College Life
Halloween charcuterie boards are easy to put together with some Halloween-themed snacks and fun acce...

15 Creative And Easy Ideas To Decorate Your Dorm Room For Halloween

You’ll have the spookiest room in the hall.

by Tessa Harvey
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
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If you're reading this, you're probably already pumped up for the Halloween season. And let me tell you, you certainly came to the right place. Halloween is great for many reasons — from the candy, the festive drinks, and seasonal films, to dressing up as whoever or whatever you want to be. One of the most exciting parts about this season is decorating. You can deck out your place with Halloween room decor that’s scary, silly, or just plain old cute, and it's all perfectly acceptable. This year, keep it affordable and simple with some fun items to use as Halloween dorm decorations.

Whether you’re living the broke college student lifestyle or just a fan of DIY projects, there are plenty of ways to deck out your place spooky-style while avoiding the most lavish decorations in town. In fact, the most creative decorations don't have to cost very much at all. With just the right tips, you can have the best Halloween dorm in the hall or place on the street.

With these tips and tricks, you’ll have a store of go-to Halloween decorations and dorm-friendly options to impress all of your friends with, and soon you’ll be known as the seasonal decorator to live up to. Here are 15 easy, fun, and cheap Halloween decorations to get inspired by this ghostly season.

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1. Spooky Halloween Gallery Wall

The secret to the easiest Halloween decorations? Switch up the decor you already have. Exchange your normal gallery wall for a few spooky additions and snag some cheap frames from a local thrift store or hang them up.

2. Your Very Own Personalized Pumpkin

This isn't your normal pumpkin-carving, folks. Go all out and make your pumpkin express your personal style. Round up your friends one afternoon and get creative with paints, glitter, studs, and whatever else you can think of.

3. Balloon Animal Decorations

Are there any really good balloon animal artists in your hall? No? That's totally OK. A few YouTube tutorials will have you creating cheap and spooky AF decor within minutes.

4. Spider Web Frame

All you really need to do for this webbed DIY is make a trip to the dollar store, but you can also definitely get these items elsewhere. With the help of a glue gun, assembly is quicker than you can say, "Boo!" Just shape the twine into a web shape, glue it to the frame, stick on the spider, and you’re good to go. Plus, you end up with a really cute frame you can use year after year.

5. Skeletons In A Jar

Looking for something a little creepier? Sounds like you might be into this DIY option. Skeletons in a jar are just spooky enough to be from a creepy laboratory and perfect for the Halloween season — and most importantly, cheap! Simply place a mini skeleton figurine into the mason jar and fill it with water. Then add in some food coloring to make the water different colors if you want.

6. LED Halloween Lights

In your dorm room, you really can't go wrong with string lights to set the vibe. String lights with little pumpkins, cute ghosts, and sparkling spider webs? These are all ideal Halloween decorations.

7. Spider Web Bowls And Candy

These spider web bowls make super cute decorations all by themselves, but in order to be super festive, you should definitely add in some seasonal candy. People will be at your door all month long (but you may have to make refills often).

8.  A Really Big Spider Web

Not into the tiny DIYs? Go big or go home with a giant spider web that you can just buy and throw onto the wall. Plaster it on your dorm wall, outside your door, or on your ceiling.

9. Decorative Festive Pillows

Adding Halloween spirit to your bed or couch can be as easy as adding a pillow cover. Make it a fun do-it-yourself project with one of your friends, or buy a set on Amazon, like these spooky vintage-inspired ones. The best part? You can reuse them forever.

10. Mummy Mason Jars

How cute are mummy mason jars? You'll truly only have to spend a few bucks to snag some cheesecloth or gauze, in addition to a few mason jars and some googly eyes to achieve this cute Halloween staple. If you’re feeling extra, add in some tea lights for instant mood lighting and you're set.

11. Glow Stick Broomsticks

If you’re looking for an adorable and easy DIY decor item that you can do while you’re watching TV or sipping tea, these mini glow stick broomsticks by Debbie Chapman of One Little Project are the thing to do. Simply buy some bracelet-sized glow sticks and use the basic craft supplies of twine, double-sided tape, scissors, paper, and card stock to make them. Whip them up, hang them on your dorm room door, and give them to your friends to hang on theirs. It's an instant broom-squad, and it’s oh-so-adorable.

12. Bat Wall Decals

Decals can sometimes run on the more expensive side, but if you play your cards right, you can score some for just a few bucks. These bat wall stickers add just the right touch of Halloween spirit to your place without going overboard.

13. Wine Bottle Candle Sticks

This simple DIY decoration looks like something straight out of a witch or vampire lair. And let’s be honest, you may have more than a few empty — or soon-to-be empty — wine bottles hanging around your apartment. Just paint some bottles matte black and stick the taper candles right in the top for some eerie ambient lighting.

14. Pom Pom Garlands

If you’re not one for all of the spooky and scary decor and are more into the seasonal colors of it all, making a cute and soft garland with Halloween and harvest-inspired hues is the perfect simple DIY for the cozycore space. String the pom poms onto a string of yarn with a needle and you’re done! And if that doesn’t sound easy enough, there are plenty of tutorials out there to help you hone the craft.

15. Trash Bag Spider Webs

Literally all you need in order to make some giant spider web decorations is a few black trash bags, a pair of scissors, and a step-by-step guide about how to cut the shape. And voilà — an easy and affordable DIY that will transform your room into a Halloween haven.

Once you’ve decked out the place, throw a Halloween party so you can show off your hard work. Happy spooky season!

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