It’s Halloween again and you finally have Legends at White Oak’s blessing to make your patio or balcony a truly horrible place to be. There’s even a contest on October 29, to see whose is the scariest. Think you’ve got what it takes to take home the trophy? With these five tips, you just might. Pick your favorites and get decorating!

Set the Mood

What kind of spooky scene do you want to set? The options are endless, but for the sake of brevity, we’re going to focus on a ghostly gallery of ghouls and other unpleasant residents. Black fabric or aged lace curtains hung from the railing and draped over any outdoor furniture and fastened to the door will help dampen the light and help people know where to look.

Spin a Few Webs

Nothing screams “spooky” like spiderwebs all over the place. Especially if they’re giant! Cotton batting is the perfect material for making your own creepy, clingy spiderwebs. This step-by-step guide from eHow will tell you just what to do.

Add Some Creepy Crawlies

Dump rubber spiders and other insects all over the place. Be sure to get plenty on the spiderwebs and atop any other decorations.

Bone Up

Skeletons are always scary – unless you’re a mad scientist or an orthopedist, and how many orthopedists are actually reading this blog? Mad scientists are another story. Anyway, get some skeletons up in there! Amazon has life-size plastic versions that are fairly cheap. Buy a few and dress them in dark, spooky clothing or last year’s fashions for a truly frightening effect.

Light It Up

Even the spookiest of spooktacular patios or balconies will have no effect if people can’t see why they should run away in terror. Add just the right amount of glow with blue or red string lights, or light everything from below with a spooky black light.

You’re all set! Just add your own spooky flair and get ready for the sweet taste of victory. Or is that candy? Mmmm, candy. For more tips on winning at everything, visit the Legends at White Oak blog.