# 2018 UK Halloween



## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Hi all

I really enjoyed this thread last year, and loved having a little group of common interest in the UK, so thought I would start another one for this year. I know it's early, but I'm getting excited for this year already!
I'm really looking forward to things filtering through to the shops as we get closer to autumn (I think we've had summer already. It was 2 days earlier this month).

What have people got planned this year? Anyone saving for anything big ?


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## McBernes (Mar 10, 2015)

It's never too early! I'd love to see what Halloween is like in the UK. Maybe as more folks get their stuff set up they could post some pics?


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Thanks for starting the ball rolling Lucid. Every year I say to myself that I should really do it and never do!


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## scarybella (Aug 4, 2010)

not sure if this will be my last year or not yet, but I have just made a sign for this years haunt/display.


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

That's a great sign, Scarybella! Do you theme your house to suit?
Nice to hear from you again DandyBrit.. I enjoyed last year's thread so much I couldn't resist. I've been putting it off, but when the info started coming through about american distributors, I gave in.
I'm looking forward to seeing people's handiwork too, McBernes. I'm loving (and getting slightly jealous) about seeing all the great stuff available in America.


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## scarybella (Aug 4, 2010)

Thank you. Not as such, but I use a lot of spiders and web throughout. So last year I finally thought of a name for our haunt/display. I'm going to make at least 1 BIG spider for this years display as the TOTs enter. There's a huge list of other stuff I want to do but I am full on working inside the house doing DIY at the minute.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

?.......


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Batley I'm so glad you're down with current affairs.. I had no idea about the asda/ sainsbury's merge.. I must have been under a rock when that was announced! Should be fun for the halloween side of things though, that could be interesting!
Yes, it's a shame about poundworld, they had some good stuff last year. I'm relying on carboot sales heavily this year for my props.. I'm doing a victorian asylum who dunnit. I'm trying to make a re-purpose a few things and hopefully saving to buy a decent prop when the time comes. I've been in planning since the beginning of the year too, so got a few things ready. 
I'm starting to get a twitchy and can't wait for stuff to start appearing in the shops!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Let's see who can be the first to report official Halloween merchandise in the shops.

The Asda/Sainsburys merge surprised me as well. I have thought the Monopolies and Mergers body would veto it to be honest - it would make far too big a giant in the retail world.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Anyone who has a PoundWorld shop local to them - I picked up some large (10" tall) real wax LED candles at my branch in Wakefield for a 30% discount. They should have been £4 and cost £2.80 each. I've tried them with batteries and they all work - and are surprisingly bright. So if you need large candles for your crypt head to PoundWorld asap.


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Just saw that the PR shots for Sainsbury's have been released..well, some of them at least. Www.prshots.co.uk if anyone is interested. It's good to have a sneak peak, even if it is very limited!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

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## Witchat1&70 (Mar 9, 2018)

Hi all,

I'm a fellow UK Halloween obsessive and can't wait to see what everyone's doing. I've already made a start on some of my props - my Halloween is all focused on interior decorations, as I invite the local trick or treaters inside the house. This year, I'm expanding the Victorian Gothic Haunted Mansion hallway, having a fortune teller theme in the dining room and the kitchen will be Gaius's kitchen meets Practical Magic's conservatory. Wish me luck! lol


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## Witchat1&70 (Mar 9, 2018)

Thanks heaps for the PR Shots link - I've not come across this site before. Do you know how it works? If you search for "Halloween", are the images current or from previous years? Thanks!



lucidhalloween said:


> Just saw that the PR shots for Sainsbury's have been released..well, some of them at least. Www.prshots.co.uk if anyone is interested. It's good to have a sneak peak, even if it is very limited!


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## joneyyy1981 (Jul 12, 2018)

we officially started today. decided to have a hallween party this year. Witches theme,

its getting better every year in the uk, our street is really starting to make an effort.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Welcome guys - enjoy the fun!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Going to check out the bigger Poundworld near us - have looked at the two smaller one and cherry-picked the best Halloween stuff - not a lot unfortunately. You did well with that lot Batley - congrats.


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Witchat1&70 said:


> Thanks heaps for the PR Shots link - I've not come across this site before. Do you know how it works? If you search for "Halloween", are the images current or from previous years? Thanks!


Hi Witchat1&70! I only came across that site last year, it seems to be current items if you search for halloween.. at least I hope so! I know the sainsburys ones have only just popped up, so they are definitely the current ones for this year.

I'm so disappointed my local poundworld doesn't have anything even remotely halloween related! That's a good haul Batley, I'm very jealous!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

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## Kittykat85 (Aug 28, 2016)

After reading this thread I'm trying to convince myself there is no point in going out tomorrow, in this heat, to check out pound world. The temptation is strong but I'm sure most of the good stuff has been snatched already...
Over the past couple of years I've loved what Homesesne and TK have to offer! The inside of my house is always much more decorated for Halloween than the outside. We literally have no room left for anymore decorations ? 

Last year I started a Lemax spooky town collection, so for the time being will be spending my Halloween budget on adding to that. 

Also put up a Halloween tree for the past couple of years and love finding things to hang on it. (Please share ideas if you have any)

My son is a teen as of this summer, so sadly his love for Halloween is not as strong as it once was. This year as a way of getting him in the spirit I've decided I will buy him Halloween gifts and put them under the tree, to be opened on Halloween. 

Anyway, I will still be frequenting the shops so if I come across anything Halloween related I'll be sure to snap some pics and share them here!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

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## Kittykat85 (Aug 28, 2016)

Batley said:


> I would recommend visiting Poundworld if you can. They was unboxing loads more items while I was there yesterday despite them closing next week, here anyway. There's many items scanning at 11p thus cheaper than sweets for Trick or Treaters.
> 
> I feel you pain with lack of storage, I have almost none. The items I bought from Poundworld currently reside in Santa sacks in the living room lol.
> 
> I hope you post pictures of your tree and spooky town nearer the time, I love those.


Ok, you've convinced me! I'll check it out in the morning and hope for the best, nothing to lose by having a look. 

The problem with me is I love all of my decorations equally. So parting with them would be upsetting for me. It's silly I know. I should just stick with spooky town, the tree and any witch related decorations. Everything else must go. There simply isn't enough room to store or display it all now ? 
Better for someone else to have it to display and enjoy. 

Santa sacks full of poundland Halloween stuff! Wow, you must have got a lot of good swag. 

I'll scroll though now to check if you have, but if you haven't already could you share some pics of your poundland finds?


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## Kittykat85 (Aug 28, 2016)

Thanks for convincing me Batley! I went into my local poundworld today and picked up a few bits. 
My local store is very small, so the selection wasn't great, but managed to get a few things I can hang on my Halloween tree! 
Was a bit exciting to get a few bargains but that feeling was quickly replaced by sadness. Not only for the employees of poundworld but also because it means it's one less store to buy Halloween things from in future ?


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Keep an eye out for when your Poundworld has it's final day of trade - I've seen Facebook posts saying that their branch was closing on that day and they got an entire wire basket for £2. A wheely basket was going for £4. It doesn't matter what is in it and how much it usually costs.

At mine today the Halloween stuff was on a BOGOF - they were literally throwing it at us.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

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## pixiestyx (Jul 30, 2018)

Hello! Am a new member but have been lurking for a few years. Glad to see there's a UK contingent creeping about.
Will be following this thread!


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Hi Pixiestyx, welcome to the forum! 
Looking forward to seeing what everyone has planned this year


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Hi Pixie - welcome on board.


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## CurtisFeatures (Aug 1, 2018)

Hello Everyone!

Just thought I would introduce myself. I’m Jamie and I’m new here. Stubbled across the forum a few times when googling things but never joined until I saw this UK thread last night.

Last year was my first outdoor Halloween attempt as we hadn’t previously had a front garden. I’ve always been into Technology and work in IT so went down the window projections from AtmosFX. It went down surprisingly well, the kids loved it and so did the Adults. I didn’t enjoy having to explain it to everyone who came to the door but I guess I was asking for that. 

This year I have decided to do down a full garden display path running mainly on DMX. I’ve just about finished programming my first song for my “Light up musical pathway” (I think I am going to call it that). I will be able to share my ideas and progress along the way but will be unable to show the finished product until Halloween night due to the cost of the kit and me not wanting to set it up before the morning of Halloween… Maybe I can do the path as this will be constructed from RGB strips. 

On a final note, we have a new baby due at the beginning of October so hopefully that will not clash ? 

Jamie


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Hi Jamie - welcome to the forum. I'm just down the motorway in Wakefield.


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## CurtisFeatures (Aug 1, 2018)

Not too far at all. Do you have any plans for this year?


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

I usually do the decorating in the visitor centre where I work so it depends what they will let me get away with!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

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## CurtisFeatures (Aug 1, 2018)

Hi Batley,

What about using garden arch ways. 2 maybe 3 should do it and then connect them together with wire mesh. You may need to anchor each end which might be quite simple deending on what ground you are building on. 

Where abouts in the UK are you from?


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Batley - are you going to cover the tunnel? If so then you could use landscaping/weed suppressing membrane as this is less likely to go up in flames than plastic - if you have a careless smoker. It's not totally fire proof obviously but won't drip like plastic would.

It's also quite light and yu could cable tie it to the mesh/chicken wire.

Rebar is what most people use for anchor points - or you could use strong tent pegs maybe?


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

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## CurtisFeatures (Aug 1, 2018)

@Batley, you could always try driving some rebar in at the bases and cable tie the arches to it. It’s quite expensive at places like B&Q but seems to be pretty reasonable on eBay. Or if you have room on the outside you could run some black
Guy ropes. I’m from W.Yorkshire, between Leeds and Bradford.


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## CurtisFeatures (Aug 1, 2018)

I also have a street light outside my house, could be worse though as it’s on the other side of the road. A friend did point out to me that I could point a laser at the light sensor and it would turn off....


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## CurtisFeatures (Aug 1, 2018)

And the wiring begins.....nothing better than spending a Sunday afternoon stripping wires while the little one watches Peppa Pig haha


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## pandaemonaeum (Aug 16, 2016)

I've found I don't have to do very much to be the attraction in the district - but then, I tend to have Hallowe'en type decor up all year round! I make spooky things for my business all year, too, so the run up to Hallowe'en is pretty hectic. I think I will be doing stuff to the house on my own this year, my husband is working on a Hallowe'en cruise. Usually I'd go with him but I suffer from chronic sea sickness and don't want to spend my Hallowe'en unwell.  

I love seeing everyone's houses and gardens  and I can't wait for the spooky stuff to go into the shops, I have friends in the US who keep sending me pictures of stores out there which are full of cool stuff already!


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

I've made a start on the props.. I love the run up to Halloween (even if my run up starts before what is socially acceptable here!)


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Moisturise me!


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Haha! she is starting to freak out my other half..


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

She looks like she is going to open her eyes at any second.

I like the radio as well - is it going to play music?


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Yes, it's cardboard and the front 'dial' comes off so I can put my bluetooth speaker and some LED lights inside. Should shine through the hessian nicely. I was figuring on music like 'tiptoe through the tulips' and creepy stuff like that.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

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## CurtisFeatures (Aug 1, 2018)

PVC pipes would work, I hadn’t thought of that. Would likely work out cheaper too. 

I managed to pick up a 1000w low Fogger last year on eBay for £40. Similar to this https://www.djkit.com/soundlab/soundlab-low-fog-machine.html 

I might see if I can get ahold of a laser and try it this week. I’m sure no one will notice the big beam shining from my house hahah


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## BeckyMurphy (Sep 23, 2015)

They have amazing different colour sugar for candyfloss machines on amazon. 
I bought black and made spider web bags last year


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## CurtisFeatures (Aug 1, 2018)

Just seen these bushes on the way to the Chinese, natural Halloween!


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## BadgerSpanner (Apr 27, 2015)

CurtisFeatures said:


> Just seen these bushes on the way to the Chinese, natural Halloween!
> View attachment 555955


Ooooh Ermine moth larvae?


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## BadgerSpanner (Apr 27, 2015)

CurtisFeatures said:


> Just seen these bushes on the way to the Chinese, natural Halloween!
> View attachment 555955


Ooooh Ermine moth larvae?

EDIT: 
Stupid doubleposting.


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## CurtisFeatures (Aug 1, 2018)

BadgerSpanner said:


> Ooooh Ermine moth larvae?


YES!, There is a huge Tree in our local park which is completely covered and looks absolutely amazing.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

@BeckyMurphy what floss machine do you have? ?

The weather is overcast here today and so it feels a lot like Autumn, hopefully it isn't temporary ?


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## CurtisFeatures (Aug 1, 2018)

Batley said:


> The weather is overcast here today and so it feels a lot like Autumn, hopefully it isn't temporary &#55357;&#56859;


As long as it doesn't Rain on the 31st of October il be happy!

I Made my first Gobo today. Had to stick 3 on top of each other as the laser printer doesn't get a pure black so lets light through.









And this is what it looks like firing across the office, Didn't get chance to focus it 100% as i did it while my work colleague popped to the toilet


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Currently in York for a Comic-Con and did a ghost wak around the city with hubby. Fun and the walk leader was entertaining. Went to Jorvik this afternoon. It makes me feel really old that I was here at the actual dig site in the 1970’s (although I was still in primary school.)


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

I know, right! Apart from last years mid-afternoon shower I've been lucky weatherwise for the past decade but I expect the tables to turn and so, a tunnel it is! Your light effect has turned out great.

I've been browsing madabouthorror, so many great props, expensive though but still cheaper than importing I suppose. I came across AtmosFEARfx and that alone makes me want a projector; is there a cheap model anyone here would recommend? 

Sounds like a great experience @Dandybrit, pleased you've had a nice time ?


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Wow it’s coming round fast still trying to work out my theme this year I always do a mix and don’t have a theme. My garden is pretty small and has a fence all round it so I’m limited to what I can do.


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## CurtisFeatures (Aug 1, 2018)

Thought i would give my "Musical pathway" a test out this morning, Its on a smaller scale but will run about 6 meters outside.


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Hi All!!

Glad to see this thread revived for another year! 



Batley said:


> is there a cheap model anyone here would recommend?


I bought a couple of Crenova XPE460 LED projectors from ebay last year, about 40ish each I think on the lightening deals... worked perfectly on an outside wall and in the window last year. Big difference in cost and performance compared to my ancient £600 projector!!! 
I ran the insects projection and Zombie invasion from usb sticks, worked perfectly for my graveyard scene, I'll try & dig out some pics


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

@CurtisFeatures, wow nice work. very impressive, can't wait to see your final set up lol.

Welcome back joanneB

Welcome back @EPD and thanks for the info, very much appreciated!!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Nice to see people coming back on board so early. 

Back from York now. Enjoyed the Ghost Walk - lots of interesting little stories and a walk around areas that tourists don't usually see.

Problems on the first night in the hotel - the neighbours liked to talk very loudly and trampoline on their bed until I'd had enough at 3.45 am and complained to reception.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Hopefully Costco will add new items to their site in the coming days but for now the Stitchwick Sisters are back for £144.99 (+ membership fee of £15). https://www.costco.co.uk/c/Hallowee...Wicked-Stitchwick-Sisters-with-Sound/p/201453

Maybe worth waiting until mid-October as they discounted them to around £80 last year, not guaranteed to happen again tho.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

The Range new items online. New items inc. Fortune teller box, standing clown, standing fortune teller, inflatable graveyard arch, standing witch with with tray and a spirit board.

https://www.therange.co.uk/halloween/characters-and-decorations/#page_1

Good items and good prices. Iirc they increased prices of some items in early September last year, worth noting incase history repeats itself. Sorry for not linking items and prices individually. /back to work ?

Edit:
New wreath now on Costco for £24.99 members price
https://www.costco.co.uk/c/Halloween-24-60cm-Decorative-Witchs-Hand-Wreath/p/999587

Pose N Stay skeleton £36.99 members price
https://www.costco.co.uk/Toys-Baby-...-Pose-N-Stay-Skeleton-With-LED-Eyes/p/1900264

Anyone recommend the skeletons? I love the wreath!


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Thanks Batley! Great to see props finally appearing, I've been so frustrated waiting for them. Now to actually save some money to spend...
The costco witch sisters are definitely on my wanted list!


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## HALLOWEENTOWN3110 (Aug 5, 2012)

Just thought i would pop in and say Hiiii....Halloween season is just about upon us again


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Ikr, I've been checking various sites for the past fortnight to no avail.but at last! Nice to be able to add items to the want list. Although I only had the SW Sisters year I do recommend it, great prop, especially with a smoke machine aimed out the cauldron.

Welcome @HALLOWEENTOWN3110 

What lighting do you folks use for your outdoor set up? I have just been watching various projector effect videos and the majority of houses are all lit up, lighting definitely makes a huge difference. Currently looking at coloured flood lights on Amazon but wonder if there's anything better.

Fingers crossed for more product revealed this week. Hope everyone is well


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Just a heads up for those doing a creepy clown/circus theme this year some of the larger poundland stores are selling hard plastic solar lights shaped like balloons that you can stake in the ground at £2 a pop. I got a couple of red ones in case I want to do an 'IT' display at some point.

Maybe because down the years I've collected so much Halloween stuff that makes the Ranges offering this year seem a bit ho hum. I wish they'd experiment a bit more and not keep repeating themselves.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

An animated tombstone is available for members price of £95 (£80 in-store iirc)
https://www.costco.co.uk/c/Hallowee...one-With-Raven-LED-Lights-And-Sound/p/1900256
In-store: https://youtu.be/Ss2NKMEiGAk

I've been looking at various US displays and like this idea of covering the front of the house in cobwebs. Does beef netting go by a different name here or not a thing here? I'm not sure what else would work, Cheese cloth or safety fence? https://www.gardenersdream.co.uk/gr...MI7JzC4MX83AIV6p3tCh2hVgFYEAQYASABEgIeLfD_BwE


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## Kittykat85 (Aug 28, 2016)

Only things I've seen I want is the spirt board from the Range, which is £17.99 in store and £12.99 online?!?!
And the little skull lanterns. Other than that I'll wait to see what homesense and TKmaxx have to offer. 

I'm relieved to be honest, I've already spent a small fortune on Lemax spooky town this year and let's be real, I have ZERO room for anymore decorations ?

I'm mistaken it's not £17.99 in store and on closer inspection of the video posted it doesn't look all that good ?


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Beef netting research.


http://www.ebaystores.co.uk/Butchers-Sundries/Meat-Netting-Loops-/_i.html?_fsub=1323311010&


Saw this one but it's not the same as they use in the US. That's more of a muslin type material I think. This one has white and green stringing.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

I'm not a big fan of The Range items neither. I've had larger props from them previously but they look cheap in campariaon to other retailers props. The prices are good tho.

Many thanks DandyBrit . I will keep looking for an alternative. If not I will try the fencing and cheese cloth to see which works best, gonna wait until October though so I stick to my budget 

10 weeks today


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## Bratwitch (Oct 30, 2013)

It's to see this thread up and running again. I cannot believe how quick Halloween is creeping up on me again (make that every year, lol). Looking forward to seeing what everyone is up to this year. We are still sticking with the Macabre Manor (haunted house) theme which I think will give me a lot of options to play around with.


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Started buying sweets today


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## SpookySpoof (Aug 22, 2017)

My mum text me on Tuesday said Autumn / Halloween stuff is now in HomeSense - I have to wait til i get paid - I know if I pop in I'll want to buy stuff. Thing is with that place you generally have to get it there and then else the stock is gone!


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## Kahahnu (Sep 26, 2015)

Hi all, great to see so many people active already!!
Popped into TK Maxx and Home Sense the other day, not a lot available yet - some glass pumpkins, several pumpkin scented candles (I may have bought some to add to the collection...) and some bath bombs in skull and pumpkin shapes.
Hobbycraft had a selection out, same as most years although there was a little cardboard coffin which made spooky sounds when the lid was opened!


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

HIYA all , i sincerely hope all my old friends and hopefully some new ones that are here are well ? i have not seen anything down here south of LONDON yet but will keep you all informed as i am guessing it will all start appearing soon at least i hope so , and dam joanneB how bloody organized are you ? i have normally started to get sweets but this year i am so behind , is it me or is it SOOOO much more expensive for sweets this year than ever before ??? at least i have finally built a new workshop for myself so no more freezing cold weekend mornings under a lean to making halloween props lol


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Hey everyone, welcome (back).

There's a few videos on YouTube with a photo of Wilkos preview.Two small standing prop figures. Not a fan personally. Nice to see the pumpkins back, well worth the price.

https://youtu.be/pGaO9aXgfDs

Thus far nothing retailers have released this year has caught my interest. 

@Pacman you've been busy! I can't wait to see what you're up to this year ?. 

Sweets are expensive especially if you need a lot. From memory Iceland Warehouse (if you have one near by) have 100 Swizzles lollipops for £5 and nearer the time the best price on Haribo minibags.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Good to see you back on the ball Batley i been meaning to get back on the forum sooner but works been manic , keep up the good work with the news and links to halloween props accessories we all need a few breaks with money as it is we all got to try and cop a few bargains , every year my other half nags for me to give up decorating the front yard for halloween , unlike some of you guys my other half HATES IT , so i get grief right through until after the holiday but i think this will be my last big year of decorating to the scale i usually do , i am getting less time to build stuff on the run up to halloween and i don't get so much freebie timber etc as i used to so have been spending more on materials etc each year and cos we get usually over 350- 450 kids at least each halloween night and the sweets are getting so expensive last year cost us over £65 just for sweets without prop materials etc . i might finish with a traditional graveyard haunted crypt setup this year with some projector effects in the middle which has been one of my favorites over the years , but will see in the next few weeks , whats your theme this year ? here are a couple of pics of my workshop which i also built completely from scratch this summer FINALLY after 5 years in the planning .


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

We got a ton of cheap sweets off our local ice cream man as a friend of ours knows him well , he got them from the cash and carry for us at wholesale cost else gods knows how much it would cost us otherwise , i hope to get some from him again this year . And also to make it worse we got egged after all my hard work last halloween while i was putting my props away by local twats which just made my other half's argument about time to quit an even more stronger for case for quitting , i was a bit deflated after that i can tell you . And i built a western theme bar up the back garden for my daughters and their friends to come and chill out on those hot summer nights we been having so i been flat out as you can imagine lol here are a couple pics of that as well


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Pacman - I have workshop envy!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

*Pacman* that workshop is utterly brilliant! I'm so, so jealous! 

When it comes to woodwork and anything, you know actually useful I haven't got a clue.


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Someone posted this on Facebook from Costco


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Forgot to say it was £159.99 plus vat I think that’s a little to much but would love it.

Pac-Man love the bar and what a great work space


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## Kittykat85 (Aug 28, 2016)

pacman said:


> We got a ton of cheap sweets off our local ice cream man as a friend of ours knows him well , he got them from the cash and carry for us at wholesale cost else gods knows how much it would cost us otherwise , i hope to get some from him again this year . And also to make it worse we got egged after all my hard work last halloween while i was putting my props away by local twats which just made my other half's argument about time to quit an even more stronger for case for quitting , i was a bit deflated after that i can tell you . And i built a western theme bar up the back garden for my daughters and their friends to come and chill out on those hot summer nights we been having so i been flat out as you can imagine lol here are a couple pics of that as well
> View attachment 558593
> View attachment 558595
> View attachment 558597
> View attachment 558599


I know the feeling and it's close to heartbreak! Four years ago we spent just shy of 3k buying all new outdoor decorations from the states. Spent hours setting up and were really pleased with how it looked. Some dickheads came along and kicked two of the animatronics over. No big deal. Then a bit later they came with the eggs. Big messy deal. 
I was gutted and had an extremely selfish and angry thought "why am I spending so much time and money to make other people kids happy, I don't even like kids" 
(I love my own kid of course)
From then on I decided I would hire a venue and throw a huge Halloween party each year and use all my decorations there. That way people I trust can enjoy them and I don't have to worry about things being destroyed. 
At home I put out a few lights and inflatable ghost, pumpkin stack and Frankenstein. That's it. Nothing expensive through fear it will get ruined. 
Your solution with your bar is a great idea. Make Halloween special for you and your family/friends and don't let anyone else ruin it for you!


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## Kittykat85 (Aug 28, 2016)

joanneB said:


> Someone posted this on Facebook from Costco
> View attachment 558739


I'm getting a couple of these for my party (we've got a huge venue this year) and will be selling them after Halloween as I do a different theme each year so won't need them. So if anyone wants them after Halloween I'll advertise them on here along will all other items bought to go with the spider theme.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Hi guys thank you all for the kind words regarding the egging incident and also for your thoughts on my workshop or as my other half calls it my man cave , thankfully it was probably the most fun and possibly the BEST night we ever had on halloween with loads of friends and family dressing up and playing scarer roles , that was why at the end of the night it was such a shock to get egged , to me i got over it but with my other half its an ongoing thing that she thinks its the way it will be from now on as there are always someone who are jealous or just bad minded so that's why she wants me to quit now so this is my last year with big conventional props , i think i will phase down and go digital so at least i can still participate but with egging they cant do more damage than egg the windows , and Batley i bought a second hand projector for £40 off ebay and it was more than sufficient for the ATMOSFEAR dvds to project on , and they do have the wow factor for those who have not seen them before, joanneB the spider is frigging awesome , i don't like spiders but wow that looks the bee kness probably the best U.K. prop i seen so far this year albeit expensive , and Kittykat85 i would have been gutted if i had been you after your investment of time and money to create such a cool halloween setup with animatronics the eggs could have really damaged them let alone the mess etc and i will be looking at your after halloween auction of the spiders , does anyone know the actual size when fully setup ?


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

It’s around 13ft x 9ft it eyes light up and it makes a hiss noise


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

@ joanneB wow! Thanks for sharing... finally a decent prop ,the spider is amazing and would look so good on the roof. I wonder how big the box is and If it'll be available online.

Sorry to hear that @Kittykat85. Hope you'll post photos of your set up after Hallowee, sounds incredible.

Think I'll prep for egg throwers by returning the favour lol

@pacman - thanks! Had my eye on one on Amazon for £65 but I want two so will look around. Although I despise musicals I really like atmosfears Witching Hour. Think the kids will love that.

Looming Phantom now available on Costco for £99.99 for members.
https://www.costco.co.uk/Toys-Baby-...76-194-cm-Looming-Phantom-Decoration/p/257080
Costco is where it'a at this year ?


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

I have lots of the atmosfears I’m using witching hour this year did boo crew last year kids loved it.


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## revengemaiden (Sep 4, 2014)

Kittykat85 said:


> I know the feeling and it's close to heartbreak! Four years ago we spent just shy of 3k buying all new outdoor decorations from the states. Spent hours setting up and were really pleased with how it looked. Some dickheads came along and kicked two of the animatronics over. No big deal. Then a bit later they came with the eggs. Big messy deal.
> I was gutted and had an extremely selfish and angry thought "why am I spending so much time and money to make other people kids happy, I don't even like kids"
> (I love my own kid of course)
> From then on I decided I would hire a venue and throw a huge Halloween party each year and use all my decorations there. That way people I trust can enjoy them and I don't have to worry about things being destroyed.
> ...


OMG! It is so upsetting to hear that someone or a group could be so destructive! I am so sorry to hear about the destructive dickheads -- and I agree -- they ARE dickheads! 

I love the idea of hiring a venue and throwing a huge Halloween party! As I live in a tiny apartment, I have wanted to do that for years, literally, years! I have enough decorations to really decorate the heck out of a space! 

Please post photos of your Halloween party -- we would love to see what you come up with!


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

pacman said:


> Hi guys thank you all for the kind words regarding the egging incident and also for your thoughts on my workshop or as my other half calls it my man cave , thankfully it was probably the most fun and possibly the BEST night we ever had on halloween with loads of friends and family dressing up and playing scarer roles , that was why at the end of the night it was such a shock to get egged , to me i got over it but with my other half its an ongoing thing that she thinks its the way it will be from now on as there are always someone who are jealous or just bad minded so that's why she wants me to quit now so this is my last year with big conventional props , i think i will phase down and go digital so at least i can still participate but with egging they cant do more damage than egg the windows , and Batley i bought a second hand projector for £40 off ebay and it was more than sufficient for the ATMOSFEAR dvds to project on , and they do have the wow factor for those who have not seen them before, joanneB the spider is frigging awesome , i don't like spiders but wow that looks the bee kness probably the best U.K. prop i seen so far this year albeit expensive , and Kittykat85 i would have been gutted if i had been you after your investment of time and money to create such a cool halloween setup with animatronics the eggs could have really damaged them let alone the mess etc and i will be looking at your after halloween auction of the spiders , does anyone know the actual size when fully setup ?


I'm so sorry to hear this. People can be right sods these days can't they. That neighborhood doesn't deserve you imo. 

I'm glad to hear you're going the digital route as to my mind It seems to involve the least amount of set up for the greatest effect. I'm think (If I can afford it of course) of going that way too as I'm getting older and sicker and so setting even the most minimum of set pieces up take a lot out of me these days.

Trouble is I know very little about the ins and out of Digital. May I ask you what projector you bought and why?


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## BadgerSpanner (Apr 27, 2015)

Just bought my 9kg of Swizzles and 140 mini packs of Skittles, need to buy more next payday. 1000+ ToT'ers last year. *faints*


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Yikes, huge amount and of ToT, too! Hope you'll post your set up, would love to see it!

Poundland have flood lights for £2. I guess with colour film they'd work as spotlights? No bulb included though... not sure if it requires the soon to be banned halogen bulbs. Also £2 White spray paint for plastic. And off-white chalk style paint.


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## Bratwitch (Oct 30, 2013)

So sorry to hear about the issues you have been having Pacman and kittykat 85, it absolutely sucks when you put in all that time and effort, and cost too, have it spoiled by dickheads who are just out to cause trouble and spoil everyone's enjoyment of something good. We did the digital decoration thing last year, just in the one downstairs window, and it was worth it as it got a really good reaction. 

Love the western bar Pacman that looks really cool, you are obviously a very talented carpenter. 

Thanks for the spider post joanneB, it's the best prop I've seen here so far , along with the looming phantom which Batley posted a pic of, lol I can feel my Halloween budget groaning already and we aren't even out of August yet! 

Visited the local B and M store here at the weekend and they are slowly putting out some Halloween items, mostly kids and a few adult costumes so far. Also some door covers , halloween garlands and partyware.


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## Witchat1&70 (Mar 9, 2018)

I am so sorry to hear people’s bad experiences. My haunt is all indoors and aimed at under 10s. Also, no adult no kids, so I feel relatively easy about it, but I would be absolutely raging if that happened to me. I can can certainly understand why your OH is worried Pacman  On another note... 1,000 ToTers Werewolf? Blimey! And I thought 300 was a lot. Wow!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

That looks a brilliant deal Batley looking at the reviews seems to back it up , and what you have to remember if you are really just buying it for an odd use like halloween or a summer garden movie screening as i also did the 5,500 hours i think the projrectors bulb life was stated as would mean it would last for years , i might see if i can get one myself if finances permit , looks a brilliant deal .


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

I'm so sorry to hear that people have had bad experiences.. People really can suck sometimes! With all the care and effort that people put in to their displays, it's a real shame that there is a group of people who just don't appreciate it, and go all out to ruin it for everyone else.
I count myself lucky with my neighbourhood, as people have generally been kind... just someone taking a bucket of sweets left out for a moment unattended (but I suppose that was a golden opportunity for someone.. hope they got belly ache). Don't give up, Halloween die-hards. Those of us that love the holiday really appreciate the effort you go to. I love seeing people's set ups, and knowing that I'm not the only one out here. 

Love the spider prop.. that's big enough to make a great impact, especially with some strategic lighting on the roof! And the western bar looks amazing, I wish I was as skilled as that!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

I would say Batley for the likes of us who are looking for using the projector for halloween effects its a bargain , i am not so sure of the longevity of the projector if it is used for everyday use , nearly all the reviews are from people who bought it in the last month or 2 so the overall life span if used constantly well that remains to be seen but its definitely better than the resolution i have on my old second hand projector and that was impressive for the Atmosfear dvds , i would be interested once you have had it up and running to see if you can post a video as SIlverspike is interested in a projector unfortunately mine is packed away in a shed and i cannot remember the make , i think this one would be ideal for our general halloween display requirements. If that is the diameter of the spider then that is an awesome prop even for that money it could be the center-point of many themes and a real head turner especially with the right lighting effects applied .


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Cheers Batley looking forward to see its performance


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

B&M walkthrough:
https://youtu.be/R4z1dSaLPKM
Worth following the channel uploaded as he's on the ball with new releases.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Some nice stuff at B and M - will have to drive over to the bigger one near us. The werewolf looked nice. Wanted to grab the mister last year but missed out on the reduced ones after Halloween.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

same DandyBrit only prob for me is nearest B&M to me is 25 plus miles away in Ashford , i hope they got as much as this store .


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Another B&M video. Shows another animated clown and a maid:
https://youtu.be/xXuUg4P1qKQ It's a different store with the same stock so a good sign for nationwide.


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## Bratwitch (Oct 30, 2013)

I am hoping our local B & M store gets the clowns and werewolves. Seems to be a good range of items in the videos. thanks for those, Batley. TK Maxx finally has a view bits and pieces on their website now https://www.tkmaxx.com/uk/en/search/?q=halloween%3ApublishedDate-desc%3AstockLevelStatus%3AinStock%3A&page=1


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Not sure why TK think that a squirrel candle holder is halloween related?


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Had a nice surprise today to see Wilko have their halloween section open on their website.. 5ft skeleton for £15, can't say no!
I'm getting really frustrated watching the range walkthroughs from other towns.. can't wait for my local store to get itself in the halloween mood!


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Well folks this years Halloween merchandise seems as its going to be the same as last year as regards individual stores in individual areas , bloody hit and miss again , nothing whatsoever down here ANYWHERE so far , i will keep you informed as and when it does change even thought i think i am the only forum member this side of London and this side of Hampshire so not going to be a lot of use to anyone lol . 
HAS anyone started making props or serious organizing and planning for their halloween parties or yard displays yet ? or am i the only one whose way behind where i usually am with my preps ? would love to hear how you all are doing and what your up to , hoping to start to create some ideas by the weekend and prop making at some point this weekend . Batley your not over posting as many of us cannot find what you have kindly posted , your providing a service to our little community its only a problem if its too much for you regarding time you don't have otherwise your doing good .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

I don't think you overpost Batley. It's pretty much the only way us Brit Halloweenies can stay in touch. All info/updates is appreciated. You may see something everyone else misses.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Hows it going DandyBrit , your halloween plans coming together ? i really got to get my backside in gear i am well behind this year .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Pacman I was going to do a pirate theme at a friends house but I may do it at work now. I got the Asda pirate animatronic last year on sale and I'd like to do a pirate cave in the bay window area in the visitor centre. I just have to persuade my line managers. I've got most of the stuff anyway - just need a new carriage for my cannon.
You've been so busy building that cool bar so you've got a good excuse.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

I love doing the Pirate stuff DandyBrit , i made my carriage for my cannons from pallet wood and 3 x2 or CLS from Wickes , the metal fixtures i fixed the down pipe with which i used to make the barrel of the cannons i got from the pound-shop . The hardest part was the wheels , i cut some smaller half inch ply together to make about 2 inch thickness then found something round enough that would be roughly what i wanted for the wheel size marked it then jigsawed it out , then sanded it with an orbital sander pad on a battery drill to get a perfectly round wheel shape , i used a broom Handel to connect the wheels to the carriage as was cheaper than buying dowels and then a coat wood stain and some black spray to age and distress it all . If i can give you any tips let me know , my fav pirate prop was my gibbet with skellie in and took less than a day to make one weekend and is a big prop , i used the £15 skellie from wilkos as i knew i would leave it in permanent


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^Nice!! Thanks for the offer Pacman - if I get stuck I'll shout out. 

I quite fancy a gibbet but it may be a little bit too scary - we have a lots of teenies come in and some can be a bit timid. I do already have a foot-stocks so I may pop my Wilko skelly in them, with a bottle of rum to keep him happy.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

pacman said:


> Well folks this years Halloween merchandise seems as its going to be the same as last year as regards individual stores in individual areas , bloody hit and miss again , nothing whatsoever down here ANYWHERE so far , i will keep you informed as and when it does change even thought i think i am the only forum member this side of London and this side of Hampshire so not going to be a lot of use to anyone lol .
> HAS anyone started making props or serious organizing and planning for their halloween parties or yard displays yet ? or am i the only one whose way behind where i usually am with my preps ? would love to hear how you all are doing and what your up to , hoping to start to create some ideas by the weekend and prop making at some point this weekend . Batley your not over posting as many of us cannot find what you have kindly posted , your providing a service to our little community its only a problem if its too much for you regarding time you don't have otherwise your doing good .


I don't know where posters on here are situated but I always find that those north of the border seem to get Halloween stuff earlier then those down south. In fact where I am in the London area stuff can be incredibly late in turning up! The only exception being TK Maxx who always have their seasonal stuff out miles early.


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

I found some stuff! Finally tk maxx to the rescue, it's a start anyway!








I know what you mean, silver spike. I'm suffolk, and nothing gets released early. I suppose the build up and anticipation is fun though. Just makes me be more creative. I've started on my haunt pacman.. i hope others have too! Love seeing progress pics. 

You definitely don't over post, Batley. It's always good to get the heads up and hear from halloweenies.


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## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Silver Spike said:


> I don't know where posters on here are situated but I always find that those north of the border seem to get Halloween stuff earlier then those down south. In fact where I am in the London area stuff can be incredibly late in turning up! The only exception being TK Maxx who always have their seasonal stuff out miles early.


Wait, you have TK Maxx?  That's pretty much like our TJ Maxx!!  The name reminds me of an off brand of cereal. Like instead of Fruit Loops it's Froot Rings. They look the same but they never taste quite as good as the name brand.

Here in the states it's usually the opposite, the South will have Halloween before us Mid-Atlantic or Northerners do. We also have a holiday coming up on Monday (Labor Day) & many schools don't start until after that so they wait for that to be over & THEN move in Halloween AND Christmas.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^I think it's the same company but for some reason they changed the name slightly.

I'm not sure about the earlier arrival of Halloween stock in the north? I've always been jealous that you get stuff before we do here in the North.


Checking out B and M this weekend hopefully - will try to get pics if Hubby will oblige with the I-Phone.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

.

Here's an unboxing of the Costco spider, the box is smaller than I thought which is a bonus. Hopefully they'll add it online.
https://youtu.be/50AxtwDMZhk

Another The Range walk through, person filming activates a lot of props:
https://youtu.be/N3aKVmk2Buo

I've ordered the essentials and will worry about finishing touches 2 weeks before Halloween, otherwise I'll spend hundreds over budget on items I like than what I need. I'm sure the kids will be happy with whatever.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

I know what you mean Silver Spike , but the gibbet was right at the front of my yard display last year and the tots don't really take it in i think because it was so tall , as for the stocks i have made them as well lol again pounshop hinges and bolts with pallet wood frame , easy less than a days work if you got half reasonable tools fair bit of jigsaw work if i remember correctly , and i let kids have their photos taken in mine lol ? well done Batley , i love the spider but too expensive for me but what a great prop especially as a centrepoint in a yard or even house or room display . Good to hear you got your display underway lucidhalloween , what is your theme this year ? and you know RCIAG there's an old saying here in the U.K. when America sneezes England catches a cold , we have quite a few companies from the states operating not always under the same name as you over there , WALMART is the owner of our superstore ASDA and as you know TK MAXX is the same we used to have WOOLWORTH but that's gone now , but i am guessing there's a lot more we don't know about with different names .


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Hobbycraft have a small range, mostly little bits, ideal if you have a Halloween tree.
https://youtu.be/QJz64ojrPwM
https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/occasions/halloween/halloween-party-decorations

The little wooden pumpkin sign is good for £1. They have small carveable polystyrene pumpkins in-store for £1. Nice to see them in the UK even if they are the size of an orange...


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

TOP MARKS Batley your definitely our go to guy for merchandise updates , please keep up the good work i actually didn't know hobby-craft did so much halloween stuff whether my local branch has it is another matter lol , its right next to our branch of THE RANGE so i got good excuse to go look now.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

I like the little coffin from HobbyCraft - I would think about that one seriously.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^ I love your little model!


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

YES Anything is doable Batley sounds great already what you have thought up , if it were me i would also think about making a fake older style window facade over the modern shed window to look like old windows with possibly broken glass , not real of course , its all about the visual look its not got to be perfect either Batley , have you set your budget for the project as i always try to do that first else it may run away with you as your Creation juices run , believe me i,ve been there lol. 
DandyBrit i was sorting through some of my old halloween pics from years gone by found 2 pics of my stocks i made here they are i used 3x2 or CLS if you buy similar from wickes and pallet wood .


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

And here is a picture with my skellie in for size







you can see i used pound-shop hasp and staples to lock the stocks together with they were bright chrome finish so i hit them with black paint when i aged it .







here you can see the broom handle drilled through the bottom of the gun carriage holding the plywood wheels on which i sprayed flat black black 







and here you can see i used CLS for the sides and front of my cannon carriages on thick ply base , all fittings to hold the cannon barrel on were from the pound-shop , including black straps painted with flat black spray paint as they were white and chrome effect.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Thanks for that Pacman. Those are much better than my original gun carriage which was made from heavy duty fruit boxes from the supermarket. It worked OK but had to go eventually due to the wear and tear from moving it in and out of storage for events at work.

