The Halloween Thread

[MedusasBadHairDay]

I know it's not October yet, but the Christmas forum has been active for months. So I reckon we're allowed

I always find that focusing on Halloween is a good way to deal with the "it's not summer anymore" blues.

I'm not sure what I'm doing this year, we've moved over the summer. Where we used to live quite a few houses on the road get decorated and encourage trick or treaters. So it will be interesting to see if my new neighbours join in or if we'll be the only house with pumpkins outside.

So I need to try and find some events for the kids to go to, just in case. I also won't have my sewing machine set up in time to make costumes this year.

So what is everyone else planning? Are you decorating your house regardless? Are you going anywhere special? Do you have costume plans yet?

@Tumbleweed101

My house not at Halloween lol....

😂 Love it!

Blais

When people decorate their houses for Halloween, who is the audience?

We do it for child trick or treaters and my own small dc.

I don't live somewhere I could model my Dec's on things like chucky etc.
For an adult party... OK but surely not for the public?

@Payproblems

Blais

When people decorate their houses for Halloween, who is the audience?

We do it for child trick or treaters and my own small dc.

I don't live somewhere I could model my Dec's on things like chucky etc.
For an adult party... OK but surely not for the public?

We do it for the local kids, but we live in the kind of area where trick or treating is popular. Other than last year when not many people were out, we can usually expect a constant stream of kids between 5pm and 8pm and give out probably 10 big multipacks of sweets.

Year before last we had a house up the road who had music and fog machines, everyone in the family dressed up as old fashioned scary clowns and was doing tricks or jumping out at the kids, it was like a live stage show. A couple of doors down had a big gazebo type set up on the front drive and had displays like a horror house, with selfie station and big boxes that you put your hand into and either got a trick (gooey slimy stuff) or a treat (sweets).

Lots of people put a lot of effort in and the kids all get a nice evening of fun and games.

Poor selection in my tk maxx and home bargains today.

Looks like people have been buying tk maxx tea towels and listing them on eBay for £££

Fuming, the question continues!

Quest even 😂😂

When people decorate their houses for Halloween, who is the audience?

I do it for me!! I just love Halloween.

My neighbors have commented on how strange they find my decorations, especially my full-sized toy skeleton, but I don't care. Every year I buy a new decoration to add to my collection. I really want a cat skeleton this year.

I agree @BlackShadowCat I'm more into mystical witches and potions than the blood and gore but I appreciate others who go that way (normally by 7pm the trick or treaters morph into teenagers who regardless of costume will be covered in fake blood head to toe)

We have a brilliant haunted house around the corner from us that is very full on, certainly not a little kid thing but incredibly impressive and very popular (they fundraise for a local charity).

Anyway, I redid my planters yesterday, the local garden centre had loads of black and orange/purple violas so I went with it

Love the idea of painting black twigs and making them into a tree. I need to try that one!! We have a wreath for the door that I love, all ready for Oct 1st. Need some more house ideas but I don’t want anything scary at all. We always do pumpkins for the doorstep too. On the day we’ll most likely dress the girls up as witches and make potions with them. They like collecting sticks/ fallen leaves etc on a walk and bringing them home to stir in a big pot with different pots of coloured water. I like making some sort of themed food too and then going trick or treating just around a couple of houses in our street. Maybe watch something not too spooky then in some Halloween pyjamas. Can’t wait!

Oh, I love that planter!! @RaptorInaPorkPieHat

I might have to try a planter of my own!

Yes ! My people !

Loving all these great ideas , especially the dolls ! We're finally having 2 Halloween parties this year after not being able to for 2 years because of Covid and house renovations. One for the adults , one for the kids . Already deciding to go all out this year. I add to my collection every year . My home decor is very gothic anyway . Got a few nice bits at TK Maxx this year .

Has Poundland , the range and B&M got their Halloween stuff out yet ? I need to travel a fair distance to get to my closest ones and don't want to waste a journey .

@ExplodingCarrots

Yes ! My people !

Loving all these great ideas , especially the dolls ! We're finally having 2 Halloween parties this year after not being able to for 2 years because of Covid and house renovations. One for the adults , one for the kids . Already deciding to go all out this year. I add to my collection every year . My home decor is very gothic anyway . Got a few nice bits at TK Maxx this year .

Has Poundland , the range and B&M got their Halloween stuff out yet ? I need to travel a fair distance to get to my closest ones and don't want to waste a journey .

B&M didn't have anything on Saturday.

Home bargains did and Poundland had a small amount. I think we're a week or two away from full range being in store.

Work today (supermarket)

Have Christmas goodies in like Lindt bears and chocolates but no Halloween stuff yet. That usually comes about two weeks before

Did buy some lovely stuff last year such as two Dino skeletons. But I really want a dog one and a cat one took

Doing a full on cemetery in the garden this year. Am waiting on a delivery of big foam tombstones, have ordered a life size skeleton and am having some other skeletons coming out of the ground. Have had a street sign made up to match the other street signs saying "street name cemetery" (my street name!).
Going to decorate the tombs with fake ivy and spiders etc. Should look good, I've been stealing a lot of ideas from Youtube . The only problem will be securing everything in the Scottish weather but I've a few ideas.

One below has a really good selection of Halloween goodies in. I spent way too long in there today

@RVN123 where did you get the tombstones? We don't really have enough for the size of our garden.

I love this thread - such great ideas and terrific spooky dolls!

@RVN123 youtube is brilliant for ideas and how to guides it's great fun watching the walk throughs of haunted houses (and Spirit Halloween!). I also lurk in the Halloween groups on Reddit and FB, full of people getting their hands on the 12 foot skeletons and fun stuff we just don't get here in the UK

No costume idea yet but I'm definitely doing the decorations! Last year I did Halloween collages with horror movies characters and printed them out to have as big posters on our walls, this year I'll probably go with a Halloween slideshow with the same content and chilling music and also I want to get pumpkin led lights, these look really nice. Here is also a link to halloween collage maker in case you need it- ams-photo-software.com/design/halloween-collage-maker.php
Gotta say I love your approach, too! Halloween is really a great way to deal with post-summer blues.

where did you get the tombstones? We don't really have enough for the size of our garden

they're really easy to make yourself -
cereal boxes , secure together to the size you want ,(staples, duck rape whatever you have ) make a base with a flat box ( I filled with stones for stability)
Cover in strips of papier mache , leave to dry .
Paint grey , speckle with paint
You can add moss , ivy , write on your message

.

duck tape obvs ,

duck rape would be a Halloween to remember for sure!

Sorry, I just love inappropriate typos!

I made this for Gdcs last year - it just needed some battery lights added.
Thinking of making a few more of the spiders - I really liked him (not mad keen on the real ones though.).

There's a nip in the air this morning that reminded me about autumn / Halloween / this thread. Anyone else starting to get the autumn excitement?

I did a spooky back garden last year and I’m looking forward to bringing it to our front garden this year. The highlight was a trio of black bag witches holding hands around a fire. I’ve got some ideas to improve on that.

We get a lot of primary aged kids so witches are as scary as we get. I’m not keen on the blood and gore. The zombie and demon dolls are amazing but I don’t think I could cope with them in the house with me. We had a skeleton in the living room one year and I had to keep the door closed when I was in the house alone.

I got the tombstones from Party Packs, two are a decent size, and 3 medium ones. I also got a bulk pack on ebay of large crosses which already come with moss attached, and another bulk pack on Amazon (which were crap, didn't realize they were thin plastic and white on the reverse so I will have to paint them). I've already attached faux ivy trailing across them all. I know you can make your won tombstones but I really need them to be 100% waterproof for the weather here and quick to dry for storage.