25 Gruesome DIY Haunted House Props For The Scariest Halloween

It’s nearly Halloween!

Do you know where your DIY projects are?

Well, if you’re looking to add some really gruesome and gory projects to your list, I’ve got just the thing for you.

I’ve always loved hosting haunted houses and lately, I’ve been thinking of ways to up my scare factor.

I started looking around and found these 25 amazingly gruesome haunted house props that you can easily DIY!

From bloody corpses to frightening monsters in breakaway cages, you’re sure to emit some screams of terror from your haunted house guests with these DIY haunted house props.

Jump to:

• 1. Gruesome Bathroom Murder Scene
• 2. Frightening Bendable Cage
• 3. Bloody Votive Jars
• 4. DIY Bloody Skull Lamp
• 5. Easy DIY Halloween Bubbling Blood Bath
• 6. Dead Bodies – DIY Budget Style
• 7. Cheap And Easy Burning Coals Prop
• 8. Upcycled Empty Cardboard Box Decorations
• 9. Grotesque Charred Corpse
• 10. DIY Chicken Wire Ghosts
• 11. Creepy Doll Mobile
• 12. DIY Crystal Ball Candlesticks
• 13. Scary Glowing Evil Eyes
• 14. Faux Breakable Chains
• 15. Harry Potter Inspired Floating Candles
• 16. DIY Hanging Spider Balloons
• 17. Gruesome Garage Door Victim
• 18. Haunted Mirrors
• 19. DIY Haunted Reaper
• 20. Creepy Head In A Jar
• 21. Fanged Mini Vampire Pumpkins
• 22. DIY Moaning Myrtle Toilet
• 23. Acid Bath Monster
• 24. DIY Monster Porch
• 25. The Ring Inspired Well
• Conclusion

1. Gruesome Bathroom Murder Scene

If you are planning an entire house full of scary scenes, this bathroom murder scene is a must addition to your haunted house.

It’s pretty easy to do and looks for all the world like something you would see in a crime series.

You just mix up fake blood, which is really easy by the way, and then splatter it on towels and your shower curtain – outside so that you don’t really make a mess in the house.

Add some bloody handprints and you’re all set to scare your guests.

Tutorial/Source: instructables

2. Frightening Bendable Cage

This cage’s bars are made with rubber hosing so they’re easy to move, although your guests won’t know that.

You simply build the cage and then put someone or something scary inside.

When people pass by, the insider can “bend” the bars and get out! Your guests will think that they are perfectly safe until they see what’s really happening.

This is definitely a scream-worthy DIY project.

Tutorial/Source: halloweenforum

3. Bloody Votive Jars

These votive jars are perfect for decorating tables and scaring your guests. They’re really easy to make, too.

Just use red acrylic paint to “bloody” up some gauze and then when the paint dries, wrap the gauze around small mason jars or jelly jars.

Add your candles and these are by far the spookiest votive holders that your guests have ever seen.

Tutorial/Source: brit

4. DIY Bloody Skull Lamp

These bloody skull lamps take a bit of work but they’re definitely worth it. If you plan on hosting a haunted house, these are a must.

They’re creepy with blood splatters that will add so much scary to your fright house.

Plus, this is actually a lamp so it lights up which makes it even creepier.

Put it on the porch to welcome guests into the haunted house or on an entry table to offer an even bigger creepy factor.

Tutorial/Source: skeletonfoundry

5. Easy DIY Halloween Bubbling Blood Bath

This bubbling blood bath is sure to emit a few screams from your haunted house goers. It’s pretty cheap to make considering the scope of the project and doesn’t take nearly as long as you might expect.

The bubbling effect is done with a fountain pump and it’s really scary. Add in the tombstone shape and the skeleton and other scary creatures and you’ve got yourself a nice little fright for guests.

Tutorial/Source: instructables

6. Dead Bodies – DIY Budget Style

You don’t have to spend a fortune on mannequins or other similar items to get dead bodies in your yard.

You can make these budget bodies from packing foam and plastic trash bags. You fill clothing with packing foam and then place them in clear bags.

They look like real bodies in those bags. Then, just blood splatter white bags with red paint and leave the bodies all over your yard.

Tutorial/Source: hauntforum

7. Cheap And Easy Burning Coals Prop

Burning coals are certain to give your haunted house an eerie look and you can create them really easily.