The stocks are great too - mine were knocked up very quickly from scrap wood we had - I'll jazz them up with plastic chains.

Just need the bosses to agree!!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Went into Poundland today and the self-service tills have now been programmed so they sound like Elvis!

When it gives you change it says "Shake, rattle and roll". How cheesy is that!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Hi all , Batley its as i said earlier you are creating an illusion , it just has to pass to fool the little ones on the night and like a great book or novel if you get their imagination going then you have succeeded as long as you can there their imagination halfway there their imagination will fill in the gaps and will do the rest believe me , i have had former kids and friends of my daughters tell me about their favorite halloween themes from years past that i have done and there recollections are far more elaborate and better than i actually did lol . The main thing enjoy it , sorry DandyBrit didn't know you had all the props already made , have you made a ships wheel yet ? i fixed my pose and stay skellie to mine and made the skellie into a ships captain that looked good on the night and i am guessing would look great in your setup , and laugh my head off i went into my pound-land today and used the self service till at first thought it was some sort of weird electronic voice as it was quite noisey in there until i finished and the voice said thank you very much in that mock Elvis accent lol .


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Batley i found a picture of the fake facade witch house i did 3 years ago , hope there's some ideas for you , i remember now i used 5mm plywood painted red/brown then discolored all over then i measured and marked them out and jigsawed them out and fixed them individually onto tile batten but you could use painted cardboard and glue it onto thicker card and cable tie it over the edge of your existing shed if you didn't want to use straw . Here is a couple pics to get your juices going i bought the swamp witch from the states it was nearly £200 but great moving prop .









here are a few witch bottles i made for props for the witches shack


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

That's what I'm aiming for, that's perfect. Thanks for posting the pic and all your advice, noted, much appreciated.

Edit: all those bottles too. Yikes, incredible attention to detail!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

It's OK Pacman - I'm always looking to improve. 

As I said the cannon needs a new carriage so I might make it out of wood this time. You've given me a head start on the design with your pictures. 

I have a ships wheel (out of cardboard again). My skeleton would look good steering it so I just have to find a way of standing him up. He isn't a Pose and Stay, just a cheap Wilko's £15 job.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

DandyBrit i had trouble with my pose and stay so i am guessing the wilko one may be a bit more of a problem but good luck , i used a broom handle attached to a wooden base hidden in the back of the skellie tied with cable ties at the back and nape of his neck . The bottles Batley were all those pound-shop party popper things that spit paper when you pull the little chord Batley , i just bought some gloss spray in different colours and then used a few real bottles with coloured liquid in to add variety and different sizes and shapes , and of course some cork bungs or stoppers and very fine grade hessian material and string for the tops , and added a few cheap costume charms from e bay bought at few pence each from china in advance . Again if i can be of help to anyone let me know .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Went to B and M yesterday - no pics as it was just the same stuff as Batley has already posted on here. The hanging clown for £19.99 seems overpriced. Most of the items are maybe the same or a little higher in price than last year.

Dropped lucky when I went to the Nottcutts garden centre nearby - they were selling off the small tubs of Decopatch varnish cover for £1. It usually sells for £9.99! Hopefully it will stay good until I can use it.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

?.......


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

I know very little about projectors but it looks pretty good to me.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

From the photos its hard to gauge definitively but i think you got a great little projector for what you paid Batley , its definitely as good if not superior to my projector which was a second hand one which originally cost over £300 , i noticed from the reviews though Batley a few of the purchasers went into the settings and got a much better final result after fine tweaking the settings as many said the default settings were not as good as the projectors capabilities , have a read through the reviews on Amazon and you will find them , i,m betting even though you got great results as with most things which come with default or factory settings with a little tweaking you would be even more pleased , see if there's any videos relating to your projector on YOUTUBE .
also what arrived today i got 30 plus fake cockroaches from china which i bought on e -bay for £3 inc postage and packing hoping to do a bug infestation type prop , cheap and cheerful but if done correctly a real skin crawler on the night i,m thinking with a broken vent with them stuck onto plywood as if there pouring out from the broken vent lol , let me know what you think , and they just took over three weeks from buying to arrival so if you guys want to get some there's plenty of time left.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^Pacman - even in the packaging those are GROSS.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

They are really realistic i put one on my missus phone tonight and told her her mum had called , she jumped about 3ft when she went to pick it up , then took a few biscuits into my daughter with a cup of tea with one hidden under the biscuits in the bowl , yes she dropped the bowl halfway through lol ..... they work EUREKA i am hoping they will be even more realistic in the dark lol.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

?.......


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## Ashy_toi (Jul 28, 2018)

Hey guys I've just had the pleasure of reading through tour posts. Your as busy as I am this year it looks like. 
I hope you don't mind me joining in on your community here.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

The more participants to the thread the better the thread in general, welcome @Ashy_toi !!!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Pacman - you have a cruel streak. I love it.

Ashy - welcome to the "over the pond gang". All barmpots are welcome here.


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## Ashy_toi (Jul 28, 2018)

I'm glad to be here. This year is our first propper display as it our second Halloween in our house. Last year we tested the water to see how many people would actually come around trick or treating. 
I'm doing an hollusions with a witch grotto and a little grave yard with some singing pumpkins I think. I've got my work cut out for me to get it right though.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

I like the set-up Batley - I think it worked very well.


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Good to see you and your creations back on the thread Pacman! The new shed look AHHHMAZING!! I deffo have shed envy!! I've used the cockroaches and spiders on a costume in the past.. glued them on an overhead mask, totally covered & overlapped, done the same on a pair of gloves and wore them with an old boiler suit I'd painted my own "Rent-to-kill" logos over it!! Went down a storm!!

Came to give the heads up about Sillyjokes closing down sale, that Bately's already mentioned above, but some really good peripheral bits at sensible prices! (I'm stocking up on cobwebs... go through tons of it every yerar, no matter what theme!) 
https://www.sillyjokes.co.uk/party-supplies/decoration/halloween-decorations/

Nice to see the themes shaping up for everyone! The arachnid theme is a real winner, KittyKat! I love the pirates too Dandy! It is crap to hear about the bad experiences from twats ruining displays. Have only ever had a few over zealous young ones pulling props on the garden displays, but we usually have a private party so thankfully never had too much trouble... till the vodka jelly shots and the wheel of fortune come out... haahaha!!

This year I'm only updating the cemetery theme for the front garden display on the big night and revisiting the chopshop for our party. I've left it a bit late this year, but throwing myself in 200% this month!!!

Bately - thanks for all the retail updates, not much out down south, so nice to see whats coming. Also, how big an area do you want the floodlight to cover? Ive bough 10w ones in the past, only really good for lighting individual props/areas. I use 2 30w ones to light up a 5m x 4m garden.... will try & find a pic!


Sorry for the huge post!!!


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Bately - an idea of the size of the yard during the day:

























*Then, with the two 30w Floodlights. place on the floor, pointing about 40ish degrees up:*


























I thought the throw of the lights was very small, perfect for the garden, but if you have a larger area to light up, I'd go to the 50w. 
I had the projector running in the large window, which lit up the driveway for the ToTer's!


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## Ashy_toi (Jul 28, 2018)

What lights did you use for this? I need something for ambient lighting.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Posted edited due to privacy reasons


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Ashy_toi said:


> What lights did you use for this? I need something for ambient lighting.



Not at all dissimilar from these that bately's bought - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XJ4PNDK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Brilliant bang for the buck!



Batley said:


> @Dandybrit thanks!
> 
> @EDP wow! Your set up is brilliant, day time it looks excellent but the lighting really does make a big difference. Thanks so much for sharing the pictures, that's the kind of look I want to achieve. I did buy these 30w lights as they was in Amazon warehouse for £27 the pair. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XJ4PNDK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . I haven't got a big space to work so hopefully they'll be enough. I will try out at the weekend. Also, looking for a light for the window upstairs and conservatory. Now filling up a basket on Silly Jokes I love the tree prop! (Rip budget, gonna have to be coal for everyone this Christmas...)


Thanks Bately! Your lights are virtually identical to mine, I've just ordered another 2!!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Posted edited due to privacy reasons


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Thanks EPD for your comments on my shed/workshop as you know its took me enough time to get around to doing it lol , and snap its going to be my final year of big effort yard setups and maybe halloween yard setups altogether but i hope to finish with my favorite setup the good old graveyard scenario ??? now as my girls are 19 and 23 they would like to go out and do our own thing at halloween like ghost walks or meals in haunted pub/hotels etc and i started proper big time with my halloween setups when they were 1 and 5 although been putting stuff out for halloween a lot longer lol , plus i am finding the cost of sweets and even with my being able to source some materials for making cheap props for free the other bits are costing too much .
Batley the projector is as i said probably ideal for occasional use as for the purpose you have bought it for same as why i bought mine but i wouldn't want to bet that with regular use like every night etc for it to last for years even though it may be fine , but from the video its a bargain for us halloween projector effect nuts and you WILL get some cool remarks i guarantee as people wont be expecting you to take it too the next level.
And Ashy_toi hell yes your more than welcome , we only setup the U.K. link as we Brits struggle unlike our cousins across the sea to get good halloween supplies and props etc and so try to aid each other finding this stuff in our country this localized link serves a purpose as you may have noticed , just jump in and chat with us whenever .


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

Hi all, Pacman invited me over to here, I'm new to the forum and new to making props. I hope to pick up some ideas and tips. 
I'm currently living in Somerset, near a sleepy town called Somerton. I seem to be the only person for miles that goes all out for Halloween. 
Can I ask how long you put your props and decorations out for? I usually only do the one night but it takes all day to set up..


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Welcome aboard @Khanidge. I do the same as you, decorate outside only on the day itself. I don't do much but it also takes all day. I would prefer to put decorations out for longer to get value for money but they'd most likely get pinched or damaged. I do put craved pumpkins out the week before with the days until carved in it so people passing by know ToT will be welcome. I hope you'll post pics of your set up and any props you build!!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Batley I like the days countdown idea. I know a lot of the American haunters have countdown boards etc. Pumpkins is a really nice way of doing this.


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Khanidge said:


> Hi all, Pacman invited me over to here, I'm new to the forum and new to making props. I hope to pick up some ideas and tips.
> I'm currently living in Somerset, near a sleepy town called Somerton. I seem to be the only person for miles that goes all out for Halloween.
> Can I ask how long you put your props and decorations out for? I usually only do the one night but it takes all day to set up..


Hello from across the border in Wilts...! 



Batley said:


> I projected the pumpkin hologram onto the back of the Costco pumpkin but as you can see the projector light still projects a rectangle of light. Not sure if I've done something wrong but it'll ruin the effect for that purpose.


Drape a black rug behind them, that'll soak up some of the additional light spill. Fleecey type ones work best in my experience. Or, you could use some gaffa tape, or black card, (anything opaque really) to make a frame around your projector lens to block it out that way


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Thanks. I look for the biggest pumpkins lto carve 3 days countdowns onto 1 pumpkin. Just have to rotate it. Usually last 3 days which is good as I am cheap lol.

Many thanks for those tips, didn't think of that. I'm a novice with technology so I really do appreciate your advice!

I wish ASDA would reveal their products already.

8 weeks yesterday until the day itself, yikes!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Just read an article about the future of Halloween at Asda.

Here's the URL to it on the Halloweenerrific website https://halloweenerrific.co.uk/halloween-suppliers/the-future-of-halloween-at-asda


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

These are cool to make cheap lollipops more of a novelty for ToT: https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/50pcs-DIY-...?hash=item2f2198e052Ⓜ️miyf8SK8U0LQoidBupfWBkw


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

Hi Batley, I'm having a little difficulty with my comp with adding pics ect and Im limited on how i can reply on my mobile, but you can see some crappy images on my insta account of some of last years display, I'm currently attempting to make a giant "Jack Pumpking Head" I'm hoping the whole prop will stand around 10-12 feet high, I've started on the head and that is going to be around 4 foot diameter. theres other things id like to make but time is tight with only 8ish weeks left. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba7eGQwAk9Q/?taken-by=supachippie


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Fake gemmy pumpkin £14.99

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B07GJYVZXF/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

Lidl Halloween in 11th October


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

No worries. I love your set up in the video, the graveyard detail is very cool. The floating candles pathway is excellent! Jack prop sounds impressive and I doubt you'll need much else with a prop of that size. Hope you get it done it time, best of luck!

I'm pleased the pumpkin prices will be cheap I assumed the summer we had could mean a poor harvest. Novelty crisps are good but not much else exciting at Lidl. Thanks for sharing the image!


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

I know where your coming from Khanidge , i haven't even started my props this year usually i have got under way back in the summer , this weekend is a must on an early morning trip to WICKES as they got the offer on plywood at the mo so hopefully i can start on my cemetery gate posts , and good to see you on this link , i like to sound of your huge jack pumping head , i loved your floating candles on last years setup and i hope you can post some photos of your upcoming prop on this link soon , have you got a computer ? i load my pics onto my computer put them in a folder and upload them that way through the little picture icon third from the right in the last box above where we type in the quick reply section , although i still keep getting portrait pics displaying as landscapes ..... lol its me age lol , and great tips there EPD really great ideas to stop the light bleed through , that reminds me i need to dig out my projector and see if all,s working well this weekend as well ..... going to be a bloody busy one i,m thinking all . Batley keep up the brilliant work with updates on supplies and halloween products its invaluable to have someone like yourself on it and you too JoanneB thanks and keep it up as its saving us all hours of surfing the net and freeing up valuable time for more important things like prop making in time for the big day seeing as its rapidly approaching , i hope to see some prop progress photos at the end of this weekend if everyone can get time to take and post them , that should really get us all motivated ..... HOPEFULLY .


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

I forgot to say guys my most favorite British horror film of all time is being released on special edition Blu-ray on October 22nd , its old its dated but if you like old horror films its a must see , and its a bloody classic its based on an M. R. James short story called casting the runes , i have put a link for you in case any of you fancy checking it out , i do warn you the special effects look really dated but to me its still one of the best British horror films ever and a childhood favorite of mine and i watch it EVERY Halloween to get me in the mood , here,s the link 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07G24T8F4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
also another classic old ghost story also comes out October as well THE UNINVITED again old but a classic 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Uninvited-...&qid=1536273762&sr=1-1&keywords=the+uninvited
by the way whats your most favorite horror film ever ? would like to hear from you all ......
AND YES I HAVE PRE - ORDERED IT lol


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

/ accidentally posted again, was meant to edit post.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Poundland have stock out, well in one store at least:
https://bit.ly/2NUAHNu

Standard items but if you look close at image #1 - grave raiser (skull/arms) and image #3 bottom left - black bird cage? I'll be very impressed if those items are in the £1/2 range. I tried zooming into the price but no luck.

The URLs for Facebook are too long and thus caused a broken links and messed my post, so I used a URL shortener.

Update:
They also have Christmas stock out in another store, coloured LED wine bottles... Perfect for DIY labels. https://bit.ly/2wNTi7G

Another stores Halloween but without the two decent items, not a good sign: https://bit.ly/2M7A9Ca

Thanks for the recommendations @pacman - I will add them to my list. I'm going to try and watch a film a day during October... I am yet to even watch the classics...

Projector update: If you leave them a decent review after purchasing they'll send you a free stand for it... so many of the reviews are biased. Yeah. I'm happy with it thus far but I've only used it ten minutes. Just FYI if you are considering buying it.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

I'm a classics girl for horror films. Love all the Hammer and Amicus ones. But if a film has Peter Cushing in it I will watch it - he is top of my list for actors in this genre. Even the really cheesy ones like "The Beast must Die". It even has a werewolf break built in so that you can guess who the werewolf is.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

By the looks of it somewhere those poundshop bird cages have hit the shelves judging by this ebay sale.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BNWT-10-...231927?hash=item59124e9fb7:g:bzgAAOSwU1hbkky1

A good chance to see what they look like close up.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

They must be £1 instore then. Looks great up close. Stock is being put out in my local store today (East Midlands). I'll have to pop in after work tomorrow.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^I really don't know how they have the nerve to put on a mark-up like that.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

DandyBrit said:


> ^I really don't know how they have the nerve to put on a mark-up like that.


Oh you haven't seen the half of it. I've seen stuff marked up 5 times of more. Also It may turn out these cages are slightly more? I mean for a few years now they've been putting up the process of certain items to £2 and £5 pounds depending what they are.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

I did wonder about it being £2/5 but usually those items have their own shelf with different colour label strip and a big sign 'WOW £2' lol. Plus, I image that resellers markup would be a lot more if so. I'm probably wrong but fingers crossed for it being £1!

Update: not a grave skelly, its a mask with hand:
https://twitter.com/8mmNetwork/status/1035847416484950016?s=19


Vampire Prop now available on Costco (£119.89 members price).
https://www.costco.co.uk/c/Halloween-6ft-182cm-Vampire-Host-With-Bat-Decoration/p/257081

Spider haa been removed hopefully only temporary.

All props:

https://www.costco.co.uk/search/?text=Halloween


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

DandyBrit said:


> ^I really don't know how they have the nerve to put on a mark-up like that.


This annoys me to high heaven with the ebay flippers


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Well on a whim I visited my local large branch of Poundland, and they already had a fair few bit of stuff out, including those cages. And yes they are only £1 each thank god. I ended up buying three of them as I hope they can be customised. 

I also bought yet another of those skull half masks (I did get some when they had them last years but couldn't resist buying one more) again for customizing.

They also had these little Halloween light up cloche's in two different designs. When I got them home and put the batteries in (god they took enough!) It was quite underwhelming I'm afraid. I'd love to try and get the dome off to add something else, but so far no luck.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

We have two Poundlands in our town. One has no Halloween stock out yet (will have to chivvy the sister-in-law along as she works there). The other has most of what has been posted already (but not the bird-cages). But they did have some stock which may have been from last year - not really sure. It was reduced to clear so I picked up a set of the BOO light up letters (was £5 reduced to £2 - don't mind paying that but wouldn't have paid £5). They also had the little houses that lit up if anyone is interested? I think they were £2 as well. They only had 5 or 6 on the shelf so if it's something you are dying to have I can grab one for you.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Do you mean the little house under a cloche or the bigger ones covered in glitter that came in silver or purple?


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

The glittery ones. Not to my personal taste but I suppose someone might be desperate for one. Do you think they are last years stock - I think I remember them from 2017.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

You got a bargain there @DandyBrit! Pleased the cages are £1, thanks for confirming @SilverSpike. I think theres a picture of the house in last years thread.

Been to Iceland Warehouse again. 70 bags of mini Haribo are £5 and 130 Swizzles lollipops (fruity or chalky) for £5.


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Really want the Vampire Host from costco


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

DandyBrit said:


> The glittery ones. Not to my personal taste but I suppose someone might be desperate for one. Do you think they are last years stock - I think I remember them from 2017.


Well I don't mind a bit of vintage style glitter now and again. Do they still have any left?


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

There were a few on the shelves this afternoon - in both colours. Do you want some picking up? I could nip out tomorrow before work. How many and what colour?


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Oh thanks.  I'd like a purple one If possible. If not any colour will do. They did't do orange did they? Any idea how much will the postage be?


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

I think they have purple ones and silver ones. Not sure what the postage would be - not that expensive I don't think though. I'll go out in the morning if possible and snag one for you.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Thanks for that. Best of luck!


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Thanks all for the pound-land updates , really annoys me the profiteers who buy the stuff cheap then hike the prices right up on e-bay , i know its a free market in this country but what about not ripping other people off , we are being encouraged to become a nation of con artists and self centered greedy money grabbers , some prices are just ridiculous . I bought 8 of the skeleton masks with the skeleton hands attached last year these are EXCELLENT for modifying i used them on one of my clown booths as part of the booth feature , they would be excellent on gravestones , hope my local pound-shop got some in i am going to town after my early morning WICKES visit , if anyone is interested or needed plywood there's some good deals at WICKES this month on plywood , and CLS or otherwise known as stud-work timber , great for basic prop construction . i will see if my pound-land has much and if so post pictures .


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Home Bargains:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnQsisnHQ2P/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link swipe the picture to see more. Noteable item is a large hanging skelly.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Spike - got you a purple house! There is a slight bit of damage to the little tree on the right of the front of the building but for £2 it's hardly noticeable. It was the best of the bunch - they must be 2017 stock and they've been stuck in the warehouse somewhere.


I'll find a box to pack it in at work today if I can, and we'll sort out the delivery.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

DandyBrit said:


> Spike - got you a purple house! There is a slight bit of damage to the little tree on the right of the front of the building but for £2 it's hardly noticeable. It was the best of the bunch - they must be 2017 stock and they've been stuck in the warehouse somewhere.
> 
> 
> I'll find a box to pack it in at work today if I can, and we'll sort out the delivery.


Thank you so much! Let me know how much extra for the postage. Do you have paypal or should I send you a cheque?


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Batley said:


> Home Bargains:
> https://www.instagram.com/p/BnQsisnHQ2P/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link swipe the picture to see more. Noteable item is a large hanging skelly.


They had those large skeelies last year, only not in my stores. I suspect unless anything radical happens It will be the same this years.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

My local HB skips all the decent items as well. I think its a common theme in all the retailers here. Its a shame they don't have a better range available online.

This outdoor light was a bargain for £4.49. looks like moving shards of glass/ flames. Again, image doesn't reflect irl quality. 

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Moving-LED...rentrq:b8de67b81650aa1a017ed82effff3c9a|iid:1

Needs EU/UK adapter.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Oh thanks for that. I just bought a more expensive version of this last week, but it did come fitted to a UK plug. I liked it so much I've decided to take a chance and buy one form this as well. It's not the kinda light that travels very far If used outside, but in the right set up very effective. Last year I had the orange flames version as part of my set up. 

Anyone recommend a good plug adapter?


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

They have the plug adaptors in our local Home Bargains and B&M - 99p

Or, if you're feeling flush... £1.29 at Argos!! https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9827590


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Oooh thanks for that.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Most welcome! I never buy anything until I find the best price lol. It looked great when I tried it outside, I'm hoping to light the pathway with it. Lol I need to turn off email notifications, I should be working! Hoping to pop in Poundland on the way back.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Small section in my local PL, Inc cages. A sign on the shelf mentioned the full product range will be available from Oct 1st. Hoping for new items. Nothing new elsewhere. Yet again the town Halloween forgot.

Tested both the flood lights and dome light outside and despite the illumination from the street lamp, they look great, hooray. Highly recommend both.

What electronic extension leads do you guys use for your outside electronics? Would a surge tower in a box with lid work? I don't really want to purchase many outdoor extension leads for 4 hours use.

hope everyones plans are coming along nicely!


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Yesterday was a wash out for me my early morning WICKES visit came straight off the rails as they had taken the 25% plywood discount off Friday and yesterday was the earliest i could get in there so cost me £12.50 more than i wanted for starters , and then went into town especially to source some halloween stuff for modifying , especially as some of you guys seem to be getting some fairly good stock out already , we got 2 big POUND-LANDS in Maidstone and this was all they had between the 2 of them ? 


























i got two of the light up skulls which looks pretty good . 







but a very poor amount of stock at the moment . Time i got back started to move a ton of stuff up my garden to get to my old fake fence to try to work out what size pillars to make etc it had gone midday , after more sorting i got fed up and went in by 2 so not a good start lol.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Some of this ^ is definitely last years stock. The "was £5, now £2" is last year I think. I liked the BOO signs so went back and got another one. Plan to make a board for them with a countdown on maybe? Not sure yet - Batley's pumpkin countdown gave me the impetus to try it.

Some of this (small skulls etc) which looks new stock isn't in our branch.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Thanks for the pics @pacman. those reapers are a bargain at £2.

Airblown inflatable black cat £24.99. Not usually a fan of these but this one looks great. ASDA sold it years back iirc.

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/HOMCOM-Hal...713325&hash=item5911ebbcaf:g:bncAAOSwwFJbhpEj

I'm looking for the best price on large spiders now, thus far 125cm for £5.17 or Best Offer on eBay. 

150cm £6.04 on Amazon

50cm in Wilko £5


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

I agree DandyBrit in fact those little mummy heads etc are stock from two years previous , as for the spiders Batley this week and next will probably be the best time to get them , you know how the prices increase as we get closer to the big day and also how stuff goes out of stock as well , i know to get the bargains you have to gamble on there being stock left for them to mark down but down here it never happens i found i have to buy it when i see it usually soon as , cos if it goes i never see it again , the proof is in the pudding with places like the pound shop happy to store it until the next year or as we have seen even the year after that rather than reduce it down .


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Yeah, that's true. I'm buying essentials now and for finishing touches rely on the pre-Halloween sale, proving they happen this year.


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## Ashy_toi (Jul 28, 2018)

I was just searching the local market place on Facebook for Halloween and stumbled across this. I don't know if it's worth an enquiry for somebody.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1877566658956129/
Maybe get some stock in for a few years down the line I dunno.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Hadn't really thought of looking on sites like that for Halloween stuff - might try it. Blackburn is a bit far for me though. 

I wish we got Halloween stuff in charity shops here in the UK like they do in the GoodWill shops in the US - never do though.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Yeah, occasionally nearer the time we get stuff in the charity shops around here, but It's few and far in between.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

B&M stock ia now listed online, although you can't buy online its helpful to see prices. Again, its hit a miss what items your local store carries.

The spider and ghost projector lights are now £7.99 which is better value. I paid £20 for the ghost one in ASDA last year. https://www.bmstores.co.uk/products/halloween/halloween-lights

Window peepers are £4.99 which is good value.
https://www.bmstores.co.uk/products/halloween/halloween-decorations?filter=2 

https://www.bmstores.co.uk/products/halloween


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Thanks all for the heads up about the poundland birdcages.. been and got one, and my skeleton bird fits perfectly so really happy with that.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Too far for me to DandyBrit lol , and same as Silver Spike we got naff all in our charity shops halloween related , and excellent work Batley keep those updates coming , i quite like the halloween stuff in B&M especially the hanging props around £16-£20 price range , good to see you got a birdcage for your skellie bird 
lucidhalloween we got bugger all like that down here yet .


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

I found some cheaper higher watt LED lights. Available in green, blue, white. I do prefer the multicolour ones but these are good value if you know which colour you want.


50w green £10.75
70w blue £13.75,
70w green £14.05


https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-70W-20W...&hash=item1a5a7edb52Ⓜ️mgbESsS81OVfchlhKEgHQPQ

Edit: more colours instock here:

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/10W-20W-30...m=163163302876&_trksid=p2056116.c100930.m5375


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

They look excellent Batley but because they are floodlights you need to mount them i have the old halogen floodlights which get so bloody hot you cannot touch them , these would be great for what we do and i will think about replacing mine eventually to these LEDSs as there's no heat from them and far cheaper to run , i made a simple box type structure up for each of my floodlights and painted the inside black to help keep out moisture and to help hide the sighting of the lights when on display , this also aids to protect them from being knocked and broken and as they are supposed to be in a fixed position not moved about but as long as you make a platform of a flat bit of 18mm ply or something similar painted or stained to help keep the moisture out and screw them down tight it would be be easier to position in your display without risk of knocking them over and breaking them , and if you don't want to create a box type structure like me this would be the easiest and quickest way.


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Was just reading on a Facebook uk Halloween group about only giving out wrapped sweets. I have always given a mix of both as children seem to like jelly snakes .It seems like such a waste if people or just putting them in the bin.But will cost lots more if I just give out wrapped sweets.


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## BadgerSpanner (Apr 27, 2015)

joanneB said:


> Was just reading on a Facebook uk Halloween group about only giving out wrapped sweets. I have always given a mix of both as children seem to like jelly snakes .It seems like such a waste if people or just putting them in the bin.But will cost lots more if I just give out wrapped sweets.


I only give out wrapped sweets, we find that a lot of the local parents throw the loose sweets away if they're not eaten there and then, they also tend to collect any detritus in their trick or treat bags :-/


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

I put them in cone bags that I fasten with ribbon but will look at different sweets now


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

We had around 100 kids visit last year we had a massive assortment of cakes and sweets, all donated from the local residents that didn't get involved in decorating their homes. But then I live in a sleepy village. 
Anyone started making props yet?


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Thanks for the info @pacman. I'll stick to the ones from Amazon that have a built in stand . 

I also only hand out pre-packaged sweets for the same reason. 

I'm currently waiting for a papermache cylinder to dry, hopefully it will somewhat resemble a chimney when I'm finished . I'm having to be extremely cheap with DIY decorations as I will have to dispose of them after Halloween.

I bought this 3 piece ToT sign as a finishing touch, looks better in the other photos. Best price I found as the seller accepted £7.50 best offer.
https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-in-1-TRI...rentrq:cfba383e1650ad4b1565d1fcfff99222|iid:1


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

@batley I've had to take a few days off work this week and took advantage of the Time off and got started on a few bits. The grey bignosed hairy wart fella is supposed to be a giant candle, I need to finish painting him and add the flickering light bulb. The other big brow blob thingy will hopefully resemble a giant pumpkin, but I keep running out of paper.... Loads still to make...


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

I always feel a bit funny about giving out unwrapped sweets.. thankfully found poundland bag of eyeballs are all separately wrapped and kids seems to love them. I just buy a load of those and everyone's happy.

I'm doing the same thing, Batley.. trying to make the most of cardboard and paint props that I don't feel too bad about getting rid of post halloween. I was lucky and got an eBay bundle to fit in with my theme this year. That never happens, so I was over the moon to score that!


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

This year Im going to try and have some nice lights I want lights on my gutter been so hard to get them in Halloween colours. Had to go with purple Icicle lights but can’t get them in black wire. But they only cost me £5 a set so will get a can of black spray paint. I plan to have stuff out a few weeks before Halloween just cheap things like cobweb. I still waiting for Joann to send my fun-kins ordered them on the 29th august. Have lots of craft stuff to make a wreath so I’m waiting on them before I have it all shipped over.


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

I got all excited then thinking Joanns ship to the uk! Boo... I knew it was too good to be true!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Khanidge said:


> @batley I've had to take a few days off work this week and took advantage of the Time off and got started on a few bits. The grey bignosed hairy wart fella is supposed to be a giant candle, I need to finish painting him and add the flickering light bulb. The other big brow blob thingy will hopefully resemble a giant pumpkin, but I keep running out of paper.... Loads still to make...


I love the way you describe them - very graphic!


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

lucidhalloween said:


> I got all excited then thinking Joanns ship to the uk! Boo... I knew it was too good to be true!


They will send to a reshipper the one I’m using sends by weight so I’m doing a bulk order from lots of shops


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

wow. nice work already @Khanidge. Looks very time consuming, can't wait to see the end products!


@lucidhalloween you most definitely lucked out. I had a clown theme last year and found almost nothing and this year they're everywhere.

The chimney turned out ok, smoking and sticking out of a straw roof should look alright. It's the best it's gonna get anyway! 

I bought a wood grain effect tool via China so when that arrives I'll give wooden boards for windows a try. There's packs of 4 premade on eBay for £4.99 with £5.99 postage but unfortunately the seller won't combine postage.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

The chimney looks fine Batley - with smoke it will look even better. Just make sure you don't burn the shed down


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Batley said:


> I bought a wood grain effect tool via China so when that arrives I'll give wooden boards for windows a try. There's packs of 4 premade on eBay for £4.99 with £5.99 postage but unfortunately the seller won't combine postage.


How about these ones? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Amscan-N...ards-69cm-X-14cm-4-Free-Shipping/282680613409 £4.50 cheaper!

Your warty tree monsters look amazing @Khanidge!!

I've hit a creative block and cant decide on my main centrepiece to theme around  looks like it'll end up another mad last minute rush!!!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

I hope so @Dandybrit, thanks. Haha I'm actually worried about that! Probably best to have the fog machine on the ground with a pipe going to the chimney + heatproof spray as well.

Exactly what I wanted @EPD Didn't see that listing, very much appreciated, thanks!!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

eBay have removed 'Moving LED Laser Projector' I linked to previously as eBay has concerns with the seller's account:. I ordered one originally which I received but no sign of the second one thus far. @SilverSpike have you received yours?/received same message?


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Well I bought 2 in the end. Neither of which have arrived yet, but It has only been a week since I purchased them, so fingers crossed. 

And yes I also received that eBay notification.


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## pixiestyx (Jul 30, 2018)

Wow I've missed so much already! Going to have to work backwards through this thread to catch up.

Does anyone have any tips for a sort of portable scene-setting? I'm in limbo about where I'm living at the mo, and am finding it hard to plan for my sci-fi theme. I was wondering if anyone has any experience in creating decor etc. that can basically go in any space. (Last year, I used a floorplan and such to plan out my cabin in the woods theme.)


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

10% off eBay with code PERKS until 8pm (minimum spend £20). Every saving helps.

A few more items added to Home Bargains site:
50" spider £3.99 
Caged skelly crow £1.99 (like Poundlands cage)
Tombstone £2.99

https://www.homebargains.co.uk/category/174-halloween.aspx?pageindex=2

Poundstrechers in-store as well. Pretty much the standard basic items.
https://www.poundstretcher.co.uk/halloween?&p=1
Also have the skelly bird in cage for £1 more (£2.99).


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Costco will be adding more spiders on the web site next week for anybody still looking for one


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

I visited a halloween shop today, its right on my doorstep in Yeovil, they have some really awesome stuff in there. They have a massive selection of props and all really reasonably priced. 
I think i'm gonna end up spending a small fortune in there over the next few weeks as it will save on build time on some of my props... 
Heres their web address if anyone is interested...

https://www.halloweenhorrorprops.com/


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## Craigymuk (Sep 14, 2018)

Hello am new too all this I am looking at window projector this year anyone know the good ones or where to get the videos from that don't cost a lot thanks folks


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^ Welcome - there are a few posts in this thread about projectors and the visuals. I f not check out the main forum itself as there must be something there.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Hey all looks like you are all deep into the prep for the big day , i hope you guys get your laser projectors , fingers crossed they were dispatched before they were aware they were aware they had been withdrawn , if not surely you can claim off e - bay ? and i am just going to check out the link for the horror prop store , as for the projections , there are no real cheap options unless you can get a cheap second hand dvd copy off e - bay , i have bought a few of these dvds but would probably go the download route next time as it would work out cheaper than buying the dvd with the shipping costs on , also any of you guys seen the NEW zombie ATMOSFEAR effects set they just released , i love the dancing zombie scenes , i am really tempted to buy them , hopefully here,s a link .

https://atmosfx.com/collections/hal...bie+Bash+Launch+-+September+14th,+2018+(Copy)


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

@Craigymuk Best value projectors are on Amazon from what I found and bought (scroll back a few pages to see) and the Atmosfear digital effects are the best. Pleased to see new ones added, thanks for sharing the link @pacman!

@Khanidge thanks for sharing the link. Compared to similar independent retailers, large animated props are better value here.

Going to head to a larger Home Bargains in the next town later, hoping for some spiders and a skelly.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Well just to put Batley's mind a little more at ease today I received the first of the two eBay rotating LED lights today. Hopefully I'll receive the second one soon.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

@SilerSpike great news!! I felt bad for linking you guys to a potential scammer, from experience its usually the case when eBay remove items. I know eBay refund but its still a nusiance. Obviously I'm getting ahead of myself but fingers crossed you get your second one.


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

I'm so excited i just had to share! Just picked up a john doe type rising corpse from the range. I didn't think they were doing them this year, but it must have been left over from last year.. just one last lonely one sitting on the shelf waiting for me! Eek! Lol I know it's a silly thing to get so excited about, but thought you all would understand!


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Probably one left from last year lucid, but a great find!! Brilliant value prop! I cut the light up eyes in mine as I wasnt a fan!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Congrats Lucid - always nice when someone has a win.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

DandyBrit said:


> Congrats Lucid - always nice when someone has a win.


I echo this, congrats!!

Sainsbury's preview: https://youtu.be/almZccIubEM
The busts are back! Love this prop.
Singing skelly seems to be similar to the one Wilko stocked last year.
And the small 'lifesize' prop looks good.

I used to rely on Sainsbury's 70% sale but that hasn't happened here for a few years. I want the busts!


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Thanks for the update Batley.. really like the look of those busts too! I wonder if they will be a decent size


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

GOODS NEWS ALL ROUND THEN PEOPLE , EXCELLENT ........ BUT FOR ME AND END OF AN ERA ......
so glad you got your projector Silver Spike , and you got your prop lucidhalloween , has anyone got any video links to the talking busts as i would like to see how good they are and also the john doe rising corpse ..... 
after a long and quite in depth talk with my other half and both my daughters and regarding last years egging on halloween night but also due to the rising cost of the sweets and my work situation having changed dramatically in the last 8 months , i have decided to hang up my Haunters boots and not put on a yard setup this year and probably for good . I do most certainly intend to continue with my posting on the forum and if possible helping with advise or tips etc in any way i can with anyone who may need it , and i am still keen to make props for friends and maybe even try to flog a few privately or even on e - bay but at this moment will not be doing my own yard displays for the foreseeable future , i was initially going to do one this year but with being so late starting the prep due to work commitments i figured the pressure to be too much and to do the setup justice would need more time and i cannot do this with my job .
I guess the incident last year brought to the fore something my other half had been telling me for the last few years , the generations are changing and there is a small section of society who will always be willing to ruin it for others but it was probably the straw that broke the camels back also after spending so much time on the yard setups it would be nice as both my girls are now adults to spend and enjoy halloween as a family in our own way together , i threw out a challenge to my eldest daughter to find a good replacement to create some idea for a new Halloween family tradition for halloween night for us all , and within a day i think she found the ideal solution .... she went ahead and booked us all in for a meal for 4 in THE BLACK HORSE inn reportedly the most haunted pub in Pluckley village on Halloween night , so although i will miss all the fun i usually get on Halloween night with the Trick or Treaters and there families i hope this to be the start of a new halloween family tradition of our own .
We have started to spread the word to everyone we know and to friends who work in the local shops etc and will carry on doing so so that people will hear and not come to the house on the night to be disappointed but i was going to stop on earlier years and then changed my mind and so got a couple of more years out of it since , but then eventually all things come to an end , and i think having a meal in reportedly the MOST HAUNTED PUB in THE MOST HAUNTED village in GREAT BRITAIN with my family is a very good way to start this new tradition , it helps that Pluckley is less than 5 miles from where i live as well lol plus after research because of all the ley lines running through my area there's enough haunted pubs to keep us going for years without return visits to the same pubs . 
So now i got that off my chest i sincerely hope i can still help in any way or form with my friends here on the forum even more .


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

I'm so sorry to hear that It's come to this, but I more then understand why. As you say this is just the starting of a new way of celebrating Halloween with your family, and I wish you well. 

Hope you will keep an eye on the boards in the coming years.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Thanks Silver Spike , well my missus never liked me doing it anyway as she used to work in our local papershop for 26 years and used to get hassle and abuse off some of the kids for not selling them certain products all the time so said she didn't see why i would give them freebies on halloween night as loads were rude and ungrateful lol so it was always going to be the last year but with other things this year like work commitments affecting how much free time i have etc , and all my helpers being grown and no one willing to help no more not just with the building of the bigger props but getting the yard setup and put away etc and not being anywhere near ready to do the theme justice i said lets call it quits now , and i must admit i have noticed a change in the last couple of years in our built up area especially , noticing some of the kids are a lot more vocal , to say the least or putting it mildly , and quite rude at times , not the majority but it seems an ever increasing number , i assume its the weak namby pamby way they are dealt with at school now , and its becoming harder to try to find a medium between not being too scary for the tiny tots and not scary at all for the bigger kids , don't get me wrong its a small majority that have been rude or gobby compared to most and with the volumes of people and kids i get i suppose the odds increase on how many you get but but after the egging last year i was really disappointed after all the hard work going into weeks in fact months which i put into every Halloween not just that one . I am still going to help friends and family who want props made or help building them i am just not doing my own so basically its like looking after a friend or relatives kid , you get the fun part , but also get to hand them back at the end of the day lol , so as for the forum if anything i may have bit more time for the forum i hope , and i may try and make some props to sell to see if i can subsidize the Halloween meal each year lol , i am actually thinking of trying to sell a load of my coffins and props this year in fact .


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

sad news Pacman, but I totally get where you're coming from. Not many people get the effort and planning that goes into the large displays, be it christmas or Halloween ones and it's always hurtful when things get damaged or it gets ruined for others... I still cant believe the egging last year, but, hopefully you wont let those idiots actions overshadow the enjoyment youve bought to many others.
If the Black Horse were closer, I'd pop in and buy you a pint for all the info and help you've put up over the years. And brilliant you're still going to be about on the forums... enjoy the rest from the last minute stress!!

I'm already planning a few props I want to commission you for next year... so rest up!! ;-)


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Sorry to hear that Pacman - but if you aren't enjoying it as much then it isn't worth all the work and stress. Making props to sell is a really good idea. You have the skills by the bucket load and there must be a lot of Brit haunters who would lap up anything you made.

