Top 20 College Halloween Party Decorations for 2021
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The time is fast approaching when some of the best college parties of the year kick into gear. Halloween is, after all, the holiday when you can become whoever you want to for a day, and no one even has to know who lurks under your ingenious Halloween costume.
If you’re the one planning the party this year, take a look at these Halloween party decoration ideas that will make your gathering stand out from the rest. The good news is that creating a spooky, fun setting doesn’t have to be expensive.
$ = Under $10 | $ = $10-$25 | $$ = $25-$50 | $$ = Over $50
20 Best Halloween Decorations for a Killer College Party
Round Paper Lanterns
Our Recommendation: Nicrolandee Pom Pom Paper Lantern Ball Kit
Nothing says “Halloween” more than purple, black, and orange — the colors of this 16-piece paper lantern kit. Purple symbolizes witches and magic, while orange and black incorporate the changing leaves and the darkness of night. Insert mini LED lights into the lanterns and hang them from the ceiling for the perfect touch of color, light, and magic.
Bloody Garland Banner
Our Recommendation: Moon Boat Store Halloween Party Garland Banner
For party throwers looking for less cute and more horrifying, these banners featuring blood-splattered butcher knives, hacksaws, and scissors should do the trick! Made of bendable laminated sheets of plastic made to look like thin, shiny metal, they will turn any room into someone’s worst nightmare.
Orange and Black Balloons
Our Recommendation: GAKA Store Halloween Party Balloons 50-Pack
No Halloween party is complete without helium balloons floating in the air. This pack of 50 balloons comes in orange, black, and confetti. Add different amounts of helium so that they float at random levels throughout the room. Sustainably minded hosts can simply untie, deflate, and reuse these high-quality balloons next year.
Eyeball String Lights
Our Recommendation: Aonear Halloween Eyeball LED String Lights 30-Pack
These may be the ultimate in cool Halloween party decorations. These string lights come in bright green, purple, blue, and red, and come with eight different lighting modes. Whether blinking, flashing, or waving, these waterproof eyeball lights are sure to set the mood, either indoors or outside.
Orange and Purple Mini String Lights
Our Recommendation: FUNPENY Indoor/Outdoor Orange and Purple Lights 150 Count
Many event planners suggest that the more lights, the better. Mini-string lights transform any room or backyard with a subtle orange and purple glow. Dangle them down the wall, outline your door, or place a strand of lights around the ceiling. You are limited only by your imagination.
Skeleton Restroom Door Cover
Our Recommendation: Beistle Skeleton Restroom Door
Even skeletons need to go, right? This door cover measures 30 inches by 5 feet and features a skeleton reading the newspaper while relaxing on the toilet. Hang this skeleton image on your bathroom door to add a little comic relief to a scary night.
Spider and Bat Decoration Set
Our Recommendation: LuSeren Decoration Set for Fireplace Mantel and Table
This decoration set has almost everything you need to turn a room into a Halloween party extravaganza. From spider-filled lace table covers and runners to cobweb lampshades, there’s no shortage of eerie. It even comes with 3D bats that adhere to walls and ceilings for an extra spooky touch.
Spider Webs
Our Recommendation: SHEOO Indoor and Outdoor Spider Web 1000 Feet
This 1,000-square-foot stretch spider web brings a realistic vibe to the scene. As outdoor Halloween party decorations, you can attach them to trees, windows, and shrubs. Inside, stretch it across furniture, walls, in doorways, and on ceilings. The more you stretch it, the more real it appears.
Punch Bowl With Ladle
Our Recommendation: Pro Dispose Clear 2-Gallon Punch Bowl With Ladle
No party is complete without a punch bowl and serving ladle. Of course, being Halloween, it’s imperative to fill it with red liquid that mirrors the color of blood. Dragon’s Blood may be the perfect elixir — a combination of Hawaiian punch, apple juice, cranberry juice, and ginger ale.
