80 Halloween pumpkin ideas: scary pumpkin carving designs you need to try
Be the baller of your street this Halloween...
Pumpkin carving is one of the multiple opportunities we have to attempt being crafty at Halloween. First, there's the DIY house party decorations (even if they're for no one but yourself) which involves turning bin bags into spiders' webs and plastic gloves into ice sculptures. Then there are the Halloween cake recipes, which really test our confidence when it comes to being nifty with a piping bag of icing. And who could forget the Halloween cocktails? Basically just an opportunity to drink a lot of booze while making witchy concoctions.
So, if you’re looking for some crafty inspo this October 31st, (and you want your pumpkins to look the best, ofc) look no further than our round-up of 80 carving ideas. From the simple - aka classic cat whiskers - to the bold - aka a Stranger Things Vecna attempt, there’s a design for literally *everyone*. Oh, and there are even ideas that involve multiple pumpkins and extra props to dig your teeth into, as well. Sadly, we're not sure we're ever going to be advanced enough for anything other than the old triangle eyes and funny mouth but hey, we can still look, right? Happy haunting...
Fairy house
Starting out as we mean to go on: creative. We're living for this pumpkin fairy house that oozes cosy vibes. Go one step further and get little toy fairies to really complete the fantasy.
Scared spider pumpkin
How about this pumpkin offering? It's three things rolled into one: funny, creative, and completely Halloween-ey. Your carving skills don't need to be top-notch, either - just carve a generic scary face and then pierce the top and sides with pieces of wire. Simples.
Calligraphy pumpkin
Dust off those calligraphy skills guys, because we're about to get scripty. If you spent your youth (like we did) practising your best cursive, then this is the perfect pumpkin for you.
Hamburger pumpkin
Forget the traditional Jack o' Lanterns, it's all about the hamburger pumpkins. We guarantee your neighbour, your neighbour's neighbour, and your neighbour's neighbour's neighbour won't have thought of this design. It probably will make them hungry, though.
Alarm clock pumpkin
How cool is this alarm clock pumpkin? Creative and practical, wake up for work every morning (or until the pumpkin starts to go off) in the ultimate Halloween spirit.
Snail pumpkin
We're obsessed with how cute this wee snail pumpkin is. Incorporating a butternut squash too?! They will call you a genius.
Stranger Things Vecna
Cannot deal. If you're a Stranger Things fanatic (like us) and you're thinking of hosting a themed fancy dress party, why not go all-out on your decs and pumpkins and recreate this incredibly spooky Vecna carving? The Upside Down awaits!
Honeycomb pumpkin
Keep it sweet this weeny with a honeycomb-style pumpkin. Simple but impressive (and most definitely different), this pumpkin will be sure to be a talking point.
Trick or Treat
A classic. Not the easiest to carve but this one really is an oldie and a goodie.
Elvis pumpkin
No carving involved, just a whole load of 'uh-huhs'. All you need to create the coolest pumpkin of all time are some oversized 70s shades, gold sparkly card, black paint and black fluffy material.
Little Shop of Horrors pumpkin
Get creative with this fun and freaky pumpkin idea. As well as perfecting your carving skills, you'll also need to get your paint on. Because we're not sure you've noticed, but there's no orange in sight...
Boho pumpkin
Easy carving take (who are we kidding, we're not keeping count?). Obsessed with this boho pumpkin, it's really giving 'if Florence Welch was a pumpkin' vibes.
BOO pumpkins
Loving this idea of spelling out 'boo' in pumpkin lights. You can do this really easily too - all you need is a small circle-shaped cookie-cutter to punch the holes through to type out each letter. Then, just add a few battery-powered candles, switch them on, and wait til it gets dark.
Spider's web pumpkin
If you're after a challenge or something a little more intricate, how about this baroque-looking spider's web design? Yes, it'll consist of a lot of concentration (and probably a few trial runs), but once you master it it'll most definitely be worth it!
Mandala pumpkin
How cool is this mandala-style pumpkin? Again, it's probably harder than it looks (and it also requires some extra tools/ingredients - we're talking about the nuts, btw), but the end product is stunning.
Baby pumpkins
If you're expecting, or have just welcomed a little one (or little ones), what better way to ring in their first Halloween than by getting your own baby pumpkins? Clearly, there's no carving required (just a Sharpy, some dummies and a cute hat/ribbon) so it shouldn't be too stressful amid your (probably) hectic lifestyle.
Whale pumpkin
Simple but genius, you'll have a whale of a time (get it?) carving this pumpkin.
Pumpkin family
If you want to make it a family affair, how about this eccentric collection of pumpkins? Of course, you can copy these three guys - but if you want to get creative and create pumpkins based on your own family members, that's fun too!
Kinky pumpkin
Little bit kinky, a lot of fun. It's definitely not PG though, so maybe best to keep this one inside and put your traditional ghoul-like pumpkin on your doorstep for all the street to see instead.
VW Camper
Simply iconic. The next best thing to owning one of these wanderlust vans is to have your own VW carved pumpkin on display. Well, it's maybe not the next best thing, but this design is *very* cool.