The new Halloween tradition sounds a great idea too - have a great time when you go.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Enjoy your new tradition @pacman you deserve it after all the hard work you've put in over the years. I'm extremely pleased you're sticking around here as it wouldn't be the same without your input.


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

I'm so sorry to hear that pacman, but i can totally understand what drove you to that decision. Going out to haunted places as a family sounds like a great new tradition.. enjoy sitting back and i look forward to picking your brains about props and such. 
Selling props is a great idea too, i know I'd definitely be in line for a commission!


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

@pacman thats a bugger I've only just joined this community and one of the main charecters is packing up 
joking aside buddy, I hope you enjoy being able to be on the other end of the spectrum by visiting places and haunts that other people have created. 
If your ever up for a ghost hunt, My Mrs, has a rather ecentric Uncle, that runs the "Essex Parranormal Group" and they organise alot of investigations around your mannor and Essex.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Thank you all for the very kind words EPD , DandyBrit , and Batley and you too Khanidge and lucidhalloween , i will be still making props as i said but just not doing them in my own garden , i love Halloween too much and like yourself Khanidge ( i,m guessing by the quality of your props i have seen in your photos ) DandyBrit etc i love to create this stuff too much to give it up entirely , and yes lucidhalloween your more than welcome to pick what little brain i have for any advise and you all know that goes for anyone of my friends on this forum old and new , but its just work has changed etc and i would rather not feel like its becoming a chore rather than a pleasure , so i will be literally haunting this forum for hopefully quite a long time yet , and yes i will be using the time to try and enjoy Halloween night in a more mundane but albeit closer knit family way lol and to be honest the last 20 plus years has been a blur as they are always so hectic and busy so i am quite looking forward to a chilled meal out with the family , and the ghost hunt thing sounds excellent , i may see if i can take you up on that in the future if you don't mind , i always wanted to do one , nearly did with the missus family on the isle of wight when i visited one year but it was cancelled at the last minute , it was a Victorian sea defense fort in Freshwater where her mum now lives which was being converted into luxury apartments , her bother in law worked there on the building site and they had to take turns at going in weekends to open and close and be there for security reasons while the local paranormal group investigated over the weekends before it was all handed over privately for good , he don't believe in ghosts , but had loads experiences he still cannot explain , inc hob nail boots walking past him in a empty hallway clear as day and the extremely strong smell of old tobacco smoke as the noise passed , which was exactly what other people had experienced and had also been recorded by many witnesses over many years , i guess you cant help some people even when the facts slap them in the face lol , i also have thought about making tutorials when i do experiment with attempting Halloween props which i was never able to before because of the time schedules with my displays etc but now i can visit that possibility as well , so i hope it may be more beneficial to the forum long term as well.


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## Witchat1&70 (Mar 9, 2018)

I really feel for you pacman. It’s so sad when someone feels the need to stop doing what they love because of the selfishness of others. I’m always worried about the gob****es but I guess one of the benefits of having the haunt inside is being able to control who walks through our doors. No adult, no entry. We also open and close early, so as to avoid the older kids. I learned the first year that I’m just not set up for teens. I don’t do scary, so my event isn’t for them. I’m pleased it hasn’t killed your passion for the festival and that you’ll continue to make and possibly sell your props. I hope you make a killing 



pacman said:


> Thanks Silver Spike , well my missus never liked me doing it anyway as she used to work in our local papershop for 26 years and used to get hassle and abuse off some of the kids for not selling them certain products all the time so said she didn't see why i would give them freebies on halloween night as loads were rude and ungrateful lol so it was always going to be the last year but with other things this year like work commitments affecting how much free time i have etc , and all my helpers being grown and no one willing to help no more not just with the building of the bigger props but getting the yard setup and put away etc and not being anywhere near ready to do the theme justice i said lets call it quits now , and i must admit i have noticed a change in the last couple of years in our built up area especially , noticing some of the kids are a lot more vocal , to say the least or putting it mildly , and quite rude at times , not the majority but it seems an ever increasing number , i assume its the weak namby pamby way they are dealt with at school now , and its becoming harder to try to find a medium between not being too scary for the tiny tots and not scary at all for the bigger kids , don't get me wrong its a small majority that have been rude or gobby compared to most and with the volumes of people and kids i get i suppose the odds increase on how many you get but but after the egging last year i was really disappointed after all the hard work going into weeks in fact months which i put into every Halloween not just that one . I am still going to help friends and family who want props made or help building them i am just not doing my own so basically its like looking after a friend or relatives kid , you get the fun part , but also get to hand them back at the end of the day lol , so as for the forum if anything i may have bit more time for the forum i hope , and i may try and make some props to sell to see if i can subsidize the Halloween meal each year lol , i am actually thinking of trying to sell a load of my coffins and props this year in fact .


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Many people will appreciate the tutorials @pacman including myself! 

ASDA coming soon: Not many photos yet, but going by the product names, nothing exciting at all

https://groceries.asda.com/search/Halloween/3/relevance-desc/so-false


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Witchat1&70 said:


> I really feel for you pacman. It’s so sad when someone feels the need to stop doing what they love because of the selfishness of others. I’m always worried about the gob****es but I guess one of the benefits of having the haunt inside is being able to control who walks through our doors. No adult, no entry. We also open and close early, so as to avoid the older kids. I learned the first year that I’m just not set up for teens. I don’t do scary, so my event isn’t for them. I’m pleased it hasn’t killed your passion for the festival and that you’ll continue to make and possibly sell your props. I hope you make a killing


Was that you on the Halloweenerrific website Witch?


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## BadgerSpanner (Apr 27, 2015)

Quick question, I have about £50 to spend on a free standing prop which will hopefully go behind a locked gate, does anyone have any ideas? I know it's a cheap budget but money is a bit tight this year. It'll need to pack down fairly small too :-/ Also has to be deliverable as I am housebound and there's no B&M kind of places near me.

Edit:
Anyone got this Witch?


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Batley said:


> Many people will appreciate the tutorials @pacman including myself!
> 
> ASDA coming soon: Not many photos yet, but going by the product names, nothing exciting at all
> 
> https://groceries.asda.com/search/Halloween/3/relevance-desc/so-false


There are photos on there but you have to click on each images 'enlarge button' to see them. All very predictable as you say and all very 'kiddy'.

By the way my second LED projector light arrived today exactly on time, so that purchase was well worth it. Thanks for the recommendation.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

@SilverSpike oh neat, thanks! I hope they have better pieces online like last years pirate prop but I doubt it. It would explain why they didn't do a preview this year. Disappointing all round this year. And no problem, I received my second today as well! 

-

@BadgerSpanner The Range may have something you like and should be under £50 Inc delivery. https://www.therange.co.uk/halloween/characters-and-decorations/?sort=highest 
The boxes they come in aren't too big thus good for storage.

This reaper looks good for £50 at Wilko online

https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-battery-operated-standing-ghost-reaper/p/0472548

Poseable skeleton £40 (slightly cheaper at Costco if you have a online membership)

https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-5ft-lifesize-poseable-skeleton/p/0473069

-

I've been in Wilko and Home Bargains today and both stores have a small range of the basics. The £40 props 3ft props in Wilko look and feel cheap. Very disappointed with stores this year. 

I was hoping to find some crows but no luck, I guess I'll have to order some from China.

I didn't consider the Costco spider due to price but after totaling up everything I've bought thus far, I could have ordered it. I want some pose n stay skelly but I'm going to risk Wilko/Costco putting them on sale before Halloween.

As the chimney was a reasonable success I'm going to try and make a spooky tree the same way, worth a try *+*+**Blue Peter theme tune*+*+*


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## Witchat1&70 (Mar 9, 2018)

It was! Is that your site DandyBrit?



DandyBrit said:


> Was that you on the Halloweenerrific website Witch?


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

No - but I drop in now and again on it and I spotted you! Thought I'd ask.


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## Witchat1&70 (Mar 9, 2018)

I get about. If it’s Halloween, I’ll find it eventually! 



DandyBrit said:


> No - but I drop in now and again on it and I spotted you! Thought I'd ask.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

I'm hoping this mess will somewhat resemble a dead tree eventually. I would like it to be at least 6ft so maybe it'll need to be a little more chunky. Although basic. My first attempt at making a prop I wanted £90 dead tree). I hope one day my skills can advance beyond mesh wire and paper mache !


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Thank you for the kind words witchat1&70 , and you too Batley, yes thankfully i have loads things i want to make that i think will just be fun including A VAMPIRE HUNTERS KIT lol , i think that will be my project for this Halloween , i will try to do tutorials on each stage in case anyone wants to recreate the items , it will be a first so i hope i succeed , fingers crossed , and again i want to be able to help fellow forum members with anything , inc practical advise so watch this space lol.
you definitely got your work cut out there Batley , i tried one prop tree one year then was not pleased with the result i ended up cutting lumps of my chestnut tree 2 days before Halloween so it didn't wilt too much and made a kind of mish mash tree out of the branches it actually came out really good , i think the trick is to look at a small tree and not do the trunk too big unless your going for cut down tree trunk look , but i would defo go with mesh as you have and paper mache as they are the cheapest options , well done Batley so far i cannot wait to see how you get on .


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Thanks for the info @pacman ?. I'm determined to try. I'm expecting it to end up resembling a twiglet or most likely a distant relative of Mr. Hankey!

I was looking for leaves and found 100 for 32p delivered. Unbelievable when the price of a stamp is more than double that.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01FX4RUU0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

6 weeks to go and Costco reduction has begun, helps if you have to purchase online membership (£15 for a year).

Looming Phantom reduced by £10 now £89.89 for members
Stichwick Sisters reduced by £5 now £139.99 for members
@joanneB said it would be and now it is: Spider back instock online

https://www.costco.co.uk/Toys-Baby-Child/Halloween/c/cos_14.7


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

And the spider has gone again maybe it’s for the best I would of only ended up buying it


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## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

OK, we heard about this over here in the US, which one of youse guys is doing this?!?!

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-45496670

I heard it on my radio on the way in to work this AM & immediately thought of this board & this thread! 

And the cause is even better....SPIDERS!! CAN YOU GET ANY MORE HALLOWEEN?!?!


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

RCIAG that's awesome! I'm not guilty, but it's local to me.. i love it! Wish I'd have heard it, sounds creepy as hell! Lol!


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Batley said:


> 6 weeks to go and Costco reduction has begun, helps if you have to purchase online membership (£15 for a year).
> 
> Looming Phantom reduced by £10 now £89.89 for members
> Stichwick Sisters reduced by £5 now £139.99 for members
> ...


Bately, do you know if they've reduced further in the past? I'm in two minds about the Tombstone, but im not sure it's worth the £90


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

RCIAG - that story is just too funny!! All we get near us is crop circles & UFO's 

https://www.express.co.uk/news/scie...locks-birds-stopped-cars-Warminster-The-Thing


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

@EPD last year they reduced the prices a couple of times, looking at last years thread the first was October 18th, I guess it depends on how much stock they have? The gargoyle they had last year was only reduced by £10 wheres the Stitchwick sisters went to £130 on the 18rh then £80 on the 24th. If you really want something then I guess its best to pay the current price, if not wait few more weeks, you do have the possibility of it selling out tho. Personally if I ordered now I'd keep it unopened and then, if the discount price is significant saving I would re-order the item and return the original as they arrange collection.


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

@Bately - re. tree. Go round your local carpet fitters/ carpet right and ask them for any old carpet tubes! Perfect base to start, I've made palm trees with them in the past for a birthday luau. You'll have to cut them down as they're between 2 & 4 meters and many are very narrow. Luckily for me the guy at our carpet right let me have the pick from what they were going to skip so I got a wider one, which definitely made life easier. With the narrower ones i bound 3 together and infilled the gaps with expanding foam. From there wrapped them with paper then covered the paper with brown tissue paper to get the bark effect. The palm leaves I literally cut out of carboard, painted green, cut some slits in the top of the "trunk" and slotted them in! Really sturdy ad easy to cut/ manipulate. If I can find a picture I'll post it up.

@BadgerSpanner these Reapers were amazing value at Homebargains for £50 https://www.homebargains.co.uk/products/11016-halloween-interactive-hooded-reaper-figure.aspx sadly not still online, but there were loads in our local last halloween... I'll keep a look out if they're back out here this year - only costumes & make up in the store last time I looked


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## Ashy_toi (Jul 28, 2018)

Hey I've been looking for something like gemmy fire and ice lights but that won't break the bank getting them. 
I found these in the range. They are blue and white kaleidoscope moving lights.

https://youtu.be/yxPx4qIbJw0

Please ignore the mess my garage is a tip since starting on my Halloween stuff.

https://www.therange.co.uk/occasion...hristmas-kaleidoscope-led-light-sticks#167528


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Thanks @EPD. I may quit while I'm ahead as after the paper mache attempt today it hasn't exactly gone to plan. I will consider the carpet tube so thanks for the tip! I bought various bits for today's attempt from Poundland and £21 later, may as well just buy the tree, thankfully found it on a German site. Postage isn't to bad. Mostly expensive props found here in The Range

https://www.ltt-versand.de/en/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=Halloween


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Ashy those lights are pretty good for the money.


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## Spookerstar (Jun 3, 2011)

RCIAG said:


> OK, we heard about this over here in the US, which one of youse guys is doing this?!?!
> 
> https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-45496670
> 
> ...


You have all the fun on that side of the pond!


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Lol RCIAG and Spookerstar , bet you were this side of the pond now guys ..... yeah the excitement would kill ya lol , all i got near me is ghost and witchcraft stories no UFOs as of yet but then i am less than 10 miles from Pluckley the reportedly most Haunted village in the U.K. , and have ley lines within a couple miles from me that run through to Pluckley and beyond and one of the most famous road ghosts in the U.K. check out this link below for quick summary 
https://www.hauntedrooms.co.uk/bluebell-hill-ghost-kent
what the article does not say which us locals know is that the same type of ghosts women wraths inc an old hag type ghost have been seen both at the top and at the bottom of the hill and have been reported way back to 1700s at least scaring the crap out of coaches and horsemen ..... there goes the 1965 base story , and heres another quick link below to a recent article about Pluckley .
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/...kley-the-most-haunted-village-in-England.html


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Hows everyones preparation going? Found anything interesting?

I ordered the tree prop from Germany, Inc delivery cost almost £80. I've bought all the essentials now and so preparation is out of mind now until the week before, now Ican enjoy the build up.

Hope everyone's doing well ?


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Is that the large tree that you posted on here I have been looking for one


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Yeah, this one: https://www.ltt-versand.de/en/Event...PALMS-Halloween-horror-tree-160cm::61020.html 
I had been watching it on eBay but it sold out and I couldn't find it anywhere apart from HalloweenCostumes.co.uk. The .co.uk part of their site is misleading as its US store.

I just checked PayPal as it cost £79.01 via PayPals exchange rate and they posted it two days later via DPD.


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Batley said:


> Yeah, this one: https://www.ltt-versand.de/en/Event...PALMS-Halloween-horror-tree-160cm::61020.html
> I had been watching it on eBay but it sold out and I couldn't find it anywhere apart from HalloweenCostumes.co.uk. The .co.uk part of their site is misleading as its US store.
> 
> I just checked PayPal as it cost £79.01 via PayPals exchange rate and they posted it two days later via DPD.


Thanks I will order one

Prep is going ok I have been ordering lots of different lights they seem to cost lots more as I want Halloween colours in string lights. BM are too short for what I need. From Amazon I have got a tapping witch peeper from eBay Wanda the witch.

I’m going to order these








But the main thing I need to do is sort out the loft I can’t get to my stuff. I started putting loft boards down in summer but the weather got to hot. So all my stuff is pushed to one side along with Christmas etc.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Good to see everyone is cracking on , i love the lights , and lofts are one of my pet hates , i boarded out half my loft but just ended up filling it with stuff we don't really need to save doh ???? i am not surprised you decided to buy the tree Batley , they are hard to make especially if you want a substantial one , i think you decided wisely as the time to create it may have drained your other preparation time on other props . Theres STILL hardly anything in our 2 poxy pound shops ..... kind of glad i am not having to go full out like i normally do , i have sourced some items for my VAMPIRE HUNTER project but i don't know whether to try to post a tutorial or not as this is a prop which many others have done but i have not found a U.K. tutorial with listings of all the required materials sourced from U.K. retailers , and i know a lot of our U.K. haunters do have visitors inside there home on HALLOWEEN night and this VAMPIRE HUNTERS kit would be an excellent internal prop which would really be a good talking point , plus there are the options of going full out big budget or just a smaller one for a smaller budget .... help me out folks what to do think i would like to know if any of you would like a newer tutorial , and if so where should i post it in as i am sure there are already posts for VAMPIRE HUNTER KITS in the TUTORIAL sub folder already ?


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

***ASDA now online, finally....

Life-size poseable skelly on ASDA for £25! Very pleased with the price. Not many items but I'm pleased with what they have. I think the prices are very good compared to everywhere else. I have ordered the some skellys and a crow!! Hooray.

https://direct.asda.com/george/halloween/party-decorations/D23M12G1C1,default,sc.html

@joanneB you're most we!come! Wanda is a brilliant prop. I regret selling mine now. Are those eyes lights? I am looking for some to put in a climbing plant. I got one battery operated pair from Poundworld but that isn't enough. I hope you manage to get to your loft items ?.

I'm sure many people would appreciate it @pacman even if they didn't want to replicate it themselves cause your props are pretty amazing and it would be nice to see how you did it. If you're making it anyway. Why not? ? As for the trew, most definitely! My attempt won't be wasted as I'll turn it into along to hide the electric extension lol.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

I've just had a search for this kind of tutorial and to be honest there is only 4/5 kit tutorials on here. They are based on other tutorials in some cases (such as Stiltbeasts). If you did a Brit/European focused one it would be great. 
I'd go for it Pacman - if the mods want to move it then they move it.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Batley it looks like you got a bargain with the skellie , to me it looks like a pose and stay skellie and they sell for a lot more than £25 USUALLY , thanks for your opinion on the tutorial , hopefully i will get some more feedback with opinions this weekend and see how the rest pan out if it looks more like a positive for a U.K. tutorial then that's how i will do it , anything i do this weekend i will photograph as if i was doing a tutorial in case it is a positive .
Harking back to Batleys earlier post this week how are everyone's prop making projects going for this years Halloween night is everyone on schedule ? has anyone got photos of their work so far ? please post if you do with progress reports etc , its really not long now ......
soz DandyBrit i posted same time as you by the looks of it so took it back off to edit your reply , thank you for your opinion , i also will try to do two or three alternative options on various items such as the wooden stakes , type of cases etc , as i said for bigger budgets , smaller budgets and easier to make and more elaborate ones to make , i would love it if i did that and then someone was pushed into trying themselves , so i will keep watching for feedback , thanks again guys .


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Argos (Owned by Sainsbury's) now available online... 

I really like those inflatable tombstones for £40.

https://www.argos.co.uk/events/hall...albrowse:specialoccasionsandparties:halloween

Great move by Sainsbury's to stock Halloween at Argos. I actually like a lot of the items. The busts (£25) and the trick or treating ghost (£20) along with the tombstones are my favourites. 

Morrisons now online
https://groceries.morrisons.com/search?entry=Halloween
Standard party items. Only worthy item is a skeleton spider for £8.


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

That’s a very good move to have them at Argos eas6 to get hold of them when they take 75% off

The eyes are a small box with glow sticks in

https://www.onecraftycock.com/product/glowing-halloween-eyes/


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Very true, Argos sales on seasonal items are usually very good. Sainsbury's sale locally has been rubbish in recent years. I have never paid full price for Halloween items in Sainsbury's before for that reason until now... I have gave in and ordered the tombstones as it'll fill avoid and the ToT ghost will look good on the doorstep. 

Many thanks for the eyes link. I'll have ago at DIY ones with toilet rolls and If I fail I'll order a set from there.

I'm going to stich my eyes up so I'm not tempted to buy anything else.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

No problem Pacman - I was curious to know how many tutorials there were here. We can't source exactly what the US haunters can. Also there is sometimes confusion over materials (brands etc) and what their Brit/European equivalents are. British references would be extremely useful.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Batley - I read once that the toilet rolls eyes look better if you diffuse the light coming from inside the tube. I'll see if I can find it.


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Pacman i love the idea of a vampire hunters kit tutorial, so cool! 
Thanks for the heads up on morrisons and argos, Batley. Great to see those busts again, more chance of getting them in the sale! 
I'm disappointed with this year's offerings so far, i hope better items get added closer to the day.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Well despite overspending recently I caved in and ordered one of those full size Asda Skellies as I have a feeling they will sell out pretty early on. It's an extremely good price and I hope not to end up being disappointed with the quality. Oh well, I suppose could always take it back. 

Oh last years crow now meant to be a parrot.  Outer skin altered, voice exactly the same. *sigh*

https://direct.asda.com/george/hall...mbie-parrot-in-cage/050477308,default,pd.html


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## BadgerSpanner (Apr 27, 2015)

These look at LOT like Jack Skellington, do we know what they sing yet?
https://direct.asda.com/george/hall...mpkin-string-lights/050477311,default,pd.html


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Nothing going by their online video! 

By the way are there people thick enough to pay these prices? 3 for £25???? You can get them for between £2 and £3 on eBay.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Scary-Ha...268667?hash=item1a5f13957b:g:I4wAAOSwmFhbphZt


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## BadgerSpanner (Apr 27, 2015)

Silver Spike said:


> Nothing going by their online video!
> 
> By the way are there people thick enough to pay these prices? 3 for £25???? You can get them for between £2 and £3 on eBay.
> 
> https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Scary-Ha...268667?hash=item1a5f13957b:g:I4wAAOSwmFhbphZt


Hahahhaa only just spotted the video! I seeeee!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Just saw on Facebook that Meadowhall at Sheffield has a shop called Halloween HQ just opened up on the Lower High Street. Don't know about length of time it will be there but anyone on here from the North of England may want to check it out online.


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## BadgerSpanner (Apr 27, 2015)

DandyBrit said:


> Just saw on Facebook that Meadowhall at Sheffield has a shop called Halloween HQ just opened up on the Lower High Street. Don't know about length of time it will be there but anyone on here from the North of England may want to check it out online.


It's a chain which take over shops in shopping centres in October, if it's anything like the one I went to last year in Cardiff it'll be overpriced and mostly sell fancy dress rather than props, the windows looked amazing but they didn't sell anything from them... 
Don't go out of your way to go to one but if you're around check them out.


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## BadgerSpanner (Apr 27, 2015)

https://thehalloweenhq.com/


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

cheers for that link and info DandyBrit and BadgeSpanner , nearest one to me is Bluewater which is a well expensive shopping centre but if i am near i will pop in to see what they got .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Oh boo - got my hopes up then about a decent shop fairly close by.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

@DandyBrit thank you for the tip ?

I picked up the ghost tot and inflatable gravestones and they are in small boxes which is great for storage. I really want a lot from Argos but going to hold out for their sale, presuming they'll have one.

My small HomeBargains have various Halloween outside doormats for £1.79 which has a $5 price tag on. I think they are stock from Dollar General. I picked up this one:


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Anybody have any ideas on what to use for spider web I need lots but has to be stronger than pound shop stuff. I want it to be in the garden a few weeks before Halloween.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

I have the same dilemma. I have been looking for an alternative to beef netting for weeks. The best I found fish netting which, like BN, is stretchable polyester. Maybe it'll work. I was meaning to buy to test it out.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/AIRTEX-FAB...50719&sr=1-9&keywords=White+polyester+stretch

I'll see if it's cheaper elsewhere.

/Update:

The same seller, a meter delivered for £5.99.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3MM-WHIT...adfⓂ️mKjqQ0bIs-fQwNbf756lIDg&var=412849616436

I will purchase the 99p sample to test it out.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

I really like the mat Batley , i think the beef netting is used a lot in the states , you could search through the posts i am sure i saw somebody was doing a spider themed setup this year they must be able to give you some ideas for big spider webs .


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

I think I’m going to go with Stockinette

https://www.toolstation.com/shop/Pa...ecorators+Tools/sd160/Stockinette+Roll/p38744

This is the thing I’m thinking of doing maybe


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

I contacted the seller on eBay and sent them a photo of beef netting cobweb and asked if its possible to duplicate that with fish netting. I haven't come across the before @joanneB, I don't see why it wouldn't work. Don't know if you don't try! It'll definitely help many others if we find a fabric that works. This is why we need UK tutorials. Hope your project is going well @pacman ?

Update:
Seller responded already:
"Really sorry this fabric will nit stretch out to have a cobweb effect as it retains its shape regardless of how much it is stretched."


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

This is the stockinette web photo I found


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

I think you cracked the case @joanneB, that's perfect. I will give it ago as well. Thanks very much.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

JoanneB - that looks bang on. We have a WINNER!


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

I think you best try a sample first rather than order a load and then discover its not happening , and one important thing to bare in mind as well is don't forget what we call stockinette here in Blighty may not be what our American cousins call stockinette ??? we do sometimes have very different names for the the same thing i found this with recipes zucchini/courgettes just for one example and i know from experience trying to replicate props from tutorials in the states its the same with materials with those as well , again i would try a smallish bit first , that way you WILL know yourself it does or does not work . I hope it does as this would be a great way to make a massive spider setup that much more awesome , i cant wait to see you guys photos for damn sure and definitely post photos of the test piece for us all as well , and thanks for asking about my VAMPIRE HUNTERS KIT Batley , i am having so much fun on this project although as with all hobbies i had a budget and as always with anything Halloween i have blown it already lol , but the reason the budget has gone to pot so quickly is mainly because a lot of the items i needed for the VAMPIRE KIT are more expensive singular and far more cost effective bought in groupings , such as small glass vials , and small glass bottles etc for example two small bottles to use for Holy Water and another for salt were £8 for 2 inc postage but a package of 10 of the same bottles was £10.49 ? hence so what i was thinking was just buying in larger groupings and trying to make one KIT for myself and maybe see if i can sell one on Face-bay or e bay to just cover the cost of the materials of making the two together. Also many of the accessories required inc small crucifixes , charms , hinges and clasps and other necessities for the box and they are far cheaper sourced from China , almost roughly about one third of the same cost of individual items when bought from the U.K. but there's a waiting time for delivery of 1 to 2 months sometimes and again you need to buy in quantity to get the best savings . Another option was to keep all the spare items left over after buying in groupings and store them and if anyone from this thread or in general fancied doing a VAMPIRE KIT after seeing the tutorial in the future they could contact me and i could sell a small kit made up by myself of up of exactly the items i had got to make my own KIT but sell them to them at cost price but just adding the postage costs on top which would save them tons of time sourcing and pricing up and which would also help cover my initial outlay costs but also subsidize any other members making the same prop and saving them from any excessive expense doing the same project ? what you think ???


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Sorry about the length of the last post quick sneaky pic of what i was making Saturday lol some grave markers for a friends Halloween graveyard garden setup , not done the writing on them yet , was also going to make some extra ones and put some on e bay see if i could raise a few bob to help cover my Halloween night meal money expense lol ..... 








Just thought Batley and joanneB why not go the whole hog and make a spider victim wrapped in cobwebs , i know there's quite a few tutorials out there for this prop and i was even going to do one myself , if memory serves me correctly they not that hard .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Re the cost of buying things such as little glass bottles - I collect anything like this that I can find (preferably for free or cheap) just in case I find a project for them in the future.

FreeCycle may be a good way of getting stuff like this - it cost nothing to look, does it.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Whats that DandyBrit ? not heard of freecycle ? i keep little jars etc but the ones used for the VAMPIRE HUNTERS KIT are more like science lab jobs from way back , same as the charms etc .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

FreeCycle is still around as far as I know. Basically people put stuff on the website that they no longer want - for free. There should be one in your area - they are all over the place.

I've had some nice stuff over the years - craft items, posters, garden pots.


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Aldi Halloween in on the 4th Oct just the one pic


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

That web is a great find, JoanneB.. would work great on a large scale by the look of it!


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

A few pages to catch up on, but great seeing everyone cracking on with it! I've had a couple of hectic weeks, so done NOTHING prep wise  BUT i did take a trip to Madhatters Joke Shop / halloween Horror Props http://www.madhattersjokeshop.com 

Brilliant setup! Loads of regular props, some he's made and many old Gemmy american props. The owner has made dedicated 2 floors to his setup, with an asylum, gory toilet and a haunted attic (sadly closed when i went) . Nice to see things in the "flesh" to gauge sizes and quality/colours etc. Completely changed my mind about a few props that are everywhere... for good and bad!

Iam heading back this or next week, if anyone has any items in mind and want "real life" pictures or a check on quality, just let me know!
Took a few snaps, excuse the quality - crappy phone and very low light up there. Enjoy


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Wise words @pacman. I believe the word Halloween and budget aren't compatible lol. If buying bulk isn't much more than singular then definitely worth paying a little more, this project aside I'm sure you'd find use for excess items elsewhere. Maybe ETSY would be a good place to list your end product? Not sure if that's a pain in the arse to sell on though. As you said you have eBay, Facebook marketplace and I bet there's UK Halloween pages on FB you can show of your work on to get interest. From a selfish point of view, I can't wait to see the end product! Love the grave markers, too. Worth checking eBay to see how well other DIY are doing before committing?

Great find @joanneB. I didn't expect anything from Aldi this year as last year was lackluster. I'm not usually a fan of inflatables but I think that looks classy and possibly look great in combination with the Argos gravestons. I expect it to be no more than £40.

Thanks for all the pics @EPD! I bet that walkthrough got you in the mood. Lucky to be able to see such a variety in person. ?


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

I’m also not a big fan of inflatables I have a few I got from Aldi 2 years ago I will use them in the garden for the run up to Halloween.I do like the arch not sure how big it will be to fit in the Space I have near my gate.


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

@EPD My local haunt. They have some great props there, and are open all year... 
I actually had a few hours spare today so I managed to add some more maché to my giant pumpkin, and carved a rough face in another giant candle.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Great pictures EPD damn your so lucky to have a store like that near you i could spend a fortune in there lol , cheers again Batley , yeah its crazy i was looking at a single 60mm siver effect crucifix , it was £2.99 from U.K. seller but the self same crucifix from china in a pack of 6 was £5 inc shipping , its bloody daylight robbery is what it is , again long shipping time , the more i am looking into this the more i realize how much we are being ripped off over here and i,m guessing the mark up in the stores from wholesale prop prices is the same if we really knew . And i only really want to try to bring a little cash back in to help cover my hobby Batley if i can , i,m not looking to make anything but would love to get a few bob more to re invest in more cheap stuff from abroad to try to create more halloween props , or as i said previous to put towards my Halloween night meal , its the planning , sourcing materials , and the making which take the time , but the final end result is the pay off , and its just so much fun damn it lol , especially when they are so few quality bespoke props on the ground , i guess i love that bespoke individuality touch that British workmanship was famous for during the past , everything now is mass produced and same old same old . 
Khanidge loving your mache work , i really cannot wait to see the final article in your Halloween setup , i said in previous years imagine if we all lived in the same street how frigging cool that would be , and this year there's so many of us Brits on this thread it warms the heart how its a growing thing over here , we all got a duty to try and push it and inspire the little ones who will possibly be the future Haunters to come , keep up the excellent work everybody and lets keep this momentum going , plenty of updates , photos and progress reports , its creeping closer all the time and i hope there will be more stuff appearing in the shops soon .


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

The Costco tombstone is down to £82.99 now. https://www.costco.co.uk/c/Hallowee...one-With-Raven-LED-Lights-And-Sound/p/1900256
Good price currently as even with the £15 membership fee its cheaper than it was originally £99.99.

Coming along nicely @Khanidge!

True @pacman!

I received the witches house door knocker from China today, unfortunately it doesn't work but I'm only need it for show. Larger than I though and was about £5.50. Post took less than 2 weeks from! China.

Tree prop will be here this afternoon ?


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

The Aldi arch is £39.99 I emailed to ask - should be up for pre-order online this Thursday.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Batley said:


> The Costco tombstone is down to £82.99 now. https://www.costco.co.uk/c/Hallowee...one-With-Raven-LED-Lights-And-Sound/p/1900256
> Good price currently as even with the £15 membership fee its cheaper than it was originally £99.99.
> 
> Coming along nicely @Khanidge!
> ...


Thats funny my one didn't work either! Well It did when I took the whole thing apart, but sadly because the soldering was so flimsy the wiring to the eyes broke and so now It talks, but no light up eyes. I got a full refund from the seller to boot.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Wilkinsons in Wakefield has some of their Halloween stock in today - not the £40 skeletons unfortunately. More to come in still according to the lady on the tills.


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Some interesting body parts coming up on ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bloody-H...-Finger-Lung-Eyeball-Party-Decor/123353706273 ....   (caution - a bit nsfw!!)

So a couple of surprise elements are going to be in my chopshop this year...!!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^See what you mean!


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

A few people got them on a Facebook Halloween U.K. group said they looked very real


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

WTF ???? lol seen it all now guys , now i know i am glad i quit , i can imagine the kids asking there parents "whats that " on the night lol , right how long you reckon it will be till it gets taken off e bay ? and joanneB YES too frigging real for my liking OUCH ??? keep up the merchandise updates Batley , has anyone seen a video of that tombstone in action , i hope it is quite impressive for that price .


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Hey all is it me or is this a great little item for modifying for a Halloween prop ???? 
https://www.theworks.co.uk/p/craft-lover/wooden-memories-box/5052089134638 i am thinking mod it to look like something like this but be a secret compartment book ?


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^Nice mods potential. I haven't seen that item in our branch but I'll check out if they sell them in the two we have here.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

I have ordered 2 to click and collect from my local branch DandyBrit so i will post a couple pics when i get them , hoping to collect this wednesday , for that price its well worth a dabble if it goes tits up its not a great loss , i also ordered 4 tiny boxes that i thought definitely would look good in the VAMPIRE HUNTERS KIT box as well , with maybe vampire teeth in or vampire finger nails lol , the boxes only a £1 each , don't know how they can make them for that . 
https://www.theworks.co.uk/p/craft-storage/wooden-square-box/5052089141322
https://www.theworks.co.uk/p/art-easel/a3-adjustable-desk-easel/5052089190573
i ordered the little easel as well , i know that's going to ease my back leaning right over my bench when i am making the paperwork up for the VAMPIRE HUNTERS KIT .


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Oh my god epd, that's gruesome!! Perfect for the chop shop!
Those boxes look great Pac man, and for that price, you can't lose. The big book is crying out for a mod.. might have to have a look in the works this weekend. Thanks for the updates people!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

@ SilverSpike if yours was packaged in a mail bag without padding like mine then I aren't suprised they arrived broken.

@pacman tombstone in action: https://youtu.be/gF8onOYy508
would have been better if the bird had movement.

@EPD haha I hope you remember what you've ordered it by the time it arrives

I received the tree prop yesterday, a little disappointed as the trunk is fabric that hangs down to cover 3 support bars and its a little see through. It'll probably look better setup. I wasn't going to have interior decorations this year but I'm going to set the tree up later and keep it up until Halloween. Gotta get the monies worth lol.

Here's the Argos busts in action: https://youtu.be/esK6KVtrWgo 
The sound of the jaws moving is a big negative for me. The phrases are good for welcoming ToT.

Costco spider also back in stock.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Yeah, mine was loose as well. 

Went to Poundland today and they had some new stuff in. Instead of last years smallish hanging skelly wearing rags that they've been selling for the last few years, they now have the same body, but with a zombie head. They also had some large glow in the dark plastic skulls which I rather liked. Bought 4 to try and customise.

Also went to Morrisons and they didn't have much to interest me....except a bag of small skelly heads which would be excellent for customising with. 4 for a £4.00.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Cheers Batley for the video link , was hoping the bird moved as well for that money , also those talking busts much smaller than i thought , and good going Silver Spike with your haul today , if you get chance to take a photo i would like to see the bits you got , and i remembered where i saw the thread on the forum for the spider link guys ??? 
here it is , drop by and make a comment it looks excellent .
https://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/182905-gargantuan-hd-spider-nest.html


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

Has anyone got any idea where I can buy decent full size human Skeletons for a reasonable price? I've been looking on eBay but most are only 90cm in heigh.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

The cheapest is either Wiko at £15 plus postage or Asda (which looks like a pose n' stay knock off at £25 plus £3 postage. Out of the two the Asda one looks like better quality.

Oh and If you're willing to purchase from abroad there's one going on auction for £19 so far......

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hallowee...790712?hash=item41eec56f38:g:Ss8AAOSwgKxbqdyh


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Wilko are doing a pose n stay for £40 as well. CostCo about £35 plus membership costs. Not sure if Matalan are doing them this year - last year they had a good offer on of 2 for £50'ish.

Depends what you want to do with it really.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Have you got a pose and stay skellie already khanidge ? is it just for general display or do you want it for a prop to modify around ? if its for general display then go for pose and stay if its for modifying then the cheapo wilkos are ok , but if you go pose and stay you need to get yourself one farely soon cos they sell out quite quick especially the cheaper sellers . heres a cheapo wilkos one i got last year to mod for a jibbet


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

these are on e bay and Amazon but i would try shop around first 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_...+5Ft+(153+Cm)+Pose+and+Stay+Skeleton&_sacat=0

https://www.amazon.co.uk/POSE-N-STA...913464&sr=8-5&keywords=pose+and+stay+skeleton

Looks like costco cheapest so far by long chalk 

https://www.costco.co.uk/Toys-Baby-...-Pose-N-Stay-Skeleton-With-LED-Eyes/p/1900264


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

I bought one of these over summer for 14.99 to corpse, wish I'd bought a couple now! The pose & stay bit is a bit ropey, but tighten the screws & a bit of putty & it's perfect. I think still decent value at £25 (different sellers), better than the Wilkos filled chest ones.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?icep_id=114&ipn=icep&toolid=20004&campid=5337867485&mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fitm%2FLife-Size-Human-Halloween-Skeleton-Model-Perfect-Decoration-Medical-Anatomical%2F122996490900%3Fhash%3Ditem1ca3298294%3Ag%3A3lMAAOSw8R9amQ8U

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?icep_id=114&ipn=icep&toolid=20004&campid=5337867485&mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fitm%2FHalloween-Full-Life-Size-Human-Skeleton-Model-Party-Decoration-Prop-165cm-Tall%2F273479270206%3Fhash%3Ditem3faca27f3e%3Ag%3ASs8AAOSwgKxbqdyh


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

I was hoping to receive the ASDA skeletons today but my order was split in two, skeletons haven't been dispatched yet. Happy with the crow and bag of bones. No suprise that the doorbell has the same sound as all the others and the spider doesn't retract back by itself.

Happy with the tree after setting up. Regarding the quality its similar to that of The Range props. Definitely overpriced tho.

5 weeks today..!!!


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Here's those little bits and pieces from Poundland I was talking about yesterday.

Small hanging Zombie that replaces last years skelly.



















Those glow in the dark skull, which are anything but!  I tested them last night and they do nothing after being exposed to light.










And finally a small bag of skulls from Morrisons. £4 a bag.










None of then something special but cheap enough to use for customs.


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

asda big prop this year is a demonic zombie its £50


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Thanks for the pics. I like the bag of skulls.

Look forward to seeing the ASDA prop,Thanks for sharing. I was hoping for a witch but a zombie will fit into a lot of themes unlike last years pirate. 

I just got confirmation the skeletons have been dispatched, excited to receive them. The courier ASDA use is DPD which is excellent z especially the hour time slot.


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Here’s a pic from a Facebook group


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

I really like the look of that, good price as well if you compare against the small Wilko/b&m zombie. Thanks for sharing the photo here ?


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Yes thanks Silver Spike and joanneB for the photos , i agree Silver Spike the bag of skulls are excellent material for moddifying , my stuff from THE WORKS was well worth the money , thinking of buying few more bits as theres so much modifying potential . 







the little boxes were only £1 each and i am going to incorporate one into the VAMPIRE HUNTERS KIT same as the little glass vials £1 a pack .
the box of wooden letters over 100 was only £4


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Those letters are really nice - I got some for a project - they stick fine with epoxy glue.


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

joanneB do you have a link to the fb group?


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Facebook group link 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Halloweenuk/


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Had my purple icicle lights come today they don’t look purple at all 

Also had this box of goodies turn up


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

And had some sweets


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^Can't see the last pic JB.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Nice assortment of items there @joanneB and sweets, too. Sorry to hear about your lights, I had the same expectations verse reality from quite a few items this year.

I received the skeletons today. The boxes are a lot bigger than I anticipated so I've had to drop the off at my mums house. I've never had or seen a pose n stay skeleton before in person so I have nothing to compare it against. When you move the joints it sounds like bits have broken off inside but as it isn't electronic nothing to worry about I guess. I'm happy with them. Only difference I imagine between this and Costco on is no lights in the eye sockets but no loss there.

I did want them climbing up the house with one hanging from the gutter but without drilling the brick work in doubt that's possible? Maybe a rope ladder?


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Glad to hear you got yours, I'm waiting for my delivery as I type. 

You can always loosen the joint screws on them If you think they're too tight. As to eye lights, I'm getting to saturation point with that gag as imo not every flaming thing has to have glowly red eyes!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Haha, most definitely true! Hope you're pleased with yours.

