Thanks to miracles of modern technology, you no longer have to settle for the boring old rings, dings, and dongs that your doorbell usually makes. If your house is equipped with a smart doorbell, you can often change the sound it emits with just a few taps on the accompanying app. Many of the most popular models even offer ready-made holiday theme packs, too, so you can set your sounds to suit the season. Here's how to get your doorbell to play spooky Halloween noises for your visitors:
Nest
This one is the easiest of the bunch. First, open the Google Home or Google Nest app, then navigate to Settings, find the device, select Doorbell Theme, and choose Spooky Sounds. Voila. Your entryway is now ready to terrify some trick-or-treaters.
Ring
Ring doorbells have more in store for visitors this Halloween. You can change the chime sounds by opening the Ring app, tapping the menu, selecting Devices, and then selecting the Chime. There are sounds with werewolves, spine-tingly tunes, and terrifying screams.
You can also have your doorbell issue spooky messages with the Quick Replies function. In the app, tap the menu, select Devices, choose the doorbell, then select Smart Responses tile below the doorbell image, tap Quick Replies, and toggle it on. You’ll be able to select a Quick Reply message (like a werewolf howl followed by a “Be right there!”) that you can just click Save to enable.
(Amazon Ring)Eufy
In years past, Eufy has offered Halloween-themed sounds for its doorbells, but after trying to test out the feature this year, we were unable to find any. But that doesn’t mean you have to go without this frightful feature. Make your own spooky sounds by going to Doorbell Settings, selecting Quick Response, and recording your own. If you don’t have a passable Dracula impression, you can find plenty of options for sounds on YouTube.
Other Brands
There are loads of video doorbells out there that aren't made by the aforementioned brands. If you have a brand not listed above, you should be able to check if it has Halloween sounds by opening the app that controls it, going to settings, and then scrolling through doorbell options.
Other Spooky Solutions
If your video doorbell isn’t up to scaring anyone, you can also just buy a super scary doorbell that you can hang up outside. While they don’t have indoor components to let you know that someone’s at the door, you should still be able to hear your visitors' screams—unless you’re blasting “The Monster Mash” at full volume.
If you want to take things a step further, you can put an Amazon Echo Dot outside and simply ask it to play spooky sounds. For an extra eerie effect, pop it into a black plastic cauldron so no one sees it.
Doorbells aren't the only way to add some eeriness to your entryway, either. You can also replace your outdoor bulbs with Philips Hue ones and connect them to a Philips Hue Motion Sensor to set off some scary light patterns when trick or treaters approach.
And finally, if you’re going out instead of staying in this Halloween, you can still spread holiday fear if you have a Rivian car. Open the app, go to Settings, and select Make It Spooky. After that, your car will glow green and blast Halloween-y music.
