# UK and European Halloween Info thread 2021 - anyone welcome to jump in and comment.



## mr.macabre (Oct 7, 2020)

DandyBrit said:


> It's that time again. Feel free to post any useful info that UK/European haunters could benefit from. Raise any questions that are specific to our neck of the woods. Post any sightings of Halloween stock you see. Or just introduce yourself if you want.
> 
> All are welcome.


Is halloween as popular in the UK as it is here in the USA?


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

It isn't done in the same way - there aren't as many home haunts although there are more and more commercial venues every year. Buying decent large props is difficult - some people import from the States. It is getting better here. Surprising seeing as Halloween was imported to the US by immigrants from Ireland/Britain all those years ago. Brits seem to think it it is a US invention.


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## mr.macabre (Oct 7, 2020)

DandyBrit said:


> It isn't done in the same way - there aren't as many home haunts although there are more and more commercial venues every year. Buying decent large props is difficult - some people import from the States. It is getting better here. Surprising seeing as Halloween was imported to the US by immigrants from Ireland/Britain all those years ago. Brits seem to think it it is a US invention.


America's contribution to SAMHAIN was using pumpkins instead of turnips to keep spirits at bay.


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## HALLOWEENTOWN3110 (Aug 5, 2012)

Hey all UK haunter here too 😀


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Hi - nice to hear from you HalloweenTown3110. Things have been a bit quiet on this thread (for obvious reasons). Nice to see a "new" face.


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## HALLOWEENTOWN3110 (Aug 5, 2012)

Thank you DandyBrit....Looking forward to Halloween 2021 and off-course the new Halloween movie "Halloween Kills"


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

How are people feeling about Halloween this year? Any plans?


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## HALLOWEENTOWN3110 (Aug 5, 2012)

No plans yet lucidhalloween just be happy to see Halloween actually get the go ahead after last years covid lockdown


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Not sure yet but pirates are a possibility.


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

Same here, HalloweenTown... I was so disappointed last year, and the fact that it rained just added to it!
Pirates sound good DandyBrit. That's always struck me as a really fun theme to have. I was thinking nautical too. Mainly because I've had that sea shanty Wellerman stuck in my head lol


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## d3ano75 (May 15, 2011)

Evening folks. 
Greetings from Yorkshire.
Been a member on here for a long time but been on and off over the years.
Really think we need a good Halloween this year though. 
Plans start now.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Hi Stal75 - whereabouts in Yorkshire? Nice to know there are more Tykes on here.


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## d3ano75 (May 15, 2011)

DandyBrit said:


> Hi Stal75 - whereabouts in Yorkshire? Nice to know there are more Tykes on here.


I’m the Doncaster way on.
I’m planning a big one this year. Gonna get cracking in the summer with some good home made props.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

^I'm just up the A638 in Wakefield.


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## theworstwitch (Aug 14, 2006)

stal75 said:


> Evening folks.
> Greetings from Yorkshire.
> Been a member on here for a long time but been on and off over the years.
> Really think we need a good Halloween this year though.
> Plans start now.


I think Yorkshire has the best accent ever.
Used to live in London and Bucks now back in US


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## HALLOWEENTOWN3110 (Aug 5, 2012)

theworstwitch said:


> I think Yorkshire has the best accent ever.
> Used to live in London and Bucks now back in US


Sorry to disagree theworstwitch but i think Scots have the best accent ever🤣


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## d3ano75 (May 15, 2011)

theworstwitch said:


> I think Yorkshire has the best accent ever.
> Used to live in London and Bucks now back in US


I will agree with you on that😊.
When I visit the states people have trouble understanding me sometimes.


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## Nick Nick (Oct 6, 2019)

Hi Everyone.
So I have decided i am going to start preping for this years halloween. front of house will be a cemetary this year with the usual maze / haunt at the back with a very large clown section for all the animated props i purchased last year during lockdown ( had to keep myself entertained  ). so with that said here is a free standing prop ive started making.






should look good amoungst the tombstones and fog, going to put another one together, then thinking about a crypt with moving lid, plus some large gothic type gates. should keep me busy.
oh and just to cheer things up i am putting together a skeleton band, found the drumer,







Roll on Halloween 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Sounds good Nick Nick.


