Halloween window silhouettes are big black cutouts that sit inside your window. At night a string of lights behind them, or a lamp in the room, turns the whole window into a glowing orange scene: a haunted house, a witch at her cauldron, a stack of jack-o'-lanterns. From the street it looks like a movie set.
The maker behind Cozy Craft Studio tested the viral version of this craft to see whether it is as easy as it looks online. The verdict: it works and it looks great, but plan on about two hours per window and about $20 in supplies.
Picking a Halloween silhouette design
Search for "spooky silhouette" or "Halloween silhouette" and you get hundreds of options. Bold shapes with few thin parts work best. A haunted house, bare trees, gravestones, a witch, a black cat or a row of carved pumpkins all read clearly from across the street. Avoid fine details like lace, whiskers or thin broom bristles. Every small notch is another cut through thick board.
A design does not have to fill the window. The graveyard in the video is tall on one side and low on the other, so the panel was cut to match. That saves board and lets more light through.
Two ways to get the design onto the board
Flashlight method. Print the silhouette, cut it out and shine a flashlight through it so the shadow lands on the foam board. It works, but you need a second person to hold the light and the paper still while you trace.
Box projector. Cut a hole in a cardboard box, tape a magnifying glass over it and set your phone inside with the image on screen, upside down. Turn off the room lights and slide the box closer or further away to set the size and focus. It is fiddly to set up, but you can trace alone. If you have a Cricut, you can also cut paper templates in sections; see how to cut SVG files with a Cricut.
Cutting thick foam board
This is the hard part. In the video a craft knife struggled even with a new blade. A utility knife with a snap-off blade cuts foam board much more easily. Score along the line first, then cut again in two or three passes rather than forcing one deep cut. Change blades often. A dull blade tears the paper face. Work on a cutting mat, keep your other hand behind the blade, and go back over any spot that did not cut all the way through.
Lights, cost and time
Orange or red mini lights give the warm glow. Use LED strings; they stay cool against the board and the curtains. Battery strings with a timer save you running a cord. A sheer curtain between the board and the room hides the back and spreads the light. The video's cost was about $20 per window for foam board, lights and suction cups, with the knife, tape and glue gun already on hand.
Ideas to go with it
Store the cutouts flat with the lights left on, and next October they go back up in minutes.
