Halloween is the perfect time to combine your love of technology with some spooky creativity! In this article, we’ll go over some awesome projects you can create using Raspberry Pi.
Whether it’s terrifying decorations, interactive props, or costume enhancements, there’s something here for everyone to try. Let’s dive into our top nine Raspberry Pi Halloween projects.
DIY Halloween Projects For Adults
You can also watch this video to see the projects in action!
1. The Haunted Portrait
At first glance, it looks like a regular portrait hanging on the wall, but wait until it reveals its spooky secret! In this Halloween project, Dominick crafted a wooden frame for an LCD screen, giving the illusion of an ordinary portrait.
However, a PIR motion sensor hidden in the frame triggers a creepy video to play whenever someone approaches. The screen initially displays a still image, but the moment the sensor detects motion, the portrait “comes alive,” playing a haunting video.
Once the video ends, the display resets to the first frame, maintaining the eerie illusion. Dominick created multiple spooky characters for the video—watch out for which one surprises you the most!
2. The Rotating Pumpkin Stalker
This creepy pumpkin head decoration takes Halloween scares to the next level by following you as you move! Using four PIR sensors placed around the setup, the pumpkin head tracks nearby movements.
When motion is detected, a servo motor rotates the pumpkin’s head to face the person. This creates the unsettling feeling of being watched by the pumpkin wherever you go.
To prevent the electronics from overheating, two cooling fans are mounted in the acrylic case behind the pumpkin. These fans, along with the sensors, connect to the Raspberry Pi to bring this spooky stalker to life.
3. Face-Changing Projection Mask
Want to change your appearance with just a flick of a switch? This face-changing projection mask, created by Sean, lets you project anything onto a mask—from celebrities and characters to eerie animations. The mask setup includes a 3D-printed base, a Raspberry Pi, a tiny projector, and a battery pack. The small DLP projector, connected to the Raspberry Pi, projects different images or videos onto the mask.
It’s the perfect costume accessory for Halloween, allowing you to take on any spooky persona you desire!
4. Singing and Talking Pumpkins
Imagine a trio of pumpkins on your porch not only scaring visitors but also singing or telling spooky stories. This project uses 3D-printed pumpkins and a Raspberry Pi to play pre-recorded audio tracks, activated by illuminated arcade buttons near the front door. Press the button, and the pumpkins come to life, either singing or delivering a frightful message.
A small projector inside the house projects images of the pumpkins onto a window, creating a surreal visual effect that enhances the Halloween vibe without exposing the electronics to the elements.
5. Magical Wand with Spells
For Harry Potter fans, this magical wand project is a dream come true. By drawing specific letters in the air, such as ‘A’ for the spell Alohomora, you can unlock a box filled with treats!
The tip of the wand features an infrared LED, and a night vision camera tracks the wand’s movement, streaming the footage to a Raspberry Pi. Machine learning models recognize the patterns and trigger the corresponding actions—making it a perfect interactive Halloween experience for kids.
6. 3D-Printed Blinking Pumpkin Eye
This eerie pumpkin adds a spooky twist to your Halloween décor with its constantly blinking eye. 3D-printed in black PLA, this pumpkin stands out from the traditional orange ones. The eyes are animated using two OLED displays that give it a lifelike blinking effect.
While this project uses an Arduino to control the animation, the effect is simple yet mesmerizing, and it’s a fantastic way to give your home a creepy touch.
7. Talking Hat with Moving Features
Get ready to witness one of the best Halloween projects for adults! This cute and spooky talking hat is the perfect costume accessory that adds entertainment to your Halloween night. Made from paper mache and fabric, the hat comes to life with moving eyes, mouth, and unibrow, all controlled by servos inside. An OLED display shows animated eye movements, while a speaker hidden within the hat delivers voice lines.
You can control the hat’s responses remotely, making it a fun and interactive addition to your Halloween party or trick-or-treating adventure.
8. 3D Moving Evil Eye
Now this project is not based on a Raspberry Pi but is equally impressive. This seemingly harmless Arduino-based evil eye becomes something far more entertaining with a press of a button. The 3D “freeform” circuit is created without wires using conducting rods.
When activated, the eye blinks, giving an unexpected jump scare to anyone nearby. What’s more, you can even play Flappy Bird on the same circuit when you get bored!
The setup doubles as a functional stopwatch, making this project both fun and practical.
9. The Haunted Shooting Gallery
Take your Halloween guests on an interactive adventure with this haunted shooting gallery. The goal is simple—use a laser-equipped rifle to aim and shoot at animated targets. Each target is fitted with its own power supply, relay, microcontroller, and photo sensor, making it self-contained and responsive to laser hits.
Jason, the creator, modified an old BB rifle with a laser pointer for aiming, and haptic feedback in the rifle’s stock provides an immersive experience when a shot lands. The synchronized movements of the targets and sound effects bring this shooting gallery to life, creating an unforgettable Halloween experience.
Conclusion
These Raspberry Pi projects offer a great way to blend creativity and technology, adding a unique twist to your Halloween setup. Whether you want to terrify guests, create interactive decorations, or build a magical costume, the possibilities are endless! Which project will you try first?
