paperback journal may be blank inside but it's a stand-out vintage-style Halloween decoration for lovers and avid fans of Tim Burton's 1988 classic film Beetle Juice. Place it in the bathroom for a little light reading or add it to a nightstand to creep out any overnight guests. While it may not contain a tutorial of how to be dead inside, the pages are indeed blank, so feel free to creepify it even more by adding your own masochistic words to it. How does one be recently deceased? Grab your creepiest ink quill and get to writing… Oh, and make sure to write "Beetle Juice" three times on the very last page. It will only frighten your guests all the more!

To really achieve that vintage feel with your Halloween décor, it's all in the coloring and in the silhouettes of each design. This four-pack of paper card stock cutouts feels like it could have been purchased in the 1950s or 60s – not ordered off of Amazon in the year 2020. The muted tones of the orange and yellow (and those small hints of olive green) are a crucial part of each cutout's old-timey vibe. Each cutout feels authentic, like the kinds of decorations that maybe hung in the houses your grandparents used to trick-or-treat at #BackInTheDay. That vintage feel isn't just fun for old time's sake either; somehow, vintage décor makes any Halloween party all the more eerie… Those jack-o-lantern's eyes? That black cat's mysterious monocle? The owl whose pupils suggest he knows a secret? It's all so haunting, so captivating, and so much more compelling than your standard grapes-for-eyeballs and streamers hanging from the ceiling.

Just one frightened look at this Vintage Jack-o-Lantern Pumpkin Window Decoration and it's like you can hear him, creepily laughing, Muahahahaha! For added spooky effect, this mustached mischief-maker comes pre-lit with 10 bright, warm white lightning bulbs – just enough to illuminate his fearsome face and bring terror to the forefront of trick-or-treaters’ little minds. This bow-tied rabble-rouser makes for the perfect indoor or outdoor decoration – he's made from waterproof UL certified lights, after all – but we highly recommend hanging him up in a window or positioning him (freakily) in the garden. (You know, so it looks like he's popping out of the bushes as your trick-or-treaters rush up to your door!) Given your kids may scream so loud it could shatter glass when you hang him up, this decoration comes with a backup fuse and three extra incandescent light bulbs – just in case.

This spooky trio of fiends and friends will scarily bounce and dance about your heads as you spoon blood-red punch and cackle through the night at your Halloween costume party. Printed on boardstock paper, these paper tissue dancers have long, accordion arms and legs that feel like they’re not only dancing as part of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video but reaching out to grab you, too. Each dancer has their own freaky personality and you can't really tell if that grin is innocent or bloodthirsty. It's just a matter of deciding who terrifies you more – the toothless witch, the google-eyed skeleton, or the sharp-toothed cat. These tissue dancers go bump in the night – whether you hang them from the ceiling or from a doorway, their strange movements are sure to send chills down your spine.

Beware! Cats might have nine lives (or more, TBH) but us fragile humans? We only have one and you definitely don't want to end it by finding yourself in the crosshairs of a fanged black cat. This black cat cut-out garland hangs eerily along your window, doorway, or even across the staircase, but be wary. We all know black cats are bad luck, so be sure to keep your distance – your Halloween party guests, too! With fiery orange eyes not unlike the devil and fierce pupils that pierce your soul, this vintage garland is sure to be a staple at any Halloween party. But remember – curiosity killed the cat.

This Halloween banner looks like something you would have knitted yourself out of scraps of autumnal fabric back in the day. We love how unique it is, and that it stands out from the standard orange and black garlands and streamers we normally see at Halloween parties. This banner is 10.5 by 12 feet, so, pretty long. You can most likely hang it across an entire wall, or drape it over a large window.

This ain't no Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! This paper chain garland features jack-o-lanterns that would make Charlie, Snoopy, and the rest of the Peanuts gang positively shake – like the orange and black accordion paper garland itself. The honeycombed tissue paper garland hangs low and has a ghostly tendency to shutter… like a corpse trying to escape from its grave. Each hanging pumpkin pendant has a drawn-on eerie expression that adds to its vintage feel. Those yellow eyes don't just glow in the night; they reflect the fear in your own. Tape the pumpkin garland around the snack table to draw attention to the night's feast or hang it across the entranceway to greet your unsuspecting guests.

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To really achieve that vintage feel with your Halloween décor, it's all in the coloring and in the silhouettes of each design. This four-pack of paper card stock cutouts feels like it could have been purchased in the 1950s or 60s – not ordered off of Amazon in the year 2020. The muted tones of the orange and yellow (and those small hints of olive green) are a crucial part of each cutout's old-timey vibe. Each cutout feels authentic, like the kinds of decorations that maybe hung in the houses your grandparents used to trick-or-treat at #BackInTheDay. That vintage feel isn't just fun for old time's sake either; somehow, vintage décor makes any Halloween party all the more eerie… Those jack-o-lantern's eyes? That black cat's mysterious monocle? The owl whose pupils suggest he knows a secret? It's all so haunting, so captivating, and so much more compelling than your standard grapes-for-eyeballs and streamers hanging from the ceiling.

Just one frightened look at this Vintage Jack-o-Lantern Pumpkin Window Decoration and it's like you can hear him, creepily laughing, Muahahahaha! For added spooky effect, this mustached mischief-maker comes pre-lit with 10 bright, warm white lightning bulbs – just enough to illuminate his fearsome face and bring terror to the forefront of trick-or-treaters’ little minds. This bow-tied rabble-rouser makes for the perfect indoor or outdoor decoration – he's made from waterproof UL certified lights, after all – but we highly recommend hanging him up in a window or positioning him (freakily) in the garden. (You know, so it looks like he's popping out of the bushes as your trick-or-treaters rush up to your door!) Given your kids may scream so loud it could shatter glass when you hang him up, this decoration comes with a backup fuse and three extra incandescent light bulbs – just in case.

There is perhaps no better way to go vintage with your Halloween decorations than to buy a metal, printed sign. Made from aluminum tin, this ghostly, ghoul-y print is painted with just the right assortment of colors to make it feel authentically vintage. The sketched-out line drawing and added pop of green along the ghost's perimeter add the feel of stinky, sticky slime that will have your trick-or-treaters so sketched out, they might not even knock to ask for candy! In fact, they might feel so tricked, they just go scampering back down the driveway, utterly terrified, come Halloween night. That being said, if you don't want to scare away your trick-or-treaters on October 31, maybe hang this vintage sign indoors. It's pretty creepy, after all.

Add a bit of vintage flair to your living room couch with this four-pack of Halloween-themed pillow covers. Featuring all-knowing owls, creepy crows, the skull of someone rather unfortunate, and a somehow creepy kaleidoscope of orange monarch butterflies, this set of pillow covers feels straight off the set of Pretty Little Liars. With an almost sepia kind of color scheme, dark, brooding lines, and a gothic texture afforded by the architecture of old timey gates and chandeliers, just one throw pillow can start to make your home feel more like a haunted house than a lived-in one. With three more pillows strewn about, your home will transform into the Haunted Mansion at Disney World in no time!

This spooky trio of fiends and friends will scarily bounce and dance about your heads as you spoon blood-red punch and cackle through the night at your Halloween costume party. Printed on boardstock paper, these paper tissue dancers have long, accordion arms and legs that feel like they’re not only dancing as part of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video but reaching out to grab you, too. Each dancer has their own freaky personality and you can't really tell if that grin is innocent or bloodthirsty. It's just a matter of deciding who terrifies you more – the toothless witch, the google-eyed skeleton, or the sharp-toothed cat. These tissue dancers go bump in the night – whether you hang them from the ceiling or from a doorway, their strange movements are sure to send chills down your spine.

Beware! Cats might have nine lives (or more, TBH) but us fragile humans? We only have one and you definitely don't want to end it by finding yourself in the crosshairs of a fanged black cat. This black cat cut-out garland hangs eerily along your window, doorway, or even across the staircase, but be wary. We all know black cats are bad luck, so be sure to keep your distance – your Halloween party guests, too! With fiery orange eyes not unlike the devil and fierce pupils that pierce your soul, this vintage garland is sure to be a staple at any Halloween party. But remember – curiosity killed the cat.

So long as your blood is still pumping and your heart is still beating, you may not need to read this how-to book, Handbook for the Recently Deceased. However, you still might want to! This paperback journal may be blank inside but it's a stand-out vintage-style Halloween decoration for lovers and avid fans of Tim Burton's 1988 classic film Beetle Juice. Place it in the bathroom for a little light reading or add it to a nightstand to creep out any overnight guests. While it may not contain a tutorial of how to be dead inside, the pages are indeed blank, so feel free to creepify it even more by adding your own masochistic words to it. How does one be recently deceased? Grab your creepiest ink quill and get to writing… Oh, and make sure to write "Beetle Juice" three times on the very last page. It will only frighten your guests all the more!

This ain't no Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! This paper chain garland features jack-o-lanterns that would make Charlie, Snoopy, and the rest of the Peanuts gang positively shake – like the orange and black accordion paper garland itself. The honeycombed tissue paper garland hangs low and has a ghostly tendency to shutter… like a corpse trying to escape from its grave. Each hanging pumpkin pendant has a drawn-on eerie expression that adds to its vintage feel. Those yellow eyes don't just glow in the night; they reflect the fear in your own. Tape the pumpkin garland around the snack table to draw attention to the night's feast or hang it across the entranceway to greet your unsuspecting guests.

This article was originally published on Sep. 9, 2020