This is a great upcycle project. You use cardboard, two liter soda bottles, orange or red bulb lights and spray foam along with spray paint. It’s a really simple project but one that gives you a really intense aura.

You can actually have this done in about an hour and if you have any recycling available, it will only cost you the spray paint and lights.

Tutorial/Source: halloweenforum

8. Upcycled Empty Cardboard Box Decorations

Set the mood from the minute your guests enter your yard with these easy window decorations that you make from upcycled cardboard boxes.

Curtains hide these monsters from view inside the house but outside…they’re there to scare your guests as they arrive.

You can make them in any shape or form that you want and they are perfect for setting that creepy mood that you want for a haunted house.

Tutorial/Source: reddit

9. Grotesque Charred Corpse

This charred corpse is probably the most grotesque Halloween decoration that I have ever seen and it’s absolutely perfect for a haunted house.

You’ll need a standard skeleton decoration to make this, along with foam insulation, paint and a few other craft supplies.

This is seriously a creepy decoration so if you’re going for the real scare, this is perfect.

Tutorial/Source: imakeprojects

10. DIY Chicken Wire Ghosts

These ghosts in your yard or hanging from your trees are sure to terrify your haunted house guests.

You make them with chicken wire that you can mold around a mannequin or other similarly shaped object.

If you want them to grab attention after dark, try placing lanterns or candles close to them – not close enough to show what they really are but just close enough to create an eerie glow around them.

Tutorial/Source: instructables

11. Creepy Doll Mobile

There are so many ways that you can use dolls in your haunted house decorating. You can simply spray paint a large doll white and have her peeking out from a corner, or try this creepy doll mobile.

Dolls with porcelain heads tend to be much scarier so if you can find those – check your local thrift store – then you’re golden.

Add them to a makeshift mobile that you can create from a cheap grapevine wreath and hang on the porch or in the entryway.

Tutorial/Source: epbot

12. DIY Crystal Ball Candlesticks

While these crystal ball candlesticks aren’t likely to scare someone silly, they do add a nice Halloween ambiance to your haunted house and they are super easy to make.

These glowing crystal balls contain images that you can print off yourself so you get whatever picture you want on your ball. A candle gives them a nice creepy glow.

Tutorial/Source: flamingotoes

13. Scary Glowing Evil Eyes

These scary evil eyes are so easy to make and they’re really cheap. You need empty toilet paper rolls – can you say upcycle? – and some of those glow stick bracelets that you can get at the Dollar Store for a dollar per pack.

Cut eye shapes into the empty toilet paper rolls and then insert a glow stick. Tape it all up so that the stick stays in place and put these around your yard, in bushes and even in trees to give your entire outdoors a creepy Halloween vibe.

Tutorial/Source: kellyelko

14. Faux Breakable Chains

One of the scariest Halloween pranks I’ve ever seen was someone dressed as a zombie who was chained up to a wall.

The chains, unbeknownst to the guests, were fake and just as people got close to the zombie, he snapped the chains and ran after them.

It was hilariously fun and you can create the same scenario with these faux breakable chains that you can make from pipe insulation and a bit of paint.

Tutorial/Source: ribbonsandglue

15. Harry Potter Inspired Floating Candles

These floating candles are sure to give your guests a fright. These are inspired by the Great Hall candles from Harry Potter and are so simple to make. This is also an upcycle project because you use empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls to make the candles.

Just paint the rolls white and then string them from the ceiling with LED lights. You’ll love how authentic these look and your guests will appreciate that extra ick factor.

Tutorial/Source: eatingbender

16. DIY Hanging Spider Balloons

While these hanging spider balloons aren’t likely to scare anyone witless, they are sure to add that extra bit of creepy to your decorations.

They’re really easy, too. You just fill balloons with helium and then attach plastic or rubber spiders to string or fishing line. Rubber spiders will seem much more realistic if you really want some extra fright in your haunted house decor.

Tutorial/Source: studiodiy

17. Gruesome Garage Door Victim

I love this scary garage door victim. It really looks like something evil has forced the garage door down on a man and it’s really easy to set up. Just stuff old clothing or foam into pants and a shirt and add shoes.

