Every year when the calendar turns the page from September to October, “spooky season” comes fully into effect. ABC Family basically airs nothing but Halloween movies, the internet posts an endless slue of memes, and most importantly, sneaker brands begin releasing Halloween-themed shoes.
While colorful costumes and delicious candy garner most of the attention during this holiday, we had to show some love to the sneaker community. From Freddy and Jason-themed Dunks to blood splatter and oozing slime, check out the greatest Halloween-themed sneakers of all time below.
All products are independently selected by our editors. Complex may collect a share of sales from the links on this page if you decide to shop them.
10. Nike LeBron 13 'Horror Flick'
Year released: 2015
Buy it here: StockX
While this pair technically dropped after Halloween in 2015, its blood splattered design gives off some clear spooky vibes. Officially given a “Horror Flick” nickname, these LeBron 13s come inspired by Jason Vorhees of the Friday The 13th movie franchise, a character that King James himself dressed up as before an October 31st Laker game last season. — Ben Felderstein
9. Nike Ja 1 'Zombie'
Year released: 2023
Buy it here: StockX
This year's "Zombie" Ja 1 edition was one of the most well-received Halloween sneakers in years. The lime green colorway was decked out in details including a textured Swoosh (complete with zombie-like hands that reach around the shoe's medial side), altered Ja logo, and red and brown accents. It's the sort of sneaker that was clearly designed with a younger audience in mind yet manages to keep things wearable enough for older demographics, too. — Riley Jones
8. Nike Air Force 1 'Jason'
Year released: 2024
Buy it here: StockX
Call it sacrilege, try to remove my sneakerhead card if you want, but I've never been that into the white-on-white Air Force 1. I have no nostalgia for it and that helps me in this case, as I think this is one of the coolest Forces in recent memory. Any time that Nike is switching up more than just a sneaker's colorway, that's bonus points in my book. Here, the Swoosh cleverly utilizes negative space to rework the AF 1's toebox to mimic Jason's iconic hockey mask. It's subtle yet poignant, and is the perfect spooky season option for someone who doesn't want to wear pumpkin orange or something with a skeleton on it. —Ben Felderstein
7. Nike Air Force 1 Low 'Frankenstein'
Year released: 2006
Buy it here: Flight Club
Patent leather, two tones of green, toebox stitching, and a metallic silver Swoosh did justice to Mary Shelley's iconic Frankenstein character on this 2006 colorway. Released alongside matching kid's Vandals and a women's Legend model, it was the AF1 that really won over sneakerheads and remains one of the most coveted Halloween releases ever. — Riley Jones
6. Off-White x Nike Blazer 'All Hallows Eve'
Year released: 2018
Buy it here: GOAT
Off-White x Nike was groundbreaking, but it also became tired. When word came out that more pairs were releasing, and they were going be themed around Halloween, it pained some to deal with another collection. The "All Hallows Eve" pair, with its tan upper and orange Swoosh, is good, though. Gotta give it that. — Matt Welty
5. Nike SB Dunk Low 'Mummy'
Year released: 2021
Buy it here: StockX
Nike SB has been putting out Halloween and horror-themed sneakers since its early days, and it’s still going strong with the “Mummy” Dunk Low installment. Featuring a canvas upper with raw edges in fashion true to its inspiration, the shoe also includes a glow-in-the-dark outsole and eye graphic at the heel with a hidden Eye of Horus emblem on the back of the tongue. It’s not quite “Freddy” Dunk level, but it was one of the strongest spooky season executions from Nike SB in quite some time. — Riley Jones
4. Nike Kobe 5 'X-Ray'
Year released: 2024
Buy it here: StockX
This is the kind of rare instance where a sneaker sounds pretty ridiculous on paper, but actually looks pretty awesome in execution. Inspired by the "beaten not broken" x-ray shirt Kobe wore in 2010, this Kobe 5 features a glowing foot on a navy blue upper. We've seen Nike try the skeleton shoe thing before and it was executed significantly better this time around. Vanessa showed this pair off on her IG initially, and we've already seen them on the hardwood and even remixed for the gridiron. It's one of the best new Kobe colorways we've seen lately. —Ben Felderstein
3. Nike Air Force 1 Low 'Halloween'
Year released: 2005
Buy it here: StockX
Patent leather Air Force 1s are a trend that needs to come back. Only problem is they get cooked after like two wears and the toebox gets wavier than Max B. I remember my friend trying to iron out his pair. I don’t think it worked. There are two versions of this Halloween Air Force 1, one from 2005 the other from 2006. The ‘06 one is cool—if you like sneakers that are split in half with the colorway. A lot of purists don’t, so we’re not gonna talk about it. The 2005 pair, with its contrast orange heel and Swoosh, is where it’s at. Surprised your favorite rapper or NBA style icon hasn’t pulled a pair out yet. — Matt Welty
2. Nike SB Dunk Low 'Day of the Dead'
Year released: 2006
Buy it here: Flight Club
The "Day of the Dead" Dunk is the biggest fuck you to America by Nike SB. The sneaker, which released in 2006, was only available in Mexico and Canada, and that instantly made it a grail in the States. And part of that logic makes sense: It was inspired by Dia de Los Muertos, Mexico’s semi-equivalent to Halloween. But Canada? Fuck outta here. Either way, the sneaker was a love-it-or-hate-it design for many, with its orange, purple, and black color scheme with skeleton print all over it. It’s as if 2006 threw up all over the shoes. I remember being drunk at a college party back then and meeting a Mexican kid and asking him if he had anyone who could get me a pair. Problematic, sure. But I needed them. And wish I had them. They sell for thousands nowadays. — Matt Welty
1. Nike SB Dunk Low 'Freddy Krueger'
Year released: 2006
Buy it here: StockX
Arguably one of the greatest Nike SB Dunks of all time, there was no other way we could end this list. Scrapped due to copyright issues, the Freddy Krueger Dunks are one of the rarest SBs out there, emulating the iconic dream-haunting serial killer from the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series. Green and red stripes to match the killer’s sweater, brown overlays for his scarred face, a shimmering metallic silver Swoosh to symbolize his razor glove, and gruesome blood splatter make this shoe a perfect homage to the memorable villain. Due to the rarity of this Dunk, owning a pair will likely haunt your dreams as well. — Ben Felderstein