October is for dim rooms and flickering lights. These are the best Halloween candles from comforting pumpkin spice to classic skulls to creepy doll heads.
The best Halloween candles create an atmosphere. They set the mood of a space with either warm, fall fragrances or ominous shapes glowing in a darkened room. When we think of Halloween we think of that flickering flame behind a jack-o’-lantern’s orange grin and the best Halloween candles evoke that feel without the messy pumpkin guts. Whether you need a nice scent for your quiet Halloween in or an eye-catching, spooky skull for your Halloween party, I’ve pulled together the best of the best.
Our Review
Halloween isn’t always spooky–it’s also warm, relaxing harvest scents. When I want a cozy, pumpkin spice candle, I go for Nest’s Pumpkin Chai.
I was lucky enough to get my hands on a media sample of this limited edition candle and it stands out from the rest. I have way too many candles and can tell you that most fall spice candles, even luxury brands, are artificial smelling and either too strong or don’t smell at all. This one is practically perfect.
The fragrance of pumpkin mixed with masala chai spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom is spicy, comforting, and just a little sweet. It doesn’t take long at all for the scent to fill a room, but even burning it for hours at a time didn’t make the smell overpowering.
It’s a soy and paraffin wax blend and I’ve found it burns evenly and slowly. Their site says this tall 8.1 ounce candle has a 50 to 60 hour burn time and I believe it. Pumpkin Chai comes in an orange glass jar with frosted glass stripes that glows as you burn it.
The scent is limited edition so pick your own Pumpkin Chai candle quick. It’s also available as a smaller votive or larger three wick style candle.
Our Review
These cute and simple candles burn away to reveal creepy metal skeletons of the animals they’re shaped like. Not much else more Halloween-y than a candle melting away the form of a bad-luck black cat leaving a grinning skull and bare ribs.
These PyroPets take about 20 hours to burn all the way down and then you have a neat little skeleton to either keep around or store with your Halloween decorations for next year. You can watch a timelapse of a PyroPet burning in this YouTube video.
Our Review
Dolls don’t generally creep me out, but I am not enjoying looking at these babydoll head candles and creepy little arms.
Make by Darkness Void, the baby heads are just over two inches tall and you get two heads in the set. The pudgy, reaching doll hands are about 2.5 inches tall and come four in a set. If you buy one set of each you have just enough for two baby heads with matching arms to be rising up through your Halloween cake or tablescape. The only thing worse than that would be to watch them melting down.
They’re handmade to order with 100 percent beeswax.
Our Review
A must-have for any witch’s spread or horror movie Satanic ritual, this poly-resin skull comes with two taper candles which drip blood-red wax to drip all over the skull. The back of the skull is open so you can slip in an LED tealight candle to make the skull’s eyes flicker with flames.
Our Review
Many people hate them, but the folks who love candy corn, really love candy corn.
I’m not going to lie, I think they’re gross. That’s fine–more for you candy corn lovers. This US-made candle smells like your favorite Halloween treat and after a burn time of around 30 hours, you have a reusable tin covered in pictures of candy corn. The candle is made of non-GMO soy wax grown in America and the tin is also made in America.
We all know that one person who is obsessed with candy corn and this would make a fun little gift for them.
Our Review
A resin skull candle holder with elongated vampire teeth and flaming forehead with red candle would be Halloween-y enough, but when you light this candle, the red wax bleeds through its eye sockets for a truly demonic effect. The flames light up the eyes and make the red paraffin wax glow. It has a 20 hour burn time and is lavender-scented for some reason. I guess to try to keep you calm as this haunted skull bleeds from the eyes.
Our Review
Tall prayer candles have always had a spooky look to me, but add this weathered and stained Ouija board covering and now they’re perfect for Halloween. A Ouija board glowing from behind is either the sign of a really good party or a found-footage horror film. Kitschup Creations uses biodegradable paper and an eco-friendly sealant to affix their designs to these traditional prayer candles.
Our Review
For something a little less scary and a little more harvest, these family-friendly pumpkin candles are handmade so that no two pumpkins are the same. As such you’ll get a mix of sizes and shapes. They’re made of food-grade dyed paraffin and have a lovely look to them lit or unlit.
You can get a set of two large pumpkins or four small pumpkins. I like that the candles are fragrance-free and that they can easily carry over into your Thanksgiving decorations.
Our Review
Real candles aren’t always a practical or safe option whether it’s because of small children or because the candles are part of a Halloween decor display that you won’t be able to supervise. LED candles provide a safe alternative that won’t start a fire if you fall asleep after your Halloween party and forget to turn them off.
This set comes with six candles in three designs: poison, pile of skulls, and what looks like a raven pulling the veins off a human eyeball while a raccoon watches. Gross, but also awesome.
They take three AA batteries (not included) and light up different spooky colors. The candles themselves have a bit of sparkle to them to offset the creepy images. You can find other candle safety tips from the National Fire Protection Association here.
Our Review
Weighing over two pounds, this is a serious skull candle. It’s around seven inches long, five inches high, and four inches across. Hand-poured to order by Peace Blossom Candles, the pure beeswax candle has a texture that will stand out from the rest. The eco-friendly red dye creates an ominous glow when it’s lit.
This design also comes in white and black .
Our Review
This haunted graveyard tree stands a full foot tall and with its creepy, ghastly mouth and tombstones, it would be spooky enough on its own. But it burns down to reveal a black cloaked figure with a white screaming mask holding a knife. Proving you never know where the slasher-flick killers are going to hide to surprise you. Surprises within make some of the best halloween candles.
Our Review
This four-inch tall beeswax candle perfectly replicates a section of the human spine.