I was hoping Aldi's would be online today but I guess it'll be on from Sunday.
ASDA zombie now online:
https://direct.asda.com/george/halloween/party-decorations/animated-zombie/050479653,default,pd.html


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

That Zombie is rather good.  Like the movements and If It was repainted and generally overhauled a tad It would be brilliant.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Well my Asda Skelly was just delivered and I'd say he's good for the cheap price. My ones head had been knocked off, but It was easy enough to pop it back on. Be warned though I have a feeling the head will dislodge too easily If your using it roughly.

The ankle joints are weaker then my old 'real' pose n' stay that I spent a small fortune on years back and it had difficulty staying upright even when leant against something. The knees and ankles kept sagging, but I haven't attempted to see If I can sort that just yet. I think this is a good skelly to customise and the bone colour just cries out for some brownish washes to go over it.

The plastic is quite 'oily' though so not sure how well any none oil based paint will stick.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Appreciate the review @SilverSpike. 

Here's the Argos ghost and tree. Not great pictures as I was in a rush. Ghost has weighted feet. Tree looks better in person but need something to keep the trunk fabric round at the base. I just hope all this stuff will last for many years to come.

I'll try the inflatable gravestones at the weekend. 

I'm considering the Costco phantom, inflatable arch from Aldi and spiders. I want it to look enough but not tacky.


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Tree looks good Bately! I saw the Costco Phantom in the flesh yesterday - nice size and nice movement, the Blue lightup face really put me off, didnt think it appropriate to try and take his head off instore & see if the led's were replaceable... so the jury is still out!!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

I think that taking it's head off would have been highly appropriate. Try before you buy!


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

DandyBrit said:


> I think that taking it's head off would have been highly appropriate. Try before you buy!


    

Ok. I shall quote this when I get banned from yet another shop


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

I just ordered a skeleton, thanks all for your advise, hopefully it'll be worth the £25, I'm sure I'll be able to adapt it if not. 









I've also bought 4 external coloured led lights for £26. and another 48 battery powered flickering tealights for £12, that should really make my floating candles look cool having 50 odd of them floating. 

Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to visit Madhatters in Yeovil and spend some cash on a few bits I've had my eye on. 

I'd better start stocking up on sweets also....


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Still not sure what else I want to buy I have an idea what it’s going to look like. Have ordered some red net lights not sure if I will use the purple icicle lights as they just look white.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Haha! I'm not a fan of the blue light either. Love the lantern and the drapping fabric. Thanks for your comment it definitely helps having a review of actually seeing in person.

I still have a lot I want to buy but I'm going to hold out in hope of discounts nearer the time now as I've been spending money like Michael Jackson in Harrods.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Lol Batley you HAVE got to have maxed your budget by now ???? lol you remind me of me lol , and what better forum to discuss removing heads ..... just not good to do so to un purchased shop stock . 
Some great bits guys for your setups and it pleases my heart to see so many skellies getting new homes , i got 4 pose and stay skellies and they have definitely earnt there money over the years come Monday i am putting one in my work van with me with his hat on and sign saying HAPPY HALLOWEEN , i did the same for the whole of October last year and got loads of horn honking , window tapping and kids waving to him him , thats without the little written messages on my windscreen when i used to go back out to my van after picking up materials for work in WICKES , and crown paint shop lol .
my neighbors asked me if it was true i was not doing Halloween this year today when i told them i wasn't i could see there relief lol , i was hoping to start my VAMPIRE HUNTING KIT in earnest this weekend now i got to work the whole weekend so i will try next weekend .


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

joanneB said:


> Still not sure what else I want to buy I have an idea what it’s going to look like. Have ordered some red net lights not sure if I will use the purple icicle lights as they just look white.


Try wrapping the icicles in a clear purple cellophane wrap. Something like this: http://www.littlecraftybugs.co.uk/50cm-transparent-purple-cellophane-roll-4-5m.html? If you dont want to buy a roll, go and ask your local florists if they'll give you some!

Im presuming they are LED so its safe to wrap them up, wont catch fire or anything!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Love that idea @pacman!! 

Budget? I do not understand that word ?. Hindsight, it wasn't a good idea trying to budget, I knew i'd get carried away. At least I have all the uninteresting (non props) items bought, which will hopefully last for years to come. Hopefully I can manage a decent setup for a change ?.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Batley - your setup is already great - don't know what you are saying!


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Just a heads up - there's 20% off sitewide at Hobbycraft. Use code AHC20 at checkout!

https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/occasions/halloween


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Also 10% off eBay until 8pm use code PAYDAY (min £20 spend)

Thanks @DandyBrit, I hope so. As long as I can get the shed to resemble a witches hut I'll be happy.

I'm looking for spiders now.. The width of the Argos one is 50" and the Wilko one is listed as 50" but when you click product info it saya 34cm. I guess its wrong as it looks the same.. £3 difference is a lot when you want more than one. 

https://tinyurl.com/ydgq8sfy (Argos direct link wouldn't work because of emoticons)

https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-g...VorztCh1MjABiEAQYAiABEgKJwfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds


In combination with cobweb and lighting those should fill out a lot of space.

I'm gonna skip on the Costco phantom now, I wish his face was animated as doesn't look right talking without its jaw moving.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Batley your setup will be a huge success , and i was exactly like you , i setup a theme and a budget and then buy everything i liked lol , that's still why my missus wont let me go food shopping ..... i invented the term IMPULSE BUYING ? but its much more fun that way m8 and i have had some great bargains and 20 odd years of great halloween nights so just do it the way you want to , and you ALWAYS seem to tie the stuff together , and yes i agree m8 if the mouth don't move with the voice then i think i would have skipped it as well . I will be back posting in a bit just got to distress and tea stain my paper to get it to look like old parchment paper , hell like being back at school again lol and going to try to sort out labels for my glass vials also for the for the VHK [ VAMPIRE HUNTERS KIT ] yes i am finally going to abbreviate it rather than type the whole bloody thing out each time lol ,


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

This is a great little Halloween quiz to hand out will be adding them to my Halloween treat bags

But if you want it might be best to email it to you as the pic won’t be very good on here


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Batley said:


> Also 10% off eBay until 8pm use code PAYDAY (min £20 spend)
> 
> Thanks @DandyBrit, I hope so. As long as I can get the shed to resemble a witches hut I'll be happy.
> 
> ...


I've got that Wilko Spider. Not something I would normally buy but it was only £1.50 in last years sale. It's really nice and a bit cuddly.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Sorry Silver Spike but BIT CUDDLY and SPIDER are not three words that SHOULD EVER be associated together lol , i do not do spiders , and i certainly dont believe the cuddly bit lol


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

The arch at Aldi online only they also have a doorbell,crow in a cage,projector lots of little things


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Went to my local Range today, and oh god I feel I shouldn't have bothered. It didn't have the full 'range' of their Halloween stock out and what they did have was lost in a huge (and I do mean HUGE!) sea of Christmas stuff. The most I've ever seen and thats saying something!

At this rate next years there's going to be nothing for those branches down south.


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

My local bm is the same so much Xmas stuff Halloween use to get a big display over 4 aisle now it’s got one half of an aisle


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Very much appreciate the comment @pacman ? Although I am fighting the urge to order a dozen large spiders I'm going to wait for the sales, rather pay £1.50 @SilverSpike than a fiver each ?. I just have to remember I can add more decorations next year. That said though I will be ordering the Aldi arch haha and maybe the crow... Lol. Can't wait for pics @pacman.

Great idea with the quiz @joanneB

Same here with all stores. Wilko is a huge disappointment. I know they have a lot online but nothing worse than ordering items to then have to return.


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

These are from Aldi booklet I pick up tonight


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Thanks for posting the leaflet. I like the skull head door knocker, I hope it has a different greeting to the doorbells everywhere else sell.

I see what you meant about the spiders @SilverSpike. I was almost tempted to buy 6 but I know I'll be pissed when they become half price lol so I settled for 5 from Poundland, from a distance they should look alright on the house, if so I'll get a load more. They had more items out Inc a pumpkin light for £5. Only had 5 minutes before they closed so apologies for being vague. Overall there's a lot of crap. 

ASDA had an small aisle of tems out, nothing from the online range tho, which is typical. I did notice they have the Poundland purple broom for £3.

Best price for funsize chocolates is in Home Bargains.. 20 Cadbury funsize bars for £1.99. Similar bag in Wilko for the same price but there's 4 less per bag. Soon adds up if you buy a lot (I got 5 for now).

As for ToT, I have over 250 Poundworld items from gloves, battery lanterns, novelty cups so one of those with a lollipop and bag of Harbio should be enough. (Haribo 70 minibags for £5 at Iceland, Swizzles lollipops 130 for £5). The max ToT we've had here is around 230 so that should be enough, but if word gets out I'm giving out items originally meant to be £1 each I'm worried there will be many more.

Hope everyone's plans are coming along?! ?


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Aldi is online now:
https://www.aldi.co.uk/c/specialbuys/dates/2018-10-04

I've ordered the inflatable arch. I hope it isn't tacky looking in person. Looks slightly less cartoony than graveyard arch The Range stock.

If anyone needs extension leads then Wilko have a 2 meter 10 way tower extension lead with usb slots for £12 instead of £24. Lidl have a pack of 2 x 3 socket 1.4 extension leads (in black or white) for £3.99. I hope these will be fine with all the electronics I've bought.

4 Sundays remaining..


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Good call on the extensions Bately - exactly what I was looking for today!

Has anyone come across any large (3m/4m x2m) sheets of creepy cloth at decent-ish prices? the ebay ones seem very over priced and I'm not sure joining smaller ones together will be very successful for what I need!


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

@ EPD I see some cloth for sale on Amazon at a reasonable price, I'm going to need some for one of my builds. 
I started another build this morning, hopefully it'll turn out to be a spooky tree. 
















It's going to be a fair size, the only problem is I run out of expanding foam, so I'm going to need about another 6 cans. 
I'm thinking of fitting a small wooden door to the front, so it looks like a goblin or something lives in the trunk. 
Times ticking and I've still got loads to do. 
Thing is I keep looking at the tutorial videos on here and keep saying to myself " that's cool, I'll make one of those" lol


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

My god that tree looks like an epic job! Looking forward to seeing it complete. 

By the way anybody noticed how poor The Range's stocking of their website is this year? Loads of the most popular stuff (the Fortune teller prop for example) seems to be permanently out of stock? I've never known It to be this bad before.

I saw that particular prop being sold on eBay for ridiculous prices.


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## Bratwitch (Oct 30, 2013)

Things have been a bit quiet here as my daughter recently got diagnosed with a serious health issue so we have been dealing with that which sapped all our energy and enthusiasm and the Halloween preps took a back seat until now as she has decided she still wants to go ahead with our Halloween although it will be on a smaller scale than usual  

We have decided to stick with the Haunted House / Macabre Manor theme and will be using the Gothic Mansion scene setters for the walls (gotta love scene setters  ) and I already have black bookcases I can empty then fill with things from past Halloweens that fit perfectly into the theme. 

That said, I am considering one of these, I like both of them and finding it hard to choose between them, although I might be swaying more to the Vampire Host even though the Animated Butler would probably get used more. 

https://www.costco.co.uk/c/Halloween-6ft-182cm-Vampire-Host-With-Bat-Decoration/p/257081

https://www.costco.co.uk/Toys-Baby-Child/Halloween/Halloween-6ft-11-2108cm-Animated-Butler-of-Macabre-Manor-with-Lights-and-Sound/p/225197

I've been catching up with the links, thanks for posting everyone, especially for the Argos bust statues as I was considering adding them but won't now as I know the clacking of the jaws would drive me nuts, also I thought they would be bigger too. 

Great idea for the Halloween Quiz addition to the ToTs bags JoanneB. 

I am thinking of printing out some Halloween jokes and adding them to our bags. Here is the link if any one else would like to use it https://www.scholastic.com/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/printables/pdfs/Halloween-Jokes-for-Kids-Printable.pdf

That sounds like a fantastic haul you got from Poundworld, Batley, the kids are gonna love those!  

I couldn't agree more, Silver Spike, The Range don't seem to have nearly as good or amount of items they have had in previous years. Also, like others here, I am getting really annoyed at the amount of christmas stuff cluttering up stores and pushing back the Halloween items, it seems to get worse each year too.

Pacman, I would definitely be interested in the VHK tutorial too. I think its a great idea to have tutorials that are easier for us to follow over here as there as Americans and Brits have so many different names for things. And agreed, the words spider AND cuddly do not go together! 

Wow, Khanidge, that tree looks epic and is gonna be huge no wonder you were running out of expanding foam!


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

I’m still waiting for the Vampire Host to drop in price then he will be mine


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Hope your daughter is doing well now Bratwitch


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Sorry to hear about your daughter Bratwitch. Sending some good vibes your way.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Great to see you back @Bratwitch. Best wishes to you and your daughter.

That's shaping up to an incredible tree @Khanidge. Nice work.

I went into B&M today they have more items out but yikes its not exactly cheap in there anymore. They have the big bags of cobweb back for £2.49. I've used this previously and its much better than the pound equivalent. I also picked up more Cadbury Heroes funsize (20 for £1.99) and Haribo Tridk or Treat funsize (35 bags £2.99). 

Argos was next door so I went in hoping to pick up more crows but you have to order online to pickup later in the day which is annoying.

I received the 10x10ft graveyard backdrop from China. Not sure if I'll use it now as the quality isn't great, many ink splodges that shouldn't be there. 

Well now I'm going to go make a mess attempting to fix hay to chicken wire to form a roof lol.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

My warm wishes to you and your daughter *Bratwitch*. I hope things will improve for you both.

On a lighter note I visited my local Sainsbury's todays, where they'd finished putting their Halloween stock out, and by god It was rubbish! Hardly anything of any note and what they did have was the same old boring crap from previous years. 

The only thing I picked up was a couple of the 15" hanging Devil Skeletons. They were daft enough and cheap enough to catch my eye. Sadly nothing else did.


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Sainsbury’s halloween


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Wilko’s bag


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

So sorry to hear your daughter not been well Bratwitch , i sincerely hope things will get better for her soon , and we all understand how the real pressures in life kick us in the butts and bring us back down to reality with a bump as they do just when you least expect it , again my most sincere wishes for her better health soon .
Well it looks like its going backwards for us halloween fans over here then and seems the lesser priced items are getting poorer and poorer quality and we are getting less choice and the better items are getting to expensive , and even then the rush to get more money out of peoples pockets is driving the retail market to start xmas shopping even sooner than ever , i had noticed that here for crying out loud the xmas stuff was out here BEFORE the Halloween stuff was ! 
i cant wait to see the final preps for all your setups and displays this year as everyone has really struggled to get what they want for there themes i hope it all goes well , i had to work all weekend so didn't get much chance with my projects apart from sourcing more items , i really hope to start it soon and wanted to get it out there for anyone wanting to have a go but we will see , VHK tutorial hopefully coming soon .


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Sending you and your daughter good vibes Bratwich, I'm sorry to hear she's not been well.

Thanks everyone for the updates. I'm feeling really down about the lack of variety we're getting Halloween wise. I look at the american stores and it's so unfair! It seems that we get less and less each year. And don't get me started on Christmas being in the shops already!


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

@bratwitch I hope everything works out on with your daughter.
I popped in to Asda this evening, and they had their Halloween stuff out, but tbh most was just Kack! They had a couple of animal Skeletons (a cat and dog) they wasn't too bad, but I've seen much better quality for a little more money. 
My Full size human Skeleton turned up today, he's settled in well, some muppet has done a terrible job of putting him together, so thats another job to do, but he is pretty cool and we've had a right laugh with him tonight. 








































Sorry about the sideways photos, I really don't know why its happening?


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

The light up/singing pumpkin in Sainsbury's is the same one as the one in Wilko's - but Wilko's is a £1 cheaper. It sings the "Monster Mash".


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Khanidge lol you just made my day lol , i was called weird today cos i took SID to work with me in my van , here,s a photo of SID in the van earlier today ......















hes going to partner up in my van with me for the rest of October until Halloween night , i,m glad to see there's two of us who have our skellie friends lol trouble is i keep talking to him in the van lol , my missus says i need help , do you think we could get a cheap rate for a double consultation m8 ??? lol Khanidge


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Sorry all i keep posting pictures but they somehow get switched to landscape once i upload them ......


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/search?query=Halloween&page=1

Teaco in-store according to the link above. Not a lot but there's various ground stakes. 50 various Mars items for £5 which is good, pretty sure it's mostly skittles and twix tho.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Went to see "The House with a Clock in it's walls" today - enjoyed it. Has some creepy/Halloweeny elements.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

We could have a competition where we see who can find the most unusual settings for their skellys.


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

@Dandybrit, I'd be up for that if it wasn't for being so busy.

I gave the tree another 6 cans of expanding foam this evening, and I'm hoping that it won't need much carving as the foam is forming in to Oak looking bark. 
I've also started making a scarecrow mask from burlap this evening. Another mad rush before the best day of the year.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Love the scarecrow mask Khanridge , you using black spray paint to darken the eye pit areas ! , i think the hessian [ bloody burlap !!! another Americanism !!! ] looks great on these type of haunt masks there's something extra creepy about them , Well done Batley on the choccy updates , and yes DandyBrit i seen that film advertised looks really good , hoping to go see the new Halloween film Sunday after its release think its about 22nd October i think , luckily my daughter gets subsidized tickets from her works , and i love the idea of getting the best skellie p;hotos , i see what i can do lol ...... which this space we could call it SKELLIE WATCH !!!!

LOOK AT THIS ONE Khanridge , the little bit of hair on the side really adds that extra creep value to it like there's a rotting corpse underneath lol ,,,,,,


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

pacman said:


> Love the scarecrow mask Khanridge , you using black spray paint to darken the eye pit areas ! , i think the hessian [ bloody burlap !!! another Americanism !!! ] looks great on these type of haunt masks there's something extra creepy about them , Well done Batley on the choccy updates , and yes DandyBrit i seen that film advertised looks really good , hoping to go see the new Halloween film Sunday after its release think its about 22nd October i think , luckily my daughter gets subsidized tickets from her works , and i love the idea of getting the best skellie p;hotos , i see what i can do lol ...... which this space we could call it SKELLIE WATCH !!!!
> 
> LOOK AT THIS ONE Khanridge , the little bit of hair on the side really adds that extra creep value to it like there's a rotting corpse underneath lol ,,,,,,
> 
> View attachment 567621


That's awesome @Pacman, got me thinking now, maybe I could knick some horse hair from one of our girls? (have to do it without my Mrs seeing) 
Yeah I'm yet to paint it, I was thinking of making a Bane (from batman) type mouth piece for it, but I'll see how it comes out painted first.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

the foam is really effective, already an impressive prop, can't wait to see it finished! Scarecrow head looks excellent too. Very talented ?

Well that's all the retail outlets done and dusted, just holding out for the sales now. I did notice the Costco props that was reduced increased again ?. It was around 15/17th they reduced prices last year so definitely keep an eye out if you want something from Costco.

I'm busy with work now so gonna put the set up out of mind for the next 3 weeks and enjoy the build up. Must get around to watching the classic movies for starters! 

Hope everyones doing well ?


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

I don't know about you all but when i am in my shed/workshop i like to listen to something to get me in the horror zone , i wondered if its just weird old me again or whether you lot do the same ? i have tons of go to ghost stories on audio-book , but also subscribe to tons of great podcasts which i download mostly from iTunes . 
here,s a few listed i personally like to listen to and i know if you get time you will find something of interest in here as well -

HYPNOGORIA - the legendary Mr jim moon , who reads classic ghost stories , reviews recent and old movies , and discusses all things ghostly strange etc , his in depth episodes on peter Cushing and other classic actors are extremely informative and the episodes on authors such as R. CHETWYN HAYES are awesome and he even reads some of there stories as well a great way to educate yourself in the supernatural genre , i VERY HIGHLY recommend this podcast especially if your into British horror stories and films as he truly delves into much detail on these subjects and also i love his telling of ghost and horror stories , if you love LOVECRAFT you must download his last three episodes which are readings of THE SHADOW OVER INNS-MOUTH , unless i am wrong Mr Moon is now the longest broadcasting British podcast with over 400 episodes . My favorite are his early episode readings of the ghost stories of M. R. JAMES , for me the master of British ghost story writers .

STRANGE TALES - these are old radio shows from the 1930,s right up until i think the early 80s , but mostly from the golden age of horror and strange fiction radio 30,s 40,s 50,s , my personal favorite 2 series i like to listen too are from a south African series from the 1960s called THE CREAKING DOOR and BEYOND MIDNIGHT and one of my favorite tales from BEYOND MIDNIGHT is smee , try to get it and let me know what you think .

ASTONISHING LEGENDS - talking about ghost reports crytid reports but in great depth , well worth a listen too especially the MOTHMAN episodes and THE BLACK MONK OF PONTEFRACT episodes .

HILLBILLY HORROR STORIES - 
Tracy and Jerry recounting details of ghost stories and haunted places from throught the U.S. and the world but with thier own spin , very funny and very interesting as well for me my favorite was the ghost stories from the ALAMO in Texas .

THE GHOST STORIES OF E. F. BENSON read by Richard Crowest - 
Mr Richard Crowest reads some of E.F. BENSONS best ghost stories , again a great british ghost story author with some classic tales .

i hope you guys and ladies will have a delve and try to listen to some of these i have tons i can recommend but think these are some of my most favoritre , Batley and Khanridge with all your big prop builds and hours of setup work to be done it would be a good time to try and listen while you are working , it really gets you in the Halloween mood , and there all free , i hope you all will try to listen to something and if you do please let me know what you listen too and if it helps to inspire and entertain you .

P.S. Batley you just reminded me this weekend is the first in October , Halloween movie fest time , i would love to here all your go to Halloween favorite films please all , i will be watching NIGHT OF THE DEMON 1957 [ in the U.S.A. it was called CURSE OF THE DEMON ] , and TALES FROM THE CRYPT 1972 for starters what will yours be ......

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069341/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050766/?ref_=nv_sr_1


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

"From Beyond the Grave" is a great film - an anthology starring Peter Cushing. I was actually looking for it in the HMV shop in Junction 32 in Castleford yesterday - didn't have it in the shop unfortunately.


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## Bratwitch (Oct 30, 2013)

Thank you to everyone for the well wishes and good vibes regarding my daughter's situation, they were really appreciated and have been passed on  

We actually managed to get the living room deep cleaned today and now there is Halloween stuff everywhere there is a space! Just as it should be come October! We picked up the floating ghost from B & M and it doesn't look too bad once it is hanging up, we turned on the fan to give it a bit of movement which helps too. Also picked up the skull lights from Morrisons which are nice once lit up, but do not come with the 2 AA batteries as advertised on the box. 













Will definitely be keeping an eye on the Costco prices, Batley, as I am after the Vampire Host or Animated Butler from there. Keep telling myself to have patience and wait and see what happens! Also thank you for the tesco and chocolates info. 

That tree and mask are absolutely incredible, Khanridge. The burlap / hessian masks creep me out a bit and remind of movies like Husk. Yours certainly wouldn't look out of place in a creepy cornfield scaring the bejesus outta people !  

Thanks for the links to the spooky podcasts, Pacman. I will definitely be checking some of them out especially the HYPNOGORIA one, as I love Peter Cushing and the whole Hammer House of Horror movies. A lot of years ago (late 70s / early '80s) I used to watch the double horror movie bill in the dark on a Saturday night on an old black and white portable and was hooked after that! 

And your pics of Sid lurking in your van made me LOL. The idea of posting the best skellie photos is a brilliant idea. I just could not resist taking this one. 
View attachment 567707


Dandybrit, we went to see A House With A Clock In Its Walls a couple of weeks ago and REALLY liked it. It is a brilliant, spooky family orientated movie In fact, I am hoping there will be another couple of movies as this one is based on the first novel in a series of 12 written by John Bellairs. I also found it interesting to see Eli Roth's influence on a kids' movie as he usually writes/directs 'in your face' horrors and could definitely recognise his influence in parts.


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## Bratwitch (Oct 30, 2013)

Poundland now have their stuff up online now too. I quite like the doorbell and mirror. 

http://www.poundland.co.uk/catalog/category/view/id/2474


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## SpookyScotland (Aug 19, 2016)

Hi folks, late to the party this year! Loving all the updates so far!

Not sure if it’s been mentioned or not but Tesco are selling slightly smaller than the life size skeletons for £8! Look quite good quality and are poseable! Think they are around 42” couldn’t get any pics as the mobile camera always goes funny at the wrong time, eh?!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^Didn't know that about Tesco - will have to have a look online. We only have a small Tesco Extra here - the nearest store is in Pontefract.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

If my local Poundland has the doorbell then I'll return the ASDA one, £3 saving ?. 

Great news regarding a cheap skelly I didn't notice it online yesterday. Hope my local has some.

Thanks for sharing guys ?


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## SpookyScotland (Aug 19, 2016)

So I may have went back and bought one ? We needed sausages for dinner anyway! Not bad quality actually seems better than my wilko ones ! ?


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Thanks for the pic.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Bargain for the price, thanks for the pic. Going to have to visit Tesco then.


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Definitely a trip to Tesco then, that's a good price for the skelly!

Bloody poundland.. last year they had the blood splattered plates, cups and napkins that would have been perfect for my asylum this year. Typically, they now don't have them! Can't find a decent set anywhere.. the closest I've come are the B&M ones with a black background and I'm being picky.. I don't want black!


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

That Tescos skelly looks great, I bet they sell out quickly.
I'm glad you have given that film "House with a clock in the walls" a good review, I want to take my family to see it Friday evening. 
My family have now named our skeleton "Wellington" &#55357;&#56834; so now one of their stupid but funny games is Where's Welly?...

I managed to get the first coat of primer on my tree tonight, and did a little painting on my mask. 
I think it is lacking in something but I'm not sure what? Maybe a hannable lector type mouth guard? Some hair? ( I actually really like the one @pacman showed us) Teeth? A noose? I'll mull it over for a few days and try a few different ideas.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Here's my contribution to Skelly watch.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Oops I missed your post @joanneB. Thanks for the Sainsbury's photos. 

The Aldi arch has been dispatched. I'll get a photo up when I receive it/inflate it.

Resiting temptation to buy more things. Must. Wait. Until. The. Sales ?.


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Got my red net lights today they look orange :


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

LOL loving skellie watch i can see the tempo has got to be risen now ..... and DandyBrit i totally agree FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE is a great film , but then anything with Peter Cushing in for me is a great movie lol , that dvd seems to be out of general release according to amazon they are selling it from £37 second hand etc , seen it on e bay for £15 or thereabouts new but maybe this may be worth you having a bid if you don't have the other dvds ? 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DVD-From...905437&hash=item1a601ed3ef:g:p7gAAOSw8MJbsRbR

and i liked the green man as well i have that on dvd , i hope some of you try out the podcasts there all free and i know if you do you will get hooked , and i noticed DandyBrit you mentioned Pontefract , the ASTONISHING LEGENDS episodes 3 in total with the THE BLACK MONK OF PONTEFRACT should be of great local interest to you i didn't know you could visit the house still and the poltergeist reports are still occurring .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Yes I know the story of the Black Monk well - it's well documented by paranormal investigators around these parts.

I think I have the old self-recorded version of the film on VHS somewhere but a DVD would be good to have - those prices on Ebay are a bit rich for me though.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Costco update:
The vampire has reduced by £10 (£109.99)
Tombstone lowest price thus far (£74.98)

Its still early days but the tombstone is a great price now.

https://www.costco.co.uk/Toys-Baby-Child/Halloween/c/cos_14.7


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

That Tombstone..........................................

I reckon It'll have another drop, then I'm buying it!!!


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

I'd love to too, but I would have absolutely nowhere to store it let alone display it. And even with another price drop I doubt I can afford it sadly. I've spent far too much already.


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Anybody seen the 24 pack of bubbles in Asda they are £2 a pack 

https://groceries.asda.com/product/...s/george-halloween-mini-bubbles/1000061868507


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Yes DandyBrit , any horror dvds will be upped in price for the run up to halloween , i also saw an episode of MOST HAUNTED and it was there top ten most scary locations , the house in Pontefract was no 1. Hopefully if i am not forced into working all weekend i hope to start the VHK tutorial , and i hope the forum don't remove it as it has been done before , still finalizing the final layout thinking of doing a very basic kit with hardly any practical skills needed and keeping to as tighter budget as possible then a more deluxe version with bit more carpentry and extra items within the kit costing a bit more , i really wanted to get it out in plenty of time for Halloween in case anyone fancied a go themselves .


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Also DandyBrit or any of you other U.K. haunters i found a website for ASTONISHING LEGENDS so anyone can listen without downloading ITunes if they don't want to just go to the link below and have a look and a listen , literally click page 1 , 2 or 3 of THE BLACK MONK OF PONTEFRACT and listen to the podcasts there free and very interesting , i myself love any ghost podcast but also know its not everyone's cup of tea , i usually listen to these while i am making my props gets me in the spooky zone lol .

https://www.astonishinglegends.com/


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Hi everyone, I've been directed here by Pacman, thank you! Can I just ask, when is everyone starting to put their decorations up? Sorry if I'm gate crashing anyone mid conversation ?


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

Sasha87 said:


> Hi everyone, I've been directed here by Pacman, thank you! Can I just ask, when is everyone starting to put their decorations up? Sorry if I'm gate crashing anyone mid conversation &#55357;&#56876;


Hi @Sasha, welcome to the forum. Your not gate crashing at all.
I've been thinking the exact same thing, I do an increasingly growing display every year, that is taking me longer each year to set up, but so far I have only been putting it up on the day. This year Halloween falls on a Wednesday if it fell on a weekend I'd probably put it out earlier and leave it out longer. 
This year I might do a taster display just to get people in the mood the weekend before, and to let them know it's getting bigger!


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

@Pacman I do like the old classics but I'm also a sucker for zombie films, the cheesier the better, I do get a kick out of low budget, low sfx films. 
But one series of films I'm particularly fond of is the "Evil Dead" Bruce Camble just cracks me up...
As for what I listen to whilst I'm bodging things up from old cack, I've never thought of listening to podcasts of ghost stories or audio books, generally I'm listening to anything from the Prodigy to UB40, motown, Reggae or classical piano... But I certainly will give them a go now as you've got me interested.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Lol Khanidge i see we have a fare bit in common , yup i was born in late 1960s so i am a huge universal horror classics fan , wolf-man , Frankenstein and Dracula etc [ i have big Frankenstein and wolf-man tattoos on my front left thigh lol ] and amicus/hammer horror fan , but also love fulci and franco films and other euro trash horror as well , inc the BLIND DEAD COLLECTION and all the euro zombie classics and of course the usual suspects as regards horror inc the video nasty era titles which were all banned through to the 80s with the slasher movie rise and then right up to modern times , i love the CONJURING films and i know most hate them but i also love the INSIDIOUS series as well , i actually love ghost related films best and the last few years have seen a rise in these which i have loved and made the most of .
And my music tastes similar to yours as well i am a huge Motown and soul music fan and i also love UB40 and i am guessing from you list you must be a big Trojan reggae fan as well which i also love , but give the podcasts a go the docus are great but the old radio shows may be up your street as well i will try and find a few links for you i get mine from iTunes , but i am sure loads can be listened to direct from websites .
WELCOME Sasha87 , no problem glad you popped over to the link your welcome to come and post here anytime its our own little U.K. thread within the main forum , so any questions advice just ask , as for decorations i think we all differ i never used to put mine up until the actual day as it took me all day to do then most of the night to break it down , if your in an area where stuff don't get pinched i say put it up when you want to , its all a matter of choice , not sure about some of the others on the thread . I am from down south i think i am the only one this far southeast of London , billy no m8s lol .

Khanidge search for an episode called SMEE from BEYOND MIDNIGHT on the site on the link below its one of my favorites.

https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--C...-(Old-Time-Radio)-p1136020/?topicId=122373555

try some of these old radio shows as well in the link above maybe while you are surfing or on the forum , my personal favorite stories are from the south African series BEYOND MIDNIGHT or THE CREAKING DOOR series , try something from both those series and let me know what you think , same with any one else give these old shows a go there a bit corny but some are great .


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Also Khanidge hows the scarecrow going ? check out some of these great Halloween scarecrows on pinterest ,

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/573646071259909662/

if you can check out and search for PUMPKINROT scarecrows he has done some magnificent Halloween scarecrow setups , very creepy and disturbing .

and these for a few ideas to play with -

https://uk.images.search.yahoo.com/...k.images.search.yahoo.com&ei=UTF-8&n=60&x=wrt

And good call joanneB with the bubbles i am guessing they will sell out REALLY fast as they such a good price , and Batley you sound more like myself everyday lol , i like the tombstone but as you know my greenhouse has been my tombstone storage area for years , so i also know where your coming from Silver Spike as they have taken the greenhouse over , and EPD i will keep my fingers crossed the price drops again and you snap one of the gravestones up .


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

I will start with some stuff end of next week lots of lights to put up but they will be turned on early in the run up to Halloween. I’m not sure about adding some gravestones to the garden early.Not sure the hedgehogs will like them they are really fussy little things


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

The realisation of what a big task setting up for Halloween has set in, especially when when the house I decorate is no longer my home which makes it much harder to plan. I know full well I will be disappointed with the end result as its too much work for me, reargaining the garden and house will be a pain on the arse in itself, then trying to figure out where to place the projector in busy living room. Honestly, I really can't be bothered. I got carried away in the Halloween bubble. I have also spent a ridiculous amount of money and doing what I was planning the expense wouldn't be over yet, I did have a budget for a reason. I'm going to cut my losses, return what I can and keep it simple: Windows lit up, smoking tree and various bits around the front door. I know it may seem selfish to say but the more effort I put in trying to please everyone else the unhappier I become lol. I really did not enjoy Halloween 2017 which sucked.. much better when it was simple.

Apologies for a very negative post. I didn't intend to rain on your set up ?


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Its best you realized you over stretched now Batley , i have done it every year to some extent , and still on the actual night it always seems worth it and i always had higher expectations than i could achieve , but the kids ALWAYS thought it was brilliant no matter how much i hadn't got exactly what i wanted m8 , for me it was the egging last year that made my mind up , but for anyone planning a yard setup it is always a good idea to structure an idea see if its do able and then try to work to a budget cos else we all get carried away and overspend to achieve the very best we can , and i am sure i speak for most of us U.K. Haunters on this point WE ALL HAVE OVERSPENT at some point , and the golden rule is ONLY DO IT IF YOUR ENJOYING IT if it gets to the stage where it becomes a bore and you dont enjoy it , then stop , also its why a lot of us make our own props to begin with because we cannot afford to buy the shop sold ones , that was why i started anyway and i also found the individual and bespoke items i made for my yard setup more unique , hence my ending up with 4 full size coffins , 20 + polystyrene gravestones , 20 + wooden grave markers and 2 shed fulls of various other props lol .


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## Bratwitch (Oct 30, 2013)

I am really sorry to hear you are feeling stressed out over your Halloween set up, Batley, and are no longer enjoying it. The budget thing I think we can all relate to I know every year I set one and every year I end up going over. If scaling your Halloween back to a simpler time helps you feel better about things I say go for it and do what pleases you not everyone else. Also I agree with Pacman the kids will still whatever you do and what you are now planning is still a lot more effort than some people go to.


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## Bratwitch (Oct 30, 2013)

Thank you for the heads up regarding the Asda bubbles JoanneB, that's a great deal!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Take a deep breath Batley. Do what you can. Enjoy as much as you can. It's only for fun after all. 

I spend bugger all because I have little or no budget at work for events so I/we make most things or buy cheap in the sales. It still works fine.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

I appreciate your comments guys, thanks. On reflection I will ditch the elements that fueled this post. I'll focus on what I can do rather than using the logic I will figure it out on the day lol. I don't mind spending money, I had a budget as I'm saving for a deposit, but to spend a lot to be disappointed due to lack of planning and prep, which I can't do daily, will be a total waste in my eyes. I know the kids will be happy with whatever, I really don't know why I've been in competition with myself lol. Anyway, only positive vibes from me now ?


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Thanks Khanidge, I tend to decorate roughly a week before but I'm torn whether to start earlier as hardly anyone celebrates Halloween like I do in my small town but equally I have bought loads of new goodies and want to see them all put up etc! Decisions, decisions! I can also relate Batley, just remember why you're doing it and do your best, kids will love it either way!


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## Lord_kobel (Oct 4, 2018)

Howdy!

As I've just posted in the Costume section, this year I'm going to be using a rubber face mask, but I've had trouble finding any in the Uk this year.I'm sure previous years have had loads of them on the cheap, but this year the only one I can find is the same wizard mask in Wilko and Sainsburys. Has anyone here seen any others around?


Cheers!


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

I'm going shopping soon so I'll keep a look out for you!


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## Lord_kobel (Oct 4, 2018)

I popped into Poundstretcher at lunch and picked up a Frankenstein's Monster mask for a quid. Won't be good enough for the final costume, but it'll let me try out a few ideas without spending loads. Also picked up a pair of large (6" Diameter) glow in the dark googly eyes, also a quid. There seemed to be a fair amount of interesting stuff in there.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Haven't been into Poundstretcher yet - will have to pop in soon.

Welcome to the forum to all the new guys - we're growing in numbers nicely now.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

I second that DandyBrit , so good to have new members and potential long term Haunter/friends for the coming Halloweens to come , Lord_kobel good to see you on the U.K. thread , with your mask its all about the budget i,m afraid , MAD ABOUT HORROR sell some excellent masks as i have bought a couple from them but they are over £45 and way upwards , mainly due to shipping them from the states , here,s the link to the main store page -

https://www.madabouthorror.co.uk/

and here is the link to the mask section - 

https://www.madabouthorror.co.uk/product-category/independent-artist-masks/

alternately this e bay mask is not bad value - 
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Killer-C...518531&hash=item3af4d9e9fe:g:Z7YAAOSwnTdZ6J2Q

or again here,s a few to look through on e bay -

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=halloween+mask&rt=nc

and i started playing about with the VAMPIRE HUNTERS KIT earlier today guys , heres couple sneaky pics so far -

























as you can see the bottom of the box will contain the mallet and 2 wooden stakes along with bottle of holy water , the next level , glass vials 5 x big 5 x small containing various items inc vampire blood , ground garlic , wolfs-bane , salt etc etc , along with old small bible at least 100 years old , plus small mirror , and a candle also small compartments with vampire teeth and possibly vampire finger nails , in the lid section will be a crucifix and aged distressed paperwork parchment manuscrpts etc and a crucifix on a chain , all still early days so far hopefully Sunday will get started proper .


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

@Sasha87 @Lord_kobel welcome !!! ?

@pacman wow! Thanks for the preview ?


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## Lord_kobel (Oct 4, 2018)

If we're talking vampire hunting kits, have you checked out Propnomicon, specifically their vampire hunting section?

http://propnomicon.blogspot.com/search/label/Vampire Hunting Kits


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Thanks Lord_kobel yeah had seen some of there stuff on posts on pinterest etc , little difference is hopefully my basic kit should still come out a lot less than some of there regular auctioned price of $1100 dollars per kit though lol , there are some great looking sets there but for the serious extreme collector , lovely kits but more for the country house/manor owner rather than home Haunter lol , definitely like to own one though .....


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Thanks Batley. Pacman your kit box is looking great


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Glad to see had a change of mind & are back on it Batley!! It does get overwhelming, especially as theres so many choices & so much to do, but, it always works out & will look awesome!

Pacman, the kit is shaping up really nice, cant wait to see you work your magic on it!


P.S Nice to see the numbers increasing!


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

It's great to see new people joining! 
Pacman, those kits look great..they are going to be epic when you finish them, can't wait to see! 
Here's my contribution to skellie watch...


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^That looks a bit kinky!


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

? Skellys have needs too!


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Was in PoundStretcher today, it's normally good for Halloween bits but I was disappointed, I think there was half the stock that was out last year, they seemed to have gone overboard on Christmas instead. On the plus side, the things I did buy for around £1/1.50 came through at 75p or so at the til! B&M seems better for me this year.


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## SpookyScotland (Aug 19, 2016)

So my ALDI arch came today and it’s got a bloody hole in it!! Just as the stitching though so Mrs Spooky Scotland is gonna fox it for me rather than sending it back and replacement etc etc!
Quite impressed with it for the price though can’t get a decent pic without it collapsing because of the hole though!


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

@Pacman your vampire set is looking good, I look forward to seeing he finished article.
@lucidhalloween you're Skellies made me chuckle. 

Ooooops! I did it again! I dropped off my boy at mma and decided to pop in to Madhatters, big mistake seeing as I had my wallet with me. 
I ended up only buying a few bits (yeah right) luckily they were out of stock of the lunging reaper I was after otherwise I think I'd be sleeping in my Cave for the foreseeable future as my wife would have gone mad.


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## Bratwitch (Oct 30, 2013)

@lucidhalloween Lol your skellies are brilliant and certainly raised a few chuckles here  

It's great to see more new people joining, the more the merrier!  

@pacman wow I can't wait to see the finished VHK it is already looking amazing! 