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## alexmc (Sep 6, 2019)

Looks ace Nick!


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## SpookyScotland (Aug 19, 2016)

Hi all, already looking at my 2021 display (even though got a new baby due 8 days later!) and thinking of sticking with the zombie/graveyard/scarecrow/pumpkin theme but thinking of animating some.
Not very good with electronics so wondering if anyone knew a U.K. source for the pre wired reindeer motors? Thanks


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

I've never tackled anything like that so I'm of no help unfortunately.


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## Nick Nick (Oct 6, 2019)

no idea where you can get the reindeer motors from, have looked for one before with no luck. however you could try a disco ball or an old oscillating fan, break it down and may give you what your looking for


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## SpookyScotland (Aug 19, 2016)

Thanks guys, on my search I came across these if they are any use to anybody!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

It has the same terrible round shouldered posture that I have.


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## psychosis (Apr 8, 2021)

Hi all I'm with you all with regards to planning, what with last year and Covid we went low key, we have a halloween singing house which comprises of three singing faces, the house is all lit up with LED strips etc and floods all powered by Light O rama controllers, but this year I am thinking of stepping away from the whole singing house and going to a more animated and projection style set up using Atmos FX stuff and turning my back garden into a cemetery and having some animated builds in that like a cauldron creeper and some other stuff


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## hogyween (Jul 25, 2020)

Newcastle, UK here. I have a little one due in August, so any Halloween prepping needs to be done between now and then! I'm looking for something that can be very easily set up and torn down on the night.

Looking to make a haunted pumpkin patch - lots of pumpkins, lights, a barrel of glowing/smoking "pumpkin feed", and I'm gonna paper mache some plastic bottles together to make some overgrown vines. If I have time (lol) I'll have a scarecrow with a pumpkin head


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## theworstwitch (Aug 14, 2006)

hogyween said:


> Newcastle, UK here. I have a little one due in August, so any Halloween prepping needs to be done between now and then! I'm looking for something that can be very easily set up and torn down on the night.
> 
> Looking to make a haunted pumpkin patch - lots of pumpkins, lights, a barrel of glowing/smoking "pumpkin feed", and I'm gonna paper mache some plastic bottles together to make some overgrown vines. If I have time (lol) I'll have a scarecrow with a pumpkin head


Please share some pics!


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## hogyween (Jul 25, 2020)

Some previews of what will hopefully be in The Range stores next month: 




Very tempted to purchase the pumpkin scarecrow, save me making my own


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## Nick Nick (Oct 6, 2019)

hogyween said:


> Some previews of what will hopefully be in The Range stores next month:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


the wizard for me, dont have anything like that


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## hogyween (Jul 25, 2020)

Popped in to the range (to get art supplies for my Halloween build) and... CODE ORANGE FOLKS


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Oooh - may have to do an inspection of the Wakefield branch of the Range tomorrow (to check they are meeting H and S guidelines for Covid of course). Gotta love my job.


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## alexmc (Sep 6, 2019)

woop gonna check my local store out on Wednesday!


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

I notice that prices for Halloween stuff, be it ornaments or props are reaching ridiculous prices. I mean asking £75 for a statue? Come on, LOL

The Range is continuing to add to their website and already some of their stuff is in stock. I can't wait!


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## Matt 82 (Oct 15, 2012)

TK Maxx also had some stuff in at my local store. Home bargains did not. Will get a look at B&M tomorrow. 

The Range had a small selection at this stage. They had something called "webbing" which I assumed was just the usual "spooky material" but on closer inspection, it did have a more deliberate pattern. I grabbed three rolls in white but haven't had a chance to inspect it so can't vouch for it, yet. It was 175cm (I think) by 35cm so it doesn't cover the same area as spooky material but I'm sure I can find somewhere for it.


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## d3ano75 (May 15, 2011)

Bought a load of Ribbon and tinsel etc from The Range today and the Mrs has started making some Wreaths.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Oh nice one! I love a good Halloween wreath.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Those are lovely!


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## d3ano75 (May 15, 2011)

DandyBrit said:


> Those are lovely!


