Can we just talk about Halloween?

By now, I think most people know I’m a bit obsessed with Halloween. And not just in a “cute pumpkin mug” kind of way. I mean haunted houses, ghost stories, horror films, creepy old buildings, ridiculous decorations. Basically, if it’s even vaguely spooky, I’m interested.

As soon as we get towards the end of August and it starts feeling a tiny bit colder, I’m ready for it. Summer is basically done in my head. I want darker evenings, candles on, horror films in the background and a house that looks slightly haunted.

I think one of the reasons I love Halloween so much is because it feels like the opposite of Christmas. I like Christmas, by the way, I’m not completely miserable. But Christmas comes with a lot of pressure. You’ve got presents, plans, family, food, money, travelling around, trying to fit everyone in, and this weird expectation that you should be having a lovely time because it’s Christmas. Even when everyone’s knackered and somebody’s quietly losing it over the roast potatoes.

Halloween doesn’t really have any of that. You can ignore it completely if you want to, or you can decorate your whole house, watch horror films for a month and pay actual money to have someone chase you through a barn with a chainsaw.

Both are fine.

I think that’s what I like about it. There isn’t really a right way to do Halloween. It can be silly, creepy, properly scary, or just an excuse to eat sweets and watch old films. Personally, I’m very much in the “go too far with it” camp.

The dream: Halloween Horror Nights

For me, the absolute dream is Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood. I’m desperate to go. It’s not even just the scary bit, I’m obsessed with the sets and how they actually put the whole thing together. The actors, costumes, lighting, sound, all the tiny details. They turn whole areas into these completely different worlds and I could watch videos about it for hours.

And I do.

Every year I end up watching walkthroughs on YouTube, usually thinking that one day I’m actually going to do this instead of watching somebody else do it from my sofa. Until then, I’m getting my Halloween fix over here.

And to be fair, the UK has some really good ones.

Tulley’s Shocktober

Crawley, UK

Tulley’s is probably the UK event I hear about the most, and it just looks huge. It’s not the kind of place where you turn up, walk through one maze and then go home. There are actors everywhere, live entertainment, food, drinks and loads going on around the actual scare attractions.

If I’m going to one of these places, I want to be there for the whole evening. I want to walk around thinking it’s brilliant, then immediately regret every decision I’ve made when somebody appears from nowhere.

And if I’m paying to be scared, I do want them to properly go for it. Give me the sets, the fog, the actors hiding somewhere I haven’t spotted. Basically, don’t half-do it.

Primevil

Lenwade, UK

Primevil is at ROARR! in Norfolk, so this one is a lot closer to home for me. There are six different haunts and they’ve all got their own themes, which is the bit I always end up getting weirdly interested in.

I love looking at how these places are made. What are they doing with the lighting? Where are the actors hiding? How have they made an ordinary bit of Norfolk feel like somewhere you definitely shouldn’t be?

I find all of that genuinely interesting.

Although I can guarantee I’ll stop thinking about any of it the second someone jumps out at me. At that point I’ll just be screaming.

Scare City

Chorley, UK

Scare City got me purely because of where it is. It’s at the abandoned Camelot Theme Park. I mean, that’s enough, surely.

An abandoned theme park is already creepy without doing anything to it. Then you make it dark, add actors, smoke, weird noises and people hiding around corners. No thank you, but also, obviously, yes please.

You walk around the old park through different indoor and outdoor areas, which I think makes it even creepier than a normal haunted house. There’s something weird about knowing it used to be full of people and rides and noise, and now it’s just sitting there empty. I hate the thought of it, which means I absolutely want to go.

Then there’s the decorating…

This might actually be the bit I take most seriously. I normally start decorating the house towards the end of September, so by late August I’m already thinking about what I’m going to do. And I’ve definitely changed how I decorate over the years. I don’t really want to buy loads of stuff just because it says “Halloween” on the packaging anymore. But with that being said, I will always make an exception for a ridiculous skeleton.

I’m much more into the darker, moodier side of Halloween now. Old silver, loads of candles, dark fabrics, bare branches, ravens, vintage glass, skulls. Things that aren’t necessarily Halloween decorations, but somehow look a bit creepy when you put them together. I basically want the house to look like a strange woman has been living there on her own since about 1873 and the neighbours have questions. That’s the vibe.

And you really don’t need loads of stuff to do it. An old silver tray with a few half-burnt candles on it already looks a bit spooky. Put a big branch in an old vase and suddenly the whole thing looks quite gothic. Stick a raven somewhere it probably shouldn’t be.

Done.

I also think Halloween decorations actually look better when they’re not too neat. Let the candles burn down. Let the tablecloth drag a bit. Mix old things together that don’t necessarily match. It should feel a bit messy and a little bit odd.

Not like you bought an entire Halloween collection from one shop and copied the display.

Image Credit: Le Supper Club

Get The Look

(Left to right) Set of 3 Artificial Feathered Crows, Vintage Silver Plated Serving Tray, Set of 3 Taper Candle in Ivory White, Draped Silk Table Cloth, Three Arm Silver Candelabra, Human Skull Model in Resin, Wildwood Artificial Tree Branch 70cm and Vintage Silver Plated Trumpet Vase.

And yes, I know it’s still August. Some people will absolutely think this is too early, that’s fine.

I’ve already started thinking about Halloween and I’m not fighting it.