@Khanidge That is some haul. The spider is awesome. 

I hit the shops today and picked up a few things. A nearby Asda store had their £50 Zombie out on display and after seeing it in action I am not all that impressed. It says a few phrases, its eyes light up but there is no movement, not even the mouth moves which I think is disappointing. 




I had better luck in Poundland and picked up a few things. For £5 the light and sound mirror is fantastic and far better than I originally thought it would be. The spooky image that appears is very clear and loud. The pumpkin bell shown on the website is good too and was only £2 and works every bit as well as the dearer ones in other stores, there are also options of a witch or skull design. Poundland also had spooky lights as well again at £5 and an inflatable coffin cooler for £5.00 too which is a decent size once blown up. They also had a Halloween photo backdrop which features a black and white Haunted House, it comes in 4 parts which you fix together yourself and is 1m x 1.3cm. Picked up a 4 pack of lenticulars for a £1 too and a few packs of their 'Trick or Treat' print cups as I will be putting the ToTs goodies in them this year putting in a clear cellophane bag and tying off with a Halloween print ribbon.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Lol Lucidhalloween , best one yet , you raised the anti again ..... and Sasha87 , great remark , lol skellies got needs too i spat my tea out when i read that very good , damn how am i going to raise that skellie watch anti ???? and thank you very much to all who commented on the sneaky pictures of the VAMPIRE HUNTERS KIT , i didn't realize how hard it is to make a tutorial lol , think i got to complete it then go back and edit and layout the tutorial , try to hit it hard tomorrow Sunday . Good luck to all i am guessing many of you will be doing the same with your own Halloween preparations , and hell Khanidge that was some haul what did you rob the place ? looks like you got some quality bits there well sourced . I am with you Bratwitch i dont think the zombie is worth the asking price , i reckon there be a few of those on offer soon , definitely overpriced , but you got some good stuff up there its crap down here too much poxy Christmas stuff out already , what is it this year with the stores pushing Xmas stuff so soon ? SpookyScotland failing your mrs having any luck would a straight forward old puncture repair kit not fix the problem ? that's poor though mate you would expect it to be at least OK from new .


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## SpookyScotland (Aug 19, 2016)

Cheers Pac-Man yeah was gonna return it but too much hassle so dropped them a message in Facebook see if they’ll do part refund or maybe even a voucher?!

The Mrs said it’s just at the stitching so should be easy enough to fix! All I’ve bought this year is the arch, the skeleton from Tesco and a giant spider web from eBay! 
Going out next week for a proper look but like the look of the Argos light up ghosts, anyone bought them yet?


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

In fairness SpookyScotland from all the feedback and reports from everyone on this thread it looks to be a poor turn out , and one thing which i know is true is the poxy shops have all decided to push there Christmas range well before Halloween is even done with , which has affected the halloween merchandise side , obviously recuding area for halloween stock etc . Good luck next week on your Halloween goodie run , i hope you find something nasty in the best possible Halloween meaning lol .


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

pacman said:


> Lol Lucidhalloween , best one yet , you raised the anti again ..... and Sasha87 , great remark , lol skellies got needs too i spat my tea out when i read that very good , damn how am i going to raise that skellie watch anti ???? and thank you very much to all who commented on the sneaky pictures of the VAMPIRE HUNTERS KIT , i didn't realize how hard it is to make a tutorial lol , think i got to complete it then go back and edit and layout the tutorial , try to hit it hard tomorrow Sunday . Good luck to all i am guessing many of you will be doing the same with your own Halloween preparations , and hell Khanidge that was some haul what did you rob the place ? looks like you got some quality bits there well sourced . I am with you Bratwitch i dont think the zombie is worth the asking price , i reckon there be a few of those on offer soon , definitely overpriced , but you got some good stuff up there its crap down here too much poxy Christmas stuff out already , what is it this year with the stores pushing Xmas stuff so soon ? SpookyScotland failing your mrs having any luck would a straight forward old puncture repair kit not fix the problem ? that's poor though mate you would expect it to be at least OK from new .


Lets face it, the whole pushing Christmas ahead of halloween bit has been steadily increasing for years now. I suspect in times of financial hardship (and god only knows this country's been suffering that for over a decade now and is set to get worse) shops stock up more on stuff they know they have a fighting chance of shifting, and the fact is more people will overspend to give their kids a good Christmas then Halloween.

Sadly I think this trend will continue to get worse.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Oh FFS, I used to like browsing Pottery Barn for ideas, and now we're not even allowed to do that?? I went there today and got this message.










I even tried viewing it via a proxy and It still blocked me.


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

How is everyones prep going? 
I've had a day of painting and gluing. 
I've put two coats of paint on my tree, which now resembles a rather large Turd, but it does look better than the white primer.






























Once it's dry I can add some high lights, add the door and I've decided to make a load of vines cling to it.

In-between coats I made a load of floating candles, 
I only managed to make half of what I need for this year, but it's a good start.









Once the glue dries tonight I'll give them a coat of paint. 

I also (during drying times) did a few more coats of paint on these ugly mugs. 
















I'm yet to add their lights yet, mabe one evening during the week. 

And I have just added some red diamonty eyes to my animal Skellies, as they looked a bit plain. 









I've still got loads to do, but I think that'll do for today...


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Everything looks like it's coming together nicely Khanidge, looking forward to seeing everything finished. Would never have thought to add red gems but it works well.


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Just to echo what everyone else has said about the poor offerings by the stores this year.. really disappointing. I went to virtually all of them over the weekend, only came back with some chains for a grave from Poundstretcher! Not that I'm ever massively reliant on Supermarkets or the chains, but a poor show all round.

However... if i was into it, I could have Christmas 10 times over this week! 


Khanidge, is that a Teardrop lurking around in the background of your field?!! The tree is coming on really nicely!! & nice haul from Madhatters! I'm going to head back this week sometime

SilverSpike - try either of these, both work for me  https://www.filterbypass.me/ https://unblocksite.org/


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## Lord_kobel (Oct 4, 2018)

I'm planning to pick up some stuff from Poundland tomorrow. Has anyone tried out their mini strobe light yet?

Also, my post in the costume thread finally appeared, although it doesn't look like anyone has got any advice yet....


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Ohhhh and nice to see it's not just me that gets the Skelly's out and especially in "questionable poses" poses.... looking at you Lucid....    hahaha!

Skellys havn't made it out of the loft yet, but, meet George... I bought him about 5/6 years ago and every October he comes out and my partner & I hide him all over the place to prank each other! He's been in the Microwave, Cupboards, behind the bath panel (I had to fix a leak & found him), in the glovebox, under pillows, EVERYWHERE!

This is the first time he's come out this year... I literally screamed like a girl when I found him at 6.30am instead of my milk!!!


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

EPD said:


> Just to echo what everyone else has said about the poor offerings by the stores this year.. really disappointing. I went to virtually all of them over the weekend, only came back with some chains for a grave from Poundstretcher! Not that I'm ever massively reliant on Supermarkets or the chains, but a poor show all round.
> 
> However... if i was into it, I could have Christmas 10 times over this week!
> 
> ...


That certainly is a teardrop, I was bored during the summer so I started building one. I just need to build up the funds to buy the copper or bronze sheeting to cover it with so I can finish off the rest of it. I built a Shepherds Hut a year ago and want to make another next year..


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Lord_kobel said:


> I'm planning to pick up some stuff from Poundland tomorrow. Has anyone tried out their mini strobe light yet?
> 
> Also, my post in the costume thread finally appeared, although it doesn't look like anyone has got any advice yet....


Yeah, I bought the strobe last year. It's okay but that light isn't that strong imo.


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Asda tonight was dire. So disappointing. I did find this fairly big 'candy holder' skull for a fiver though, which is now my fruitbowl until nearer Halloween, then I'll put ice in and it can keep my alcohol shot syringes or test tubes cold. Also got these pumpkin lights which play music, I'm not usually a metallic Halloween fan but I was drawn to these, £8. I saw further up this thread about the cockroaches from eBay, I bought some last year and can vouch they are very realistic! Morrison's have packs of flies in, once I sanitise them I need to think of a way to have them close to the food without anyone accidentally eating one haha. I'll try bluetacking a few to the wall by the food and hope they don't fall off!


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Oh, I got a mini strobe light from... B&Ms yesterday, it was £4/5 and is pretty weak but will be alright as an up lighter in a corner somewhere.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

BLOODY HELL all you all been busy with props [ Khanidge ] and shopping for HALLOWEEN supplies Sasha87 , EPD , and Lord_kobel , i have been so busy with work i haven't been to town for nearly 3 weeks so dont know if the shops added anymore halloween stuff i am doubting they have . EPD George is cool , and i do the same hide it for scares thing with my chuckie doll , picture to follow soon as i get him out of storage , i did dig BILLY out today with his box i made for him last year and i am going to put him by the front door until halloween . I still think he was the best prop i bought last year and the box i made was a last minute add on last year , he still creeps me out !! SO TO OUR NEW MEMBERS THIS YEAR meet BILLY ..... 




















Done bit more on the basic vampire hunting kit , but it is very time consuming as trying to keep the budget as small as possible but with as much vampire hunting paraphernalia stuff in is proving quite hard .

and for crying out loud Silver Spike i am thinking we are going to get more of those blocked U.S. sites now , and by the way Khanidge i love the RAT BLING aint seen such bling on a rat since ROLAND ....... lol


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## Kixpix (Oct 8, 2018)

lucidhalloween said:


> Definitely a trip to Tesco then, that's a good price for the skelly!
> 
> Bloody poundland.. last year they had the blood splattered plates, cups and napkins that would have been perfect for my asylum this year. Typically, they now don't have them! Can't find a decent set anywhere.. the closest I've come are the B&M ones with a black background and I'm being picky.. I don't want black!


Hello! Do a google search for "Bloody Good Time plate" - that's a blood splattered range of tableware I have seen this year - both Party Delights and Fun Party Supplies stock them. I tried to post links but because I am new here, it won't let me yet!


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## Kixpix (Oct 8, 2018)

Just saying hello as another new UK person joining the forum! Like a good newbie I have read back over the last 49 pages of comments!!  Am pleased to see I seem to have been shopping/hunting for Halloween things in all the same places as you guys... 

My nearest Halloween HQ shop actually offered me decent discount on the giant items in store as they'd be ex-display - as in, 20% off at least. It wasn't advertised, I just got chatting about over the top garden displays (mine) and they volunteered to sell me any of them cheaper... might be worth enquiring if they have something on display you'd want. 

I have 2 of the ASDA skellys now squatting rent-free in my garage next to last year's boxes, they're about to be joined by a stumbled on second hand eBay purchase, of "Limbless Jim", as his box calls him. He's not a good conversationalist, but he does moan a lot and try to shuffle about...






.


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## Howl of the Beagle (Oct 9, 2018)

Not to everyone's taste I expect, but these little plastic pocket monsters are from Reaper Miniatures in the U.S















Sorry can't seem to rotate them, but you get the idea


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Thank you kixpix.. I'll look up those plates ?
And as for my skellies, i left them perfectly well behaved with mildred perched on George's knee.. the moment my back was turned, she went all unneccessary! Lol!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^Hah, so you say Lucid! Unregulated skeleton shenanigans will not be tolerated. We are British after all!

Picked up an Asda £25 skelly myself yesterday. Rather like the build quality for the price - not bad at all. May have to get another one as an early birthday present.

Took him to work this morning and he is currently sitting on the sofa in the visitor centre reading a nature magazine (no - not one of those!). He is quite happy to be advertising our half-term Halloween activities, with a little sign around his neck. Has to earn his keep after all.


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

@Pacman Billy.... is..... awesome, that good I instantly started looking for one online, I just had to have one, What a prop!
Yeah! Then I see how much they are lol maybe I'll give it a miss for a few years  or make one. 
Welcome to all the new members, I've only been signed up for a couple of weeks or so, and I'm hooked. 
@sasha I was looking at the same bowl in Asda, Tbh I was quite disappointed at the array of Halloween toot. Although they did have some great deals on sweets and chocolates, I'm up to about £30 in sweets so far, I recon I'll spend another £20 and that should be enough. 
Anyone know where the best place is to get syringes from? They are for my "home brew zombie piss” shots for the adults... 
I ordered 20m of hemp rope over the weekend, it was delivered today, so I can now get started on making vines for my tree and a noose for my hessian mask.


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Hey Khanidge, i bought my syringes from Amazon, had to spend £20 to get free delivery otherwise I'd have to pay more for the delivery than the syringes themselves! I've seen some big, single ones in a cheapy shop but can't remember which one. Yep, Asda was just a massive disappointment. I'm not even looking at sweets yet, has Asda been best for value have you noticed? These are the ones I bought.


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

@sasha, Yeah! so far Asda have been the best for sweets tbh, I know what most kids are like when it comes to sweets, they tend to want big brand names.
Thanks for the heads up on Amazon, I'll take a look and order a bunch..


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## Lord_kobel (Oct 4, 2018)

Poundstretcher have apparently got these, but it's not terribly clear from the photo how syringy they are....

https://www.poundstretcher.co.uk/6pk-syringe-shots


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

FIRSTLY a HUGE WELCOME TO THE FORUM to Kixpix and Howl of the Beagle , good to see you two on the U.K. thread , and full credit to you Kixpix for reading the full back list of 49 pages lol , as you can see a lot of whinging about poor supplies of Halloween goodies , must mean your on a Brit link lol , and i agree with DandyBrit lucidhalloween , i think there's definitely some previous history going on there , and George and Mildred lol i hope its them being naughty and that you havent just got A MAN ABOUT THE HOUSE after all lol .
And yes Khanidge he was not cheap but boy he is about 4ft tall and really was a massive hit , i personally dont like dolls so when i saw i could get him i had to have him and had to use last years budget to get him and i could only find 3 in the U.K. at the time , i got him from Mad About Horror , the last one they had until after Halloween last year but he was a massive hit , and i just had to make the case for him lol , one to watch for this halloween even if you have seen it before guys DEAD SILENCE and see Billys screen debut . As for sweets we had a friend who knew an ice cream man and he used to get the sweets for us wholesale from a cash and carry , even with that by the time we bought the bags and sweets last year it was nearly £70 total , this year it was going to be nearer £90 with the price increase in the sweets and bags hence one of the reasons i quit my display this year , we were a victim of our own success i am afraid over 450 kids every year on average the most was over 550 one year , plus the mums & dads , nans and grandads , utter chaos to be honest but was fun while it lasted , you better not leave it too late sasha87 else you might box yourself in a corner and have to pay out more for last minute sweets , grab some offers while you can if you can find them , by the way well done on the syringes , i got a Halloween party to go to the Saturday before halloween so going to try to grab some before they all sell out.
Thanks for the link Lord _kobel i might try my local POUNDSTRETCHER Saturday see if they got some . IMPORTANT NOTE TO ALL i have noticed a lot of sites telling people whose kids go trick or treating not to eat any sweets that have not got wrappers , in case of tampering or germs , ffs is this where we are going , when i was a kid i would eat any sodding sweet regardless of wrapper or not but just for your guys to take on board if this is the case it will be an expensive deal indeed , as i used to buy tubs of jellies and chewy teeth etc , that's those type of sweets out the window guys , and i would hate to think of you spending out on sweets for them to be binned .


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

By the way Kixpix and Howl of the Beagle whereabouts in the U.K. are you ? ssssoooo desperate to get another south London softy on the forum so i am not the only Billy no m8s southerner lol .

Also Sasha87 what about these ones there 10ml 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Terumo-10-...539120321&sr=8-1&keywords=disposable+syringes

or these look good Sasha87 ? https://www.amazon.co.uk/LOKIPA-Blo...sr=8-1-spons&keywords=drinks+blood+bags&psc=1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07GN6R...&pd_rd_r=3bf32671-cc0a-11e8-a42e-4b434a79dc06


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## Sweepy1980 (Oct 5, 2018)

Hey everyone! I also got directed here from the new members page, thanks for the shove, I’ve read all 50 pages at work, cos let’s face it, it’s October and the most important time is looming!

I’m from up in the north east and throw a house party for my mates, it’s got bigger each year with proper being stored all over and reused. I take a weeks leave before the party to prep, and I’m really lucky that I have access to a proper smoke machine through my work!

Loving everyone pictures and stories of getting ready, what they listen to, what shops are stocking what, and everyone helping each other out.... I’ll post some pics of my prep later in the week if that’s ok.

Been quite lucky shopping as I drive about a lot with work so can dive in a lot of places during the day! Found Poundland doing motion activated crows, witches and ghosts, only small but going to stash the crows with Wendy , my witch from last year......B&M have a selection of backdrops for 3 quid that I picked up tonight, and Aldi have a multifunction Led pumpkin light for £4 that could be used in a pumpkin or a prop.

This year all my ‘things’ are getting names, and name tags.....after the kids at the party have done the games I’ve sortes , and raided the estate ToT’ing, they want to smash the piñata..... but this year they get a quest map....they have to visit each ‘thing’ and find a letter on the back of he name tag..... collect all the letters and rearrange to make a phrase that will unlock access to the piñata smashing stick!

While the grown ups eat vodka jelly

I love Halloween and proper chuffed I’ve found this forum, sorry for the long post but I’m just soooo excited!!!


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Welcome to the forum *Sweepy*. I hope you will have a good time posting on here.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

HIYA Sweepy1980 good to see you on the forum and in this U.K. thread , yes please post your prep photos etc here we have a good little group and growing all the time , so feel free thankfully we got loads new members this year as you probably saw , if you want any help advice tips etc etc please feel free to ask i am sure one of us can help out or give pointers , many of us been making props and home haunting for a long time i been celebrating halloween for 30 plus years in one way or another and seriously decorating my yard/house for over 20 years well since my eldest was born in fact and shes 23 this year , although i am bailing out from my yard display this year i am still going to participate fully on this forum and get the enjoyment from all my friends preps etc on this forum .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

It's really great that we have more Brits joining up. If we can make a solid network here in the UK it makes it so much more fun to compare stories, give advice and tips, and maybe even do our own Secret Reaper next year? We did one a couple of years ago but we had less UK members then.


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## Lord_kobel (Oct 4, 2018)

pacman said:


> ssssoooo desperate to get another south London softy on the forum so i am not the only Billy no m8s southerner lol .


I'm in Surrey, so probably not all that far away from you.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Count me in the 'softy club' as I'm in the London area too.


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

I'm an Essex boy originally, now in Somerset... &#55358;&#56611;


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Welcome everyone ?

Few more Costco reductions: https://www.costco.co.uk/Toys-Baby-Child/Halloween/c/cos_14.7 


Tesco have good deals on sweets 
Box of 50 bags of Haribo Halloween funsize bags £4
Box of 50 Mars funsizes (Mars, Milky Way, Skittles etc) £5
Bag of 20 Funsize squishes £2
Bag of 20 Cadbury funsizes £1 75
Bag of 20 Swizzles squishes funsize £2


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Hey Pacman, yeah I have plenty of syringes and I did actually buy some blood bags last year! But forgot to use them haha so they're definitely getting used this year! I'm dressing as a vampire especially for them! 
Welcome to the other newbies, I also got ridiculously excited when I found this little Halloween community! I'm in the northwest! Hopefully there's other northerners otherwise I'll be surrounded by southerners!! Ahhhh! Haha jk. Maybe. ?


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Oh, regarding the sweets, some ppl round here drop spare change in amongst loose/unwrapped sweets and that turns my stomach so the kids have to bin anything that has touched money. I usually give out wrapped sweets but would consider a pickNmix type bag with sweets in if I was giving out them out loose. I will probably get my goodies at the weekend, I'll check out Asdas offerings before popping to Pound stretcher as that's where I usually get last minute party sweets from.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

I've got to get my sweets too. It's always a last minute affair for me. 

I see Asda has sold out of their knock off pose n' stay skeleton. Glad i got mine early. The joints aren't great but I thought It was good for the money.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^Really Spike - didn't know that about the Asda Skelly selling out. Glad I got one on Monday. That was hard enough to achieve anyway. Asda stock control isn't that reliable.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Yeah, I know what you mean, thats why If there's anything I ever want I tend to snap It up straight away.


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

This is the skelly I got from Wilkos last year, I'm sure it was only about £12, better than this years anyway. Think it's about 5ft, I had to walk with it through a busy street and the damn thing kept getting it's legs stuck between mine and almost tripping me up *shame*! 3 separate ppl actually laughed and made a quip about how my bf needs a good feed ? but here he is, don't think he appreciates the dog on the bed!


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Halloween string lights


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## Kixpix (Oct 8, 2018)

I’m about a hour north of London up the A1, but in London often for work. Haven’t visited a Poundstretcher yet, that is tomorrow’s mission. Today my postman bag arrived (going to have dog skeleton(s) chasing a postman skeleton up a tree - thanks Pinterest), 2 multi coloured floodlights, and that food server thing that looks like a corpse (we’ll have us, my parents, 2 friends & their 2 kids on the eve - my friend and I pool our efforts - so a bit of fun while feeding the helpers!) 

Anyone seen inexpensive mint green sheets or similar - ie that I could splatter with blood and hang to create a chop shop/hospital surgery feel? Might put the garage door up and use the entrance way like a mini room with sheets on three sides...in front will be all my severed heads hanging off the gutter... then I just need an operating table/gurney... *gets carried away* Am contemplating multiple bloody shower curtains for similar effect otherwise. Hmm.


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## Lord_kobel (Oct 4, 2018)

Dust sheets from poundland? Can't remember what they're made of and if blood would stick to them. If they're absorbant, you could do a quick green dye job on them first?


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Well Sasha87 hope your sweet hunt goes well , and again what is it with you ladies , another risky photo with the skellies lol at least the covers and the dog protected his dignity , and a good fry up wouldn't do him any harm lol and as for northern members you got plenty up your end if memory serves me right , good call Batley , thanks as always for the updates and tip offs , what the hell would we do without all your hard work hunting down these links a very big thank you again , and bloody hell Silver Spike your virtually a neighbor !!!! and its typical you wait ages for more southern softies and just like a bus three show up at once !!!!! So i have to mind my Ps and Qs then Lord_kobel if your from surrey , as for you Khandridge from ESSEX shut up !!! lol m8 i know essex quit well through work , and work with ton lads from there . DandyBrit and Silver Spike you have learnt your lessons well as regards halloween items BUY THEM WHEN YOU SEE THEM is the order of the day i think at least in this country , glad you both got your skellies , i reckon they didn't order no where near enough from there suppliers surely these outlets should realize now Halloween is becoming bigger each year but they still treat it as i minor day ! huge missed opportunity if you ask me .
I love the lights JoanneB again you will get your moneys worth out of them at other festive times as well , your in the southern softy club Kixpix thats close enough to make you a valid applicant i reckon , and as for the idea for the blood spattered sheets and using your garage sounds excellent , if you were going to buy sheets i will check dust sheet sizes and prices at JOHNSTONES when i go in they have offers on cotton twill sheets quite often , but also check out any linen bedroom shops in your area as i have seen xl plain bedsheet sets on sale before for couple of quid , and they are whiter than dustsheets , always worth a look in case theres any end of stock stuff going cheap , i reckon the poundland dustsheets Lord_kobel may be plastic for that price but i may be wrong. not sure if anyone is interested but i have a brand new copy of UNLIVING PORTRAITS dvd from ATMOSFEAR for sale sealed never used i paid £40 plus postage to the states for iut , would sell for £27 with U.K. POSTAGE INC . let me know if anyone interested ASAP if not i pop it on E bay .








chuckie is on the prowl put him under my youngest daughters bed sheets last night with all her pillows on she didn't notice it till she went to bed wont repeat what she said ...... so much for the fairer sex ....... ooops [ she is 19 i,m not that wicked to traumatize a minor ..... well my daughters may disagree .... ]








and done a few old aged parchment papers for the Vampire Hunters Kit , not sure if i over done the ageing etc , opinions please anyone yes or no to too much
distressing ???








And the budget Vampire Hunting Kit box version coming along quite well , nearly at lining stage couple more sneaky pics -


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

The kit is coming along nicely Pacman. I love the aged papers - they look great. Did you do the writing and pictures by hand? I can't draw for toffee myself.


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

pacman said:


> Well Sasha87 hope your sweet hunt goes well , and again what is it with you ladies , another risky photo with the skellies lol at least the covers and the dog protected his dignity , and a good fry up wouldn't do him any harm lol and as for northern members you got plenty up your end if memory serves me right."
> 
> Hahaha he lives in my house, there's no such thing as dignity here! Ooh I've yet to see anyone from up this way!
> Haha my youngest son is 9 and I'm definitely wicked enough to do tricks like that! He's scared me more times than enough, for a big lad he is so good at creeping up behind you! I'm considering letting him wake up to my skelly beside him one morning but knowing my luck, he'll have had a nightmare that night and he'll end up needing a therapist!
> Your aged papers look fab, nothing wrong there at all, it's coming along great!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

George was a little nervous - it was his first day in a new job today.


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

@Pacman those papers look really good, but if you want a more parchment look, you can buy watercolour paper, it has a grain to the surface so if you was to print then distress that, you will get a grained effect to the paper below the print. Or press your own paper. 
Of no one else has claimed the dvd I'll take it off your hands. 
@DandyBrit lmfao ?


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Thanks DandyBrit , no i am not that talented i,m just a builder but i stained and distressed the A4 card twice and dried between coatings of tea , then found images online edited them used a printing program and found a good handwriting font and bobs your uncle i printed them onto the distressed paper , then burnt the edges with a lighter , thank you also Sasha87 , and 9 well he probably goes into stealth mode to scare you us males can at that age , now i couldn't do stealth to save my life i dont think lol , and i think i traumatized my kids without meaning to when they were tiny tots i put chuckie in the bedroom window with a jack o lantern one halloween when it was pouring hard and the girls and there mum went trick or treating , thought it would be a good surprise until my missus knocked the door said they were too scared to come in cos the scary doll looking out the window !!!! so guilty as charged i am afraid !!!. 
heres my girls in new york ALL grown up 19 and 23







JUST ONE HALLOWEEN NIGHT -








i think they over chuckie from the other night time to get the fake bugs under the covers now !!!!!
DandyBrit damn George looks petrified !
Thanks for the tip Khanidge , i actually bought parchment paper but it was crap to be honest i found plain A4 card tea stained the best , also i tried years ago with Halloween pirate maps to distress after the print but then the ink runs so i didn't like the results , i think its just trial and error , if you want the dvd i can private message you my e mail address and you can pay me through Paypal using the friend family listing so either of us dont pay just a straight forward payment between us and you can include your address with that m8 and i will get it off in the post this weekend .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Pacman - I found that a heatgun also works well for distressing paper - you can get a nice browning effect over the whole page then. As with a lighter just make sure that you don't loose concentration or you can end up setting it on fire (and yes I have done that).


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Bloody hell DandyBrit i hadn't thought about that even though i used that method to burn and distress wood , thanks for the tip definitely going to try it , and yes burnt my fingers so many times with the lighter .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

George enjoyed his first week at work - it seemed that this job was right up his street, He made a new work buddy as well.


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Just been Lidl and found some decent sweets (I love the actual Halloween looking sweets!), some inflatable pumpkins/skeletons/bats, non-alcoholic cocktail mixers and alcoholic skull drinks, plenty of costumes for kids and window stickers etc, even Snazaroo face paints, was more excited seeing their stuff than Asdas! I only went in for some bread...


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Snap! I stopped in Lidl on the way home & picked these ip!

Cheers everyone


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

@Pacman, oooh good thinking... My sneaky 9 yr old isn't scared of spiders or bugs at all so isn't fazed by them but my 11yr old... He's easily scared so definitely getting a spider put under the covers! Also, your daughters are beautiful! And yeah, @DandyBrit I would never have thought of burning but that'd work really well for me too, I'm making an old witch recipe book and that would look great for my pages! P.s has anyone else noticed how excited all our skellies look?!


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Yes EPD!! I picked them up for myself but after getting the sweets i didn't have any spare space to carry them so they're on tomorrows list!


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Sasha87 said:


> @Pacman, oooh good thinking... My sneaky 9 yr old isn't scared of spiders or bugs at all so isn't fazed by them but my 11yr old... He's easily scared so definitely getting a spider put under the covers! Also, your daughters are beautiful! And yeah, @DandyBrit I would never have thought of burning but that'd work really well for me too, I'm making an old witch recipe book and that would look great for my pages! P.s has anyone else noticed how excited all our skellies look?!


Haha! You're right! They look far more excited to be at work than I ever do!


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

They must be looking forward to the Halloween mischief! Just seen this on Facebook, in the Tesco free booklets, there's a voucher for Walkers baked crisps if anyone needs some for party food.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Bloody hell Sasha87 you done well and you EPD , GOOD HAUL ! my Lidl never has anything good left by the time i get in there lol , and i got to work and repair a garden wall tomorrow when i wanted to go into town and see what halloween stuff was actually out seeing as i havent been down for a month , i might sneak in early and text the customer i be a little late i already got to go to town to Wickes at 7 to get bricks etc so good excuse i hope , i,m desperate to get a bottle of really good quality fake blood to use in my glass vial in the VAMPIRE HUNTERS KIT , tried gluing the red velvet material in the box tonight used modge podge glue it didn't look good but that was what everyone recommended , it could be a rip out start again job if it dont dry right , we will see tomorrow after work i keep my fingers crossed . Thank you for your kind comments about my daughters Sasha87 everyone always says how come i got such pretty daughters when i am such an ugly git , i always say we had a guy used to deliver pies in the area on a big tray on his head just before they were born , and both my daughters got flat heads ..... not everyone gets it but a few do lol luckily they take after there mum -


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

And as regards my skellie Sid i wouldn't say excited so much as embarrassed Sasha87 , i keep forgetting Sid is next to me in the van then at various times during the journey to and fro from work i think why is everyone staring at me , i came off the motorway wednesday after work and saw a guy staring at me at the traffic lights i was thinking is this a road rage thing then he smiled pointed at Sid and put his thumb up ..... see Embarrassed lol poor old Sid he dont even get any cool photo shoots like you guys put up ..... i gotta find a better pose for him for a photo op else Sid wont ever talk to me again ..... he does you know ...... lol
here,s a picture of the box after staining and waxing and with the red velvet lining the white ares are where the glue bled through , that's where i am worrying . Note the contents wrapped in cellophane to stop the glue from sticking to them while they help shape the velvet in the cut out areas .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

You'll have to see how it dries Pacman. It is looking good though.

I name all my props/purchases and talk to them. When I brought George home yesterday I even got Ian the manager to say goodbye to him. I think my looniness is rubbing off on the people at work finally. Is looniness actually a word? Lunacy is - but looniness sounds much better for people like us.

I agree with Sasha - you have lovely ladies there. Me and hubby never had any kids but I'd be proud to have daughters like that if we had.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Thank you very much DandyBrit for your extremely kind words about my daughters i am very proud of both of them and even if i traumatized them a little with my Halloween shenanigans they STILL have a huge love for horror and albeit in a more reserved way Halloween as well , as for the VHK , it didn't dry at all well had to rip the fabric right out altogether and try again , I tried a new glue in a tube very much like clear silicone or mastic but thicker it is made by unibond but it was £8 a tube , but it has worked better already , hopefully if it dries ok by tomorrow i will get more photos up .
yeah i tried to get my fellow colleagues to talk to Sid but builders aren't so easily swayed i am afraid .....


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Pacman if that new glue doesn't work - try fabric glue? Don't know how well it sticks to wood but it is specifically designed for fabric. Cosplayers use it to stick fabric to fabric.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Went up to the bigger Morrisons store - got one of the little mermaid skellys, one of the small child size skellys (will keep an eye for those being reduced but not holding out much hope for any being left), and a bag of 4 skulls. Going to call the child skelly Morry I think -- he can be George's little brother and Little Sam's big brother.


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

@Pacman try using a spray contact adhesive for bonding the fabric to the polystyrene, screwfix do a good one 
http://https://www.screwfix.com/c/sealants-adhesives/high-strength-adhesives/cat850082?cm_sp=managedredirect-_-sealantsadhesives-_-contactadhesive







Spray a little to both surfaces, let them dry to the touch then bond them together. I use several tins of the stuff on my props each year.


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Pacman, an ex of mine used to make jewelary boxes & used a 3M spray adhesive. It stayed sticky long enough to allow the fabric to be moved around and didnt seep through. I can find out the exact stuff if need be 

Dandybrit - how big is that mermaid? Not seen it in our Morrisons, just the dogs :-/ i want something cat-ish size.

If anyones still looking for a cheap Jon Doe, i found this earlier https://www.tjhughes.co.uk/animated-corpse-body-bag-p14179 pretty much The Range original price & 1/2 the fleabay price!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

EPD - the mermaid is about 14" top of head to end of tail. The shoulders, elbows and wrists are articulated. The skull turns from side to side and the jaw opens. The spine is articulated at two points - this is done by fastening the sections together with a small metal ring. The tail bones are one solid piece so that isn't brilliant. That is also fastened onto the bottom of the spine with the same kind of small ring.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Thanks for the updates everyone. I went Lidl this afternoon and picked up an animated reaper in a tyre which I assume is a wreath. Pretty cool for 8.99. Same sound and animation as the animated candy bowls B&M stock. "Yet another creature of the night approaches...".

I'm currently attempting to make the shed more of a witch hut facade. I would much prefer a large realistic thatched roof but this'll probably be the best it's gonna get lol. I would like to make it slope up more so the chimney pot sticks out. Also, ill try make a window frame as well. Any other easy ideas would be appreciated!

Sorry for lack of posting, work has swiped my energy ?.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Thank you DandyBrit , Khanidge and EPD for the most welcome suggestions to my glue problems with the VHK box , thankfully the Unibond clear mastic type adhesive has worked and where a little has seeped through the velvet it does not harm it at all in fact i think it makes it look a bit dated which is what i would have wanted anyway lol , but in the interests of further knowledge and to just ty it out to see if it works cos some of those alternatives would be cheaper than the Unibond , i WILL try these glues as well on the future VHK deluxe kit lol. Well ,i think i am there with the budget VAMPIRE HUNTERS KIT , i may tweak a little with extra parchment paper additions to the set but that is purely my choice , but i would like feedback from all on the mostly 99% finished kit ? 
please be honest i have broad shoulders and will accept any constructive criticism with appreciation from anyone , there are things i could have done different but i have tried to keep it as lower tech or slightly semi skilled as possible for the VAMPIRE HUNTERS KIT as not everyone is totally practical minded , so hope it is easy enough for any if they should wish to give it a try . Here are a few pictures , looking forward to opinions -






the box after i removed the items which i covered in cling film so any after spill of glue for the lining didn't stick the internal items to the lining.







the whole box 






zoom in internal lid of box






zoom in internal base of box






outer finish






closed box


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

All I can say, Pacman.. is wow! That looks amazing and the detail you have managed to include is great!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

I think it looks fine Pacman. The material looks good despite the early hiccup. 

You could do different versions for werewolves etc (Hubby suggested this). I know you can make cracking pirate pistols so I'm sure you could make something that "fires" silver bullets.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Thank you lucidhalloween and DandyBrit , for your great feedback , i have actually got 6 ball bearings which were going to go in the Deluxe VHK as silver bullets are also supposed to affect vampires as well as werewolves according to some folklore and i am already thinking about a werewolf and Exorcism kit as well ..... oh good grief ........ my other half said i need to seek serious therapy lol , i blame Universal studios , Hammer studios , and by no means least Amicus studios ....... but with very great affection lol.


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

@Pacman, that kit looks awesome, very well presented I'm sure they will sell well, different genres and colour of velvet would be great alternative options, Tbh there are alot of Supernatural creatures that these kits could be made for.

I've been busy in my Cave today (only a week or so left) 
I've made a load of vines for my tree, and some tree stumps to hide lights and possibly a projector (if it turns up in time) 



































I was looking at my tree and something just wasn't quite right, it needed more.
So I made a door and some roots. A bit silly to start now as there is a fair bit of carving to do, but bugger it I think it'll be worth the extra effort.


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Pacman, the kit looks amazing! I love Dandybrits suggestion of a werewolf variation... maybe a purple velvet for that one, with all silver/pewter accents... would definitely be more Hammer!!

Khanidge, the trees to hide your lights etc is a brilliant idea, plus they are really shaping up wel lGood work!l. I was just sourcing some tupperware boxes to spray black to hide my floodlights in for the cemetary. If you get stuck for a projector & have your passport ready to cross the zumerset/wilts border, I may have one you can borrow...  

Bately - i made a tiki bar years & years ago for a birthday party and used some reed screening for the roof. If i remember, it was only a few quid at one of the cheap shops, but a real quick & simple solution. There is also a darker, bushier screening on a roll, the name escapes me, but, that would be the more thick thatch look. Ive got some in the shed, will go take some pics tomorrow.

Tiki roof:


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

The thicker stuff could be made out of willow or wicker. It would give the thicker, more rustic look but I don't know how heavy it would be to get up on the roof of the shed Batley.


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## BadgerSpanner (Apr 27, 2015)

I came back from my holiday in Alnwick to find Temperance Brennan doing some last minute Halloween idea preparations.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Oh we love Alnwick! The castle has a brilliant dungeon type set-up or it did a few years ago.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Temperance is a great name - used to love watching Bones.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

That's incredible @pacman, you definitely have the midas touch with your crafts.


Like @,pacman you're very talented @Khanidge, I can not wait to see your setup on the night.


Thanks @EDP and @DandyBrit I will look into that. I was hoping to pick up more cheap meshwire from Poundland but the gardening aisle is now Christmas ?. I've been into B&M/Wilko for more meadow hay and sods law they are still out of stock. Oh well Instead of being productive I've been binge watching The Haunting of Hills House on Netflix. Now looking for cheap wire online!


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

NO SPOILERS Batley i saw that on Netflix and hoping to bingewatch it all this coming week after work lol , and i was going to suggest the same as EPD with the reed roof although you may have to add some light batten for support , its all down to how much time and cash you want to invest Batley , Again thank you to you all for your positive feedback re VHK EPD Batley and Khanidge , and i have some black leather that i did consider ageing and using as a lining for one of the boxes in the future , i was debating whether to put the basic VHK on E bay see if it sells , then i could use that money to fund the 2 upcoming projects lol . i will see , i am loving your work on the tree Khanidge , and the medieval door is brilliant , its going to look awesome on the night with your lighting , top drawer work , by the way i am hoping to get the envelope for the dvd tomorrow my other half didn't get me one Saturday so will try get one myself tomorrow but i will let you know as soon as its on its way Khanidge . BadgeSpanner again whats with the bed antics with Temperance lol , Sid is seriously upset now ? he wants to be re adopted elsewhere as he thinks he is definitely missing out here somehow !!!!!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

not a fan of spoliers so no worries there, definitely worth a watch.
Damn, that fence is exactly how I pictued the roof in my head. I'll probably keep that idea for next year now as I have some small hay bales coming in the week. Thanks for the recommendations you guys ?.


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Hey guys, everything is looking great, I wish i had a garden to make trees etc, they're coming along brilliantly. Glad you got glue sorted Pacman, it's such a great and unique thing you've created and I can't wait to see other kits you put together! Ugh, I've been knee deep in half of the threads in here but feel like I've come to a standstill. Can I ask what are ppl dressing up as? I don't usually bother too much on myself but this year I want to as we'll be having adults round instead of just a house full of kids, I just can't decide what to be! I liked 'the nun' but it doesn't look as good on my heart-shaped face ?


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Oh, I'm starting on The Haunting Of Hills House tomorrow too, hopefully it'll be a good series for bed time watching! Definitely looks like it's going to!


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

NO SPOILERS Sasha87 lol , i still haven't started The Haunting Of Hill House yet but want to binge watch it this week if i can , thanks for the feedback for the VHK Sasha87 , the nun is probably the cheapest option Sasha87 and if its chilly you can dress up warm underneath the habit lol , also regardless of your face shape white face paint and darker face paint can change the shape of your face anyway especially for the night when the Trick Or Treaters start coming , by the way went to the cinema last week and saw The Nun , with all the negative press i liked it and thought they tied it in perfectly within the origin story of the Conjuring , but then i am a huge James Wan fan as you probably guessed [ Dead Silence , Conjuring 1 and 2 , and all the Insidious movies as well as the original Saw film amongst others ].


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Tried the projector again today and managed to get it right. Debating to put one upstairs now (lol). 

I don't usually dress up but I may have to be on ToT duty so will have to consider one if so. Probably keep it simple like a hooded reaper.

Impatiently waiting for the pre-Halloween reductions... tick tock


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

@pacman... I think it's the long face that makes the nun look creepier, I just looked like a badly done Jack Skellington as the dark eyes were to close to the dark lips when I had a practice run... Plus with having a house party in a small house, I'd be roasting with a habit on! Which also is another mark against the nun ? ooh, I'm yet to see it (you've actually just made me realise that, been so busy I forgot to organise a cinema trip!?) But I liked Conjuring/Insidious etc so I'm really looking forward to seeing it! 
@Batley, I considered a Grim Reaper too but same issue with getting too hot with the robe. I do have a vampire outfit but not too keen on it now...but ditto with the reductions waiting... Wish they'd hurry up!
Who is having parties and who is going all out?