Thankyou. She loves making things like this👍


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## Matt 82 (Oct 15, 2012)

Nice job on that wreath. 

Nothing in B&M today.


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## d3ano75 (May 15, 2011)

Home Bargains will be putting stock out over the next few weeks but not sure how much of a selection they will have.


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## Matt 82 (Oct 15, 2012)

I got a bit too excited when I saw that The Range had these oversized skeleton hands ground breakers. Got even more excited when I found out they were £3.99 and was just going to buy all of them. Unfortunately, it turned out to be poorly printed tickets and they were actually £8.99. So I only got two. Will corpse them up and use them on standing characters, rather than as ground breakers.

Hands are 15 inches long, 22 inches including the spike.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

My god, The Range has really increased their shipping prices haven't they? It's now £10 to ship most medium to large items, including their hanging props that use to go for £4.95.


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## sneakykid (Sep 19, 2010)

If any of you would like to exchange Halloween cards with people on the forum this season, many of us would love to send cards to/receive cards from across the pond - myself included! 😁🎃
(Shameless plug for the 2021 Halloween Card Exchange thread)


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## Nick Nick (Oct 6, 2019)

nearly finished one of our carnival props for this year should look good amoungst all the bigger animated props
🎃















this one is not animated, stands about 2 and half feet tall. not too bad from some old ply, pallet wood and plastic pipe


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## hogyween (Jul 25, 2020)

Found this - looks like Asda are targeting a rollout of their Halloween stuff from Sep 23rd - presumably after the back to school/uni stuff is done with. Mostly marketing gumpf, sadly no product announcements yet.



https://www.asdamediapartnership.com/sites/default/files/images/Halloween%202021%20(1)%20(1).pdf


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## Matt 82 (Oct 15, 2012)

Poundland had a small selection of stuff today. Not sure if they'll be expanding it or not. I think the shortages of stuff this year will limit what stores are getting. Our Tesco is struggling to get milk on shelves so I'm not expecting a load of cool Halloween decorations.

I bought a couple of candles that came in ceramic pumpkins. So we can find a use for them once the candle is done. I think they'd make a good wee dish to serve a dessert!


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## hogyween (Jul 25, 2020)

My local B&M are also busy merchandising their Halloween section, so I expect by the weekend they'll have everything out


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## d3ano75 (May 15, 2011)

TK Maxx had a great selection of stuff when we went yesterday👍


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## Nick Nick (Oct 6, 2019)

finished some more props for this year, a second monk for the graveyard and a clown in the box for the carnevil















made good use of the clown groundbreaker from the range. got to admit i am starting to get well into the halloween mood now 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

They all look wonderful!


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## hogyween (Jul 25, 2020)

With the UK Government mulling a potential "firebreak" lockdown (in England) at the end of October, we might be at risk of Halloween being one stuck in our homes. If I recall correctly a lockdown was announced on Halloween night last year.

What are people planning this year?

I think, even if we do lockdown, I'll put decorations out. Regardless of lockdown I was planning touch-free trick or treat, but that's because I have a very young baby and can't be chuffed with people knocking at the door.


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## Silver Spike (Sep 29, 2010)

Yeah, last year I had load of idiots turn up banging on my door even though there was as sign outside saying I was shielding. Yes I had a small display in my front windows but I thought I'd made it clear I wasn't' going to open the door to anybody. Sadly as my health is declining I just can't risk it as much as I'd love to.

I will put up some stuff but I'll also have a sign saying "No callers please" like I did before.


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## Matt 82 (Oct 15, 2012)

Seems like slim pickings this year around my area. The Range, Home Bargains, B&M and Wilko all had tiny sections for stuff when they usually have quite a lot. Maybe I'm expecting too much, too soon and things will start appearing as the month goes on but I'm less than impressed. 

In fairness, I'm trying to make my own stuff these days so it's not like I'd be buying loads of props anyway but it's nice to find something that you can use in a project. I grabbed a few different skulls (Wilko's are the best, imo) and that was that.


