As summer fades away, the excitement for autumn and Halloween begins to rise. With the arrival of spooky season, our minds turn to all the creative manicure ideas we can try out. Whether it’s intricate spiderweb designs or striking blood-red polish, there are endless ways to infuse a touch of fright into your nail styles.
To spark your creativity, we’ve gathered some fabulous inspiration. We searched through Instagram to find the trendiest Halloween nail designs. Below, you’ll find 31 Halloween nail ideas perfect for recreating this October!
Black and White Halloween Nails
A black-and-white color scheme makes for a bold and chic option for the spooky season. To elevate your manicure, consider incorporating timeless Halloween motifs like spiderwebs, spiders, ghosts, and cat eyes to create a hauntingly stylish look.

Blood Bath Nails
These nails, featuring a striking combination of burgundy and black spots, are designed to evoke the haunting imagery of bloodstains. To achieve this effect, apply a sheer burgundy nail polish as the base, then layer it with a coat of sheer black polish for an added depth that enhances the dramatic look.

Blood Drip Nails
Dripping nail designs continue to be a favorite, especially when it comes to Halloween manicures. Using ruby red polish, this cascading look gains a delightfully chilling vibe, making it an ideal choice for the spooky season.

Blood Red Nails
When it comes to red polish, if you’re short on time for detailed Halloween nail art, a classic blood-red manicure is a perfect choice for the occasion. Just don’t forget to finish it off with a glossy top coat for that lasting shine.

Blood-Splattered French
Embrace a spooky twist on your Halloween nails with a blood-inspired manicure! Elevate the traditional white French tips by adding striking red splatters for a fun and festive look.

Bloody French Tips
Give your French manicure a bold makeover by choosing striking red tips paired with a dripping accent. The final result is both stylish and delightfully eerie.

Crime Scene Nails
Are you a true crime enthusiast? This Halloween, express your love for the genre with a manicure inspired by crime scenes.

Freddy Krueger Nails
Freddy Krueger enthusiasts will love this spooky olive and red Halloween manicure. For that eye-catching striped effect, grab a fine-lining nail art brush and a dotting tool to get started!

Ghostly French Tips
How stylish is this revamped black and white French manicure? The tips of each nail are adorned with playful ghost designs, adding a delightful twist to the classic look.

Halloween Doodle Nails
We can’t resist an adorable nail art idea, and this Halloween doodle design is simply charming. There are countless festive nail designs to enjoy, from cute ghosts to playful bats.

Halloween Motif Nails
Classic Halloween motifs are always a great choice for a standout October manicure. Check out this design featuring bats and webs that beautify a skittle mani in black, orange, nude, and white.

Halloween Skittle Nails
Speaking of bold skittle manis, you have to check out this playful Halloween nail art idea! We’re totally loving the combination of royal purple and teal—it really gives off those Scooby-Doo vibes. Plus, it’s super easy to recreate at home! Just layer on two coats of each color, tidy up the edges, and seal it all with a top coat. Enjoy your spooky nail art!

Jet-Black Spiderweb Nails
Elevate your glossy jet-black manicure by incorporating bright white spiderweb designs. This striking detail enhances an already stylish nail look.

Pastel Halloween Nails
This design showcases that Halloween nails can come in any color scheme and vibe. If bold, high-contrast nail art isn’t really your style, you might want to explore this beautiful pastel choice.

Nightmare Before Christmas Nails
The Nightmare Before Christmas tends to split opinions; some folks see it as a Halloween must-watch, while others save it for the holiday season. However, it’s hard to overlook how the film’s striking black, white, purple, yellow, and green designs can inspire an eye-catching Halloween manicure.

Pumpkin Ember Aura Nails
This delightful orange and yellow aura manicure brings a warm and cozy vibe, evoking the joy of cheerful jack-o-lanterns on the porch. It’s also a simple Halloween nail idea that’s perfect for a DIY project!

Pumpkin Jelly Confetti Nails
Jelly nail polish has become one of the hottest textures around. Although it’s usually a summer favorite, we’re loving the idea of a sheer orange confetti manicure for Halloween!