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## Lord_kobel (Oct 4, 2018)

Sasha87 said:


> . Can I ask what are ppl dressing up as? be having adults round instead of just a house full of kids, I just can't decide what to be! I liked 'the nun' but it doesn't look as good on my heart-shaped face ?


Looks like I'll probably be dressed as The Babadook for work and Sutter Cane for karaoke.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Advanced weather forecast on AccuWeather and Met Office has the burning rain of death predicted here for Halloween. Hopefully it'll only end up being light showers, if it happen. If there's gusts of wind then I'll add the Wizard of Oz theme to the bluetooth speaker ready for when the witch hut facade takes flight up the street.


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## Taddy (Sep 26, 2018)

Hi all!

Another new UK haunter here!! I can't wait first time with a fog machine and skellingtons here! Literally no one does it near me so my projector went down a treat last year!

I really wanted one of the jumping spiders you see on the forum/in the USA but didn't manage to get one in time/on price point! Next year hopefully! - still figuring out if i could mangle one together somehow!

Weathers looking windy annoyingly but we'll see!

Happy haunting!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Hi Taddy - welcome on board. Where do you hail from in the UK?


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Welcome @Taddy . Good luck with your set up, a fog machine definitely adds to the atmosphere. I bought a machine and 5L bottle of juice back in 2011 and 4 hours use every Halloween they're still both going strong so I hope yours will last years to come. Hope I haven't jinxed myself now lol.

Roll in next week, hope the early sales start.


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

Welcome @Taddy, would be great to see your previous displays.
@Pacman, Dvd turned up today, many thanks buddy it's great, I can't wait to set it up for Halloween. 
I've chased up my projector today and they recon I'll have it by tomorrow, the only problem is my Mrs has ordered a copy of "jack'o lantern jamboree" as she has fallen in love with the idea of the talking singing pumpkins, now I need another projector........ Bugger....... This year is costing a bit.


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## ELPS (Oct 10, 2018)

Hello all, tkmaxx are half pricing their decorations today managed to get this large skull and childrens hat for £6 & £4 each. May be woth a pop in!


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## ELPS (Oct 10, 2018)

*2018 UK Halloween&#x1f642;*

I dont think my pics showed as i am a new postwr but will add them again later ?


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Hi Taddy, oh I'd love jumping spiders... Wouldn't know where to start shopping for/building them though! 
ELPS Nope, no pictures but hopefully everywhere else will be reducing stuff now!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Welcome @ELPS. Great news. I'm hoping other stores follow suit.

The Costco tombstone is 59.89 now. No other reductions yet. I'm sure there's better discounts in their warehouses if you're local/a member.

https://www.costco.co.uk/Toys-Baby-Child/Halloween/c/cos_14.7


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## ELPS (Oct 10, 2018)

Managed to add pics but they seem huge and my writing is really small! Oh dear lol, will adjust tomorrow on the pc!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^No problem ELPS we can see them fine. Thanks for posting - I will have to go out again tomorrow now. No reductions when I went to TK today.


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

ELPS don't worry about it, that's just how they are ? my TK Maxx is 45mins away, hoping for the likes of B&M/PoundStretcher/Wilkos etc to reduce soon (if anyone spots the sale prices there!)


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

It's taking everything I've got not to buy the Costco Sisters of StitchWick prop... If only I had storage for it ?


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Atmosfear DVDs aren't a bad price on Amazon UK
£29.99
Witching Hour
Phantoms
Jack O Lantern
Ghostly apparitions

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=bl_d...=AtmosCHEERfx&index=kitchen-uk&search-type=ss


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Hi all i not been on cos bloody binge watching The Haunting Of Hill House ...... i,m on episode 7 , well i am hooked this sort of subject works so well as a series it has the time to build the atmosphere , and as the the great M. R. James said all good ghost stories should build up the atmosphere with subtle fear and growing dread and that series has it all so far . Sasha87 as for your costume idea i have a nuns costume as i had heard a ghost story of a faceless ghost nun locally and thought it would be good idea in my yard haunt years before the Conjuring nun was dreamt up , and the costumes are paper thin as you will see from an old photo of my faceless nun , so in fact it would be ideal for your indoor party as you would not get too hot , note the nuns outfit on the male mannequin lol as i had no female mannequin but with a bit of packing here and mostly THERE he became a she and bobs you uncle or should i say aunt and he/she was a huge hit on the night , and the faceless nun scared the crap out of loads of visitors , and the nun outfight was really cheap as well .







and you would be able to give yourself a thin face with the make up just youtube valek nun make up.

And you got to see it in a cinema , it wouldn't be as good at home on blu ray , hopefully going to see the new HALLOWEEN film this Sunday with my missus and my 2 girls ..... come on MICHAEL ....... !! lol . 
Batley and Khanidge YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY PROJECTORS lol i have 3 , and the Jack o Lantern dvd is always a hit but as a warning try a working setup test run a few days before especially with the variation with the 3 pumpkin sizes in mind lol . Sounds good Lord_kobel with the Babadook and sutter kane outfit , i know the Babadook one of the most popular foreign horror films of the last few years so should go down a treat .
WELCOME Taddy to the U.K. thread and to the forum in general , please tell me your a southern softy ...... i bet your a Northerner ....... lol
Bloody typical Batley i paid £40 EACH for my Atmosfear dvds . Good news for you though Khanidge they want £44.95 plus £2.95 for UNLIVING PORTRAITS conning gits . i put the VHK on e bay but had no bidders yet , and i now finished the DELUXE VHK lol , this one got an extra section in with glass vials in etc , hopefully pictures to come once its finished .


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

If anyone wants the Atmosfear dvds, drop me a PM, Ive got a bunch of them


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

How's everyones plans coming on? Nice to see even more new members joining the fold!

I'm not enjoying the prospect of the weather we're forecast for the 31st  Trying to work out if i can get everything under a pop up gazebo, without the posibility of it taking off with everything attached to it!!!!


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

FINGERS CROSSED the weatherman is wrong , nothing worse after all the build up and hard work than the weather to spoil it .


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## Taddy (Sep 26, 2018)

DandyBrit said:


> Hi Taddy - welcome on board. Where do you hail from in the UK?


Hi Dandy, Thanks! I’m from Nottingham! I’ve noticed a few guys on here are from London area from my lurking?



Batley said:


> Welcome @Taddy . Good luck with your set up, a fog machine definitely adds to the atmosphere. I bought a machine and 5L bottle of juice back in 2011 and 4 hours use every Halloween they're still both going strong so I hope yours will last years to come. Hope I haven't jinxed myself now lol.
> Roll in next week, hope the early sales start.


Haha I hope not!!, I’ve gone with a huge 5 litre bottle too, I really wanted bog fog but it cost me too much this year so I’ve just got the ADJ heavy fog from Amazon, hopefully it will be a warm night haha, I keep popping into Asda and BnM hoping they have reduced too only one item so far the window peepers, helped myself to the skellington one 



Khanidge said:


> Welcome @Taddy, would be great to see your previous displays.
> @Pacman, Dvd turned up today, many thanks buddy it's great, I can't wait to set it up for Halloween.
> I've chased up my projector today and they recon I'll have it by tomorrow, the only problem is my Mrs has ordered a copy of "jack'o lantern jamboree" as she has fallen in love with the idea of the talking singing pumpkins, now I need another projector........ Bugger....... This year is costing a bit.


I haven’t done a proper one yet! I just had some cobwebs and a bedsheet with a projector playing the dancing skellingtons last year with a few old dog bones thrown around for effect! Hopefully as the years pass i’ll get more trying to keep it TOT friendly for now!

Thanks all for the warm welcome i think i'm going to like it here! =D


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## Taddy (Sep 26, 2018)

DandyBrit said:


> Hi Taddy - welcome on board. Where do you hail from in the UK?


Hi Dandy, Thanks! I’m from Nottingham! I’ve noticed a few guys on here are from London area from my lurking?



Batley said:


> Welcome @Taddy . Good luck with your set up, a fog machine definitely adds to the atmosphere. I bought a machine and 5L bottle of juice back in 2011 and 4 hours use every Halloween they're still both going strong so I hope yours will last years to come. Hope I haven't jinxed myself now lol.
> Roll in next week, hope the early sales start.


Haha I hope not!!, I’ve gone with a huge 5 litre bottle too, I really wanted bog fog but it cost me too much this year so I’ve just got the ADJ heavy fog from Amazon, hopefully it will be a warm night haha, I keep popping into Asda and BnM hoping they have reduced too only one item so far the window peepers, helped myself to the skellington one 



Khanidge said:


> Welcome @Taddy, would be great to see your previous displays.
> @Pacman, Dvd turned up today, many thanks buddy it's great, I can't wait to set it up for Halloween.
> I've chased up my projector today and they recon I'll have it by tomorrow, the only problem is my Mrs has ordered a copy of "jack'o lantern jamboree" as she has fallen in love with the idea of the talking singing pumpkins, now I need another projector........ Bugger....... This year is costing a bit.


I haven’t done a proper one yet! I just had some cobwebs and a bedsheet with a projector playing the dancing skellingtons last year with a few old dog bones thrown around for effect! Hopefully as the years pass i’ll get more trying to keep it TOT friendly for now!

Thanks for the warm welcome! I think i'm going to like it here over the coming years!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

I can see Taddy's last post at 12pm today on my IPad but not on the forum - very strange? The gremlins are at it again.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Test post to see if it works on this thread?


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^Strange - the past few posts on here that Taddy and I have done showed up on the main titles section of the forum but not on the thread itself.


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## ELPS (Oct 10, 2018)

Thankyou for the welcome everyone  

Pacman your VHK us exellent! Have you done a tutorial on it? 

I have bought the items needed to make a creeper, has any one else tried it?


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## Lord_kobel (Oct 4, 2018)

On one hand, the fact that we're getting christmas stuff out early means we've got the skull full of chilli sauce from wilkos already, but it does appear to be smaller and ****er than last years....

Last years, 760g:








This years, 460ml:


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Thread seems to be updating itself now. Maybe admin stepped in after I PM'ed them. Or maybe the gremlins just released the captive posts? I don't know what was going on.

Got some half-price stuff from TK Maxx today. That's the branch in Wakefield if anyone local is wanting to go in.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Well done DandyBrit , wondered what was going on , no ELPS i have not written or worked out the tutorial yet as i am just finishing the DELUXE VHK lol so will try to finish that and see how many people if any would like a tutorial . The DELUXE VHK has another section in it with glass Vials and other extra items in , and i have distressed the box a lot more so hopefully it should look a lot more knocked about and older fingers crossed.


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## minksocks (Aug 18, 2015)

I will be doing my atmos fear effects projection again this year as they went down really well last year. Especially my singing pumpkins. Not sure i will be getting my fogger out if the weather isnt great.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

fingers crossed minksocks , i think its still a bit early but i know the weatherman likes to predict , but lets hope the old Halloween spirit's show us some good settled weather .


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## minksocks (Aug 18, 2015)

Thanks pacman. Just reading all the comments about the poor showing of halloween stuff. Its so true. Most of the time I just look and think I could do a better job of making the stuff myself. I just wish there was a place you could buy the "good" stuff at. The big scary props like the US. Shame


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

YES this is why this thread and the forum are so important , i made so many home made props but even now that's becoming so expensive and more and more people are onto the pallet bandwagon , i cannot get as many free pallets as i used to cos YOUTUBE showing everyone how to make garden furniture and even indoor furniture out of them now . I am lucky as in my work i do get some old timber and some excess new stuff but nowhere near as much as i used to .


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

This is the extra level in the DELUXE VHK , hopefully after tomorrow or saturday i will have newr updated pictures .


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Typical Lord_kobel seems we get charged more for stuff nowadays for actually less ! the posts seem to be working DandyBrit well i guess we dont know if others are posting and not coming up until later .......


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

How is everyone,s progress with their props and and preparations for the big day going , has anyone got any photos or updates ? i have no work today so hope to have a good day in my den with the DELUXE VHK and some supernatural podcasts , ASTONISHING LEGENDS new podcast is excellent its about Japanese ghost legends , i listened to it once but got to listen again , really really good , so if anyone has news or updates on props etc please post photos and give us all some updates to inspire us for the weekend , and Batley if you see any offers etc give us a shout .
Taddy i have built a coffin creep a good few years ago so if you want any advice or tips let me know i built mine mostly out of old pallet wood for the half coffin , then the creep body was plastic overflow pipe with a polystyrene skeleton head which i covered with old tights soaked in brown paint which i then cut and pulled and stretched while wet to make it look like old skin , then dried it with a heat gun and painted and attached to the pipe body section , the hands i made from old metal coat hangars and tin foil covered with papier mache but i was not happy with one of them but didn't have time to re do , then painted it for detail found an old shirt , distressed and aged it and bobs your uncle it was about 10 years ago , so its one of my first attempts , here,s a few pictures of the skull stage and the finished project unfortunately cannot find none of the pipework body stage , but if you need anymore help or guidance just holla as our American cousins say .....














































was nearly there but not bloody enough .....






there you go ..... all bloodied up.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^It look really good Pacman - love the skull - lots of nice wrinkly details. Love pallet wood for making things - been using it to make planters for the garden for years.


Don't know what the forum was doing with the posts yesterday. Some of them just weren't there to read but showed as being posted in the timeline of the thread itself on the titles page. Never seen that before since I joined. 

Looks like I won't be able to do my pirate scene at work unfortunately -- things are changing in the visitor centre and not necessarily for the better (for me at least). Time will tell as to how it will all affect my job. Will have to sneak some more stuff in on the mantelpiece etc instead.


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## Taddy (Sep 26, 2018)

Oh WOW, Pacman you are amazing at this game!! I think it's going to take me a few years ... or decades to make something that good! I only have a little space to play with so small things for now! That is definitely on this list of things I will do... at some point though!

Thanks for the images it really helps show how it can be done!

- I ended up posting twice yesterday by mistake thinking it didn't go through oops!


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## Montanabel (Sep 10, 2017)

pacman said:


> How is everyone,s progress with their props and and preparations for the big day going , has anyone got any photos or updates ? i have no work today so hope to have a good day in my den with the DELUXE VHK and some supernatural podcasts , ASTONISHING LEGENDS new podcast is excellent its about Japanese ghost legends , i listened to it once but got to listen again , really really good , so if anyone has news or updates on props etc please post photos and give us all some updates to inspire us for the weekend , and Batley if you see any offers etc give us a shout .
> Taddy i have built a coffin creep a good few years ago so if you want any advice or tips let me know i built mine mostly out of old pallet wood for the half coffin , then the creep body was plastic overflow pipe with a polystyrene skeleton head which i covered with old tights soaked in brown paint which i then cut and pulled and stretched while wet to make it look like old skin , then dried it with a heat gun and painted and attached to the pipe body section , the hands i made from old metal coat hangars and tin foil covered with papier mache but i was not happy with one of them but didn't have time to re do , then painted it for detail found an old shirt , distressed and aged it and bobs your uncle it was about 10 years ago , so its one of my first attempts , here,s a few pictures of the skull stage and the finished project unfortunately cannot find none of the pipework body stage , but if you need anymore help or guidance just holla as our American cousins say .....
> 
> View attachment 572097
> ...


Wow Pacman...that is amazing!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

eBay discount until 8pm: Use code PUMPKINS (min spend £20).

I said to myself yesterday If an eBay code becomes available in the next week then I would buy this: https://youtu.be/vdv-PGnkj9I and now I have. The lunging doesn't look great but I love everything else and hopefully it will bring the shed/hut facde to life. I really missed having a lifesize prop last year and I guess it's better to invest in something you want than props you bought because they are cheap in the sales. I just need to figure which Atmosfear scene to play in the shed window now. 

No rain predicted for 31st now but those sites change their mind more than I do lol


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## splunge999 (Sep 13, 2012)

Hi Sasha! I'm going as an evil pumpkin, I can't wait! We just started our haunt outside. All we have is a concrete square patio surrounded by hedges. I'm doing a pumpkin, scarecrow theme...with loads of fake autumn leaves hanging on twine from tree branches...it will be a small walk-through. I'm really getting into the mood now that I've started. I put up some bamboo screen fencing in front of the bushes and I have a sign outside of the patio to get attention. Last year I did a witch theme and people went crazy for it! I'm from NY originally and so it's hard being here and not having all the shops and stuff that I can easily get there! I had 85 kids come last year so I'm expecting maybe more this time now that they know about it!


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

splunge999 said:


> Hi Sasha! I'm going as an evil pumpkin, I can't wait! We just started our haunt outside. All we have is a concrete square patio surrounded by hedges. I'm doing a pumpkin, scarecrow theme...with loads of fake autumn leaves hanging on twine from tree branches...it will be a small walk-through. I'm really getting into the mood now that I've started. I put up some bamboo screen fencing in front of the bushes and I have a sign outside of the patio to get attention. Last year I did a witch theme and people went crazy for it! I'm from NY originally and so it's hard being here and not having all the shops and stuff that I can easily get there! I had 85 kids come last year so I'm expecting maybe more this time now that they know about it!


That sounds awesome! Yeah, I wish I could emigrate to America for the autumn as things look so much better there haha our shops are so poor for decent Halloween stuff and Haloween isn't as celebrated over here as it looks over there! Pleaseee put some pics up as that sounds great! I tried to do my make up as a pumpkin but the orange faded after 5 mins and ruined the effect haha. I've never noticed how many ToTs I get... Going to keep count this year! Isn't it exciting! haha ?


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

@Pacman that zombie looks awesome, I'm definitely going to have to try that method on some skulls. 
@Batley I was going to get the lunging reaper from Madhatters, but they were out of stock by the time I went in. I still might get the reaper and child? But it's £230+ 
I finally got my projector and I had a little play with jamboree pumpkins, they are bloody brilliant, the kids are going to love them. There's a video on my insta account (link below). I might have to buy another projector and get the phantasm dvd? 
I did a little more carving on my tree tonight, hopefully I can complete it over the weekend, as u have a few other bits I'd like to make.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

@Khanidge I was very tempted to buy that over the witch as the animation looks amazing, especially how the child swings. I know I keep saying this but I cannot wait to see your final set up!!

I'm looking forward to next weekend so I can feel like I'm doing something, can't set anything up until then. I will put the ASDA ghost projector out and countdown pumpkin from Wednesday.


I have the dam Witching Hour scene song stuck in my head now, "tonight tonight is Halloweeeeenn".


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Pacman, that corpsing is brilliant! I had the heatgun out last night corpsing one of my cheapo skeletons... thanks to not paying attention, I now have a skelly body with half a melted skull...!! Hahaa! 

Bately, Ive got the reaper based on that witches mechanics. The movement isnt as fast as they show in the video, but it is very effective. So a real good buy!

Finally Ive got time off of work to get started pulling thing from the attic, repairing my coffin and getting my plans finalised for the cemetary! Weathers looking hopeful now!


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## minksocks (Aug 18, 2015)

Khanidge I had the pumpkins last year and they went down really well with both kids and adults alike. I also got the other atmosfear stuff too for my other projector and also brilliant so l'm sure yours will go down well too. Cant wait to see the finished produce.


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## minksocks (Aug 18, 2015)

Quick question. How do I get rid of that cookie and data use consent box on the left of my screen???? Bloody pain in the arse.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Yeah what the hell was going there DandyBrit ? hopefully its sorted now , and yes although its getting so hard to get pallets here now as many are getting them and selling them or making garden furniture like yourself , i blame YOUTUBE lol , so not so easy to source freebie pallets this end anymore . Sorry to here you cannot get to show off your pirate stuff at work so much , is that a policy thing or room or just management decision ? 
Thank you Taddy for the comments , but its really not that hard i did a smaller grave breaker creep but have no photos of that one , that's easier to make you just get a flat bit of plywood for the base and then you create the shoulders and neck out of PVC pipe then add a polystyrene skull on the top with just the top end of a shirt cut to fit the PVC pipe shoulders , then add paint effects , i used stuffed gloves for the hands on that one stuffed with tin foil so i could shape the fingers to position within the gloves , then pile a load of leaves around it on the floor it looks like his head and shoulders just coming out the ground , try it its easy .
Thank you also Montanabel for your comments and for popping over to the thread , hope you and your countrymen,s props and plans all come to fruition good luck we haven't got long left now that's for sure lol .
Thanks again Batley for the update and well done on your preps and E bay bargains , i am really looking forward to seeing EVERYONES hard work , especially as i am not doing a yard haunt this year i got to get my kicks from all your hard work guys and gals lol , sorry to here you missing your old home Halloween haunts splunge999 it must be hard after all those good Halloweens in the states then to come here and not be able to enjoy it as much , i hope by being on the forum and with us U.K. lot we can help you get more in the Halloween mood .
And Sasha87 you should do what i used to do make up sweet bags like the 20p mix ups you used to get from the corner shops that way at the end of the night you will know how many bags you make up and how many you got left etc giving you a total , that's how we tallied our little horror guests , most was over 550 one year plus their parents nans , grandads etc , but on average 400- 475 kids per Halloween , that's why we tried to put it out on face book and in the local shop that we not doing it this year to save any disappointed visitors as we are going out to Pluckley for a meal this Halloween .
Thank you as well Khanidge for your comments , i see you've been busy , can i recommend GHOSTLY APPARITIONS dvd its was a real favorite in my yard setup and looked great on a reasonable projector. Hope you get what you need to done over the weekend , i creeped myself out today listening to the ASTONISHING LEGENDS Japanese podcast again, its the slit faced ghost girl story that does me in , then my missus creeps in with a cuppa , i nearly wet myself ...... i really want a tattoo of that Japanese ghost girl not sure if your familiar with that Japanese road ghost legend but its sodding scary .
Batley you definitely remind me of me , I STILL get excited at Halloween at 51 m8 so know exactly where your coming from lol , and thanks to you as well for your comments EPD , i have lost count how many mishaps i have had with my heat gun i got a few wonky pose and stay skellie hands with warped fingers caused exactly the same way lol .
Now let me finish by saying i finally finished binge watching THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE and well , what can i say , personally i think it was probably in my opinion the best T.V. ghost story EVER for me , it was like a very good 10 hour GHOST FILM , no spoilers but episode 8 ffs i literally nearly crapped myself with possibly the best jump scare ever !!!!! brilliant acting , brilliant story , excellent characters and great disturbing ghosts , tons of really cringey scary creepy moments , subtle dread with really good character building , if you've not seen it , DO IT NOW , for me worth the Netflix subscription on its own BRAVO NETFLIX for delivering a proper good old fashioned ghost story , the highlight of 2018 Halloween T.V. i dont know how but i would love to see a series 2 , maybe a prequel type of thing on the origins of the previous spooky owners etc .


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

@Pacman, that's exactly what I'm going to do now, I was wondering how the hell ppl kept count while entertaining etc as well! Thanks for the tip! I've got an orange/black/red CarnEvil window set up so I'm going to look on eBay now for paper bags in similar colours! Man, I love this place! I thought I was creative until I came here haha. All your work is amazing... I'm thinking of corpsing one of my skulls now... The VHK is a work of genius...


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Pacman - all I can say is that the centre will be changing in terms of structure/use but we don't know when it is to start. There is an embargo on giving out information that we have all had to agree to so I can't say too much (even though I doubt anyone else concerned with it is on this forum). Change is afoot and it is going to affect how we all work and perhaps even lead to the dreaded "restructure" (a euphemism for getting rid of people).

I'm not optimistic.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Thank you Sasha87 , the beauty of anything we do for our haunts is if it dont look quite right usually it adds to the piece lol , and the whole bag thing started cos my missus worked in a papershop so we used to get paper ones free although i used to buy proper halloween goodie bags for kids of people we knew or for family members kids to make them a little more special , the corpsing really is easy , and so much fun especially when people asked what did you do over the weekend lol think about how you would explain it to them lol ? , i have just popped in now between finishing the deluxe VHK as i needed to print off my bespoke labels for the glass vials , although i have decided to re name the new one ....... THE ULTIMATE VAMPIRE HUNTING KIT ..... DADAAH !!!! lol , should have some pictures up either tonight or tomorrow , been offered £30 for the first original one on e bay but was hoping for more so not sure whether to take the offer or let the auction finish up .
Sorry to hear that DandyBrit , the old saying which is a common used one in the building industry is IF IT AINT BROKE DONT FIX IT ...... i,m guessing someone high up found some cost cutting scheme , well i keep my fingers crossed for you .


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Pacman.... brilliant review for ep8 of HOHH!!! Hahahaa! Made me laugh! PS Ive got a few tips for listing your HHK if you're open to them? (Its what i do for a living!) Do remind me after halloween if you want.

Any of you guys use smoke machines? Im looking for some new, decent fog juice to buy. Ive got 2 x 1000ws and a new baby 400w, looking for something less dense for that one so it dosnt leave damp patches... ooeerr!! All the info on the prop forum is for US brands, not UK ones, recomendations very much welcome 

Heads up for anyone umming & ahhing about the costco props... theyve had another price drop. Ive caved in & bought the tombstone!! Sasha... thise witches are hard to say no now!!
https://www.costco.co.uk/Toys-Baby-Child/Halloween/c/cos_14.7

Started bringing stuff down from storage...The neighbours are giving me funny looks for leaving things hanging around...


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

EPD i am a builder and i if you are able to help me in anyway i would be very grateful especially if it involves a computer etc lol i am a dinosaur so my daughters keep telling me , and thank you for the heads up on the costco reductions there are some good bargains to be had now , i heard on the radio Friday HALLOWEEN sales up another 5% on last year , those stupid retailers just cant see it can they !!!! there missing a real trick ? anyway the ULTIMATE VAMPIRE HUNTERS KIT is all but finished apart from a few tiny tweaks and additions , any valid criticisms are welcomed , this was quite a lot more involved than the first , but it is a better finish i think , i will throw some photos on later . If anyone has got a chance to watch THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE i did open a thread in general HALLOWEEN to discus what they thought of the series but it seems admin have moved it right down into HORROR DISCUSSION so if you do see it or have seen it please post and let me know what you think of the 10 part series way down there lol.

UVHK Pictures


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## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

I work for an heating/AC/plumbing company here in the US & we get TONS of pallets & cardboard boxes daily. So many that if I kept them all our entire block would be full of them. The pallets are usually trashed & the cardboard is recycled.

I know zero things about UK heating/air/plumbing companies, but if it's the same in the UK it can't hurt to check around.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Thank you RCIAG there are plenty of companies that have and get loads of excess pallets but the problem is youtube , there's tons of videos of how to make stuff from the pallets indoor furniture , outdoor furniture , crafts etc and that is why i think its getting harder and believe me the timber is so much more expensive here in the U.K. than in the states , so people are re cycling more , and there are even people gathering them and selling them lol .


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Great news regarding: Costco. I won't be clicking the link to check the prices as I'm spent out and I don't trust myself lol. I'm happy you got the tombstone at a bargain price @EPD. 

@pacman wow, the attention to detail is crazy, it looks very impressive and professional, I didn't expect anything less. Thanks for the photos!

I won't be thinking about Halloween now until next weekend otherwise I'm going to get more ideas lol


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## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

pacman said:


> Thank you RCIAG there are plenty of companies that have and get loads of excess pallets but the problem is youtube , there's tons of videos of how to make stuff from the pallets indoor furniture , outdoor furniture , crafts etc and that is why i think its getting harder and believe me the timber is so much more expensive here in the U.K. than in the states , so people are re cycling more , and there are even people gathering them and selling them lol .


I guess we're just not that into pallet furniture over here. I'd still check anyway, it can't hurt to try!


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Wow @Pacman, the UVHK is spot on, I'd check Facebook for any Halloween or craft pages if I were you to see if they can show your work off, get more interest going and make some decent money back from it! Seriously, the workmanship is brilliant. I've checked the pics to see if I can critique anything and the only thing I can think of, which would be grasping at straws, is possibly make the bible look abit more worn/used?! But honestly, it's perfect as is. Perhaps get your daughters to post on FBK about it, just to show it off, to generate local interest too. Unfortunately people want to pay pennies for stuff these days and don't really appreciate the time and care that goes into unique, original products but if the right person sees it, it'll be worth it.


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Haha @EPD yeah, I always get funny looks when I start to bring all my creeps out of hiding! I can't believe how cheap my beloved witches are going for... If only I had storage for it!! ?


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Hope everyones preparations are coming along well?!

I thought I best try the chimney out as a) I don't wanna burn the shed down and b) I wanted to see if the purple smoke works. Bad photo quality but I'm happy with it. It looks good as you walk up the street. I will play "come little children" via a speaker on the roof. Good ole mache lol. Hopefully it won't be as windy as it currently is here.


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

Did a bit more prep today, only had a few hours to play, so I painted the roots on my tree, and added some vines. I've still got a load of highlights to do on the tree but I'll get that done one evening during the week. 









I also painted my bucket stumps and tested one with a light inside. 






























The lights are colour Changing LEDs, I can choose from red, green, blue, white and yellow, plus a few other colours in the spectrum. I can choose different settings from solid colour to fading, strobing or flashing. 

Oh! And the smelly poodle even tried on his costume though I don't think he is too impressed. 









We visited Dunelm today (not much Halloween stuff but loads for Xmas) I picked up some samples of voil and netting to test out my projector on, I'll be doing that shortly. 

I feel like I still haven't done enough and want to make a few other bits, but not sure if it'll be done in time now?
How is every one else getting on?


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Batley - the chimney looks very magical in nature with that colour light.


Khanidge - the tree is looking good. Why is the poodle smelly though?


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

@DandyBrit he smells because he likes Fox **** as an aftershave. Much to the disgust of my wife who happens to be a Dog Groomer lmfao &#55358;&#56611; &#55358;&#56611; &#55358;&#56611;


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Batley & Khanidge great work both of you! I had a ton to do today... make stands for the skellys... make stakes for the tombstones... start putting fresh batteries in the never ending lights... edit the projector videos.... instead, made a roast and hung out with the fam...


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Thanks both, I'm surprised it actually worked.

@Khanidge brilliant light stumps! I will have to settle with hiding mine in real pumpkins, providing that'll work lol

Haha @EPD, what a fam ?. Great table decorations.


I revisited last years thread to see when reductions started:

Oct 24th: 
Costco: Final reductions and final day of stock available to buy.

October 28th:
The Range - 50% off
ASDA online - Various discounted items, large prop £30 (originally £50)

October 30th: 
Wilko - 50% off


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^Thanks for that info Batley - now we know when to start stalking the shops/online. Not that I wasn't doing that anyway (or is that just normal behaviour for people like us).


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

You're most welcome. Haha, yup I think that's normal behaviour. The first thing I do online is check for price reductions. 

I hope to get a few ground breaker props half price before Halloween to put around a salt circle, cheapest way to fill a big part of the garden lol (concrete area, don't wanna kill plants)


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Now looking for a smoke machine anybody recommend a good one?


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

@joanneB I have a Beamz 700w machine from (amazon), it's OK for the money, but it really comes down to budget. 
The higher the wattage the longer and hotter the burn, so more smoke/mist. But the higher the wattage the higher the price.


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Khanidge - I've never had much luck projecting on voile, although it's amazing for UV. If you've got a Wilko's near you, pop in and get a roll of their their "Winter Vegetable fleece"! Im sure that's what it was called, but brilliant stuff for the money. I've been through all the shower curtains etc etc, but this worked best for me, close second was the plastic Blood splattered table cloths from B&M.

edit: this is the stuff. but looks OOS online https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-protection-fleece-15mx8m/p/0299033









JoanneB - where do you want to use it? indoors or out? what sort of effect? Just mist? Low level fog? I'd always recommend a branded unit - Oneby1, LEX and Beamz are all good ones - wattage choose is exactly as Khanidge explained. Normally a 400/500w would be ideal for a house party, 1000w plus for a larger area / outdoors. Always worth paying the extra couple of quid for a remote controlled trigger. The wired ones are a pain in the butt as you have to be close all evening to manually trigger the smoke! Lots of good deals on amazon and ebay which include fog juice, so have a good scan through.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

I received the lunging witch today, looks great assembled and its as good as the video. Quality isn't great though but that's a common theme nowadays lol.

I tried to test the 10ft back drop outside today as the stand arrived but it's impossible with the wind, another problem to figure out lol.

Regarding smoke machines I have a wired FX Labs 700w, great machine but the short wired remote s a pain in the arse. I'll probably tape it down this year. For the chimney I bought a cheap 500w one via eBay which is wireless, but the tank is small. So I definitely agree to invest in a decent machine.

There's a street locally about a mile away where they all decorate, they're giving out candyfloss and hotdogs this year which is very cool shame I won't be able to go and see


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

GREAT STUFF ALL , well done to everyone , it looks brilliant and i cannot wait to see the ON THE NIGHT photos for full effect , our HALLOWEEN plans been scuppered my daughter had an e - mail from THE BLACK horse pub in Pluckley saying there re furbishment work had overshot so we cannot go there for a meal Halloween night as it wont be done in time , MY GUESS IS THEY ALLOWED THE £55 A HEAD GHOST HUNTER GROUP more places and just fobbed off normal punters who booked who would just paid £15-£20 each per meal , i went on the site selling tickets for the ghost hunter night there that night and they dont say there evening meal and ghost hunt cancelled ..... sounds suspicious to me . Well bit annoying this late so trying to find another good creepy location .
Thank you Sasha87 for your kind words , i fully take in what you said and agree but the bible is over a hundred years old and is a real genuine antique bible so i was bit afraid to try to play around trying to fake age it at all as it may detract from its original 100 year plus condition , basically i bottled it lol , yeah someone said i should try ETSY for selling them , so i may do i didn't take the £30 offer on e bay in fact when i added it up that didn't even cover the materials that's without all the man hours which i was not worried about but wanted to cover production cost . Batley all i can say is PURPLE-ISHOUS M8 great work its looking fantastic .
Khanidge looking brilliant as well , and you still got one full weekend ..... a bit planning you could do it ...... go for it ...... the last minute props always end up being the best , look at my Zombie hand wall last year you old haunters ..... for you new haunters from this year here,s a pic , and on the night my m8 john was behind the wall with his 2 hands through the wall with the fake ones grabbing people randomly during the night , never had so many laughs , you should all build one .













notice the 2 slits in the black plastic where my m8 john put his hands through.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

I definitely agree Etsy could be the best place @pacman. Very sorry to hear about your meal being cancelled, especially how close to Halloween we are. I hope you find an alternative.

I imagine this is Costco's final reductions, 3 items left:
Stichwick........ 79.99
Vampire....... ...69.99
Tombstone......49.99 (same price as the other day)

Argos ghost now £15 (was £20)
https://bit.ly/2q6jnuP
I had to use a URL shortener to prevent a broken link.

I am tempted to buy the SWS again just for the cauldron, but better not as I've had it before. Same reduction as last year, brilliant price!

My sister is going to the street wheres the majority of houses makes an effort, its got hype already on FB so I hope she'll take some pics so I can post and see for myself! So pleased more and more people make an effort.

There's a lack of fallen leaves around here so have been out collecting bin bags full, great cheap decoration lol.

I stupidly tried out the backdrop again this afternoon and it looked good for all of 10 seconds then the wind took it down dispite it being tied to the wall and weighing the stand down. As I'm only doing the shed its definitely needed so I'll be gutted if its as windy as it is today. I should have stuck to my original idea of a walk thru tunnel lolol.


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

@Pacman, I take it back then about the bible, it's as authentic as it can get! I thought £30 was low, I'd hope for £60minimum. The only thing about Etsy, not from personal experience but I've been told they take a high percentage from the sale (or words to that effect) so maybe worth just checking that out. I would love to do a hand wall but all my friends would be wanting to get amongst the party, not standing there to scare people haha although I'd do it! Just not at my own event! Haha. 
Gutted about your backdrop @Batley, fingers crossed for a calmer evening on the day! 

HELP NEEDED! I have some test tubes which I plan on possibly having as a Russian roulette style mini-game", I need ideas of sweets etc to put in them! Ideally powdery or 'bitty' sweet to look like dry potion ingredients (if that make sense!) So far, I have FizzWizz/popping candy, (lemon?) sherbert from DipDabs, (cherry&orange?) sherbert from DoubleDips, ChocLick and I'm going to attempt crushing RainbowDrops too... And that's as far as I've got. I don't want too much sherbert so need some variety, I'm thinking of crushing smarties too but I don't want the ingredients to be too recogniseable... Hope this makes sense and someone can throw more ideas at me... It's been a long day ???


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

I guess most hard sweets would suffice if you put them in a sandwich bag and wallop 'em with a rolling pin. Parma Violets, Millions, yikes it's hard to think. If you have a Home Bargains local they have a huge range of sweets and seeing them in person would probably give you good ideas, I know they have some chili sweets for 29p. Aldi have their own Brand Boozled beans as well for 89p iirc. Wilko have gold nuggets bubble gum pieces for 30p which would look cool. You could always spray sweets with coloured food spray to make it harder to guess what it is. 

@EPD have you received your tombstone? I am tempted now and I doubt it'll be there tomorrow.


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## Lord_kobel (Oct 4, 2018)

Hundreds and thousands? Crushed cola cubes? Hell, throw some gummi worms in a blender and see what happens? Are you doing prank ones? I've got a packet of citric acid from an asian minimart and the sourness on that would knock someone back if they weren't expecting it.


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Cheaper on eBay for the tombstone just brought one 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aged-Cem...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Well, I've just wrote a whole reply out and accidentally deleted it ? I had seen ParmaViolets and had a passing thought of bashing them up, I think I'll do that. Millions will be too chewy to bash or chop I think but I do have some 'poison' stickers I could use to cover the tube if needed so they aren't instantly recognisable... I tried B&M today but was disappointed but yeah, I'll get to HomeBargains later in the week for inspiration and to find the chilli sweets you mentioned, which reminds me I have some Roulette Doritos I could bash up too, also some sweet heat Skittles if I can bash them up in my mini chopper.. The problem I have with the beans is if any kids have a weak stomach and puke, my son did just that after eating 'dog food' flavour last year ? and I considered the rubble gum but don't want to risk it ending up chewed up on my floor/sofa etc. 
Hundreds and thousands are a possibility, I have some in the cupboard so will try a spoonful to see what they're like on their own! ColaCubes... Do you think they'll break up? I haven't had them for years! But I remember them being rock hard... I do have a hammer if needs be haha. I like the gummy worm idea, wouldn't need to chop it up if I can coat it in something sour that they aren't expecting! haha dunno where I'd get citric acid from though. Definitely happy to have dodgy ones, I just don't want anything too harsh coz cleaning sick would make me sick haha. 
Thanks for the feedback guys, I'm gonna have a look on eBay , see what sour/inspiration I can find on there!


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Thanks for the help on the smoke machine so many to pick from


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

My nephew use to like a sweet called Toxic Waste


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^You can still get them - they are really sour.


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Yep, got Toxic Waste today! ?


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

joanneB said:


> Cheaper on eBay for the tombstone just brought one
> 
> https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aged-Cem...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649


Wow, thanks so much for that! I have bought one now. After 3 hours I decided against buying from Costco as it would have been £65 for me as my membership ran ou, still a bargain as it was originally £99.99? but I've bought so much already lol. Again, thanks!!

Home Bargains have quite a few sour sweets as I buy them regularly for my nephew. Great idea btw!


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Bately - tombstone arrived yesterday, ive only opened the box to check & it looks exactly like it does in the pictures... will set it up tomorrow as Ive got the day free! 
Good find Joanne - £45 for it is an absolute bargain!

Sasha - how about making your own fireball? Honey, cinamon & finely chopped chilli, mix with some cheap whiskey or vodka!!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

EPD said:


> Bately - tombstone arrived yesterday, ive only opened the box to check & it looks exactly like it does in the pictures... will set it up tomorrow as Ive got the day free!
> Good find Joanne - £45 for it is an absolute bargain!


Thanks for the feedback, glad I bought one now. 

Btw you may all notice I have just figured out how to quote, I'm not very observant lol.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Lol Sasha87 your Russian roulette sweet idea sounds excellent , yes i think i would go with getting your rolling pin and buying some boiled sweets , cough sweets , fisherman's friends etc , and usual suspects pear drops , cola cubes , rhubarb and custard etc but get some freezer bags and smash the boiled sweets up in the freezer bags with a rolling pin etc , if you use freezer bags there transparent and you can see if there breaking up small enough , if this does work then you got the whole choice of any boiled sweet to use , then as mentioned by Lord_kobel said try adding strong flavor additive , maybe see what you can find in the cooking isle , curry powder , crushed chilli flakes crushed even smaller etc , hope this might help .
Cheers Batley good bargain hunting as usual , i think that you maybe right as regards this being the best offer before they sell out , hope you get the Fog machine you need joanneB it can be a bit daunting , also if its a warm night the fog dissipates quicker that's why it may be better to buy a better fog juice , i even made a chiller box for mine .
I am going to see how easy or hard it is to list on ETSY , thanks for the heads up on the charges Sash87 it would not surprise me as they are more specialized than ebay , i would been happy with £40 for the first VAMPIRE HUNTERS KIT , as then i would have covered the materials and production cost , the second one i have not tried to sell yet . Keep the updates and photos coming all , getting close now , Sasha87 did you watch THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE ? been binge watching as much horror as poss in the evenings lol get me in the Halloween mood lol . Thinking of making Replica of Negans bat LUCILLE as next project , now i am back watching series 9 of THE WALKING DEAD .


