Holiday Planning & Ideas Halloween Halloween Projects & Crafts Halloween Pumpkin Ideas 10 Scary Pumpkin Faces That Are Straight Out of Your Spookiest Nightmare This Halloween, carve a scary pumpkin face guaranteed to spook the neighbors. By Alexandra Churchill Alexandra Churchill Alexandra is a former digital editor for MarthaStewart.com. Editorial Guidelines and Alexandra Kelly Alexandra Kelly Alex is the senior home editor for Martha Stewart. She has over 10 years of experience producing digital content in the home and lifestyle space, ranging from cleaning and organizing to etiquette and home design. Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 3, 2023 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: NGOC MINH NGO In the month of October, pumpkins watch from the front porch as you pass by the house. The eyes seem to follow you wherever you go! In the darkness of night, their faces glow with mischievous delight. You never know what these pumpkins are thinking, but you hope that it involves Halloween fun and candy. Of course, despite their frightening faces, we know that these pumpkins are harmless. There's more than one way to decorate your pumpkin with a scary face, and we have dozens of pumpkin carving stencils to personify your pick of the patch. Try a toothy grin with slanted catlike eyes, or carve a werewolf (listen—and you can practically hear your jack-o'-lantern howling at the full moon). You also don't have to stick to typical faces for your Halloween pumpkins. Eerily etched silhouettes are perfect for a seasonal centerpiece decoration. No matter your style or vision, choose one of our ideas to conjure up a scary pumpkin face for spooking all of your family and friends. How to Carve a Pumpkin Like a Pro, Our Tried-and-True Method 01 of 10 Menacing Troll ZACHARY ZAVISLAK Who says ghosts and goblins are the only scary Halloween creatures? This menacing troll peers out from a pumpkin, guarding his lair. Get the Troll Template 02 of 10 Screaming Ghosts ZACHARY ZAVISLAK These haunting ghosts look as if they are screaming into a void, looking to scare any who pass their way. Get the Ghost Template 14 Types of Pumpkins You'll See This Fall 03 of 10 Witch Jack-o'-Lanterns Johnny Miller Bumpy, lumpy, and greenish-gray Hubbard squashes have the perfect complexions for making witchy jack-o'-lanterns. Print the template for their faces and hats, and then carve their gaping grins. A little greenish gourd makes for a bent and bulbous witch nose, and a pointy black hat completes the Salem-ready look. Get the Witch Jack-o'-Lantern Template 04 of 10 Fanged Pumpkins More cute than bloodcurdling, these petite Drac-o'-lanterns are brought to vampirical life with pointed plastic fangs and red pushpins as demonic red eyes. Arrange them with a few bat-wing Baby Boo pumpkins to complete the fun. Get the Fanged Pumpkins How-To 05 of 10 Undead Pumpkins Don't get too close—these zombies look hungry. But rest assured, creating your own googly-eyed monsters has never been easier: Simply cut two cone-shaped holes into the pumpkin, sawing at an angle. (The diameter of the holes should be slightly smaller than the eyeballs' diameter.) Wedge a pair of eyeballs into the holes and add a squiggly mouth. 12 Pumpkin Carving Tools for the Perfect Jack-O'-Lantern 06 of 10 Rock Star Pumpkins Aaron Dyer They look tough as nails, and rightfully so. After all, the hardware store provides plenty of inspiration for these pumpkins: thoughtfully placed nails, brads, wire, spikes, and safety pins become glinting mohawks and piercings. 07 of 10 Gruesome Grinning Pumpkins Ngoc Minh Ngo Embrace the quirks of nature for your display: At the pumpkin patch, pass over perfect-looking globes and opt instead for those with lopsided shapes, cracks, and unusual shadings. Here, green pumpkins were etched with scratchy facial expressions inspired by plant roots. 08 of 10 Blackened Pumpkins Traditional bright-orange jack-o'-lanterns stand out under the veil of darkness, but not these puckish pumpkins. They blend seamlessly into the shadows with their black-painted rinds and glowing innards, observing unsuspecting trick-or-treaters who come knocking at your door. Simply spray paint your pumpkins black and carve your usual jack-o'-lantern. 15 Halloween Doormats That Will Delight Trick-or-Treaters 09 of 10 Pumpkins with Scary Etched Silhouettes Antoine Bootz In this elegant arrangement of rendered silhouettes stands a severed skull evocative of Edgar Allan Poe and his tales of horror. To render the glowing silhouettes, we used two techniques: The bright candelabrum and goblet are cut through the pumpkins' walls, while the textured skull is pared gently from the outer shells. Get the Pumpkins with Scary Etched Silhouettes How-To 10 of 10 Fierce Feline Pumpkin Antoine Bootz Our crafts department's signature style of carving pumpkins in relief—thinning the flesh so the design stands out clearly—makes for a dramatic jack-o'-lantern. Here, a snaggletoothed cat screeches to hair-raising effect. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit