Let’s look at fifteen of the brightest and most unique vintage Halloween decor ideas to create the retro holiday decorations of your childhood memories!
Published: 8/19/24
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At some point over the past decade, home design and decor became so concerned with looking aesthetic that we lost all of the fun along the way.
I remember when I was growing up, every holiday would welcome super colorful and bright decorations that would liven up even the most basic of homes.
Halloween sticks out as one of those holidays that was especially fun and silly.
The heart of Halloween celebrations lies in the trick-or-treating and getting outside on a chilly fall night.
Because everyone is going door to door, it’s the perfect holiday to go all out with your decor!
It’s time to bring back color and camp with these vintage Halloween decor ideas that feel like 2005 all over again.
No more beiges or muted fall tones, I’m looking for bright pops of orange, stark black and white stripes, and all the monster greens and purples that we can find!
Have a hey day at your local thrift store this Halloween to fill your home with the Hallow’s Eve spirit of movies like Hocus Pocus and Halloweentown!
I truly believe that bright and bold is going to be the biggest trend for holiday decor in the years to come as we all yearn for that sense of nostalgia we feel about our childhood celebrations.
15 Vintage Halloween Decor Ideas
1. Vintage Jack O’lantern Display
Credit: @covenwood
Sometimes the best way to ground your vintage Halloween decor is to choose a theme and run with it!
I love this Jack-o-lantern display featuring multiple different types of vintage one of a kind pieces. This makes your holiday shopping easy because you can roll up to any thrift or antique store, then just look for the cutest vintage decor you can find in your theme!
Throughout the years you’ll be able to add your collection as you continue to find unique pieces.
2. Pumpkin Pail Shelves
Credit: @elfhead
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One of the easiest vintage Halloween decor items to find is these classic trick or treating pumpkin pails.
These get thrown away and donated like crazy after the holiday because most kids will only use them once or twice.
Though they have a purpose outside of decorating your home, they make the perfect decor pieces as they can be layered and used as vases on shelves and tables.
3. Spooky Forest Front Porch
Credit: @crackerjackjunkco
What better place to show off your vintage decor than on your front porch for all the trick-or-treaters to see?
Instead of a wreath on the door, try out an old poster to tie in some of that antique charm.
Other great ideas are old Styrofoam jack-o-lanterns with fading faces, large stuffed crows, and towering trees with ribbons and garland.
4. Halloween Themed Pyrex
Credit: @littleredhousevintage
They don’t make dishes like they used to, right? Especially when it comes to vintage Pyrex and the beautiful themes they used to push out.
If you’re lucky enough to stumble across any of these pieces, you have to grab them because the quality is next level.
Not only will it bring the perfect amount of vintage beauty to your kitchen in the fall, but you can use them to bake all kinds of lovely pumpkins treats!
5. Classic Cartoon Coasters
Credit: @wendy.m.darling
How adorable are these vintage coasters with all kinds of Halloween faces on them?
Objects like this can be hard to source because they’re so unique, but the good news is, they’re easy to DIY!
Make a fun family project out of this decor idea by getting together to paint kooky coasters with vintage faces that the family can enjoy for years to come.
6. Black Cat Trinkets
Credit: @vintage.307
Trinkets haven’t been in style for quite a while, maybe because people have been embracing a more simple and minimalist style of decor for some time now.
This is good news for you, though, because that means the cutest trinkets are all vintage!
I have a lot of luck finding black cat trinkets around Halloween at my local thrift stores so I know they’re pretty easy to come by.
7. Timeless Posters and Cutouts
Credit: @fickleandpickled
When I see posters like these in the photo above, it makes me think of Halloween at Elementary school when everyone would dress up in their costumes for school that day.
It’s giving teacher core in the absolute best way and I’m addicted to the feeling of childhood nostalgia.
If you want your Halloween to feel the way it used to back in 2005, filling your home with these vintage posters and spooky paper cut outs is the way to do it.
8. Creepy Mantel Decor
Credit: @thequeenofhalloween365
One of my favorite places to load on the decor in my own home is the fireplace mantel.
It creates the perfect focal point for your home and gives you a place to direct your attention and efforts.
If you want to pull off some vintage Halloween decor but don’t want to break the bank to do it, just thrift a few stand out pieces and load them on your mantel to create a vibe for the rest of your space.
9. Unique Bizarre Pieces
Credit: @littlehauntedhome
You can find a lot of really strange vintage decor in a thrift store. Anyone who’s been thrifting knows that’s a fact.
I don’t normally gravitate towards the weird stuff, but Halloween is the perfect time to embrace the bizarre for your home decor.
Even just incorporating one strange and standout Halloween trinket will take your decor from basic to quirky vintage like this headless rider coffee table piece.
10. Witchy Top Hats
Credit: @thequeenofhalloween365
You can’t go wrong with witch hats when it comes to vintage Halloween decor.
It’s one of the most classic images for the holiday and has been for years and decades.
This makes it an easy target for vintage Halloween shopping because you shouldn’t have a hard time finding old pieces to bring back to life!
11. Animatronic Statues
Credit: @vintagesoulhalloween
Growing up I remember being always slightly scared of the Halloween displays in Target and Walmart because of the animatronic pieces designed to jump scare!
They thoroughly freaked me out, but honestly it wouldn’t be my childhood Halloween without them.
So if you’re looking to bring back the excitement of your childhood memories, you’re going to have to embrace the Y2K Halloween animatronics.
12. Quilted Stuffies
Credit: @littleredhousevintage
One of the easiest ways to approach a vintage decor style is to think about the kinds of things you would find in your grandma’s house!
These seemingly hand stitched quilted ghost are the cutest and most charming grandma pieces that you could possibly add to your home.
Whether you’re able to make these by hand or feel you’d better just buy them new, these are guaranteed to pack on the charm for your decor this Halloween.
13. Antique Tin Signs
Credit: @crackerjackjunkco
I love adding tin signs to my home decor because they bring an antique touch that other decor pieces really can’t accomplish.
This is one of those items that would probably be harder to thrift. Not tin signs alone, but Halloween themed tin signs are not a dime a dozen.
Just imagine, though, having this cool vintage sign placed outside your front door with a few pumpkins and gourds sitting in front. So cute and unique!
14. Outdoor Pumpkin Cutouts
Credit: @cherrywinksvintage
If you’re like me and don’t love the mess of making jack-o-lanterns at home (not to mention the waste of perfectly good pumpkins) but still love the look, go for something like this!
These wood cutout pumpkins feel very 80’s/90’s Halloween to me and I can’t get enough.
Not only do they look great and could be easily DIY-ed, but they are incredible easy to put out and store every year for mess free decor.
15. Webbing and Cutout Bats
Credit: @keeleymckendree
The easiest, and in my opinion, the most fun way to bring the spirit of Halloween to your home is to cover everything in faux spider webs!
When I was a kid, this was my favorite things to do around our house, and I’m looking forward to passing that joy down to my children.
Throw in a few paper cut out bats and you have one of the cheapest and cutest decorations on this list.