Then position your victim so that his “neck” is under the garage door and add splatters of blood around the area. This one is definitely not for the faint of heart so if your haunted house is just for kids, I would use this one carefully.

Tutorial/Source: homedit

18. Haunted Mirrors

These haunted mirrors are very reminiscent of the haunted house at Disney World.

If you’ve never seen those, then you are seriously missing out on a good scare. You can easily make these with some old mirrors, images that you want to appear and some silver mirror like paint. They don’t take long to finish and they’re sure to be one of the scariest aspects of your haunted house décor.

19. DIY Haunted Reaper

If this haunted reaper doesn’t scare your guests then they have nerves of steel.

I got scared just looking at the picture! It takes a bit of work but it will quickly become your favorite Halloween decoration, especially if you are setting up a haunted house.

And, once you build him, you can use him year after year to continue scaring your guests.

Tutorial/Source: halloweenforum

20. Creepy Head In A Jar

This head in a jar is probably one of the creepiest things that I have ever seen and it’s wonderful! If you’re looking to create a really scare ambiance for your haunted house, this is definitely a prop that you need to make.

The best part is, it’s super easy to put together and doesn’t cost much if anything at all. You just put a mask or even a printout of a scary face into a jar and then maybe add some hair.

Tutorial/Source: madhauscreative

21. Fanged Mini Vampire Pumpkins

These little fanged vampire pumpkins probably won’t scare anyone silly but they will certainly add to your haunted house décor. These are so simple to make and they’re a great project for the kids.

You just add plastic vampire fangs to little pumpkins and you’re done. How easy was that? You could even paint the pumpkins blood red or black if you want them to be a bit creepier.

Tutorial/Source: marthastewart

22. DIY Moaning Myrtle Toilet

Harry Potter is a great place to look for frightening haunted house décor. Take this Moaning Myrtle toilet for example. It’s scary and your guests are going to really get a kick out of it.

While the toilet doesn’t really moan, you can put a picture of Myrtle under the seat, which will shock anyone who needs to use the bathroom.

I would also do a hidden recording of her moaning and talking and maybe even a little fog machine for added effect.

Tutorial/Source: pinningwithpurpose

23. Acid Bath Monster

This one is super scary and super easy to make. You need an old oil drum as well as a scary mask and some clothing and maybe a skeleton for the hands.

Just add them all together and paint where needed to create the illusion of acid and blood.

This would be great around a corner or near the exit, somewhere guests would never expect to see something like this.

Tutorial/Source: fulcrumsites

24. DIY Monster Porch

Before your guests even enter your haunted house, give them a fright with this monster front porch.

It looks as if your house is the actual monster and the porch is his mouth. It’s really easy to put together and would be great if you painted it with glow in the dark paint so that it would really show up after dark.

This one only takes about an hour or so to build and is definitely going to up your scare factor.

Tutorial/Source: craftibilities

25. The Ring Inspired Well

You can really scare your guests when you add this DIY version of the well from the Ring. It’s complete with the little girl climbing out of it!

This one is not at all difficult to build and would look great in the front yard or a side yard if you’re having an outdoor haunted house.

Even better, have this portion of the actual movie playing as your guests enter and then have the well sitting just outside the exit door.

Tutorial/Source: lotharslair

Conclusion

You can do so many wonderful DIY Halloween projects to scare your neighbors, trick-or-treaters and even haunted house guests.

Take this DIY monster Halloween house décor for instance.

It turns your entire house into a monster!

The great thing about these DIY haunted house props is you don’t even need to be terribly artistic or crafty to do them.

They are all relatively easy and many of them don’t even require that many supplies. In fact, some of them are upcycles and you know how much I love to upcycle.

If you love decorating for Halloween as much as I do and you love creating scare-worthy decorations that will instantly turn your home into a haunted house, this is definitely the collection of ideas for you.

From a quick and easy bathroom murder scene to a gruesome garage door victim complete with fake blood, you’re going to love all the different scare tactics in here.

Plus, you should check out these great pumpkin hacks to make your jack-o-lanterns super scary.

So, if you are planning to host a haunted house this year or you just really want the neighborhood kids to be terrified of your house when they visit for trick-or-treat night, you really need to check these haunted house prop ideas out.

They’re easy, cheap and will definitely increase your home’s scare potential.