What Are the Traditional Halloween Colors​ & What Do They Mean?
Halloween isn't just about spooky parties, candy corn binges and costume-filled celebrations — it’s also about atmosphere, and nothing sets the spooky stage quite like having the right Halloween colors. Deciding on themed Halloween decoration ideas is much easier when you know the color schemes of the spooky season. Go pumpkin-bright with shades of orange splattered on your doorsteps, or venture into eerie territory with deep blacks lurking in your haunted house. Halloween colors are more than just decoration, they're storytellers of the season. What stories do the most popular Halloween colors tell? Let's crack open the candy bucket of history and superstition to uncover the deeper meaning behind Halloween’s most iconic shades.
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Traditional Halloween Colors
What Two Colors Are Associated With Halloween, And What Do Each Mean?
What are the colors for Halloween? When you think Halloween, chances are you're picturing pumpkins glowing on porches, black cats slinking through shadows and maybe a witch or two rocking an electric purple hat. But have you ever wondered why these colors scream "Halloween"? Let’s unwrap this candy bag of color meanings and see what each shade brings to spooky season.
1. Orange: Pumpkins, Harvest, and All Things Autumn
Orange is the ultimate Halloween headliner, thanks to pumpkins. The original Halloween theme called for purplish-white turnips but were swapped out for big, bright pumpkins once the holiday entered the U.S. The color is displayed mostly in jack-o’-lanterns, faces carved into large pumpkins with a candle glowing mysteriously in the center. Beyond pumpkins, orange captures the glow of Fall leaves, Autumn bonfires and everything cozy about the harvest season.
2. Black: Darkness, Mystery, and Midnight Magic
Halloween without black would be like Dracula without fangs. It’s the color of night and mystery, doom and the abyss. Black cats, witches' cloaks and vampire bats are also all steeped in superstition and perfect for sending a shiver down your spine. Black brings the darker side and a bit of mystery to the Halloween palette.
Why Are Green And Purple Halloween Colors?
3. Green: Slime, Witches, and Monsters
From Frankenstein's monster's skin and the Wicked Witch of the West to the mischievous Slimer from Ghostbusters and the glow of the egg in Aliens, pop culture has helped to add a little green to the Halloween palette. In fact, green light is used in horror films to create a sense of unease, decay, disease and the unnatural. It's associated with unattractive and sickly characters that can make a scene feel toxic or surreal. While green usually symbolizes all things nature, in film it can also depict rot, a sickness or the grotesque, dread, jealousy and the otherworldly. Youtuber Punzie's Palace discusses that even Disney movies use lime green when the "baddies" appear — think Maleficent and her dragon fire, Ursula and her cauldron, the Evil Queen’s potion and Scar's eyes. It seems that we're psychologically wired to have a woozy feeling when we see this color!
4. Purple: Spells, Spirits, and Supernatural Sparkle
Purple has long been linked to mysticism and magic, evoking images of fortune tellers' crystal balls, smoky potion bottles, and twinkly witch hats. Purple adds a hint of the mystical, magic and illusions, which also throws in a touch of “spooky” or “sparkle” to Halloween colors. If Halloween had a runway, purple would close the show.
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5. White: Ghosts, Cobwebs, and Candy Corn
White may seem plain, but it's essential to the Halloween color palette. It may be a filler color in most decoration ideas, but on the spookiest of nights, it reminds us of floating ghosts, wispy cobwebs, and even the white tip of candy corn — which, according to some insightful Halloween trivia, was voted the voted the worst of all time even though around 35 million pounds of it are produced every year!
6. Red: Blood and Temptation
Red lurks in the background of Halloween, usually as a feature color dripping from fangs or severed limbs. It's the color of vampire bites, devil horns, and dramatic witchy dresses. Where orange and black set the stage, red turns up the drama.
7. Yellow & Brown: The Forgotten Harvest Shades
Apart from the brighter orange and the mysterious black, earthy yellows and browns represent the harvest season and the fallen leaves of Autumn. Today, these additional Halloween colors are used in all sorts of rustic DIY Fall decor.
Halloween Hex Codes for Designers
Planning a Halloween party invite, a spooky flyer or a costume contest poster? Here are a few hex codes to bring the spirit of the season into your designs:
- Pumpkin Orange: #FF7518
- Witchy Purple: #6A0DAD
- Slime Green: #32CD32
- Midnight Black: #000000
- Blood Red: #8B0000
- Cobweb White: #F8F8FF
(You’re welcome, designers!)
Halloween Colors For Kids
Simple Orange
When you're crafting up some DIY Halloween decorations for kids, the most obvious option is simple orange for the major Halloween color schemes. Add mini pumpkins to your spread, along with gourds of all kinds, dried orange flowers, eerie mood lights and rake in some fallen Fall leaves scattered on your porch. Try cooking up some orange chunks of squash or a creamy squash soup. And don't forget to bake some Halloween cookies — a classic kid activity.Â
Crimson or Scarlet Red
For your mini Edgar Allen Poes who don't suffer from hemophobia (the fear of blood), crimson and all shades of red are fun colors to play with. Get out your paints and easal to mock up some party posters or even craft gastly Halloween painting ideas. Creating red clay sculptures of classic Halloween figures could also be a delightful way to bond with your child or entertain a classroom full of children.
Slime Green
Learning how to make slime can be pretty inconvenient for adults (the clean up is not fun at all), but children tend to love the icky, gooey texture. They'll be delighted with the bright Halloween colors and can use them create monster-manic banners for the home or school that scream "a ghoul was here."
Magic Trick Purple
Take your young ones out for a night of magical illusion. Drape your interiors and haunted house rides with elegant purple curtains, enticing participants in and then shocking them with the biggest frights. Little princess and witches will also love to adorn their little bods with purple dresses or pointy hats.
Brilliant or Baby Blue
While not mentioned in our line up of the top Halloween colors, blue is always a good addition. There are many ways for a child to play with shades of blue, especially as part of their Halloween colors. Twins dressing up as Thing 1 and 2 for their Cat in the Hat dynamic duo costumes will have shokingly blue hair, where Alice exploring Wonderland will adorn her famous blue dress as a DIY Halloween costume.
Silly Silver
Before you set up your decorations, consider a night of fun play and an excellent source of decorations. Use silvery tinsel or silly string to dress up the house in a shimmering sparkle. Chase each other around the house and you'll eventually end up having created a mountain of cobwebs all around the haunted property.
Mix It Up
Halloween colors are usually paired together. Think orange and black, green and purple or red and white. Why not go a bit Halloween crazy and pair all the colors together in a monster mash of spooky hues?Â
Halloween colors are a huge part of your Fall decorations, from your Halloween party ideas to those interesting Halloween craft ideas. Go beyond carving pumpkins and explore all of the most lively, spooky and glamorous Halloween colors on offer. Halloween's color story is more than just "orange and black." Each shade adds its own layer of history, mystery or pop-culture spookiness to the mix. Whether you're painting pumpkins or picking out a costume, these colors make the holiday instantly recognizable — and a little more magical.
For even more fun Halloween ideas, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!
