Halloween Decorations and Props That Are Truly Terrifying

There are people who go overboard decorating for every holiday - people who put up thousands of Christmas lights or do anything at all for Valentine's Day. But it is impossible to over-decorate for Halloween. The more fake foam gravestones in your yard, the more ghosts and nooses you have hanging from a tree, the more cobwebs in your entryway, the better. And the more horrifying, the better. If your kids can't take a little fake blood and creepy, wriggling animatronics, how can we expect them to face the economy or high school?

With that in mind, here are some of the best, most gruesome Halloween decorations we could find. These are not for the budget-minded - serious scares require investment, and some of these are professional grade. A couple of these will help make you into Halloween's Clark Griswold.

Shivering Mummy
This mummy is kind of goofy, kind of creepy. He shakes like he's about to lurch forward and chase you, but he also looks a bit like grandpa.

Chuckles the Clown
Face it, clowns scare everyone, and with his Ronald McDonald hair and Quentin Tarantino chin, Chuckles is particularly unsettling. You may have to put this one in public storage during the off-season to avoid thinking about Chuckles lurking in your house somewhere.

Random Body Parts
There are a few cheap classics on this page - severed arms, legs, and heads. But for our money, the "Body Parts Hanging Decoration" is the best bargain for the buck. You get a hand, a foot, a foot with part of a leg, and a head, all hanging on hooks. Great for a front door or hallway.

Eyelid Kid Severed Head
This one takes one of the most oddly disturbing scenes from Clockwork Orange and ups the ante. And you can hang it from your rearview mirror the rest of the year.

Animated Zombie Chin-up Prop
Zombies are mandatory for Halloween, and this is the best of the bunch. Technically, we don't think zombies scream, but this guy (or half a guy) might be just on the verge of turning. Not a bad price for a quality animated prop, plus the best blood-curdling screams anywhere.

Lego Hack
Okay, so this one isn't gruesome, it's just cool, in a very geeky, I-like-to-make-my own-toys kind of way.

Out of Ground Torso
You need something for the lawn, and this will work nicely, tucked in amongst a few Styrofoam headstones. It's evil, and it's on sale. What more could you want?

Skull Pumpkin
Put a few regular pumpkins on your porch and hide this one with a little glow stick, and invite trick-or-treaters to admire your jack-o-lantern carving skills. Should be worth a scream or two.

Spider Head Hanging Prop
Let everyone else buy the standard furry arachnids. This one has cloth hair and posable legs. Much, much more terrifying than your standard rubber spider.

Wild Witch Animated Prop
It's not Halloween without a witch, especially one that dances and cackles and, according to the description, rises to six feet or more. It's sound activated, and the reviewers seemed to have a lot of fun with that.