All holidays have their iconic signifiers and decorations that define the aesthetic of that important date. Some have religious significance, while others simply represent some feeling or image significant to the holiday’s history, but what they all share is that they’re all necessary for getting into the feel of the holiday season. As we move deeper into autumn and closer towards Halloween, as more houses begin to put up their decorations and prepare for the onslaught of children ringing their doorbells for candy at the end of the month, we’re forced to ask a deeply important question: what’s the best Halloween decoration? Well, today I’m here to answer that question for you, in the convenient format of a ranked numbered list of some of the most iconic ones. I hope you agree with my ranking, as it is all objectively correct. 

10. Creepy Baby Dolls – We’ve all seen them while casually browsing Spirit Halloween or while inside the house of someone who’s a little too committed to the holiday. Or maybe you haven’t, and I’m just projecting my own experiences on y’all. No matter what, I’m not sure why you’d want a creepy baby doll in your house and it’s going in last place. 

9. Inflatable Pumpkin/Ghost/Skeletons – Perhaps the most visually extravagant decoration of all of these, but also one of the most needlessly expensive and visually loud. You’re better off getting pumpkin/ghost/skeleton decorations in other ways. 

8. Animated Zombie/Skeleton/Fortune Teller Guy – Similar to the inflatable decorations, this is perhaps too expensive and generally too much for a once-a-year decoration, but these get points for occasionally moving spookily and being able to say creepy things. 

7. Spiders – I’m grouping both big and small spider decorations in here, as I think no matter the size, spiders deserve their place at 7. They’re fine compliments to the holiday atmosphere, but they’re not nearly as iconic as others on this list and not worth the fear they instill in any arachnophobic house guests you might have.

6. Fog Machines – Speaking of atmosphere, nothing’s more effective at that than a fog machine. They’re still possibly too much for a once-a-year decoration, but for its ability to offer what no other decoration on here can, they’re going at 6. 

5. Gravestones – This is where we’re finally getting into the good stuff. Gravestones on the lawn are the ultimate signifier that the spooky season has arrived, though they can sometimes feel like they fade into the background too much to climb higher on the list. 

4. Plastic Pumpkins – Hurt by the fact that they aren’t the real thing, though the ability of plastic pumpkins to have more diverse, creative designs helps to counterbalance that. In the end, pumpkins are such an iconic component of the Halloween season, it’d be hard for these to be any lower. 

3. Cobwebs – Relatively cheap, easy to put up, yet lush with spooky vibes and a basic necessity of any committed Halloween decorator. Basically the perfect decoration. 

2. Carved Pumpkin – I’ve already talked about why pumpkins are iconic as Halloween decorations, so I’ll just say that there are few experiences as quintessentially autumn as going to a pumpkin patch, picking a pumpkin, and taking it home and carving it a lopsided yet somewhat spooky face. 

1. Plastic Life Size Skeleton – Transcends all other Halloween decorations or limitations of price by nature of being able to be whatever you want it to be. You can have them hang outside your house. You can put them on a chair in your house or on your front porch. You can name them and have long conversations with them, and despite the cold look in their dead eyes, they’ll listen. Or you can just have them be a cool little skeleton decoration. Either way, this is indisputably the best.