How to Make Creepy Halloween Windows

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

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.

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 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 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.

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

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.

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.

Kraft paper sandwich with a layer of red cellophane.

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.

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.

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