48 Unique and Creative Trunk-or-Treat Ideas

If trunk-or-treating is a part of your Halloween tradition, take inspiration from these ideas that are easy, unique, and creative. With cute ideas that reference some of Halloween's most beloved movies like "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas," these themes are not only perfect for the spooky holiday, but they also won't scare the little ones away. But if you're looking for scary trunk-or-treat ideas for your truck bed, this list has you covered, too.

New to the trunk-or-treat game? Often held in the parking lots of schools, community centers, and churches, trunk-or-treat events involve kids trick-or-treating directly out of the trunk of cars or truck beds, rather than going door to door. Whether the trunk aligns with an entire costume theme or has a theme of its own, there's something seriously cool about a bunch of cars parked in a safe space for kids to fill their candy buckets from.

Get ready to fill your car or truck with sweet treats, ghouls and ghosts, and everything in between. Take inspiration from these unique and scary trunk-or-treat ideas as you map out your Halloween game plan this year.

Additional reporting by Murphy Moroney, Alessia Santoro, Lauren Harano, and Sabienna Bowman

01

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: "Little Red Riding Hood"

"Little Red Riding Hood" costumes never get old. Bonus: they're also easy to put together. You could even skip out on wearing the costumes yourself, and instead, decorate your trunk with a woodsy scene featuring a stuffed wolf and a doll wearing a red cape to convey the essence of the fairytale without spending much money.

02

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: "Curious George"

"Curious George" is a perennial favorite amongst the under 4 crowd. If you're expecting lots of littles to stop by your trunk, this creative trunk-or-treat theme is the way to go.

03

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Spooky Coffin

Attention, scary trunk-or-treat decorators, this is your time to shine. To re-create this creepy trunk, all you need is a large cardboard box, a couple of plastic skeletons, and a cheap Halloween ghost for an extra dash of haunting fun.

04

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Witch's Kitchen

There's no reason to decorate just the trunk when you can have a full-blown display. Don't be limited by the space of your car trunk or truck bed when it comes to trunk-or-treating, adding extra props like plastic cauldrons creates an even more immersive atmosphere with only a tiny bit more work.

05

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Fall

Not everyone likes to the scary part of Halloween. If that's you, then try an easy idea like "fall" for your creative trunk-or-treat display. Grab a couple of folksy scarecrows, some autumnal garland, and a few pumpkins and your trunk will be complete.

06

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Campfire

This display will make you want some s'mores by a hot fire. Bonus points if you give out marshmallow treats and Hershey's bars to add to the camping ambiance of your unique trunk-or-treat idea.

07

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Hayride

If you're looking for an easy trunk-or-treat idea for your truck, try re-creating this hayride-inspired theme. With its mix of hay bales, scarecrows, and pumpkins, this is one display you can finish after a trip to the local store.

08

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: "Jurassic Park"

Rawr! This trunk is covered in inflatable dinosaurs, fake greenery, and a homemade banner. The best part is: putting together this scary trunk-or-treat idea is relatively simple.

09

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Gumball Machine

Rather than costing you 25 cents, a gumball machine trunk can give out candy to trick-or-treaters just for having great costumes. The best part is, all you need to make this creative trunk-or-treat idea come to life is cardboard, balloons, a plastic tarp, and candy, of course.

10

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Monster Truck

Make a friendly monster mouth from balloons and boas so even your youngest trick-or-treater won't get spooked. This creative trunk-or-treat idea can be easily be adapted with different color choices — you could even go blue, and create a "Monsters, Inc." trunk.

11

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Cobwebs

Cobwebs and ghouls mean you can only take candy if you dare. This is an ideal set-up for anyone looking for a scary trunk-or-treat idea.

12

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Gingerbread House

Already dreaming about Christmas? Get everyone else in the spirit with a cardboard gingerbread house display for this unique trunk-or-tread idea.

13

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Spooky Unicorn

Make this holiday more than magical with (creepy) unicorns, candy, and glittery decor. This small touch of macabre is a scary trunk-or-treat idea that's just right for the whole neighborhood.

14

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Hearse

Back from the dead and better than ever! Be sure to stock up on the skeletons for this super scary trunk-or-treat idea.

15

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Starbucks

Keep the coffee craze going all night long with this Starbucks theme. If you want to get extra creative, buy some coffee pods to give out to teens and parents who are going to need some caffeine post trunk-or-treating.

16

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Graveyard

Think skeletons, ghosts, and a lot of cobwebs for this killer theme. This is another trunk-or-treat idea that's endlessly adaptable: you can go as creepy or as cute as you want it to be.

17

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Mermaid Skeleton

Did someone say mermaid skeletons? Count us in! This unique trunk-or-treat idea is sure to be met with some excited screams on Halloween.

18

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: "It"

Dress in a Pennywise costume and give everyone a good scare when you stand by your haunted trunk. This one's definitely not for the youngsters, but if your target audience is tweens and teens, they should have a blast with this scary trunk-or-treat idea.

19

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: "Peter Pan"

Neverland will feel closer than ever when you deck your car out in "Peter Pan" trinkets. If you don't have as many vintage finds as this intrepid trunk decorator used, no worries! Simply add more cutouts, and use the Disney film as inspiration for this creative trunk-or-treat idea.

20

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Zoo

Take a walk on the wild side this Halloween when you add animals and jungle plants to your back seat. If you can't find balloons, stuffed animals will work just as well for this kid-friendly trunk-or-treat theme.

21

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Jail

You can bring your favorite inmates along when you craft a cute trunk or truck bed like this. Have a friendly dog? Then let him be the main attraction.