Velvet Pumpkin Nails
Velvet nails exude a sense of luxury and warmth, making them an ideal choice for the chillier months of the year. This striking orange-black velvet style is especially suited for Halloween, evoking the imagery of glowing carved pumpkins, flickering black flame candles, and the eerie gaze of shadowy black cats.

Purple and Green Alien Nails
If you’re after a quirky Halloween nail design, you have to try this daisy and alien combo! Just grab a fine-lining nail art brush and get creative with some shimmery green and royal purple polish. For that extra pop, use black and white polish to really enhance the contrast. Have fun with it!

Purple Aura Bat Nails
Pastel polish isn’t just for spring—it’s perfect for Halloween nail art as well! Check out this enchanting design featuring a blend of purple, pink, and orange hues. The chic black bats and shimmering stars add a delightful spooky touch, while the shimmering silver foil brings a touch of magic to the overall look.

Purple Galaxy Cat-Eye Nails
Feeling a bit mystical this October? How about trying a purple galaxy cat-eye manicure? The creamy gray base paired with shimmering shades of purple will transform your nails into a stunning reflection of the night sky, perfect for Halloween.

Red and White Witchy Nails
Red and white might bring to mind candy canes and Christmas decorations, but this striking color combination can shine just as brightly during Halloween. To achieve this festive nail art look, you’ll want a creamy white polish as your base and a vibrant red polish for those essential pops of color.

Halloween Mix-and-Match Nails
Check out this playful Halloween nail art idea featuring doodle dots! Mixing different designs on each nail adds a delightful and whimsical touch to your manicure.

Sheer Purple Magic Nails
Take a moment to admire this lovely pale purple manicure. Adorned with silver swirls and sparkling star designs, it exudes a delightful blend of whimsy and enchantment, making it truly magical.

Shimmery Green Slime Nails
Looking for a truly enchanting color for your witchy nails? Try slime green! Just take a look at this stunning ultra-fine shimmer manicure adorned with 3D swirls. To achieve that raised effect, simply use a fine-lining nail art brush dipped in builder gel for a perfect recreation.

Vampy Ombré Nails
If you’re looking to channel your inner vampire this Halloween, consider incorporating black and burgundy into your nail design. This striking almost metallic ombré fade not only exudes a sinister vibe but also brings a touch of chic sophistication, making it an essential choice for your seasonal manicure lineup.

Velvet Ghost Nails
Velvet polish looks great by itself, but when done just right, it can have an even creepier vibe. This stunning manicure really shows that off.

Velvet Halloween Skittle Nails
A fantastic way to elevate a simple Skittle manicure is by choosing a velvet finish. This stunning set featuring shades of purple, bronze, pumpkin, silver, and slate truly captures our attention!

Villainous Green Velvet Nails
Green velvet polish is a captivating option for the spooky season. It definitely adds a touch of villainy, wouldn’t you agree?

White Web Nails
Not into flashy nail colors? Try your hand at some creativity with white and sheer nude shades. Use a nail art brush to bring this web design to life! For an extra spooky touch, consider adding some spider nail stickers to complete the look.

Celestial Cat-Eye Nails
This stunning cat-eye manicure, finished in deep midnight tones, truly resembles a masterpiece. The mesmerizing navy-to-silver shimmer and intricate metallic silver nail art come together to form an enchanting Halloween-inspired look that we’d definitely want to replicate in an instant.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Halloween nail designs are themed nail art styles inspired by spooky or festive elements like pumpkins, ghosts, bats, spiderwebs, witches, skeletons, or Halloween colors such as orange, black, purple, and green.
Most people get Halloween-themed nails 1–2 weeks before Halloween to enjoy the festive vibe throughout the season.
Trends change yearly, but in general:
- 3D designs (like raised webs or jewels)
- Glow-in-the-dark polish
- Mix-and-match spooky art on each finger
- Matte black with shiny accents
- Mismatched horror movie characters