The Best 2023 Halloween Decorating Trends—Plus 2 That Are So Last Year

It isn’t enough to make your whole home apple cinnamon or pumpkin spice-scented come September; if you want to take things to the next level, you need an appropriately spooky wreath to contain it. According to Klarna, purchases of “candle wreaths” increased by 193 percent and regular wreaths increased by 113 percent in the last month. Plus, searches on Pinterest for ‘Halloween wreaths’ have increased by 1,100 percent since July. And there’s only one place to go: Target. There are a ton of new style releases on the site, with specific interest in faux pumpkin clusters, deep dried florals and creepy skull adornments.

There are Halloween decorations, and then there’s Skelly, the 12-foot-tall skeleton with piercing blue LCD-screen eyes who’s developed such a fandom he sells out almost instantly, despite his $299 price tag—and the general, “where the heck am I going to store a 12-foot-tall skeleton?!” conundrum he inevitably sparks every November 1. He’s inspired a whole genre of larger-than-life décor, a trend we first noticed last year but is now everywhere.

Every company we spoke to, from Home Depot to Lowe’s to Sam’s Club, noted demand for supersized skeletons, ghosts, werewolves and mummies. In fact, the Depot has one-upped itself this year, launching a 12-foot-tall towering ghost to tower over your trick-or-treaters.

Naturally, you can’t have Halloween without a few pumpkins. This year, however, we’re seeing vendors upgrade the ugly faux plastic with high-end finishes, like glass and ceramic. According to Pinterest, “this year is the year of black pumpkins, [where] the chic response of the traditional staple is rustic, modern and will be the perfect festive feature in every style of home.” Add to that, the fact that Klarna found a 302 percent increase in purchases of glass pumpkins, which are now poised to be one of the trendiest decor items you can invest in this fall. Put ‘em on display in your living room or place a bunch of minis in a cluster to make a luxury yet festive impact. 

Sticking with the theme of luxury, Harry Potter’s floating candle look is getting an upgrade with stunning floating candle arrangements that look like they’re straight out of Williams Sonoma’s catalog. All over TikTok, we’re seeing users create displays where the candles appear to float (check it out here). You can do this by taking LED candlesticks with invisible threads attached to them, then hang them at different heights from your ceiling for depth and intrigue. 

On top of that, Klarna found that candelabras increased in searches by 85 percent and candle holders were up by 258 percent, which is a perfect way to drive the Witchcore aesthetic home (more on that below). Pinterest reports that chateau candlesticks are also trending, where they double as a gothic tableware accessory for an edgy twist. Place them on your dining table or use them as a statement decor piece on your entryway to play off the Halloween theme without it looking tacky.

Forget keeping up with the Joneses; today, people are fighting to keep up with the John Carpenters and Sam Raimis. People are willing to spend more for hyper-realistic characters with extreme attention to detail, be it LCD eyes and mouths, rubbery features that more closely mimic facial expressions or haunting howls. Generic creepy characters abound, but Lowe’s has branched out into horror movie classics, like a 6-foot-tall Michael Myers so spot-on you’re bound to drop your groceries at least once after coming home at night.

Skelly isn’t the only bag of bones people are after. Over the years, more and more cat, dog and bird skeletons have been popping up as indoor and outdoor decor, but this year, it’s peaked. Just about any creature you can imagine is now a quasi-cuddly tchotchke: French bulldog! Piglet! Teacup unicorn! Octopi family! (You get the idea.)

Balloon arches aren’t going anywhere, but for those of us who can’t spare a few hours—nor have the lung capacity—to fill and arrange hundreds of balloons into an Insta-worthy backdrop, there’s another solution: inflatable or pre-lit arches and tunnels. Available via Amazon and Sam’s Club, you simply plug ‘em in, let them rise up and bam! You’ve created a statement without any huffing or puffing. Some, like this $240 Sam’s Club number, double as an entire haunted house.