35 Halloween Nail-Art Designs For Any Nail Shape

Whether you’ve mapped out your Halloween costume or not, you might want to include Halloween nail art in your look. “Halloween nail art for me is a chance to embody whatever character or object I’m dressed up as, down to the fingertips,” editorial manicurist Miss Pop says. “With costuming, it’s all in the details.” And although Halloween is one night a year, that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate with Halloween-inspired nail-art designs all month long. After all, who said the spooky season can’t start in fall and carry through till the holidays?

There’s Halloween nail art to suit every style and costume — go subtle with Halloween nail colors or all out with witchy nail designs. As for whether or not to go for long-wear gel, traditional polish, or nail stickers, it’s all up to you. “Gel is a much better choice if you’re looking for something extra like a 3D look, gems, or a chrome finish,” Miss Pop explains. “Although, I really love lacquer because I like the opportunity to switch my nail look every week.”

Whatever you choose, you’ll need some ideas if you’re heading to the salon. “Even the most creative nail artist would like to see your inspo to get a better sense of what you’d like to wear,” Miss Pop suggests. “You don’t have to do a bunch of research or bring Halloween nail-art pics with you, but just a couple of images of things you like — anything from cartoons to art to an article of clothing — is perfect.”

Ahead, we’ve done some of the legwork for you with Halloween nail ideas and inspiration — from PG-approved designs like ghosts to gory styles inspired by your favorite horror-movie villains.

Halloween Nail Art: Ghosts

One and done! If you don’t want to go all-out Halloween, just add a cutesy charm to one nail

Halloween Nail Art: Witchy

If you’re looking for something to go the distance, a witchy look like this will get tons of compliments way after Halloween

Get creative with it, as there’s no better time than Halloween to play and have fun. This epic Halloween nail-art look uses false lashes

Ward off those bad spirits with an evil-eye design on natural nails or a very sheer shade

A pentagram and an opalescent green polish feel like magic

Add some lightness to a witch-inspired matte mani by going for nail art in black with a sheer base

Halloween Nail Art: Zombie

Want something subtle you can rock after All Hallows’ Eve ends? A look like this does the zombie thing in an inconspicuous way

Have lots of ideas? Go for a different design on each nail

This look hits all the notes — it has Halloween colors, zombie vibes, and gems

Halloween Nail Art: Black Cat

As this mani proves, nail stickers are a great DIY option. Add extra flair with a french tip

Keeping polish sheer helps these little kitties shine

Halloween Nail Art: Spiderweb

Less might be more. Consider designating nail art to a couple of nails for a subtle take.

Yes, spiderwebs say Halloween, but sometimes, they just make great-looking nail art

Manis are even cooler when you have to look closer to see exactly what’s going on. This one uses both matte and glossy polishes to create an intricate webbed design

Halloween Nail Art: Spiders

Go into full-on spider mode by combining a few different bugged-out designs

Stay on the subtle side with a petite spider painted on with a super-thin brush

Of course, the perfect background for neon-green web work is black.

Tone-on-tone spiderwebs get the Halloween point across in a delicate, subdued way

Halloween Nail Art: Spooky Motifs

You don’t have to go with a typical Halloween color palette. Try a vibrant color mix to make your mani extra eye-catching

Why not try a combo of themes? Stitches, spiderwebs, and a little gore all work together

It’s all in the details. Gotta love the heart at the center of the spiderweb

More of a neutrals person? Earthy colors lend a fall feel.

Here’s a great example of amazing detail on shorter nails. Look at those cute little ghosts!

Halloween Nail Art: Movie Inspired

“Friday the 13th” fan? You’ve just got to love the bloody fingerprints.

Stripes are always a great idea. And the solid black in the middle of a “Beetlejuice”-inspired mani breaks them up perfectly.

Chucky and his bride feel slightly less terrifying painted on nails. And notice how one hand uses black polish as a background and the other white — clever!

It’s the hand-painted phone that really makes this “Scream”-inspired manicure.

Halloween Nail Art: Skeleton

Glitter on all the nails (just skipping the skeleton ones) makes these french tips even more festive

Skeletons that look like daisies are both sassy and spooky.

What can we say? This artful mani just needs to be captured on a canvas.

Halloween Nail Art: Bloody

Glossy blood on top of a matte nail is the perfect gory contrast.

Bloody-looking polish dripped over a neutral nail looks scarily authentic