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Window Silhouettes for a Gothic Halloween Front Porch
- Goes in Taped to the glass inside
- Weather Indoors, so weather-safe
- Best for Easiest, safest
The front window is the cheapest set on the street. A black paper silhouette of a witch, a raven or a figure at the glass, lit from behind, looks like something is moving inside.
What you will need
- Black poster board or cardstock
- Scissors or a craft knife
- White or colored tissue paper
- Painter's tape
- A lamp or LED light with an orange, violet or red bulb
- A pencil and a printed template or drawing
How to set it up
- Choose one strong shape: a witch with a broom, a raven, a figure with arms raised, or a tree.
- Draw it large, about half the window height, then cut it out carefully.
- Cut a piece of tissue slightly larger than the window pane or the area behind the shape.
- Tape the tissue to the inside of the window, then tape the silhouette on top.
- Put a lamp or LED behind the glass pointing toward it.
- Turn off the other lights in that room and check from the sidewalk.
Where it goes
Placement. Use a window facing the street, and keep the lamp clear of curtains and anything that can burn. Because everything is inside, there is nothing to put on the walkway.
Weather
Everything stays indoors, so rain and wind do not matter. Use LED bulbs, which stay cool near paper.
Mistakes to avoid
- A hot bulb close to paper or curtains.
- Taping to the outside of the glass, where weather ruins it.
- Shapes too small to read from the street.
Make it better
Animate the light: use a flickering bulb or a slow color-changing one, and add a second silhouette in the next window.
Safety for every piece
- Keep an accessible route from the sidewalk to the door at least 36 inches wide, and wider if you can. Nothing sticks out into it, no cords cross it and no stakes line it.
- Light every step edge. Fog, webs and costumes make edges hard to see.
- Use outdoor-rated lights and cords, plug them into a GFCI outlet and keep connections off wet ground.
- Keep decor off the handrail, the door, the house number and the doorbell.