Best Halloween Decorations, Props, and Gear

The candy gets smaller but the decorations get bigger and bigger every year. Want to outfit your house with the creepiest gear on the block? Check out these toothsome decorations for your haunted mansion.

The Creepy Butler - He's six feet tall, dressed in a black tailcoat and top hat, and offers to take your coat when you pass by. I'm afraid of him just from the picture.

Fog Machine - They're not nearly as expensive as you might think, and incredibly effective. Imagine a bank of fog rolling down the stairs leading up to your front door. Especially if those stairs are covered in cow blood.

The Flying Ghost - This think zips along a wire, shrieking at you, when you pass by. Incredibly effective and affordable and good for using on the cat the rest of the year.

Animated Tree - This six-foot tall tree is possessed by some poor soul who got buried in the wrong place, I guess. The eyes light up and it makes a grab for passers-by with animated arm-limbs. Put moss or faux cobwebs on it for enhanced effect.

Bates Motel Sign - It'll be lost on the little kids, but their parents will go nuts. It lights up and blinks "VACANCY." I may put one up year round to scare off the solicitors.