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

I've been really disappointed with the lateness of stock this year. Nothing local yet, just a basic selection from the usual range and B&M, nothing in asda or sainsburys. I feel so deflated.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

It's been poor all round. B and M here has been really poor with only one side of one aisle and half of that was costumes. Asda has less, so has Morrisons and Sainsburys hasn't started yet. Home Bargains are not good apart from those HUGE cockroaches.


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## lucidhalloween (Feb 23, 2017)

I must be late to the party here... Huge cockroaches?? That sounds promising!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

My HB had a little display of netting with bits and bobs fastened to it - it included some insects that look like roaches to me - about 6 inches long maybe. If they were real you would run out of the store screaming if you had a thing about bugs.


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## hogyween (Jul 25, 2020)

Seems like supply chain issues have been running havoc with Halloween stuff. I've been busy making - taking a break off work for October before starting a new job in November. Looking after the newborn and squeezing in a bit of DIY. Looking forward to sharing with you all when I get the display put out, maybe on the Friday 29th.


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## Daveferatu (Oct 2, 2015)

Hi all!
Sorry I'm (very) late to the party but I'd totally lost my mojo this year after losing my Mum last January.
So last week I finally picked up my sorry ass and started to decorate outside, so nothing new (had all sorts of plans for props from last year like zombie pit out of a pallet etc, but maybe next year).
So it's all coming together now, just a few bits n bobs left to do and also trying to get some good out of it - I normally do a Just Giving page for a charity (done local hospice, Cancer Research UK etc previous years) so this year I'm doing Fibromyalgia UK which was Mum had suffered pains with for many years.

The Halloween House of Longlands 2021

I hope everyone's preparations are going well, I look forward to seeing people's displays, props and ideas!

So here's some photos from today:



























Minor addition to the watchman!


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Hi to all , Dandybrit , matt 82 , Silverspike , Daveferatu and all my fellow UK & US members on this thread , i hope you are all well and getting ready for the big day , before i ask a few questions of you all please can i say Daveferatu i am so sorry to hear about your mum , i know how hard it is after losing mine last year , my deepest sympathies to you and your family as i know it must still be very raw for you all , again so sorry my friend , and considering your heartache you have done a great job of decorating as usual .
seems very very quiet on the thread this year , or is it me ? and is it me or have the prices gone through the roof with sweet prices as well ? seems Halloween is getting bigger and bigger but the prices are ridiculous for props and even for prop DIYers to try to make props with the cost of timber etc , how have you all managed this year ?


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Hi Dave - I'm so sorry to hear the news about your mum. We went through it as well so we know that words can't express it really. If you need some support we on the forum are always here. Sometimes it helps to let stuff out to people like us that you don't see face to face.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Pacman - nice to see you back on here again. The Brit crew is steadily increasing again. Looking forward to seeing how everyone does this year.
I agree that the shop stock has been rubbish this year - probably the worst ever.


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## Buggula (Jun 26, 2008)

DandyBrit said:


> Pacman - nice to see you back on here again. The Brit crew is steadily increasing again. Looking forward to seeing how everyone does this year.
> I agree that the shop stock has been rubbish this year - probably the worst ever.


And less of it too, both for decorations and treats. I've been in the U.K. for twenty years and I don't think it will ever really catch on. I don't need all the fingers of both hands to count the number of TOTs I've had in that time. Four days to Halloween and I have counted a total of two houses in my neighbourhood with anything even resembling festive decor. I think this year is my last for putting out the jacks, the last year our porch light will be on .... 

Dave - condolences on your mom's passing. I hope celebrating Halloween this year helps. Your yard haunt looks great! May you get lots of ghouls and ghosts visiting you on Sunday night!


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## Daveferatu (Oct 2, 2015)

Many thanks for your kind thoughts Pacman (welcome back!), Dandy Brit and Bugula, it's very appreciated!
Yes Pacman, I've just seen your posts of your Mum's passing on last years thread, I'm OK now but as you know it still leaves that hole that may shrink over time but will never go. In fact now I'm doing my display that has been good for me - I just think this year it's in Mum's memory and also she would have wanted me to have done it.
Yes there's been some new members (well some I don't recognize) but it's so much quieter than before - at this time last year's thread had about 17 pages! Let's hope it picks up and is better next year!