22

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: "The Greatest Showman"

Be the greatest car in the whole lot when you take inspiration from "The Greatest Showman" for your trunk-or-treat idea. Alternatively, you can also go for a more general circus theme with the same aesthetic.

23

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: "Haunted Mansion"

Bring the magic of Disney to the trunk-or-treating scene with this enchanting idea. Watching "The Haunted Mansion" movie should help you come up with plenty of plans for a scary trunk-or-treat design.

24

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Diary of a Nerdy Teacher

School supplies and extra pencils are all you need for this nostalgic theme. If you're not a teacher, there's no reason why you can't create a trunk around the classic books since the series is still popular among children.

25

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"

Charlie Brown never goes out of style. The classic Halloween special is instantly recognizable and easy to adapt for a simple, but creative trunk-or-treat idea.

26

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Balloon Ghosts

You can't go wrong with a traditional balloon trunk. Just add ghosts and pumpkins for this classic trunk-or-treat idea.

27

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: "Elf"

If the holidays can't come soon enough, opt for a Christmas-themed trunk display. "Elf" is a fan-favorite movie for viewers of all ages, and chances are you have a holiday apron to help complete your trunk-or-treat idea.

28

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Purple Monster

This monster trunk is just too cute! Despite being a relatively scary trunk-or-treat idea, it won't scary the little ones with its big eyes.

29

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Pirate Ship

The captain orders you to dock your ship this Halloween. To make your truck stand out with this idea for your truck bed, add a pirate flag to make your car stand out.

30

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Favorite Sports Team

Support your favorite sports team by displaying your trunk with jerseys, helmets, and trophies. This sporty trunk-or-treat idea can even extend to the candy you hand out if you choose treats with wrappers featuring your team's colors.

31

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Hogwarts

Just add a Hogwarts sign and plush owl toy to make this Harry Potter theme come to life. Personalize this trunk-or-treat idea even further by decking out your trunk in your house colors.

32

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Superman

Superheroes are always a hit. This unique trunk-or-treat idea takes Clark Kent's "Daily Planet" gig and turns it into a full-blown theme with some office supplies and an old computer.

33

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Dogs

If you want to make your trunk look as welcoming as possible, then turn it into an adorable dog. This unique trunk-or-treat idea is one your beloved pet can join in on.

34

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: "The Little Mermaid"

"The Little Mermaid" is an easy trunk-or-treat theme to pull off. All you need is blue construction paper or a tarp to create the ocean, and a few cutouts of the Disney characters. Want to dress up as Ariel or Ursula? Those costumes tend to be readily available online, or you can DIY one yourself.

35

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: The '60s

No one is going to expect a '60s-themed trunk. But while it's unexpected, it's also super easy to throw together with a few peace signs, smiley faces, and a construction board featuring a punny saying.

36

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Doomed Pirate Ship

Not content with a regular pirate ship? Try creating a doomed pirate ship by adding skeletons rocking pirate hats to your trunk-or-treat display.

37

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: "The Nightmare Before Christmas"

No one can agree on whether "The Nightmare Before Christmas" is a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie, but the film is undeniably perfect for trunk-or-treat. The decor is usually easy to find at your local Halloween store, and the movie never goes out of style. This one is a win-win.

38

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Halloween

This should be a no-brainer, but if you get stuck on theme, just keep it simple. Grab all of the Halloween decorations that are languishing in your garage and start taping them on your car. Within an hour, you should have a festive trunk that's ready for trick-or-treaters.

39

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Spooky Balloon Rainbow

Cute trunks are just as valid as scary trunk-or-treat ideas. Pairing a colorful rainbow with a few cobwebs and witch hats creates a low-key, but fun trunk that won't scare any of the neighborhood kids away.

40

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Monster Car

By adding a tongue (using red cloth or a plastic tablecloth) to the fan-favorite monster car idea, this easy theme becomes even more fun. It's also another easy trunk-or-treat idea to pull off: aside from the tongue materials, you just need construction paper eyes and teeth.

41

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: "How to Train Your Dragon"

Turn your car or truck into Toothless with cardboard eyes, teeth, and a set of wings. Ultimately, the wings will be the hardest craft project, but the end result will be worth the extra time spent pulling this black car or truck-friendly idea together.

42

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Cookie Monster

Who wouldn't want treats from Cookie Monster? This sweet trunk requires lots of blue, so break out the cheap sheets or plastic table clothes and some blue garland to bring the "Sesame Street" character to life with your trunk-or-treat idea.

43

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Under the Sea

A general ocean theme is always a hit. For this trunk-or-treat display, you'll need streamers, party supplies, and a little bit of an imagination.

44

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: "Friends"

Will the kids know what this trunk is all about? Probably not, but expect lots of praise from appreciative millennial parents and '90s-obsessed teens.

45

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Superheroes

Avoid choosing between Marvel and DC characters by putting together a general superhero-themed trunk. These savvy decoraters even went the extra mile by adding masks to their gourds.

46

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Dr. Seuss

Grab some Dr. Seuss balloons and raid your bookshelf for "The Cat in the Hat" for this nostalgic trunk theme. This is a simple trunk-or-treat idea that doesn't have to be a ton of work as long as you already have a bit of Seuss decor in storage from a past birthday party (or you're feeling extra crafty).

47

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Frog

Construction paper and a bit of green material are all you need to turn your trunk into a frog for this unique trunk-or-treat idea. Once you've created your frog, fill his mouth up with candy and call it a day.

48

Trunk-or-Treat Idea: Spider-Man

Spider-Man is such a popular character, this trunk is sure to be a hit. All you need for this one are a few red and blue plastic tablecloths, a Spider-Man background (easy to make or purchase), and a few red balloons.