Fountain Mist Maker
Our Recommendation: Akeydeco Fountain Fogger Mist Maker With 12 LED Lights
This makes the top of the list for very cool Halloween party decorations. The mist maker creates a billowing effect — the type of image you see in scary movies with the mist rising out of the water. This one comes with 12 red, blue, and yellow LED lights and is perfect to use in fountains, witches’ cauldrons, and party punch bowls.
Fog Machine
Our Recommendation: ATDAWN Portable Halloween Fog Machine 2000 CFM
If you want to take it up a notch, a fog machine creates a smoky area, a nontoxic fog that travels about 6-9 feet. This type of atmosphere is perfect for a Halloween graveyard or at the front door, creating a mysterious entrance. The remote control makes it easy to operate.
Halloween Plates, Cups, and Napkins Set
Our Recommendation: Winoo Design Halloween Party Supplies (Serves 16)
These essential party supplies serve 16 guests and include 9- and 7-inch paper plates, along with napkins, paper cups, and straws. White ghost napkins claim, “I’m here for the boos!” These paper products are biodegradable, environmentally friendly, and made out of food grade materials.
Halloween Balloon Letters Banner
Our Recommendation: OXIVE Happy Halloween Balloons 16-Inch
Every party needs a shiny, eye-catching centerpiece. This Happy Halloween banner is made out of 16-inch orange and black aluminum foil balloon letters. It also comes with a long ribbon, making it easy to hang across walls or from ceilings.
Pumpkin-Shaped Candles
Our Recommendation: Home Lights Pumpkin-Shaped Candles
Of course, a Halloween party isn’t a true Halloween party without candles. Long ago, candles placed inside pumpkins and homes were supposed to guide lost spirits and keep evil spirits at bay. They’re also kind of romantic or a little creepy, depending on your decor. These 100% natural, soy wax, pumpkin-spiced scented candles will also make your place smell like fall.
Skeleton Decorations
Our Recommendation: WAASII Full Body Skeletons 2-Pack 16″
These two 16-inch skeletons come with movable joints and detachable limbs. Hang them in a doorway or set them up on a table, posing them in any position you choose. Think “Pirates of the Caribbean” as you configure the full-body plastic skeletons and use the red dye for a touch of gruesome.
Human Skull Decorations
Our Recommendation: Boao Halloween Human Skulls 8 Pieces
These eight realistic-looking human skeleton heads are the perfect tabletop accessory. Let your interior decorator shine through as you place the 1.8-by-2.4-inch skulls near candles, on food and drink tables, or staring back at people from the bathroom sink.
Halloween Door Banner
Our Recommendation: Dazonge Halloween Witches Door Banner
Welcome your guests with 70-by-30-inch door banners that read “Trick or Treat” and “It’s October Witches.” These Halloween party decorations are made of thick polyester and decorated with spiders, ghosts, bats, skulls, and witches. The durable banners are designed to grace the sides of any entryway.
Scary Window and Door Decoration Covers
Our Recommendation: KD KIDPAR 8-Piece Window and Door Bloody Decorations
Are you looking for some Halloween party decoration ideas that bring out the gruesome, scary, and dark side of the holiday? Here they are. Four 60-by-30-inch window clings and two 80-by-36-inch door posters contain realistic 3D bloody handprints and a shadowy figure. “Help” and “Do Not Enter” appear to be written in blood.
Creepy Halloween Doorway Cloth
Our Recommendation: Whaline Creepy Draped Cloth for Doorways (2.5 Feet)
This creepy gauze cloth is the perfect drapery for doorways, furnishings, and windows. At 32.8 feet long and 2.5 feet wide, it can cover a huge section of your wall, roof, or lawn. You could also cut it up and place it around your space to mimic spider webs and dusty cobwebs.
Large Spider Set
Our Recommendation: AOJOYS 7-Piece Large Spider Decorations
These are the perfect hairy spiders for your monstrous webs. The seven realistic, red-eyed spiders are 12-47 inches and made of a bendable metal frame so that you can adjust them into different poses. Hide them behind doors and on windowsills, and then fold them up for storage until next year.
Feature Image: svetikd / E+ / Getty Images