Here's a few shots of my setup last night, very similar to last years as I've not done anything new for this year, but still turning out OK:


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## Matt 82 (Oct 15, 2012)

Sorry to hear about your mum, Dave. Losing a parent is a huge event in your life. Hope you are doing well.

I have to say, your house looks great! The local kids call my house "The Monster House" and all I ever have is a few stand up creatures and projectors in windows. God knows how they'd describe your place Haha.

Shops seemed very poor this year. It's possible that I was looking too early and then missed the full stock, only to go back in late (to get a pumpkin) and see only what was left. But it seems most have complained about low stock.

I've been busy, though. I decided that I was going to buy cheap stuff and attempt to spruce it up a bit. Some things have worked out better than others but I have myself a new mask (one kid called me out 2 years back for dressing as the same character every Halloween). So my theme is a sort of Pagan/ritual sacrifice kinda thing. I collected a loads of sticks from the park and will arrange them into shapes in the garden with skulls and rags on them. Keeps things cheap and easy while maintaining a cool aesthetic, I think.

It's possible that I might even have a few friends round to help out with the distribution of the sweets.


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## honeymonster (Oct 5, 2018)

Hi all,

This is my first post - I don't have much time to do things this year, but after missing out last year going to make sure I do something! Also found all the shops disappointing, but I have stuff from last year I couldn't use, so there's a silver lining there somewhere...

I have a question - what is the best "fog juice", easily available in the UK, for low lying fog (I'm aware about cooling - I have an American DJ Kool 2 (name from memory!) for that, but also a standard Chinese fog machine that I won't have time to make a cooler for, so just looking for the best I can do, "out of the box" for that one).

Also, I don't suppose anyone has any idea where I can get some red or orange led lights with flickering or fading in/out phases to them) - preferably around 40 lights. I have a set of 100 orange, but they only have on/off.

Thanks in advance,

Rob


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Daveferatu said:


> Many thanks for your kind thoughts Pacman (welcome back!), Dandy Brit and Bugula, it's very appreciated!
> Yes Pacman, I've just seen your posts of your Mum's passing on last years thread, I'm OK now but as you know it still leaves that hole that may shrink over time but will never go. In fact now I'm doing my display that has been good for me - I just think this year it's in Mum's memory and also she would have wanted me to have done it.
> Yes there's been some new members (well some I don't recognize) but it's so much quieter than before - at this time last year's thread had about 17 pages! Let's hope it picks up and is better next year!
> 
> ...


yes Dave like you said i,m guessing your mum loved that you enjoyed the whole halloween celebration so cudos for you this year that it is dedicated to her , and a busy mind is a good thing in the circumstances . Your place looks great M8 you should be proud , i,m sure the local kids are just glad your back out there this year . I was hoping to see tons new people with the interest the Halloween season is getting in the UK now , like we said when i was a kid to now is a major difference , unfortunately the whole covid/brexit thing has hit the worlds economy and now we are paying the price , i even have trouble now getting pallets for projects every tom dick and harry are getting them cos of how to videos on youtube and theres a 1001 different videos showing you what you can make , hell last year i was buying CLS timber from wickes for £2.25 a 2400 length , i bought some for a job last week at £4.75 a length , so even DIYers making props are up against it . I still think theres so many UK members on the forum but they seem to sign up not really look around and hunt down other UK members whos on and and then disappear , if we could all help each other in some way and create a bigger community it would help as it has just amongst ourselves in our own little Coven [ little witchy thing there lol ] over the the last few years , but hey ho i,m still holding out for NO2 Kent member then i wouldn't have to be billy no mates in the south lol . Dandybrit , Matt 82 , i,m guessing you all agree , its a damn pity we didnt all live in the same street , s**t we would have some awesome Halloween after decor party nights wouldnt we , what you all reckon lol ?


