75 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's the chance to brush up on your art skills by turning your hand at pumpkin painting. 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 75 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.
But before you start pulling out the spooky props, we've added a few tips on how to actually, y'know, open a pumpkin, scoop its guts out and the best way to carve it.
How to hollow out a pumpkin
This is always the least fun bit of pumpkin carving, and often the messiest. So if you've got a group of mates coming round, it may be easier to prep all the pumpkins before hand and then you can just get on with the fun carving bit later.
First things first you need a *sharp* knife (or sometimes a bread knife works wonders) to cut the bottom of the pumpkin off, as this will make it easier to carve later as it's now a flat surface. You can also take the top off too if you want and make sure to keep this to the side for later.
Then when it comes to the actual hollowing and removing all of the pumpkin insides, initially we use our hands or a spoon to scoop out the flesh at the top, and then one of the best ways we've found to clear out the rest quickly is to use an electric hand mixer on a low speed and carefully move the mixer around the inside of the pumpkin to pull out the last stringy and difficult to pull out parts of the pumpkin. There are also a number of special kits you can find online if you don't have an electric mixer to hand.
Also remember to keep the pumpkin seeds aside and roast them in the oven for a delicious crunchy topping on autumnal soups.
Then use a scooping spoon to get the walls of the pumpkin down to around a quarter of an inch thick. Any thicker and it will be difficult to carve, which brings us to...
How to carve a pumpkin
Before you even pick up a carving tool, we'd recommend stencilling your design (selected from the ones below) on the outer surface of the pumpkin.
Either stick it on with paper or draw it on directly, and then make little holes along the lines of the design to make it easier to carve into. Then pick up your sharp knife and begin carving away slowly, starting from the centre outwards. Make sure you don't ever rest your arm on the pumpkin while carving.
You can also use tools similar to biscuit cutters that have predesigned stencil shapes that you press firmly into the pumpkin in order to get your desired design.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Leaf pumpkin
If you're really into autumn, PSL, crunchy leaves vibes, this one is perfect for your aesthetic.
Prison pumpkin
This one's very cool albeit a lot harder to achieve than the previous pumpkin. However, you'll be super excited to show your mates this spooky creation once you've invested your time and effort into it!
Skeleton pumpkins
Sure, if you want to do as many as three of these you'll need a lot of pumpkins but, to us, just one will do unless you want to be eating pumpkin soup for the next month.
Creepy pumpkin family
You will definitely scare trick-or-treaters away with this family of pumpkins. In fact, put them out when you've run out of sweets, people will be sure to skip your house then.
Stitch pumpkin
Millennial friends, who doesn't love Lilo & Stitch? And what could be better than a pumpkin version? That is all.
Rope pumpkin
Put your BTEC sewing skills to the test and recreate this spooky pumpkin. It only requires some simple carving skills, too. How hard can it be, right?
Jess Edwards is Cosmopolitan UK’s Deputy Editor, working to deliver the very best experiences across the brand's platforms (print, social, video, digital), products and events, including a focus on our membership offering, Club Cosmo. Jess has worked in the media industry for almost 20 years and at Cosmopolitan for over 10 years, joining the brand as Fashion Editor and later going on to lead the digital team as Site Editor. With her background in lifestyle journalism, it is no surprise that you’re most likely to find her in the Fashion section and exploring the very best in hospitality via our Travel pages.
Sophie Williams is a Freelance Journalist and Copywriter, covering everything from Fashion to Entertainment to music, Lifestyle and Features. She has interviewed a range of musical artists and authors including Alyssa Edwards, Courtney Barnett, Confidence Man, The Vaccines, Loyle Carner, Gabrielle, and John Niven, and has written for publications like Metro, Reader's Digest, ITV's Woo! and Vice’s NBGA. She is also working on a book for HarperCollins about Taylor Swift, due to be published in 2024.
Lydia Venn is Cosmopolitan UK’s Senior Entertainment and Lifestyle Writer. She covers everything from TV and film, to the latest celebrity news. She also writes across our work/life section regularly creating quizzes, covering exciting new food releases and sharing the latest interior must-haves. In her role she’s interviewed everyone from Margot Robbie to Niall Horan, and her work has appeared on an episode of The Kardashians. After completing a degree in English at the University of Exeter, Lydia moved into fashion journalism, writing for the Daily Express, before working as Features Editor at The Tab, where she spoke on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Talk Radio. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of Gilmore Girls and 00s teen movies, and in her free time can be found with a margarita in hand watching the Real Housewives on repeat. Find her on LinkedIn.
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