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## MarikaL (Sep 24, 2016)

pacman said:


> but the reason the budget has gone to pot so quickly is mainly because a lot of the items i needed for the VAMPIRE KIT are more expensive singular and far more cost effective bought in groupings , such as small glass vials , and small glass bottles etc for example two small bottles to use for Holy Water and another for salt were £8 for 2 inc postage but a package of 10 of the same bottles was £10.49 ? hence so what i was thinking was just buying in larger groupings and trying to make one KIT for myself and maybe see if i can sell one on Face-bay or e bay to just cover the cost of the materials of making the two together. Also many of the accessories required inc small crucifixes , charms , hinges and clasps and other necessities for the box and they are far cheaper sourced from China , almost roughly about one third of the same cost of individual items when bought from the U.K. but there's a waiting time for delivery of 1 to 2 months sometimes


Hi guys, just popping in from the Aussie thread to see what you guys are up to this year, everything is looking fabulous!!
Like you all, we in Australia have a hard time budgeting for Halloween.... props are hard to come by here so a lot of us DIY, however hardware is also ridiculously expensive so we have to get reeeallly creative to realise our Halloween goals!

Pacman, your vampire kit is excellent, we made one 4 years ago, but instead of sourcing items online for it we went to op-shops/thrift stores. Much cheaper than the alternative! Ours isn’t as refined as yours but we love it ?
I’ll post a pic if I can find it in our shed :s


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Films I've watched recently that I've enjoyed - "Coco" and "Zombillenium" - both animation (which I love!) but completely different styles. Not scary but decent story lines.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

MarikaL said:


> Hi guys, just popping in from the Aussie thread to see what you guys are up to this year, everything is looking fabulous!!
> Like you all, we in Australia have a hard time budgeting for Halloween.... props are hard to come by here so a lot of us DIY, however hardware is also ridiculously expensive so we have to get reeeallly creative to realise our Halloween goals!
> 
> Pacman, your vampire kit is excellent, we made one 4 years ago, but instead of sourcing items online for it we went to op-shops/thrift stores. Much cheaper than the alternative! Ours isn’t as refined as yours but we love it ?
> I’ll post a pic if I can find it in our shed :s


I don't envy your shipping prices thats for sure.


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Batley said:


> Wow, thanks so much for that! I have bought one now. After 3 hours I decided against buying from Costco as it would have been £65 for me as my membership ran ou, still a bargain as it was originally £99.99? but I've bought so much already lol. Again, thanks!!


All the Costo props are sold out now, bar the 7ft Butler!


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

Ooooops!, done it again..... Bloody Amazon flash deals, I just ordered another projector, the same as the one I already bought but at almost half the price, so I also bought a copy of ghostly apparitions. 
And because of my spending I've booked in two jobs on Saturday, leaving me just one day over the weekend to make and finish off some other props &#55357;&#56833; 
It sounds like I'm going to have a full turnout of visitors, apparently there's alot of chatter in the village about it, yes it has put a bit of pressure on but I'm used to pressure at work so it might be a blessing in disguise. 
How's everyone one else feeling about the best day of the year?


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Hi MarikaL thanks for popping over the the thread WELCOME , thank you for your kind comments on my VAMPIRE HUNTERS KIT , i did two kits a budget one and an ultimate one lol , i would really like to see your kit if you can find some photos it sounds excellent , i did try local charity shops and second hand shops over here but without any success , the only place i found anything was like a nick nack or junk shop on the edge of my town with a large crucifix but they wanted £25 for it , way too much , and the one i got was a fancy dress accessory which cost £3 and all i did was make a wooden cross to mount it on to make it look more substantial and to age it and color wash it black etc i think it looked ok , as you may have seen from some of the pictures on the thread quite a few of us do make our own props also, i think most of us big time prop makers are in the building trade and get to use off cuts from work and throw away timber and other stuff we scrounge , we do suffer same as you guys for lack of cheap priced materials and we all envy the states for there props , supplies and just mass amount of choice they have thus bringing there prices down although apart from this year it has been getting better here . I guess we are all going to still diy our stuff and just hope it gets bigger and better it sounds like its getting better out there in Australia now , i hope so for your sake , please pop by anytime for general chat or if you got any tips you can hand on , the more the merrier .
Khannidge how much was your projector this time ? glad you got Ghostly Apparitions its my favorite Atmosfear dvd , EVERYONE loved that one whenever i did the projector thing , hope your two jobs Saturday flyby as then you might be able to snatch a couple hours prop time after , i always tried to get 1 hour at least after work every day cos if you can get an extra hour a day in a week you nearly added another days work to your prep lol . I am off again Friday another job let me down but it may be a godsend i forgot we got a Halloween Party Saturday and have got to sort an suitable outfit , i am seriously thinking of the man carrying a box costume maybe with a Halloween twist , here,s a link to a video i am seriously thinking of trying especially as i have Friday to try and do it for the party Saturday , let me know what you all think about the video and idea ???? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev-rTqa-ENo&t=63s

DandyBrit i just watched COCO and had not a clue about it but thought i would give it a go , i bloody loved it , what a great little Halloween themed Animated film especially for slighly older kids , not seen the other one yet . Did see the new Halloween film the other night with the missus and my girls at the cinema , i did like mostly but a couple of parts i disliked , but overall i enjoyed it .
Thanks for the update EPD on the costco stuff , i cant say i am surprised i think tons of people have been stalking the sight waiting for the big mark down .
anyway if you guys have any updates photos of your props or setups , please post and keep us updated on how things are going i think i am going to try to source a polystyrene head online see if i can get one for Friday .


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Cheers Batley and thanks for the updates , you got a busy few days coming m8 lol , good luck yourself , i just finished a job and going to try and source a mask from my horde Halloween stuff and a mask and maybe see if i can get a cardboard box from my local shop see if i can try this outfit .


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## Taddy (Sep 26, 2018)

Khanidge said:


> Ooooops!, done it again..... Bloody Amazon flash deals, I just ordered another projector, the same as the one I already bought but at almost half the price, so I also bought a copy of ghostly apparitions.
> And because of my spending I've booked in two jobs on Saturday, leaving me just one day over the weekend to make and finish off some other props ��
> It sounds like I'm going to have a full turnout of visitors, apparently there's alot of chatter in the village about it, yes it has put a bit of pressure on but I'm used to pressure at work so it might be a blessing in disguise.
> How's everyone one else feeling about the best day of the year?


I don't suppose i could know which one and the price for this too? I'm looking for a second little one for the upstairs windows! Only ones i can see on offer have bad reviews i.ee lower lumens than expected


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Posted edited due to privacy reasons


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Looking good Batley.


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Love the backdrop Batley! Sorry to jump in without catching up on the thread, I've got a shopping list for boiled sweets and the like for my shopping trip tomorrow, I appreciate everyone who gave me ideas! But I'm stuck (again!)... My first time making a zombie... It just looks too... Happy?! I paper mache'd over a skull... Them damn jolly looking skulls... Can anyone give me any tips to make it look less chuffed with itself? Should I darken the teeth? It's going in my front window & will be looking down on ppl as it's approx 6ft from the ground, my party is on Saturday so I'm hoping to add arms/hair to it in the morning, fix the body shape etc... I'm stressed! Haha. Have Googled and Pinterest'ed but everything I like will be too scary for little kids haha I wish I could make this:


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

Taddy said:


> I don't suppose i could know which one and the price for this too? I'm looking for a second little one for the upstairs windows! Only ones i can see on offer have bad reviews i.ee lower lumens than expected


I paid just over £25 the second time around in a flash deal and £55 for the first one here's a picture of the male I bought 











Batley said:


> I tried the backdrop again and managed to keep it standing. I hope it'll look in place once the shed and props are out; the Costco tombstone on the left should blend in now. Gotta iron it and maybe use a marker pen to go over the white lines. I wanted a creepy forest backdrop but I couldn't find one in the size unfortunately.
> 
> I received the Costco tombstone and it's brilliant quality. Very happy with it!


That backdrop is epic, that really covers alot of area that doesn't have to be decorated. 
Hmmmmm? Got me thinking now lol. 



Sasha87 said:


> Love the backdrop Batley! Sorry to jump in without catching up on the thread, I've got a shopping list for boiled sweets and the like for my shopping trip tomorrow, I appreciate everyone who gave me ideas! But I'm stuck (again!)... My first time making a zombie... It just looks too... Happy?! I paper mache'd over a skull... Them damn jolly looking skulls... Can anyone give me any tips to make it look less chuffed with itself? Should I darken the teeth? It's going in my front window & will be looking down on ppl as it's approx 6ft from the ground, my party is on Saturday so I'm hoping to add arms/hair to it in the morning, fix the body shape etc... I'm stressed! Haha. Have Googled and Pinterest'ed but everything I like will be too scary for little kids haha I wish I could make this:


Looking great for a start, you could cut out a dolls eye and add just the one eye? To make him look more menacing or miserable, you need to cover or down turn the outer edge of his mouth, as he looks like he's smiling, maybe loose or make his teeth look more rotten.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Posted edited due to privacy reasons


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Taddy - I bought a Crenova XPE460 on a flash deal for £40 ish last year. Absolute bargain for the output compared to my (very) old epsom that was 800£!! It has USB, so ive ripped all my dvds. Less fuss and skip free!

Bately, that backdrop looks brilliant! We normally have a specific 'selfie' prop or mini scene at our parties, but the backdrop is a way better idea that im stealing for next year!!

Sasha - try darkening the eye sockets & around them and he definitely needs to loose a tooth or two!

We had to cancel this years party earlier in the month, so just doing the display on the big night. Im surprisingly calm with my prep so far, made a plan and even drawn it out!!! Unheard of!!! Ive cut some pipe & dowel & started making supports for the polystyrene tombstones incase it's too windy and eventually changed 45 batteries in the light strings... only 16 more to go, but they can wait till after Making a Murder 
If I can pick up some pallets Saturday morning, im going to make a zombie pit, but they seem to be harder to source round here than i remember :/

Anyway, glad everyones doing ok!!


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Got my Costco tombstone today so happy it came fast still stittung in the box. Also got my girl on swing come she is kind of scary and don’t like one of the saying.

Been let down on a vampire prop they left it days before telling me they can’t get hold of it. Not that happy about it as it’s late and will now cost me more to buy. Maybe I will try and remember what I have up the loft what I can use in its space

Hope everybody plans are going well


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Sasha87 said:


> Love the backdrop Batley! Sorry to jump in without catching up on the thread, I've got a shopping list for boiled sweets and the like for my shopping trip tomorrow, I appreciate everyone who gave me ideas! But I'm stuck (again!)... My first time making a zombie... It just looks too... Happy?! I paper mache'd over a skull... Them damn jolly looking skulls... Can anyone give me any tips to make it look less chuffed with itself? Should I darken the teeth? It's going in my front window & will be looking down on ppl as it's approx 6ft from the ground, my party is on Saturday so I'm hoping to add arms/hair to it in the morning, fix the body shape etc... I'm stressed! Haha. Have Googled and Pinterest'ed but everything I like will be too scary for little kids haha I wish I could make this:


He does look happy with himself!
I think it's because of the natural upturn of the jaw where it hinges.. How about gluing a little bit of mache over that so it masks the smiley face effect? He might have a slightly smaller mouth opening, but he should be more serious. And definitely darken the sockets


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## VonDagger (Oct 16, 2018)

Batley said:


> I tried the backdrop again and managed to keep it standing. I hope it'll look in place once the shed and props are out; the Costco tombstone on the left should blend in now. Gotta iron it and maybe use a marker pen to go over the white lines. I wanted a creepy forest backdrop but I couldn't find one in the size unfortunately.
> 
> I received the Costco tombstone and it's brilliant quality. Very happy with it!


Looks great! I cover my garage doors with them, they cost me about $35(AUD) each from China, I've got new ones for this year, the parents love them.

Oh yeah, Hi from OZ!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

@VonDagger those look very cool, especially the Jack skelly one. I wish I found them sooner, I was looking at scene setters then tapestries so it was by chance. The large one cost me £14 ($25) and a smaller one £7. Great idea to cover the garage doors. I'll have to venture out of the UK thread more: Australia and Halloween. Yes please!! Have a great Halloween!


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## Taddy (Sep 26, 2018)

Sasha87 said:


> Love the backdrop Batley! Sorry to jump in without catching up on the thread, I've got a shopping list for boiled sweets and the like for my shopping trip tomorrow, I appreciate everyone who gave me ideas! But I'm stuck (again!)... My first time making a zombie... It just looks too... Happy?! I paper mache'd over a skull... Them damn jolly looking skulls... Can anyone give me any tips to make it look less chuffed with itself? Should I darken the teeth? It's going in my front window & will be looking down on ppl as it's approx 6ft from the ground, my party is on Saturday so I'm hoping to add arms/hair to it in the morning, fix the body shape etc... I'm stressed! Haha. Have Googled and Pinterest'ed but everything I like will be too scary for little kids haha I wish I could make this:


He is a happy chappy! i quite like it haha, agreed with what others have said make it darker/break the teeth a little!



Khanidge said:


> I paid just over £25 the second time around in a flash deal and £55 for the first one here's a picture of the male I bought


Thank you! i'll keep an eye out for a flash sale hopefully something comes over the weekend!




EPD said:


> Taddy - I bought a Crenova XPE460 on a flash deal for £40 ish last year. Absolute bargain for the output compared to my (very) old epsom that was 800£!! It has USB, so ive ripped all my dvds. Less fuss and skip free!


Thanks! I'll also look out for one of these!

Everyone's is looking great so far! Haven't started to put my stuff out yet (not much yet) But hopefully will grow as the years go by! 

Edit: Brought the XuanPad Mini Projector 2400 Lumens - it came in the lightning deals for £45 so i'm happy! hopefully it works well! haha
Thanks again


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Well just looked at the weather forecast for my area on Halloween, and It's back to being rain nearly all damn day. *sigh* So thats my halloween buggered then. 

Some of the props I had planned to use can't deal with wet wether sadly.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

This weather forecasting and fluctuation is doing me in!!!!    

We've been really spoilt the past few years with the weather round here, so my display contingency plans are poor! I've got 2 mains powered props with short cables that I'm thinking I'll box the extension cables in some chopped up Tupperware  And I've got a 3mx3m pop up gazebo to cover as much as possible.


Fingers crossed for everyone


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Firstly well done everyone , way too many great posts and items to re cap on this late as i,m knackered , but really really well done , Sasha87 like i think EPD said a bit black acrylic paint to the eye sockets , this can be £1 craft paint from poundshop that,s all you need if indoors cut out a couple of teeth one at a time and carefully , then just touch up round where you cut the teeth out with the black paint wipe it around so its not to pronounced and then try and find some old tights brown if poss cut one leg off put it over the skull and very very carefully cut little slashes where eyes are and mouth so looks like dried skin receding , if it dont look right take it off and throw it away afterwards , but if it looks ok leave it on ok ,but take your time , i sincerely hope the weather stays dry for everyone , but its in the lap of the gods , fingers crossed for everyone , i scrapped the box costume idea it didn't work out as i could not find a suitable box so got tomorrow daytime to make something up , thinking hand made hoping to try to make a fake wooden prop crossbow and go as either modern day vampire hunter with my 2nd hunters kit or a survivor from the walking dead with daryl type crossbow and bolts and maybe prop gun , its all last minute ...... my fault good luck all , and i hope you all have a safe and productive prop and yard setup weekend , look forward to seeing and hearing how you all do Sunday night !! lol.


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Thanks everyone! She's just had a makeover, only had an hour spare tonight so had the hairdryer on a lot to dry everything ready to paint haha. I don't have any dolls about so had to improvise on the eyes, unfortunately my black paint is more of a blue/black so can touch up in the morning, the colours look different in pics too for some reason! anyway, meet Meredith...! Complete with spider webbing hair ?

Ditto Batley! I also picked up the magic ball! Wasn't interested in it at the original price but loving it at £3!


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Thanks for detailed suggestion Pacman! I just had to freestyle tonight but the tights idea etc is brilliant! Would never have thought about anything that inventive! Was gonna hacksaw a few teeth out but couldn't find it, it's my main party tomorrow so I can't do anymore to it now, got loads of food to prep tomorrow! Shame about the box outfit not working out, with an imagination like yours, I'm sure you'll pull a crossbow prop and accompanying outfit off without too much trouble!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

I knows, right?! @epd. I've checked three sites this morning and all have different forecasts:
MetOffice - no rain
AccuWeather - afternoon showers
BBC Weather - evening rain

I bought rubble bags to protect the electric extentions, just need to figure out how to protect the fog machines. Best to prep for the worse. Great idea with the gazebo.

Looks great @Sasha87! Haha,same, great bargain. Good luck with your party later!!!

Good luck with the costume @pacman!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Its been raining all day so I haven't managed to do anything outside prep which is disappointing. More of the same predicted for Halloween now. Oh well I'll do what I can. Hope there's still a good ToT turnout. Probably premature to worry with the forever changing forecast but I'll prep for the worse now.

Hope you guys have better luck.
Still looking forward to the sales, fingers crossed!!


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Thanks Batley, well the party was 'meh'. 
The first one I haven't enjoyed. The kids were just toyfighting most of the time, either with the weapon props or just wrestling eachother, not that I mind as they are boys and they were happy but they just weren't interested or focussed on the games etc, they were too noisy to hear each others 'misfortune' etc and I just couldn't wait til they left haha BUT they enjoyed it and my kids enjoyed it... I just selfishly felt like they should have noticed the effort etc that had gone into it, the past 4 years were great parties but half of them kids are in high school now and too cool for parties so it was just a bunch of 9/10yr olds with no older ones to keep things in check. Never mind. It is what it is! Got a second party on Wednesday then I think that'll be my last for good. 
Apparently the Met Office weather is most accurate but yeah, it changes so often it'll be better just checking the night before. I've got my sweetie bags, will make them up on the day, looking forward to seeing how many ToTs come here! 
B&M is the only place I've been with sales on so far.
Looking forward to seeing everyone's pics when you all have everything set up! ?


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Wilco’s had lots of stuff on sale today got a pumpkin that sings the monster mash £6, gravestones £1,Halloween buckets 50p, Halloween signs £1.00


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

I'M NOT BUYING ANOTHER THING FOR HALLOWS EVE, 

(yeah right I've got Wednesday off and one of the largest Halloween stores in the UK on my Doorstep)

However I have had to Start setting up, after finishing my two jobs yesterday at stupid o'clock last night, I decided to use some old crap I had laying around to make a crooked shack, Windows and decorations to be added as yet but I think this is a good start. It also hides my oiltank that I've been wanting to disguise for a few years. 
Looking at this prop, it has so much potential, I'm already thinking of a animatronic rocking chair and a skeleton playing a banjo, swamp monsters and many other themes.
But for this year I'll just stick with what I have for the moment.


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Well, that's it for another year! Who's had parties already? Mine was last night and went well apart from the weather! I had to leg it outside to rescue my groundbreaker as he doesn't like being rained on.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Posted edited due to privacy reasons


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Ahh I can't wait to put my goodie bags together! I think I only get about 10 knocks at the door so maybe.. Around 20 ToTs altogether... (I'm on the outskirt of town) but I don't go crazy with sweets.. Though now I'm doing the bags I think I might just go ahead and make them decent ones! Usually I just whack loads in a large bowl and let them take whatever, rarely have many left. I'm going to buy some decent chocolate bars/popular sweets and give them as any extra for the ones who have put decent effort into their costumes. Apart from glowsticks, I haven't got anything else non-edible! Your treats sound great Batley! Can't wait for Halloween night! ?


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## Sasha87 (Aug 25, 2018)

Just seen the pic, wow you have loads!!! ? what a great haul!


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## Daveferatu (Oct 2, 2015)

Hi all,
talk about late to the party!
Well I must explain . . .
after last year and doing more decorating in the house I vowed not to have a party this year as it does wreck the house a bit (I totally sympathise Sasha87!).
As some will know we have a big party and we do all downstairs of the house with themed rooms and scene setters etc and a bit at the front.
(some pics from previous years should still be available to see on my profile).
But it got to September/October and I was still in denial and not looking at any Halloween stuff as I was thinking what's the point as we're not having a party, my missus was pointing stuff out online and in shops and I didn't want to know. 
Unlike you Pacman it was just down to me but I get how you feel (brilliant Vampire hunting kits by the way!)!!
Well I've felt really bad and 'empty' is the best I could describe it!  
Anyway so I did have a peep here and found this years thread and it's taken me weeks to catch up although I've been lurking for a short while now and it's really great to see a load of new UK haunters!
Well, I'm more enthusiastic now and today I've done a load outside today at the front (piccys below), just got a few more bits to add in the next few days.
When I said a month or so back to our friends that we're not having a party, everyone particularly the kids were saying "NO, you've got to have one!" So I'm now seeing it as I'm having a year off and will definitely be having one next year - I'm not going through that again!   
Anyway I'm glad to be here again amongst good company and I'm really impressed with all I've seen and from the "newcomers" - I've gotta do better next year (keep saying I'll do a cauldron creep!)

Anyway I hope all goes well for you all this week and the weather is kind to you!
So here's a few piccys from today . . .


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## Daveferatu (Oct 2, 2015)

Hi Batley,
where did you get the large backdrop from?
I have a load of scenesetter stuff but that looks brilliant!
Also how good is the thunder strobe light from B&M? Does it only flash when it plays a thunder noise?


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Posted edited due to privacy reasons


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

WOW you all been so frigging busy , sorry i didn't get on over the weekend its been manic and the weather Sunday was terrible rain all day , i will post better reply to all your hard work and comments hopefully tonight but wanted to say the party was a blast and i got , well to use a horror term Slaughtered ...... i made a half a dead body zombie from bits and pieces i found in my Halloween shed to add to my zombie killer character and then the weapons were a painted a £1 shop toy pistol , and of course made the crossbow and bolts to go with it took me all day Saturday and only just got the paint and wax dry in time ..... here,s some pictures from bit of wood to finished crossbow tons of cutting sanding filing and staining later ..... catch you all later .....


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

That's a brilliant crossbow - told you that you could make some brilliant weapons for your kits. You can't tell it was just made out of bits and bobs. 

Glad you all enjoyed the party - even if you felt a bit rough afterwards.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Posted edited due to privacy reasons


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

I'm getting a bit p****d off with people at work asking me why I'm taking tomorrow and Wednesday off! Why do you think you complete TWONKS.

It's not like I did it on the spur of the moment - I booked it six bloody months ago.


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## Taddy (Sep 26, 2018)

DandyBrit said:


> I'm getting a bit p****d off with people at work asking me why I'm taking tomorrow and Wednesday off! Why do you think you complete TWONKS.
> 
> It's not like I did it on the spur of the moment - I booked it six bloody months ago.


Haha same with me, i've only booked off the Wednesday but people keep asking me why i'm off and if i can stay as we are short staffed, I'm like a broken record saying Halloween.Booked in may.No i'm not coming in.No i can't just work from home -.-"


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Yeah - but it's different when it's Christmas isn't it. Then they think it's OK if someone has booked two weeks off around Christmas Day etc for 12 YEARS in a row! Not me I hasten to add - too much time off at Christmas just means sitting around stuffing too much food/snacks etc down my pie-hole. I don't mind just having the bank hols off then.

But Halloween is my thing - no-one else there is into it.


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Nice to see you back @Daveferatu!!! The front lawn is looking brilliant!

Bately, your goodie bags are Ahhh-mazing!! I'm knocking on your door next year!!! Have you put together your Tombstone yet? Eventualy did mine yesterday, very effective looking and nice size, but, not a patch quality wise on last years Gargoyle. Glad I only paid £50, not the original £100 tho!

Pacman, the party sounds as it was a good one!!  And Sasha, sorry to hear yours was a bit of a let down... but I bet those kids will always have a good memory of it anyway! If they act the same next year, ditch them and come to our party!! haha!!

The weather gods seem to favourable round here at the moment... gone from 4hrs rain to sunshine all day... but $%£% me it's cold!!!!!!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Haha I hope the ToT don't expect the same next year! Yeah I tried it out the day it arrived, happy with it but I agree the sale price is what it was actually worth. 

No reductions in The Range and ASDA and nothing else discounted in B&M. None had any tombstones/ ground breakers or crows so I won't bother looking again. Fingers crossed for Argos sale.

Afternoon shower and rain late evening predicted now, could be worse. And yeah, bleeding cold here as well, gonna be freezing in the shed lol.

I should be preping everything now but here I am eating biscuits watching American Horror Story.


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## HALLOWEENTOWN3110 (Aug 5, 2012)

I am all ready for the trick r treaters...Managed to get Wednesday off work...Hope everyone has a spooktacular time


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

.Posted edited due to privacy reasons


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## SpookyScotland (Aug 19, 2016)

Finally finished! (Until the Aldi arch and projectors go up on Halloween night!) still not perfect but happy for now!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^Looking good!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Nice work @SpookyScotland, especially the reaper over the door, and love the various scenes, very cool. Thanks for the pictures ☺


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

THANKS all , well with me not doing the yard this year i at least had time to make the crossbow for the party and knock up a dead half body zombie lol , yeah my head was rough all day Sunday , but then it was a great night i think it was the Absinthe .... i have a taste for it but its hard to come by over here one of my m8s had a friend bring him a bottle back from Spain so we hit that hard a couple of my friends were still rough today lol .
well HALLOWEEN is nearly here , i found out i have to work wednesday now which i am a bit pissed at as i wanted to go to town see if i could get any HALLOWEEN bits in the sale but i got no work Thursday or Friday so can,t turn it down , at least i can chill out end of the week .
Right i have an idea for my next project , i either fancy making a copy of LUCILLE , Negans bat from the walking dead , or , this is going to be extremely tough thinking about it , or trying to make a dollhouse [ i made two conventional ones before for my daughters ] of the house from original HALLOWEEN movie , I.E. a copy of MICHAEL MYERS HOUSE but in a dollhouse maybe 1/12th scale , so i will have a think , anyway all the best with your preps people especially if you got tomorrow or wednesday off to finish your props or even organizing your setup or making up sweet bags , the very best of luck and i hope all goes well , dont forget to post all your photos and make sure you take loads for everyone to see especially you newbies , we want to see your first big HALLOWEEN FORUM SETUP !!!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Pacman - you do realise that Absinthe turns your liver green don't you. 

The bat project sounds good - the dollhouse sounds like a real challenge!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

All ideas sound good @pacman, especially the dolls house. Look forward to whatever you do, it'll be nice to keep the thread alive post Halloween!

Got the roof done today and the window, although its Blue Peter style I'm happy with how it looks. I'll post some photos after the event! Rain was predicted today but it didn't happen thankfully. Fingers crossed for tomorrow for everyone,can't wait to see your set ups.

See y'all on the other side ?


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Just got back from our work event (Enchanted Woodland lantern walk) - went OK but was a bit cold. The families all seem to have enjoyed it anyway.


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

I've just been sitting here carving a pumpkin, and thought to myself that I'd better map out where stuff is going. 
Boy have I got my work cut out for me lol, I'm really looking forward to tomorrow, even though I'm a little anxious. I actually feel like a kid at Christmas eve waiting to see what santa has brought me lmfao. 
Good luck everyone for tomorrow, let's hope the weather is fair for your haunts.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

GOOD LUCK ALL , and yes but i am a sucker for it DandyBrit got a taste for it when i was abroad , and in the movie Van Helsing Hugh Jackmans character VAN HELSING drinks it lol so if its good enough for the greatest vampire hunter in the world its good enough for me lol , HAPPY HALLOWEEN to - DandyBrit , EPD , Silver Spike , Daveferatu , joanneB , lucidhalloween , minksocks , Badgespanner , SpookyScotland , Batley , Sasha87 , Khanidge , Lord_kobel , HALLOWEENTOWN3110 , Taddy , ELPS , and anyone other Haunters in the U.K. thread i may have missed , and to all on the forum throughout the world , the best of luck for your parties , yard setups , and walkthroughs , and fingers crossed it stays dry for you all ...... look forward to the photos .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Yep - good luck to everyone for tomorrow. May the weather be good and the scares be plentiful!


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Good luck tomorrow everyone!!! All that hard work and we're coming up to the pay off! Just remember to enjoy it!!! Ive made double-y sure im going to enjoy myself either way it goes with two hip flasks full of finest Rye & a big bowl of reduced ToT sweets!!!  

Weathers looking good this end... hope it holds out for you all


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Lol EPD sounds like a plan ...... wish i was closer would have a tipple with you , have a good one ....


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Happy Halloween everyone!!!


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## Daveferatu (Oct 2, 2015)

Yes, good luck to all you haunters! I hope all goes well and the weather holds off - says sunny all day with a few spots for the evening up here near Manchester, fingers crossed! 
Hope the sales are fruitful as well, gotta plan for next year now (yes I'm back in the mood, even the better half is searching for a vintage pram she had spotted for a tenner the other night, methinks she's got plans too!!)  
Today's the day, happy haunting!!


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## Lord_kobel (Oct 4, 2018)

Bit warm in the office today....








I'll post the pics of my Sutter Cane costume from last Saturday when I get a chance.


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Hope everyone has a good night I’m running around like a mad women thinking why didn’t I sort this sooner


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Just about to have tea - having witches noses carrots with our chicken etc. They are purple - in honour of Halloween obviously.


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

How did it go everyone?!!!
The heavens opened down here about noon, midway through setup!!   so it was an insane rush from 2.30ish to get everything out! But at least my butchered tuppereare kept my extention cables & fogger bone dry!! Was gutted i didn't get my layout as i wanted and a few things didnt make it out or as intended, but, some amazing comments from the ToT'rs & parents of, so all worthwhile!
Here's a couple after the rain, i'll put some decent finished ones on tomorrow... im just enjoying a post breakdown bourbon & winding down  


















Hope everyones evening wasn't too stressfull and the ToT's were all suitably amazed!!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

I hope you all had a successful Halloween?!

I was here eventually, great weather, no rain/wind and the set up was how I pictured. I'm extremely pleased how the shed turned out and it was well received, especially purple smoke chimney, witching hour window and lunging witch. Total of 260 ToT, they were very happy with their Poundlworld items and goodie bags lol. Although I didn't see, we had a visit from the Mystery Machine ( Scobby Doo van replica), supposedly they was visiting most recommended places on FB, no idea as I don't use it, but great to know regardless. It was gone 5 when I had finished setting up and ToT then began so, apologies, I don't have any photos, yet... I'll get my sister to send me them tomorrow. Despite the pros, setting up is ridiculously stressful and its too much having to do everything myself. I hope I remember this next October.

Hope you guys had a blast. Can't wait for pictures!!!


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

I’m sure nobody needs any more Halloween stuff but Asda sale has started online not much but Life-Size Poseable Skeleton £12.50 

https://direct.asda.com/george/hall...-all/D23M12G1C4,default,sc.html?start=0&sz=20


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## Taddy (Sep 26, 2018)

Happy Halloween ... For yesterday all!

Didn't realise how much running about i would be doing haha!
Need new material for my projector, i had one upstairs but you couldn't see it  more effect for next year though!
Really glad with how it turned out everyone loved it, especially since there was only one other house that put out decorations for the next 3 estates!

Many people just watching and taking photos - For a first year Love it can't wait to add more things for next 

Can’t wait to see everyone else photos too! hurry up! haha

Thanks for you help too everyone! New time year round follower


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## Daveferatu (Oct 2, 2015)

Hi all,
Hope everything went well last night for you all!
EPD, Taddy, loving the pictures! Looking forward to seeing everyone else's, will hopefully post a couple of mine later.

Just a quick one for those of you who use projectors, Atmosfear are doing discounts till late tonight if you want to top up your digital collections?
https://atmosfx.com/collections/halloween


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Sorry to hear it rained @EPD, your revised setup looks brilliant tho, looking forward to night photos. ?

I was tempted last night to buy those skellys @joanneB but the boxes are large and I have no more room ? thanks for the link!

Great work @Taddy, the skelly in the fog looks incredible. Sorry to hear about the upstairs projector.

I bought a few bits from Argos, there's not a lot left but I got:
Animated bat
Hanging skelly
Misting skull
Large spider 
All for £28

The had the talking busts for £7 instock but the jaw sound is off putting.

Definitely worth a check: https://www.argos.co.uk/events/halloween


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

£5 code for Argos off Halloween you can use it as many times as you want for in store pick up pay online you have to spend £10


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## Taddy (Sep 26, 2018)

Batley said:


> Sorry to hear it rained @EPD, your revised setup looks brilliant tho, looking forward to night photos.
> 
> I was tempted last night to buy those skellys @joanneB but the boxes are large and I have no more room thanks for the link!
> 
> ...


I wish they had any of this in stock! fully sold out 

I really wanted a life size skellington this year but no where sold them or they was all out of stock, gutted they went on offer somewhere!!!!!

Hopefully i can snag one for next year!

Thanks for your comments peeps  and love your setup @EPD i might steal a few ideas next year!


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## Matt 82 (Oct 15, 2012)

Hi everyone. Didn't post at all this year as I had other stuff on as of late (and have very little room/spare cash for Halloween stuff atm) but I did do a display this year that went down well with the neighbours. The two kitchen windows had some FearFX stuff cycling which always excites people. The window next to the door had the "Ghostly Apparitions" set on it which a lot of the kids found genuinely scary. A few of them didn't want to get too close to the door!

The living room window was my favourite bit, though. I have a collection of masks and last year had stuck them on poles and draped some fabric between them. It looked a bit crappy, tbh. So this year I had 'bodies' made for each of the characters and it looked so much better.


















































I used a 20 year old Budweiser sign that I got from the pub I used to work in for some low level red lighting and periodically pumped smoke into the scene to add to the atmosphere. The best fun to be had here was inserting myself into the scene under the cover of smoke, standing still while folk took pictures and then turning my head to face them just as they were walking away. Got a few people that way.










Best bit of the night though was when there was a knock at the door and when I answered it, there was a lady with a large group of people there who said that her kids had already got their sweets from me but that everyone just wanted to say thanks and well done for putting on the show.. So I had this big group of people all saying how much they'd loved it and that it had really brightened their night. I nearly had a tear in my eye. Had been running around like crazy getting it all set up so it was nice to hear that appreciation.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Glad to hear that things went mostly OK. Tried to get some of the reduced Asda and Argos skellies - no luck unfortunately. Picked up some other bits and pieces though so feel just a little happier.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

wow that's incredibly creepy @Matt 82, very impressive!

I gave it and bought the Argos busts, £7.50 is a great price. I did have a ghost and butler in my basket but someone beat me to checkout lol.

I went Tesco and got a few bits:
Monster mash led singing pumpkin £3.50
Skull closhe £2.50
Animated bowl £3
Led sign £2
They also had a door knocker for £2 (same one I bought from Aldi for £9)

Nothing in B&M.

Hope you guys pick up some bargains.

I have a few photos now, waiting on night ones, The house window was done in the last minute rush so doesn't look great and I wish the backdrop was level with the shed but im happy with it overall. Also included the idea and before photo lol.

I will keep to this set up next year but change the backdrop and expand the graveyard. Hansel and Gretel house next year I think.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^Looking great there Batley. 

Matt - I think I would have run away if I'd seen you lurking like that.

Taddy - this thread is useful for getting a heads up on stock coming into shops. We'll need to set it up again for 2019. Until then it's useful to stay in touch and just exchange info/


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

OUTSTANDING JOB Batley , EPD , Taddy , brilliant setups and well done for winning through the weather , and better late than never Matt 82 , great job , as i said before even if one or two people take there time to thank you , it really boosts your spirit , and that was what kept me doing it for 20 plus years i think if your in an area where you are few and far between you get that positive feedback more and i think you inspire more , it was like that in the early days this end but not so much now . I checked online and all the stores in a 50 mile radius totally sold out in Argos with the HALLOWEEN bits i liked , but then being where i am it is so heavily built up , and i myself intend to try and post fairly regularly through the year , well more often than the end of last year at least , it would be good if some of you folks could do the same , we got a great little online community thing going now and its growing more every year , i still as always predict HALLOWEEN will be huge here within a few years as i always have thought , so be good to see how it transpires next year seeing as the sales went up AGAIN by another 5% this year , come on retailers pull your fingers out .


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Halloween went ok but we only had 37 children we get up to 80 other years. I wonder if it’s because the schools are on holiday and people are away.

One thing I need to change is the set up I didn’t enjoy Halloween I was worn out running around 8 hours. My back kills me I’m so tired today and run down. 

But got lots of skelly for next year they worked out at £5.50 each at Argos with the code. Next year I’m doing skellys climbing up the house. 

Amazing setup everyone will have a good read in the morning when a I feel more like it.


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## Daveferatu (Oct 2, 2015)

Hi all,
as I said earlier great pictures so far! (now I've had more time to look at them and read!).
EPD, still a great display (and given me an idea or 2  ), glad you got through the weather OK! Is that a cauldron creep I can see by the Cosco grave and lunging reaper?

Taddy, great display - and this is your first??  Wow, I look forward to your one next year!  Was that a projection or a scene setter inn your front window? Love the character grave markers! (again, gave me ideas - piping my fogger to a few props!  )
Anyway, like us all you've now got the bug and it'll only get worse (i.e. better!) 

Matt 82, welcome back (I was a late joiner this year as well but that was just me feeling sorry for myself), very creepy and effective, LOVE the predator-like mask on the right! Like Pacman with his hands display last year sticking your head in the display and making them jump would be hilarious!

Batley, the shed looks brilliant and with the tree in front it's very effective! And like I've found, lighting make a hell of a difference (all I bought this year was 2 x 30W led remote control colour lights although the cables are only 1m long - need to extend them!)

I had a whiz round the shops this afternoon and there's NOTHING! Just a handful of halloween costumes! Went to a B&M, Sainsburys, Asda and Morrisons!
I managed to get a thunder strobe (I gave in Batley!) half price at a different B&M but they only had a few bits! So I had a look at Asda and Argos from the links posted here and the skellys don't appear anywhere (only one but it's driving 40 miles!) and the other stuff (animated flying bat looks good) is cash & collect nearly 20 miles away!
Yes Pacman I heard that on the radio as well - sales up 5%, I must admit driving around today I did see a handful of houses with from very small to quite elaborate displays so that's encouraging!

Our night went well and we had lots of ToTers and all remarked on our display, some even saying they look forward to seeing ours every year, and a few taking photos and watching the projections in the top window - like you said Matt 82, it just makes it worthwhile that people appreciate it and that the kids (and adults!) enjoy it!

I need to start planning for next year, with some stuff I keep promising to do (maybe an early New Year's resolution!) like the cauldron creep and the zombie cellar (with lights and hands sticking out from under a pallet), my missus is already looking round for an old fashioned pram she spotted (and so need to get a zombie or devil baby prop). Also the backdrop scenes like Batley's (they do look good!)

Anyway I tweaked my display yesterday morning. As we weren't having a party so gave Wanda a rest, zombie girl got repaired and had a go outside as a witch and tweaked a couple of things around, here's a couple of pictures and a quick video.
I look forward to continuing seeing all your photo's, keep 'em coming!  

































. . . and a quick video


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Thank you everyone for your pics, it's been great seeing what everyone is up to! 

Daveferatu... if you're looking for a baby doll for your pram, i have home made conjoined twin babies i used in my freakshow last year that could do with rehoming if you could use them? 

And if anyone has a local argos with the busts still in stock... please could you let me know? I'd really like to get hold of them despite the clacking jaws!


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Please forgive my pants spelling.. that'll teach me to post before checking. Bloody phone...


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Awesome setup Matt82! 

Bately, the shed/witches house looks brilliant! The tree looked really good, im definitely using a tree/forrest theme next year... just for the added overhead hanging posibilities!!

Joanne, thanks for the Asda heads up, got another 2 skellys coming tomorrow!! Definitely agree with the lower number of ToTs this year because of the half term, moreso the bloody weather round here!! Still, 180-200ish we counted up!

Here's a few from last night


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

BRILLIANT EPD , looks even better in the evening darkness certainly adds to creepiness .
I am glad you all had a good night , its weird cos lot tiny tots back to school down here but secondary schools etc all had 2 weeks off for half term , whats that about ? . And interesting to hear how a lot you guys and ladies really knackered , that was another reason i give it up used to take me months of work making props and prepping them then the whole of Halloween day setting up and carrying the props out front , then from about 8 on the night till about 11 just dumping everything back around my back garden , then i would spend the whole of the next 2 days sorting and packing everything away proper , i must admit i DEFINITELY didn't miss that part this year , and it got tougher every year i got older , plus all my little helpers are all now school leavers and started work or colleges lol .


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Thanks @DandyBrit!

Thanks @pacman. Yeah, the positive feedback definitely made it worth while. I'm aready eyeing up some out door Christmas candy cane lights for the gingerbread house theme lol and a snow machines, too lol. Im pleased you're gonna stick around posting out of season, your posts are very positive and cheerful and thus enjoyable to read. I'll be around, too!

