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A real Halloween Head knows the best shopping gets done in July, but — and it’s a big but — if you wait long enough, you can get decorations on sale beginning in September. As one of the Strategist’s resident Halloween Heads (I hunted for dupes of Home Depot’s giant skeleton one year), I went digging for all the best Halloween decorations on sale right now. I looked for those that are tasteful and not tacky, at places frequented by those who are really serious about Halloween, including Pottery Barn (and its sister site West Elm), Michaels, and Joann. No deal is less than 20 percent off (a rule of thumb for our deals editor). I found everything from floating candles and terra-cotta skulls for your living room to zombie-hand stakes and iridescent flamingoes for your front yard.
Tableware
Serve witch’s brew in here for Halloween, then lentil stew for Thanksgiving.
The perfect vessel for mulled wine, hot toddies, and pumpkin-spice lattes.
To take a swig of whiskey after a long night of handing out candy. (Get the matching glasses while you’re at it.)
These cups are now cheaper than Anthropologie’s Mystic Icon Juice Glasses (which never go on sale).
A big-enough bowl for no tricks and more treats.
For the “leave the candy out” types, this wicker basket seems like it can handle greedy handfuls. (The bat is based on Ed Emberley’s picture book How to Draw Monsters and More Scary Stuff.)
Because it’s made of melamine, this platter is practically unbreakable (even in chocolate-bar-coated hands).
To host your spread of witch-finger ladyfingers and mini mummy pigs in a blanket.
Each illustration reminds me of on old drawing in John Derian’s decoupage (but for much less).
If you’re on Halloween-party duty this year, buy these in bulk. They’ll be the talk of your next parent-teacher meeting.
Indoor Decorations
A pumpkin you don’t have to gut — and that won’t spoil on the inside.
If you’re hosting a séance anytime soon — or don’t want to burn another apple-cider candle.
Mr. Bones may not have a beating heart, but he’s full of life (a.k.a. LED bulbs that run on a 24-hour cycle).
You can leave this candle “burning” to make bumps in the night less scary — and there’s a timer for the flickering wick to turn off.
“Quoth the raven — ” never mind. It might not speak, but it does light up.
A stuffie for the child who falls asleep to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark …
… And a stuffie for the scaredy-cat kid who’s watching Night of the Living Dead for the first time.
And for good measure, a wide-eyed bat to keep the scaredy-cat company.
The lore of this folksy skeleton is that it’s made from dried jipijapa palms by artisan weavers in southeastern Mexico.
Just the right lighting, mimicking “the smoldering glow of embers in a fireplace.”
If you already have a strand of string lights, make them go boo! with these ghost shades.
In the immortal words of Blue Öyster Cult, “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper”!
Outdoor Decorations
A haunted house to put in place of a “home sweet home” doormat.
And a coven of witches to put a spell on unsuspecting visitors.
Balsam Hill’s artificial Christmas trees are straight out of a Hallmark set, and its Halloween decorations would fit right in a movie on the “31 Days of Halloween” schedule — including these starbursts with orange-tinged tips.
These are good for a will-o’-the-wisp effect. (Bog Fog not included, though.)
I don’t know why Snoopy is everywhere, either. This is for those Peanuts fans — featuring most of the gang. (Sorry, Lucy!)
It’s not as tall as Home Depot’s 12-foot skeleton that’s seen all over suburban lawns — but it’s a better bargain.
Fellow writer Erin Schwartz recently saw a skeleton very much like this one outside a Brooklyn brownstone. (It’ll be easier to store in the off-season too.)
There’s nothing more camp than a plastic flamingo, which is part of “the pantheon of American lawn kitsch.” Kitschier still is a plastic flamingo that’s also a skeleton.
You can play Dr. Frankenstein yourself!
Cast off your rusty witch-leg stakes.
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
