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How to Make Creepy Halloween Windows

October 13, 2015

I’m pretty sure that I’ve forever frightened the toddler away from the entryway with this one.

Red eye halloween silhouette windows.

Red eyes glow in our entryway.

Take a step back into the darkness and look towards the house. Peering monster eyes come to life and take our Halloween trick-or-treating decor to the next level.

Creepy eyeballs glow through windows as a Halloween decoration.

Eyes peer through the darkness on Halloween night.

Lighting and my camera settings and such makes them appear a little more clear/orange than they are in real life (see the red glow on the ceiling and siding in the above photo?). This is an easy project, and it can add a really cool effect to the windows in your entryway, too.

We have narrow sidelights in our home. You might have any combination of windows on your front door or flanking the area. This works for any window! Just adapt for your own space.

You’ll need:

  • brown kraft paper
  • pencil
  • red cellophane gift wrap
  • X-acto knife
  • cutting surface
  • scotch tape
  • mounting tape/double sided tape

1. Trim Kraft Paper

Kraft paper has a bit of weight to it which blocks light, making it great for this project. You’ll want to measure the width of your window, and then double the measurement. The kraft paper will be folded so that it’s two layers thick over the window.

Trim the kraft paper to size, and firmly crease it in half.

Cut kraft paper to fit in window, fold it in half.

Cut and fold kraft paper for each window.

2. Sketch eyeballs

Use the pencil to draw assorted eye shapes on one side of the paper while it’s folded. Create random and varied sets of eyes all up and down and across the paper.

Draw lots of creepy eyeballs with pencils.

Draw creepy sets of eyes.

3. Cut Out the Eye Shapes

An X-Acto knife allowed for easy trimming along all of the pencil lines, cutting more smoothly and evenly than my sketch lines in most cases – and for symmetry and evenness, I cut through both layers of kraft paper at the same time.

Trim creepy eye shapes from the paper with an utility blade.

Use an X-Acto to make precise cuts through both layers of kraft paper.

Trim creepy eye shapes from the paper with an utility blade.

Remove cut pieces of kraft paper.

4. Trim Cellophane to Size

Red gift wrap or shrink wrapping plastic is perfect for this project, because it generally comes as a roll. I spread it out on the floor, and then measured a piece that would fit within the folded kraft paper.

Use red shrink wrap or gift wrap to make red eyes in the window.

Red cellophane makes for creepy, glowing window eyeballs.

5. Tape the Cellophane Into Place

I used tape to secure the red cellophane, sandwiching it between the two layers of kraft paper.

Use red shrink wrap or gift wrap to make red eyes in the window.

Kraft paper sandwich with a layer of red cellophane.

Use red shrink wrap or gift wrap to make red eyes in the window.

Tape the cellophone and the edges of the kraft paper, then fold, and re-crease the paper.

6. Install the Finished Pieces in the Windows

A mounting tape made it easy to hang the paper in each sidelight pane. The glass itself is wavy which would have distorted the windows if I hung the paper indoors, so I attached it to the outside of the window. If your windows are transparent, ordinary glass, you’ll be able to install yours inside.

I hung these creepy eyes in the sidelights on my front porch where the light from inside the entryway could peer through.

Not creepy windows during the daytime.

7. Wait for Nightfall, Then Turn on the Indoor Lights

And when we leave the interior entry light on but the front porch light off, the nighttime effect is muy bueno.

Decorate your windows for Halloween with little peeping monster eyes.

Made-you-do-a-double-take windows at nighttime.

Share

DIY  / Holiday-Related Projects  / Windows

Emily
I'm a home improvement enthusiast living a very merry, DIY-filled lifestyle. As a freelance writer, you can find my work on many popular home and garden sites, including HGTV.com, Home Living Handbook, a Pursuit Channel for Men's Journal, and other outlets. Follow me on social, or drop me a note.

3 Comments


Sharon
October 13, 2015 at 8:22 am
Reply

What a great idea for Halloween! I’ll bet you’ll scare away a whole lot of kids and adults too.



Erin
October 13, 2015 at 2:59 pm
Reply

This is so cute! I don’t have windows like this next to my door but maybe I could do it on the window at the top of the door…



Cait
October 15, 2015 at 4:28 pm
Reply

These are so cute! Although I think I’d freak out the first time I walked past them at night, especially if the porch light was on.



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  • HI, I’m Emily

    Emily Fazio

    I'm a home improvement enthusiast, living a very merry DIY lifestyle. Follow me on facebook and instagram, or drop me a note if you'd like. I love notes.

    You can find me writing for Home Living Handbook, HGTV.com, and a handful of other websites.

    Thanks for visiting!

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