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Hi honeymonster , i used the real heavy duty juice last time i hit up my fogger , and i still filtered it through a home made chiller box and it looked the nuts , as i said i specifically bought and paid extra for the heavy duty juice although theres so much choice now or there was last time i looked , different colours different smells etc but for me its the old classic thick creeping tight to the ground stuff like in the old films , it just sets the tone , sorry as for the lights im a bit rusty on that front but i am sure there's some about , have you looked on Amazon .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

I did get some orange led lights from B and M - a wire string set. The problem is that they have a different pattern on the try me button than on the battery pack (??) so the fire prop I built is not quite as I intended. It flashes rather than chases. They are nice and they are cheap (£3.99 last year) but they have gone out of my local branch now. Don't know if there are any left where you are. These could be a possibility


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## Matt 82 (Oct 15, 2012)

pacman said:


> its a damn pity we didnt all live in the same street , s**t we would have some awesome Halloween after decor party nights wouldnt we , what you all reckon lol ?


Haha you know I actually think there's someone round the corner from me who puts in a bit of effort. I've seen some lights emanating from a garden is the past. The issue for me is that I'm so busy on Halloween day that I never see anyone else's stuff. Almost all of my decor goes out on the day (I display everything inside due to our bad weather, so it's quite intrusive). So I'm running out like crazy on the 31st. 

I MIGHT have some help this year as some friends are quite keen on coming round so if they can hand out sweets, I can wander round the block and see if anyone else has joined in.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

sounds like you need bodyguards for the sweets Matt 82 lol , i had a few friends come round then a few more the next year and more the next year my last year i had 5 scarers lol and three people handing out sweets lol , they all miss me not doing a yard setup , and i know exactly what you mean there was one house round the corner who started to decorate but he was weird in a miserable way , he would say how great his setup would be and never liked any of my DIY props and preffered shop bought , i tried to reach out to help him but he seemed like he just wasnt interested he lasted 2 years of yard displays .


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## Matt 82 (Oct 15, 2012)

Aye that seems like a wasted opportunity on his part. Some folk are quite insular, though. 

Especially us Halloween weirdos! 😅😅

I noticed a couple of houses in the street had Halloween related things in their windows so just maybe more folk are joining in. I suppose when folk do something a bit out of the ordinary, it can inspire others to jp their game as well.


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## alexmc (Sep 6, 2019)

Hi everyone, I'm really late to the party too. Hope everyone is well? We are all ready for this Halloween haunt with just over 200 people attending!!!!


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

wow good for you alexmc , hope you are well , yeah believe it or not its probably been one of the busiest years workwise of my life .


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

200 people this day and age that's damn good , DandyBrit are you doing a yard display or a party this year ? i am seriously re thinking of doing Halloween yard type setups again , but in my back garden which is private and totally enclosed for just chosen people who i will invite , not this year but very maybe next year , mainly due to my friends kids who now have children and my daughters friends having little ones now and more and more of them wishig i would do something for this generation as i did for them , i seriously couldnt afford financially for sweets etc to accommodate the regular over 500+ figure of kids plus there adults that i used to get , it cost me over £75 for sweets over 3 years ago so hell knows how much that would cost me now . logistically i would have the setup in the back garden so top security to leave stuff out no rush to setup up on the day and rip down the same night like before and also could do more without the worry of HSE type people telling me shouldn't do this cant do that just for the sake of it, when i am hyper safety minded anyway , and as some sad person quiried and said to me about me giving sweets to strangers children , it would be friends and grand kids of friends i could trust who would respect and appreciate instead of the abuse and egging i got the last year i did a yard setup .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

I will just do a small thing in the front garden. I had 4 ToTs last year so I won't spend a fortune on sweets this year. Our weather forecast is bad as well.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

yeah fair play DandyBrit , no point going crazy for nothing and as regards the weather its the same this end i think last time i checked the weather was supposed to be dire all day heavy rain most of the day right through till late in the evening .


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Matt 82 said:


> Aye that seems like a wasted opportunity on his part. Some folk are quite insular, though.
> 
> Especially us Halloween weirdos! 😅😅
> 
> I noticed a couple of houses in the street had Halloween related things in their windows so just maybe more folk are joining in. I suppose when folk do something a bit out of the ordinary, it can inspire others to jp their game as well.


we did have a couple of years Matt 82 where others in my road decorated but it didnt last long , i wasnt liked in my street cos i attracted so many kids etc and everyones door got knocked .


