Shadows are emblematic of Halloween: dark and fleeting, and always lurking a step behind you. But decorating with them is impossible -- at least without black magic -- so use some black paper and a little craftiness to make silhouettes, and you'll get the next best thing. Our Halloween silhouettes are simple and inexpensive to make. Use our templates to haunt your home with flying bats and a prowling shadowy figure.

Bats in different sizes give the illusion that some are close, and some are far away.

To make one: Print and cut out the bat template; tape wing sections to body, matching up the dotted lines. Use a utility knife to cut out facial details. Our bats range from 6 inches to 3 feet across; template sections can be enlarged or reduced on a photocopier as desired. Trace template onto heavy black construction paper, taping pieces together for larger bats; cut out. Use removable double-sided tape to attach bats to wall, curving them over moldings and leaving edges of wings free to "flap."

Staircase Silhouette
Greet trick-or-treaters with a menacing silhouette that climbs the stairs. The rise on steps doesn't differ much from one staircase to another, so these pieces can be saved and used in another location next year. To make a large silhouette for your staircase, print out our staircase template; cut out each section. Following the numbered diagram, tape together the sections for each stair (numbered 1 through 9) at the dotted lines. Trace onto pieced-together black construction paper, and cut out. Number the back of each stair section according to the diagram; attach each section to the appropriate stair riser with double-sided tape.

Free Pumpkin Carving Patterns

Free Pumpkin Carving Patterns

11 of the best sites for free pumpkin carving patterns. Know of another site that should be listed here? Leave your suggestion at the bottom of this page. (Related searches: Pumpkin Stencils, Disney Pumpkin Carving Patterns, Batman Pumpkin Carving Patterns)

1. Free Pumpkin Carving Patterns at The Pumpkin Wizard - A ton of free pumpkin stencils ready to print here, in a wide variety of categories. Just a sample of what we saw: Michael Jackson, Frankenstein, devil, ghosts, SpongeBob and Patrick, Harry Potter, Dora the Explorer, Godzilla, Freddy Krueger, Homer Simpson, Bart Simpson, US flag, Darth Vader and other Star Wars characters, sports teams logos, Jerry Garcia, Sarah Palin, Farrah Fawcett, Ted Kennedy, Elvis Presley, The Three Stooges, more. (www.carvingpumpkins.com)

2. Free Pumpkin Patterns at DLTK’s Growing Together - Free pumpkin stencils geared to kids, with patterns including Scooby-Doo, alien, bat, Blue’s Clues, black cat, ghost, Jack Skellington from Nightmare Before Christmas, scary skull, spider and web, SpongeBob SquarePants, Thomas the Tank Engine, witch, more. (www.dltk-holidays.com)

3. Free Disney Pumpkin Carving Patterns at Disney Family - Free stencils for turning your pumpkin into a jack o’lantern of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, or Snow White. (family.go.com)

4. Free Halloween Pumpkin Carving Patterns from Better Homes & Gardens - Use one of their free printable patterns or use the Pumpkin Stencil Maker to make your own scary or happy pumpkin and then print out the stencil. Ready-made free stencils include tombstone, spider, flying witch, haunted tree, black cat, ghost, more. (www.bhg.com)

5. 100 Free Pumpking Carving Patterns at Stoneykins - Not always the most desirable patterns (we personally don’t want an Anne Frank pumpkin), but still some nice free stencils here, including Captain Jack Sparrow, Mickey Mouse, Harry Potter, Dracula, Elmo, Cookie Monster, a scary goblin, Grateful Dead logo, The Beatles, Jesus, Cub Scouts logo, even Van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” (www.stoneykins.com)

6. Free Un-Halloween Pumpkin Stencils at PumpkinGlow.com - Free, printable pumpkin carving patterns of unlikely subjects, including Albert Einstein, the Statue of Liberty, Bill Cosby, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, Johnny Cash, John Wayne, Gollum from Lord of the Rings, monster from Where the Wild Things are, unicorn, yin yang symbol, more. Print out patterns in PDF form. (pumpkinglow.com)

7. Free Pumpkin Carving Patterns from Hershey’s - Nice selection of free Halloween pumpkin stencils, ranging from easy, intermediate and advanced designs. Includes patterns of bats, spiders, witches, ghosts, tombstone, black cat, vampire, more. (www.hersheys.com)

8. Free Pumpkin Carving Patterns at Extreme Pumpkins - They used to charge for these carving templates, now they are free — from the expected scary skull and grimacing face to the gross and shocking — booger eater, puking pumpkin, tiki pumpkin — to pop culture figures including Batman, Spider-Man, and Barack Obama (normal Obama and evil Obama styles). Despite the “Add to Cart” button, you get all 40 patterns free. (www.extremepumpkins.com)

9. Free Jack Skellington Pumpkin Stencil at Scareo.com - Free carving pattern of Jack from Nightmare Before Christmas. (www.scareo.com)

10. Free Pumpkin Carving Patterns at Zombie Pumpkins - Only a handful of freebies here, but free pumpkin stencils of Barack Obama, Thanksgiving turkeys and the Grinch on our last visit. (www.zombiepumpkins.com)

11. Free Rock Star Pumpkin Templates at FabulousLiving.com - Free printable templates of Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis, John Lennon, Janis Joplin, Jerry Garcia and Bob Marley. (www.fabulousliving.com)