@joanneB welldone with the skellys! I already placed my Argos order before I knew there was a code but thanks to your post I managed to get a bat and skull/raven so again, thank you for notifying us of bargains! 

@Daveferatu I love your set up!! You got it right with the lighting and I agree with the wire lengths, I didn't take that into consideration and wasn't able to set them up how I wanted so I'll be doing the same. Happy you got a thunder light and the sales are shockingly bad this year. Also, thanks!

@lucidhalloween my locals are out of stock now but I'll be checking daily for the next few days incase more stock arrives as there's an Argos distribution center near by so there's a possibility. If so I'll order them for you.

Love the variety of props you have @EPD, and even the cobweb looks brilliant, I don't have much luck with that stuff. The lighting does bring it to life and thanks again for recommending those led lights. Awesome setup.

I have to clean up 10 bin bags worth of leaves and 13kg of staw tomorrow, great fun. A lady collected all our pumpkins today to feed her pig which I'm pleased about. Can't pass on the staw incase there's fragments of the chicken wire, don't wanna hurt any animals.


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

I’ve got the bat and skull/raven too because of the code I placed 7 separate orders for things. Didn’t get all the things I wanted but very happy with what I got


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Same, I would have liked the butler and ghost (I did purchase it originally but returned it as I expected the sale). I'm happy you got your bargains!

I'm sure some people on this forum in the US have bought this to customise for Halloween, it'll look great recoloured in a graveyard set up, worth watching in the Costco Christmas sale (assuming there is one) https://www.costco.co.uk/Christmas/Christmas-Decorations/3ft-10-12m-Resin-Christmas-Angel/p/1900268

Still no sale at The Range, I would have liked some ground breakers


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Thanks all for the heads up , yeah i can see graveyard mod written all over that statue Batley definitely , and i used to start preparing for next years Halloween straight after the previous one mainly because i found i could source stuff slowly thus pick my price i was willing to pay for materials instead of a 2 pr 3 month slot heading up for Halloween time when i had less time to pick for items i could mod or use as decor , one little tip i found was if you like to do a graveyard setup with railing fence and like me it was on a fairly large tarmac area i used to buy fake plastic vines and long fake plastic plants from china for 99p with fee shipping , they used to take nearly 2 months to come through but they would look brilliant in the dark all wrapped around the fake railing fence and just made it look ultra real especially in the dark , they do loads of different colors and shaped leaves i will post a photo later to show you some as an example , same with fake bugs and to some degree stuff you can modify , lets face it 90% of the Halloween props we get that are mechanical , electrical , or just static are made in the far east and most of them are from china we just pay rip off prices for them through U.K. retailers thats how they make there money , those fake vines were anything from £6 upwards EACH here for exactly the same item , this was why originally i wanted to build my workshop to allow building and modifying time through the downtime deep in winter when lets face it when we do get a bit of downtime we usually sit about bit more and watch too much telly , now i can go and make or create something , i recommend it to you all because how many times have you made or adapted a prop and said its ok but i could have done a much better job if i had a bit more time , even if you dont have anywhere specific like i have made try to find a room or area indoors if not , or clear a space or area in a shed , just enough to allow you to work at it , i find it extremely relaxing and very therapeutic , especially with my iPod playing in the background lol.
Yes i hope to carry on posting more often than other years right through the year , and bandy ideas and thoughts to and fro .


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

I wonder if we will get some photos and updates over the weekend , hope so after such a lot of new members joined be great to see how there setups and yard displays went .


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## Taddy (Sep 26, 2018)

@ Matt great display! Love how you got involved too!

@ Batley I love your creepy trees and the chimney!! That smoke is perfect you have some great props that's for sure!

@ Dandybrit Thanks! I've noticed i'm keeping a keen eye on them all! I managed to bag 4 gold skulls from asda for 75p each so i think i can paint them up and look good!

@ Pacman Thanks! Yeh i got quite a lot of compliments I’m definitely revved up to make it bigger and better haha

@JoanneB I can't wait to see your set up with all the skellies! i really wanted the ravens too but all sold out for miles!

@Daveferatu Yes this is my first  I think the road thought something was happening haha, yes it was a projector! I had a few videos on loop, I also had one upstairs but the fabric i used was a biut too thick i think and you couldn't see through it, Will make next year look better though!
I love your setup to the pumpkin man and the ground breakers look amazing

@ EPD I love your garden I'm definitely having some skelies popping out of the bush next year haha! What lighting did you use I think i really missed that this year the green looks awesome!


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Great work everyone. So much hard work on display! I'm envious.  I just about managed to do a small display but due to my continued heart problems I didn't end up doing as much as I'd had liked sadly. 



> Still no sale at The Range


Yes, whats up with that? Are they ever going to have one?


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## Lord_kobel (Oct 4, 2018)

lucidhalloween said:


> And if anyone has a local argos with the busts still in stock... please could you let me know? I'd really like to get hold of them despite the clacking jaws!


"Order now, collect first thing tomorrow at Chessington Sainsburys Collection Point"


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## Matt 82 (Oct 15, 2012)

Our Range was 30% of stuff yesterday. Not enough to make some of the hanging decorations worthwhile, tbh as I think I could make better versions myself for a lot less.

Thanks for the comments on the display. It's just small but I like giving people a fright so it works well for me.

Have to say that I'm jealous of those with the big outdoor displays. I would have LOVED them as a kid. But the weather up here makes it too likely that stuff would get damaged.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

The Range is being really tight this year with their decorations. But then times are getting hard in retail and I imagine come March will only get worse, so I can't blame them I suppose.

I got my Argos stuff delivered today and I'm very impressed with the full size Skelly. Far better then Asda's imo. More like a real pose n' stay and feels better quality. Well worth the money. I also got the skull mister (which I'm still fiddling about with) and a few other small items.


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Thanks everyone for the kind words  

Pacman, this year was the most knackering... had to cram in 6 hours setup into two ish because of the rain!! Back & legs still ache! Much easier having a party, we setup over a week, so way less stress... it's just cleaning up some, usually gruesome scenes with an almighty hangover _never _gets easier!! 

Bately, a lot of props means a lot of storage  My attic and my mums look like a house of hoarders horror shop!!! How did you like that treeyou got? It looks effective and am thinking of a couple for next year, although Khanidges ones are amazing too! the chimney does look brilliant, I'm semi stealing the idea... 



Taddy said:


> @ EPD I love your garden I'm definitely having some skelies popping out of the bush next year haha! What lighting did you use I think i really missed that this year the green looks awesome!


Thanks Taddy, great to see you've caught the bug!! More of us to bounce ideas off of & share the experience & tips with!
These are the lights I use, 30WRGB no sensor and with an actual UK plug Many don't come with them https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-...var=583027571607&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 two of these give the throw that's in my pictures, I bought another 2 this year, but they've stayed in the box due to lack of time.


Glad to see everyones picking up some bargains... my two pose n stay skellys arrived this afternoon, well chuffed for 12.50 each delivered!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

I picked up my Argos order today and I agree @SilverSpike the skeleton is better quality. My ASDA one has a broken joint already. I bought the skull with a raven and was shocked how big it was, I didn't read the description so assumed it was homeware piece like you'd find in TK Maxx. The eyes flash and it says something, definite bargain! if you can get one locally I definitely recommend. Sorry no photo as it went straight into storage.The bat is huge as well.

No sale in Wilko apart from ceramic pumpkins with £2 off. Sign of the times as you mentioned @SilverSpike, very disappointing tho.

@EPD to true regarding storage, I filled my mums attic as well lol. Yeah I recommend the tree, it does need something at the bottom of the trunk to keep its shape. I tried to have fog coming out the mouth as pictued on the site but the fog just seeps through the fabric. Best part is that box isn't large for storage. I definitely want a couple more next year as well. @Khanidge tree is epic. 

November 2nd and the Christmas ads have begun already.. they usually wait for Guy Fawkes night to pass. Yikes.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

All the Halloween stuff in our Wilkos is reduced.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

HI all and in T.J. HUGHES all Halloween stuff props etc 50% off but most of the good stuff was gone by the time i was there this morning , poundshop marked nothing down and just put there stuff away for storage until next year cos i asked one of the assistants .


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## Daveferatu (Oct 2, 2015)

Hi all,
hope we've all now come down from the Halloween highs! 
Firstly LucidHalloween, we were gonna look for an animated baby prop but yours certainly sounds interesting! Have you any photos of it?

Yep Silver Spike, that doesn't surprise me from what I've seen of other stores, I'm guessing they're getting a bit savvy!
At least some of us have managed to grab a few things!

EPD, I'm similar. The bottom end of my garage is all Halloween stuff, but I think all your stuff would fill the garage!!  

Also I shopped around again on Argos and found I could now get the bat sent to my local Argos (pity I couldn't for the skellys!) so I ordered 2 @ £9 each and a spiders web for £3 yesterday.
Picked them up this afternoon and I can thoroughly recommend the bats. they're huge! About 5.5 ft across - longer than my arms span! Not put batteries in to try (they take 3 x AA) but they're sound activated and make "bat" screeching sounds according to the description. Piccy's below and they're now off to storage!

EPD, Taddy, those lights are similar to what I got off Amazon but quite cheaper!
I got 2 off 30W outdoor colour remote lights but I paid £19.40 each (currently showing at £20.99)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0789CQTGZ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here's the bat, really recommend it!


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## Daveferatu (Oct 2, 2015)

Forgot to mention . . .
Taddy, have you tried ordinary garden fleece to project onto? That's all I use on the windows and seems fine to me? Some may be quite thick but mine's quite sheer and is cheap stuff from Wilco's I think?
Not sure about the quality of the image if used across an opening or for anyone close up to it?

Anyone tried any of the other "usual" materials that get mentioned (beside Atmosfear sheets)?

Thanks for the tips Pacman, definitely need to plan earlier and not leave it too late - and probably save a fortune as well!! 
Even if you're not "displaying" anymore your enthusiasm is always infectious and input always welcome and helpful!


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Sure thing Daveferatu..






.. just a simple baby, but it definitely got a reaction from people.
I love the bat, it's really cool!

Love everyone's pics.. Batley and EPD.. you've reminded how much I really need to buy some decent lighting, your set ups look amazing. 

I really didn't get that many pics of my set up.. I was so busy tweaking it and making it right, I didn't take any pics! But here are a couple to share...


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Thank you very much Daveferatu , that is very kind of you to say , i always hope i can help if i can especially if it saves cash and time , and this is what this exactly what this forum does it creates a great community where like minded people can have fun and spin ideas around to better each other even if i dont have the energy and finances to do it myself , i still get a huge kick off seeing everyone's displays come to fruition , and i love to hear you all get thanks and encouragement from your communities and know HOW MUCH this inspires and pushes you to do more and better the next year , its so infectious , but as i said it is most welcome to hear you say those kind words Daveferatu and i most sincerely hope i can help , aid and even more so inspire anyone with this most incredible interest which we all so much enjoy , and i think it will only get bigger and more celebrated in the next couple of years , all i got to do now is my next plan ....... win the lottery buy some property on the outskirts of Maidstone near to BLUE BELL HILL one of the most famous ghost story areas in Kent , employ you all to help me haunt it out PROPERLY , and then open the U.K.s first fully fledged HAUNTED ATTRACTION !!!! lol .


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Always worth looking on Argos again If someone does not pick up the items up my local has just put lots more on


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Pleased to hear lack of Wilko sale isn't nationwide.

Love your decorations @lucidhalloween ,your setup looks very classy. I was disappointed last year with lack of lighting, it hella makea a difference, but the photos you've posted with the lack of lighting really adds to the effect, especially the doll,very eerie . Also thanks ?

I've been checking Argos religiously and this time around managed to get the ghost ToT and spider skelly from a store in the next town. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for the singing skelly now lol. Hope you guys have some luck with your locals.

I tried the busts, the are a lot smaller than I thought and unfortunately only the mans mouth works.

I can't believe Halloween was Wednesday, it feels like weeks ago now.


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## Matt 82 (Oct 15, 2012)

Daft question but I take it you can just leave those LED lights from Amazon on one colour without it cycling through the rest? That would take up much less room than my great big Budweiser sign!


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Matt 82 said:


> Daft question but I take it you can just leave those LED lights from Amazon on one colour without it cycling through the rest? That would take up much less room than my great big Budweiser sign!


Yes! They come with a remote, I think 12 different fixed colours you can pick from or have it cycling through them in 3 different modes


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Well the Range sale must have gone on late last night, because I've woken up to see most of the good stuff is gone.  Managed to snag a few little items but thats about it. Disappointing.


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Batley said:


> Pleased to hear lack of Wilko sale isn't nationwide.
> 
> Love your decorations @lucidhalloween ,your setup looks very classy. I was disappointed last year with lack of lighting, it hella makea a difference, but the photos you've posted with the lack of lighting really adds to the effect, especially the doll,very eerie . Also thanks &#55357;&#56898;
> 
> ...


Well done on getting the ghost ToT really wanted that one. Mine had lots of the singing skelly in could of got you one but all gone now.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Surely all you would think the pin would drop with these retailers , they can see by the sales if they were to sell the props at a reasonable price they would make a killing , or do you think there upping their initial prices with a sale price in their heads which is the price they wanted all along ? it makes me wonder and i STILL say there's so much potential if the right backer got on board to make a few bob if you could source the stuff from china , but they still all drag their feet , i dont get it .


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Thanks for TR update, I would have liked the witch, nevermind, glad you got a few bits @SilverSpike

No worries and thanks tho @joanneB. I read on HUKD (deals forum) that Argos code has now ended, hopefully if items come back instock they won't disappear as fast. 

No doubt retailers pre-Halloween prices have the sale in mind @pacman. The Poundland doorbell is a good example £2 there, Wilko/Aldi £8. I'd definitely buy a lot more if the prices were reasonable, last day Costco sale prices are my idea of reasonable for large props lol


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Halloweenhorrorshop.co.uk have a 75% off sale going on at the moment.. good deals to be had!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Just bought one of the strobes from B and M - anyone know what the recommended speed is to avoid triggering epileptics? It may be online somewhere but just thought I'd ask on here.


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Batley said:


> No doubt retailers pre-Halloween prices have the sale in mind @pacman. The Poundland doorbell is a good example £2 there, Wilko/Aldi £8. I'd definitely buy a lot more if the prices were reasonable, last day Costco sale prices are my idea of reasonable for large props lol


The annoyance with this is that the original year the doorbell i bought in 2014 was £1.99 and it wasnt an unfinished Poundland second that was about this year, so the retailers definitely have massive margin from the outset.   the costco props are atleast better quality than the big asda or wilko prop of the year, but still over priced at the begining. Tombstone perfect example this year.

I still say the independants & fancy dress shops have the best access to quality products... but, as ever, it's just down to the market and to where the quality-price point meets 

/rant over


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

DandyBrit said:


> Just bought one of the strobes from B and M - anyone know what the recommended speed is to avoid triggering epileptics? It may be online somewhere but just thought I'd ask on here.


https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/photosensitive-epilepsy

Looked into this for work a few years ago, if you're doing a public display you can call the society and they are brilliant with advice


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^ Thanks for the link EPD - will research it before I use it. 

Trying to grab one of the Argos skellies - now at £3.50. Just missed getting a click and collect one in Castleford by about 45 seconds!


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## Helsteeds (Nov 5, 2018)

We brought loads of Syringes too and put Trick or Treat shots in the (some nice some nasty) these went down a storm at our party, but I'd hate to think what the recycling men thought when they collected the rubbish bag haha!


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## Helsteeds (Nov 5, 2018)

Silver Spike said:


> The Range is being really tight this year with their decorations. But then times are getting hard in retail and I imagine come March will only get worse, so I can't blame them I suppose.
> 
> I got my Argos stuff delivered today and I'm very impressed with the full size Skelly. Far better then Asda's imo. More like a real pose n' stay and feels better quality. Well worth the money. I also got the skull mister (which I'm still fiddling about with) and a few other small items.


We thought the same, last year the Range has some brilliant items this year we gave it a miss.


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## Taddy (Sep 26, 2018)

@ EFD Thanks for the link i'll add it to my buy list for next year!

@daveferatu Also thanks for the link! Yeh i used some fabric i brought from the range this year but it seems to be a bit thick, i ended up using 2 besheets 1 black and 1 white, it looks great with one sheet but you could see all the way into the livingroom so i had to put another and it kind of ruined it.
I'll check out the garden fleece haven't noticed it before thanks!

Only real sales i managed to snag this year was 4 golden skulls from Asda for 75p each!


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## Helsteeds (Nov 5, 2018)

Charity shops are always a good place to obtain fabric, quite often if you ask they have lots of it stored out back because they don't put things like bed sheets out on display but they do receive it from people. If you ask nicely and offer them a price for some sheets i'm sure you could acquire a nice range of fabric for tearing up and decorating your Halloween party.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Thanks for the advice Helsteeds , it think it depends on your store most of our charity shops wont sell used bed linen , i know because i have asked at a few yet there is one that does , there answer was hygiene , also WELCOME to the forum , its a bit quiet here now after the big day , but we had a load of new members join from the U.K. this year , and its good to get another southern softy on board as most of our members seemed to come from tup north lol ..... and i think i am the most southern down here in Kent . If you got any photos of your setup or yard display post them we are all keen to see how everyone's Halloween went , and its a 365 day a year site m8 so pop on and feel free to message and post as you want but this always is a dead period after Halloween and before Xmas if you excuse the pun. I didnt even go to the range after what everyone said this year , but other years they been one of the better Halloween prop suppliers , cheap end anyway , do you make your own props Helsteeds ?


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## Helsteeds (Nov 5, 2018)

pacman said:


> Thanks for the advice Helsteeds , it think it depends on your store most of our charity shops wont sell used bed linen , i know because i have asked at a few yet there is one that does , there answer was hygiene , also WELCOME to the forum , its a bit quiet here now after the big day , but we had a load of new members join from the U.K. this year , and its good to get another southern softy on board as most of our members seemed to come from tup north lol ..... and i think i am the most southern down here in Kent . If you got any photos of your setup or yard display post them we are all keen to see how everyone's Halloween went , and its a 365 day a year site m8 so pop on and feel free to message and post as you want but this always is a dead period after Halloween and before Xmas if you excuse the pun. I didnt even go to the range after what everyone said this year , but other years they been one of the better Halloween prop suppliers , cheap end anyway , do you make your own props Helsteeds ?


Awww thanks mate (southern softy haha) I joined a little late for the Party, but i'm all set for next year!

I have quite a collection from throwing several years of parties, it took us 4 days to convert the venue into an unrecognisable state. Lots of efforts made by people with costumes etc and a great night partying. 

I have shared a video on the forums, I'll share it again since you asked about photos (i didn't want to spam it / site rules and all that) 

The video is probably the easiest way to show you the effort we went to.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Oh that all looked amazing!


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## Helsteeds (Nov 5, 2018)

Thanks, although the video mostly focuses on the characters present, you can get a feel from the atmosphere we created. It was a brilliant night


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Looks amazing Helsteeds!!! Great guests getting right into it!! Brilliant!!


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Just got Argos to reduce my iteams down for me again to the price they are now these are the ones I ordered for delivery.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

I can't understand why I can't get any of the clearance items from Argos delivered to me at home. Just lost out on an Argos skelly though Ebay to collect in a local branch because it's now out of stock. No luck at all with these.


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Argos is strange with stock I was lucky to get a skelly a few days ago picked it up tonight for £3.50. Still a few bits I would like that someone else beat me too. Hoping they will go back online tonight if they didn’t pick them up.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Yeah, I bought one for £10.50 a few days ago, then it said there were no more in my area, and now after checking again i managed to snag a second for £3.50. God knows where I'll put it, but couldn't resist for that price. 

So keep checking.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

They just won't deliver to my postcode so maybe the ones that are available are just too far away?


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Well the latest one I purchased won't deliver. I have to go and collect it sadly. Luckily I have a friend who'll drive me.


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

I've just read through about 10 pages of epic haunts well done everyone. 
I'll be buggered sideways by zombie if I'm gonna leave it to Set up in one day next year, Sod that. 
Wind and rain built up in the early afternoon, completely holding off setting up for a couple of hours, which left me still setting up stuff at 5:30 when the first hoard of Tots came crashing through my gates lol. So there was a few things I couldn't display but hey ho there's always next year... 
But the weather held off during the rest of the evening making it another great Halloween. Here's a few pictures of some of the props I made, oh and there is over 50 floating candles lighting the way.




































































Next year I'm already thinking of a full house harding (maybe a castle or haunted house?) and possibly more spooky trees to navigate through first, turning the haunt in to a forest? 
The Singing pumpkins was a smash with everyone but the ghostly apparitions gave a few kids nightmares lol so I had to move them inside lmfao ?


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Awesome Khanidge!!! Looks epic!!

How did you float that many candles? Ive got a few on some fishing line, but they never stay still!
Your trees look amazing in situ. Its a forrest element for me next for sure. You and Bately really put the idea in my mind!


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

EPD said:


> Awesome Khanidge!!! Looks epic!!
> 
> How did you float that many candles? Ive got a few on some fishing line, but they never stay still!
> Your trees look amazing in situ. Its a forrest element for me next for sure. You and Bately really put the idea in my mind!


@EPD thank you. I just ran ten lines, 5 from the top of my columns to my front door then another five to the shack, then it was just a case of randomly tieing the candles to each line, but each line had to be very taught or they sag too much.


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Thanks for posting @Helsteeds looks incredible.

@Khanidge at last!!! You done an incredible job. Love every element and I agree with @EPD, the tree looks like it belongs. Your effort definitely paid off ?

Wow congrats at bagging items in Argos 90% sale. I've checked half-a-dozen times a day and nothings come back instock, well I could have missed it. I have to return a couple of bars I paid £9 for as they don't work and the busts, only one moves its mouth. So do check the electronics.


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## Daveferatu (Oct 2, 2015)

Hi all,
Wow, loving the photos!
Khanidge, loving the display, my girlfriend was talking about doing hanging candles next year (we've been watching Harry Potter again recently) so very likely now after seeing yours! Also I think trees are going to be popular with us all next year as well!  

Helsteeds, firstly welcome to our little (but now rapidly growing!) group! Absolutely love the video, my kind of party ( and I suspect more than a little Rock music?  )! I'm the same (and I think EPD ) as we normally throw a big party so do most inside and some outside (normally book the week before off just to start decorating all downstairs of the house) but with decorating recently we (read me!) decided not to, but boy have I missed it, so definitely back on next year!!

LucidHalloween, love the Siamese doll and in fact all your photos, looks a great creepy party! Having seen what you've done for the doll and that we already have a few dolls I'll have a go myself but many thanks for the offer, much appreciated! Also thanks for the HalloweenHorrorShop heads up, some good bargains there!

Talking of The Range earlier, I popped in one a few days ago and bagged the last shaking coffin for £22.50 (was £45) so chuffed with that!
Still no skellys at Argos though. 

Talking of Argos - Batley, I presume you meant bats than bars?  Mine both didn't initially worked when I put batteries in but when I moved the wings mechanism they suddenly worked! This happened to both of them so give them another go, also make sure they're fresh batteries as well (initially tried with half drained ones which definitely didn't work but worked with new ones after moving the wings mechanism).

Matt 82, re the lights, I'm presuming EPD's are the same but there are quite a few different settings available so you can have them fading, cycling, strobing etc, you can also dim the brightness if needed, also if you set them on a particular colour it remembers that colour the next time you switch them on.

Dandy Brit, I hope you got the info you needed off EPD's link? I go to rock concerts and I think there's a law (for public shows?) limiting the time a strobe could be on continuous, something like a few seconds max? Although some I've been to do flaunt that!!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Oops I didn't catch that autocorrect lol, thank you for the tip,I 'll have another go tomorrow. Fingers crossed ?


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

GOOD WORK Helsteeds , looked a brilliant party m8 , your going to fit in nicely here we are all full on home haunters and to be honest with all the new members and fresh blood lol i cant wait to see how the U.K. haunters will scare up there haunts next year , and top drawer work Khanidge awesome setup , it used to take me all day to setup my yard and i never did get it exactly as i wanted it before dark and the trick or treaters came lol , you nailed it m8 and think of all the great memories you created .... and a few nightmares lol . I myself am going to try to get to get some more local members there's a guy lives less than 2 minutes from my house who does a yard setup and i keep asking him why he dont sign up to the forum , but a neighbor told me why , he overheard him talking HALLOWEEN night taking credit for thinking up and making a lot of his props which i know he has just copied from others whilst he has been lurking on the forum , now i know this isn't a crime but it kind of annoyed me , nothings new but at least give a nod or mention for anyone who has come before with an idea , still each to there own i suppose thankfully the holiday is getting bigger and better and so we just need to keep inspiring those younger people to try there hand at decorating , and to up the anti for next years setup lol , so on that note has anyone already got there THEME sorted for next year ???? i know you fancy a HAUNTED HOUSE theme Khanidge , be interested to hear what you all got provisionally in mind for next year !


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

By the way i could not get any skellies in my lovcal Argos and they WOULD NOT deliver to me either guys , so i have no idea how there delivery criteria works at Argos , i am guessing it may me a regional thing like we get with the stores putting stuff out earlier up north than down here in the south basically it depends on the local management i think ? just checked nearest store to me is High Wycombe a neat 120 mile round trip , so that wont be happening .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Khanidge - looks really good - love the candles and the tree. Always wanted to try the candles at work.

Have to look at the epilepsy info yet - won't use the strobe until I've investigated further - grabbed it on half-price at B and M.

The Argos saga is a pain in the ***! Still trying to get some skellies - Castleford Argos which is less than 10 miles away keeps saying they are in stock and then taking them off in about 30 seconds.


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

For those waiting - the Wilko sale has just started!! 
I feel your pain with Argos Dandybrit. All i wanted was the spider skelleton... in and out of stock constantly the past week and NO delivery... i see plenty turning up on ebay tho!


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

the spider skeleton is huge not picked up my bat yet.


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it but https://www.halloweenhorrorshop.co.uk/halloween-props/ have a 75% discount going for the next few days or so, might be worth a punt for some of you?


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

The Argos Halloween page has been taken down now. I'd already given up though - I had a headache with banging my head against the wall.


Don't lose touch guys.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

I second that DandyBrit , the run up to xmas always bit hectic , and maybe there's still some bargains to be had on e bay and on various websites and auction sites etc with Halloween stock , so keep looking , i know our main man Batley is always on it so now is the ideal time for you all to plan and grab a few last minute bargains for next year , especially if like myself and i know Batley and a fair few others are the same you do tend to impulse buy when you see Halloween goodies , what better time than when its reduced to less than full price , i look forward to hearing from as many of you as can get time , i keep forgetting to drag my fake plants out to take a few photos to show how great they are at adding authenticity to an old fence or prop , i am at home today so will try to dig some out and take a photo for an example , they are still a 5th or 6th of the price in China to what they sell for over here and so are a great add on to the prop side of your display , and if your order some in the next couple of weeks there be here by xmas to put up for next year , i will dig some out for a photo shoot.
Well done all on your Argos bargains i got bugger all in my Argos , too built up and too many HOME HAUNTERS in my area obviously .


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## sarahjanu (Nov 10, 2016)

Khanidge said:


> I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it but https://www.halloweenhorrorshop.co.uk/halloween-props/ have a 75% discount going for the next few days or so, might be worth a punt for some of you?


Thanks for sharing. They ship to Germany and even with the shipping cost I got the lowest price on skellies I've seen in two years.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Thanks for the recommendation sarahjanu , i will have to check see what they have left .


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## Lord_kobel (Oct 4, 2018)

Do you guys have any recommendations for places to buy prosthetics? Thinking about next year, I'll probably need a fake chin, ears and possibly nose and thought it might be worth keeping an eye out over thee year for sales.


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

Lord_kobel said:


> Do you guys have any recommendations for places to buy prosthetics? Thinking about next year, I'll probably need a fake chin, ears and possibly nose and thought it might be worth keeping an eye out over thee year for sales.


There was a fella on the Facebook market place, up north, selling a load of ex display mannequins and parts. Also there was someone on eBay selling job Lots of part damaged polystyrene busts..


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

?.......


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## Daveferatu (Oct 2, 2015)

Lord_Kobel, in the past I've just used the Smiffy's type of stuff where you stick the stuff on with liquid latex.
In my image on my avatar (when I did Nosferatu a few years back) I used elf ears a couple of times (still got them!) and that was OK although you have to be careful sticking and blending the edges!
Otherwise just Google, I seem to remember seeing some good stuff a few years ago when I was searching for prosthetic stuff but came at a price!

Not picked up anything since, in fact the bats I got are now down to £3!! although I'd apparently have to travel 150 miles now! 
Batley, did your bats finally work?

Now thinking about next year and I'm looking into the Arduino stuff (started looking last year but with decorating and deciding not to hold a party this year I gave up) as I really want to start animating stuff. Starter sets range from £20 to £50 (holding out for Black Friday now) but if I can get the hang of it my mind's spinning (not with a motor!) with the possibilities!!
Have a look on YouTube for Halloween Arduino props and see - amazing!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

?.......


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Thank you so much for posting me the talking busts EPD, I love them!
Looking forward to having a theme I can incorporate them in to.. and they make great book ends for my general decorating lol


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

No worries Lucid 

Daveferatu - Ive been teaching myself some Arduino programming the past few months - I used a raspberry pi on a shooting gallery at my Carnevil party a few years back, was great fun, but the arduino route is WAY cheaper and easier!!
I'll send you a few links to where Ive been buying my boards and components; mainly, relays, infrareds & lasers to trigger props etc Im hoping to do a walk through / maze in the back garden at next years party... big plans afoot!!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

?.......


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## Lord_kobel (Oct 4, 2018)

Is beef netting the same as mutton cloth? Looks like you can get that in the uk fairly easily, if it's the same thing.


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

Don't order beef netting Batley, Lord_Kobel is exactly right - it's called Mutton cloth here. Go for the food grade stuff rather than the stuff they use for re-upholstering furniture, far superior.

If you change your mind on that spider... let me know!!


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Good to see so many of you still grabbing bargains and thinking ahead for next year , and thanks for confirming something i had heard but was not sure of with the beef netting being mutton cloth EPD , i see beef netting used a lot with spider setups in the states .


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

Has anyone seen any deals on cheap labour? It's going to take days to tidy my Cave,


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^What are you on about? It looks perfectly tidy to me.


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## EPD (Sep 20, 2013)

hahahahahahaha!! Khanidge, this is perfect... I can show the other half your workshop, makes how I've left the attic seem normal!!!


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## Khanidge (Sep 4, 2018)

There is, just, stuff, Fecking everywhere!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

I can't remember if I came across mutton cloth when I searched weeks back for a beef netting dupe, I will note that down to order samples next summer, thanks guys. I did message many fabric sellers on eBay if they had anything similar, one was kind enough to reply with a product link to their ovwn listing... A bag of standard cobweb for £20 / 1 available. They clearly saw an opportunity lol.

will do @EPD. I'm not expecting anything to come back instock now but I'll keep my eye out anyway incase.

Yikes @Khanidge, good luck ?


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## Matt 82 (Oct 15, 2012)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Générique-...5795&sr=8-268&keywords=trick+or+treat+studios

Here's a good quality, Trick or Treat Studios King Kong mask for £22 if anyone's interested. I bought one a while back and it's pretty good. Even if you don't want it you could probably punt it on eBay for a profit.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

WELL A MESSY WORKSHOP IS A SIGN OF A GOOD WORKER Khanidge !!!!!! dont envy you though m8 lol , i bet you find all the stuff you needed when you was making your props though ....... lol


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## Daveferatu (Oct 2, 2015)

Ha ha, Kanidge! A proper labora . . er, workshop! 
. . . and I bet you can still find anything you look for! 

Batley, glad to hear your bats are working! It did worry me when I first put batteries in mine!


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Anyone still watching THE WALKING DEAD !!! or is it just me and my 2 daughters ? come to that has anyone got a good recommendation for a horror film or series i can watch as i have definitely got the post HALLOWEEN blues and need a good horror fix lol.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Got from series 7 onwards to watch - I will have to catch up. Disagree with some of what happened that I'm already aware of, so will see how far I get with it.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

YES DandyBrit , there's been so much that has happened i am not as big a fan as i used to be , without letting any spoilers out it has became very oppressive , i feel down after watching each episode lol , but feel like i have to crack on till the end , although there's a great new twist as of episode 6 series 9 , last nights one has peeked my interest again ...... so fingers crossed i can get excited again lol,


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Although I haven't watched previous seasons, the current run (s8) of American Horror Story is very good. 

Ah, I miss the Halloween hype, it was great escapism from reality. I hope all you guys are doing well?

This'll be my last post for a while, thanks everyone for your input to the thread, all your helpful posts most definitely contributed to my setup going successfully for a change and it's been a pleasure to participate. Have a good Christmas and hopefully I'll see you guys in the new year.


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## Daveferatu (Oct 2, 2015)

Hi all,
I must admit I've never watched The Walking Dead! It now being so many series now I just think they drag series out ( but having never watched it it's just my assumption), I rememberer the series Lost!!!!
Also Heroes which started to drag but did pick up in places.
In fact around Halloween I was watching part of my box set of The Munsters!!! Classic!! 

PacMan (and others), if you haven't seen it I recommend the Penny Dreadful TV series, it did get a bit silly once in a while but we really enjoyed it, it had some good twists on some of the classic monsters and characters. For a TV series it had some really good effects.

Batley, if you don't come back here for a while then have a good one and see you back here next year for more Halloween shenanigans!


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## 36730 (Oct 11, 2010)

Premature posting by myself as usual.. just had one last look for Halloween stock reductions and TJ Hughes still have half price items instock, noteably an animated bodybag for £12.50 which is a bargain. Quite a few decent items tbh. p&p from £3.99.

https://www.tjhughes.co.uk/halloween-c1226


Thanks and vice versa @Daveferatu

Now I refer back to my post above lol.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Batley said:


> Premature posting by myself as usual.. just had one last look for Halloween stock reductions and TJ Hughes still have half price items instock, noteably an animated bodybag for £12.50 which is a bargain. Quite a few decent items tbh. p&p from £3.99.
> 
> https://www.tjhughes.co.uk/halloween-c1226
> 
> ...


Oh thanks for that. I've not seen that place before. Will take note for the future. 

Finally collected my second Pose n' Stay Skelly yesterday. I still can't believe It only cost me £3.50! 

Been locked out of this forum the last day or so. A lot of website weirdness going on which I finally managed to sort out on my own, as emailing this place didn't get me any help whatsoever.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Bloody hell Batley you still bang on with those bargains , our T.J. Hughes sold out ALL there Halloween sale stuff within 2 days , but well done you , we didn't even have the body bag prop in our store , i not had no work last week so been busy trying to do few jobs indoors and also was thinking of making a 1/12th scale witch or haunted house , or still toying with the idea of the Michael Myers house in 1/12th scale which is of course one of the more popular dolls-house size scale.
I was asked to make an Elf door for my niece so had to do that as well , here are a couple of pics , also i tried to make a 1/12th scale gothic coffin similar to my life size ones , took bloody hours with lollipop sticks i can tell you , what you reckon ? couple pics of that as well , few people ask me to do some dolls-house stuff so may tinker with that while i am quiet , i will be trying to post more regular than last year especially as have the post Halloween blues lol .
Silver Spike did you find out what the problem was with the forum and why you was locked out ? i been posting ok as i was posting on my link about THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE in the horror discussion section i didn't have any probs ?


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

I like the elf door even though I'm not a massive Christmas enthusiast. I'm sure your niece will love it. 

The coffin is cute!


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## Daveferatu (Oct 2, 2015)

Yep, same here, I don't do Christmas!
PacMan, your skills are excellent even at 1/12 scale, and looking realistic - the coffin and the door! 
Pity you couldn't paint the door black with the odd cobweb around it with a skeleton hand reaching round the door, but I don't think your niece would appreciate it! 
I'm sure you'd make a few bob doing dolls houses (including haunted ones - how about the Munsters one, now there's a challenge!  )


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Wow now you got me thinking Daveferatu that would be insane , THE MUNSTERS house damn its a great looking house and DEFINITELY worth a thought lol , thanks all for your comments , yeah i like Xmas for the grub and holiday but my fave is of course Halloween , you know me so well i was constantly thinking of horror stuff but trying to think of Xmas , here i have another photo in true Rolf Harris stylr .... can you see what it is ...... 










typical of me i start doing nice Xmas and dolls-house stuff next thing i am making a tiny coffin and from the photo you will see the start of ..... yes you guessed it a 1/12th scale vampire hunters kit and wooden 1/12th grave markers..... lol i need serious help all ..... lol .
the oblong thing is a 1/12th shadow box which will have stuffed vampire bats in ..... there really is no hope for me i am definitely going to the dark side .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Never mind Pacman - you're amongst like-minded people here.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Just watched the first 5 episodes of the "Curious Creations of Christine McConnell" on Netflix. Weird but actually quite fun to watch. I'm a sucker for anything that comes from the Henson stable.

I like the interaction between the puppet characters in particular.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Its mental but i loved it especially the gingerbread house and worthers original spider treats , she is uber talented . the effort she puts into her treats is phenomenal , i went and looked on Amazon she has a few books out as well .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Just watched the last episode of Chrisine MCConnell - thought that Norman was too good to be true! Hope they will renew for season 2.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Me too i was hoping for more episodes than that to be honest . if anyone has Amazon prime there's a cool little 18 minute Ghost film on there called KEEP THE GASLIGHT BURNING if you get chance give it a watch its quite good .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Looks like my home town is going to get a Range next year. Our Homebase is closing (Boo!) and the Range is supposed to be moving into the building in 2019 (Yay!).

Can't wait to see the Halloween props in real life - hopefully it will be up and running within the next six months.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

well i used to be a huge fan of the range as they were my go to Halloween store but the last couple of years they have just re sold old stock from previous years but at higher cost so they have gone down a bit in my estimation , but they are still one of the better stores for bigger props , and they do have other stuff i have bought retro stuff as well to be fair , and funnily enough OUR range also was in a old HOMEBASE location so there's obviously a link there somewhere .


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Its all gone very quiet so just to wish you all seasons greetings , still keeping up my spirits excuse the pun after Halloween by working on horror and supernatural bits related in my monster shop as my daughters re named my workshop lol and listening to the various podcasts as i do , Mr moons podcast HYPNOGORIA has some good content this coming December with readings of ghost stories etc if anyone fancies tuning into it .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

"Pacman's Monster Shop" - it has a nice ring to it.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Lol DandyBrit yes it does and to any nickname given to me relating to horror or supernatural is a compliment , so my monster shop it is !!! hows things you end hope the Xmas run up not too hectic , work been dire for me work wise i was let down on a big job at the last minute so good job me being self employed i always allow some savings for time off on the run up to Xmas just in case .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Best wishes to everyone for Christmas and the New Year. Let's hope 2019 is a really good one for new members and old alike. 


I'm back at work on Thursday so I'm going to try and enjoy the next two days!


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

I would like to second that DandyBrit MERRY CHRISTMAS to all my friends here on the forum new and old .


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## ScareyCarrie (Aug 22, 2018)

pacman - I just watched "Keep the Gaslight Burning". Thanks for the recommendation. I loved it, especially the ending. If you know of any other films like this, please let me know.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

It would be a pleasure , i will try to find some more and will let you know if i do , have a great holiday to you and your family .


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## Daveferatu (Oct 2, 2015)

I third that DandyBrit, I hope everyone is enjoying the festivities (I'm calling it Clausmas - or should that be Clawsmas!! ) and I wish you all a happy and creepy New Year - I'm already thinking about Halloween 2019!
I'm back in work in the morning too so making the most of chilling out today!


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## ScareyCarrie (Aug 22, 2018)

pacman - Happy holidays to you and your family!! Thanks.


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## Daveferatu (Oct 2, 2015)

Hi all, and a Happy Creepy New Year to you all!
Just to let you know that Dandy Brit has started a 2019 UK Halloween thread.
This is at: 2019 UK Halloween (all welcome to comment/jump in)

Come and join us UK enthusiasts!


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## Magic Cat (Oct 25, 2020)

lucidhalloween said:


> Hi all
> 
> I really enjoyed this thread last year, and loved having a little group of common interest in the UK, so thought I would start another one for this year. I know it's early, but I'm getting excited for this year already!
> I'm really looking forward to things filtering through to the shops as we get closer to autumn (I think we've had summer already. It was 2 days earlier this month).
> ...


Hey im in the UK, is there a thread for this year. I love it, from the decorating to the celebrating but most of all for the true meaning of Halloween as i truly believe that the spirits come close


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## Magic Cat (Oct 25, 2020)

Daveferatu said:


> Hi all, and a Happy Creepy New Year to you all!
> Just to let you know that Dandy Brit has started a 2019 UK Halloween thread.
> This is at: 2019 UK Halloween (all welcome to comment/jump in)
> 
> Come and join us UK enthusiasts!


Anything for this year? 2020. I love Halloween


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Yep - there is a 2020 thread as well. It's in the general Halloween section - I'll see if I can bump it so you can find it.


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## Daveferatu (Oct 2, 2015)

Hi @Magic Cat, this years one is over at:
2020 UK and Europe Halloween thread (join in wherever...


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