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

sneakykid said:


> If any of you would like to exchange Halloween cards with people on the forum this season, many of us would love to send cards to/receive cards from across the pond - myself included! 😁🎃
> (Shameless plug for the 2021 Halloween Card Exchange thread)


damn would love to have taken part only just seen the post , maybe next year , thank you very much for the offer though .


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

hogyween said:


> Seems like supply chain issues have been running havoc with Halloween stuff. I've been busy making - taking a break off work for October before starting a new job in November. Looking after the newborn and squeezing in a bit of DIY. Looking forward to sharing with you all when I get the display put out, maybe on the Friday 29th.


looking forward to seeing those photos of your setup hogeyween.


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## Kahahnu (Sep 26, 2015)

Hi all,
Great to see pics of people's decorating! I finally got round to putting up some bits at home - only inside, we don't have any outdoor space - so I am at last feeling the Halloween vibe... it has been lacking this year, not sure why, perhaps because there hasn't been much in the shops or just because of life in general!
Going to Fear at Avon Valley tomorrow night, it's some scare mazes and entertainment so should be fun! We would usually be doing the Bristol Zombie Walk on the weekend but it's unfortunately not going ahead again this year. Fingers crossed things are better next year!


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## Daveferatu (Oct 2, 2015)

@honeymonster 


honeymonster said:


> Also, I don't suppose anyone has any idea where I can get some red or orange led lights with flickering or fading in/out phases to them) - preferably around 40 lights. I have a set of 100 orange, but they only have on/off.


re the lights, are you trying the fake coals effect? I used some Xmas mains lights what I sourced (I think Homebase at the time) for my Cauldron Creep fire effect and for a basic witches cauldron I used battery flashing red led christmas lights and they turned out OK.
re fog juice I've no idea (still using the basic stuff I got with my fogger years ago but just using it for my Cauldron Creep) but like Pacman said maybe the heavier stuff might work better?


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Just did a trial run of my version of the fire/embers prop (so my asda skelly can spit roast the wilko skelly in the front garden) - it won't be too bad once I have resoldered one of the wires to its battery pack (cheap poundshop lights!). The only problem is the streetlight right outside my garden was upgraded this year and is now TOO BRIGHT.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

DandyBrit said:


> Just did a trial run of my version of the fire/embers prop (so my asda skelly can spit roast the wilko skelly in the front garden) - it won't be too bad once I have resoldered one of the wires to its battery pack (cheap poundshop lights!). The only problem is the streetlight right outside my garden was upgraded this year and is now TOO BRIGHT.


oh crap DandyBrit , could you not arrange something to darken the area around your skellies and spit , or reduce the direct light coming from the lamp with something ?


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

I could put a gazebo over it I suppose but I would have to go buy one and I don't have enough storage space for the stuff I have already. It's a shame because it is a good first attempt for me on this prop.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Finally managed to get some of those roaches from Home Bargains. £1.99 at full price so I got three. They are pretty solid for the price - if there are any reduced there next week I will try and grab the rest of them as I really like these a lot.🦟🦟🦟


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## hogyween (Jul 25, 2020)

So it's a bit of a washout in Newcastle this year. I put out all the decorations last night and got the photos in before everything gets trashed!

Here we go with the toxic pumpkin patch!









Sam Hogarth | Halloween 2021: Pumpkin Patch


Sam's Halloween projects




samhogy.co.uk





I'm pretty happy with this year's setup, considering I've had to build it around a 2month old's feeding schedule. Given a bit more time I'd probably carve some more pumpkins, and maybe add a second layer of gaffer tape on the pipe. Can't win em all!


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

DandyBrit said:


> I could put a gazebo over it I suppose but I would have to go buy one and I don't have enough storage space for the stuff I have already. It's a shame because it is a good first attempt for me on this prop.


sorry to hear that m8 , i cant think of anything else you could usev ? i havent seen the cockroaches DandyBrit any chane of posting a photo i really like the solund of them , are they available online ?


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

hogyween said:


> So it's a bit of a washout in Newcastle this year. I put out all the decorations last night and got the photos in before everything gets trashed!
> 
> Here we go with the toxic pumpkin patch!
> 
> ...


Nice job hogyween , i keep my fingers crossed it does not get trashed , how many pumpkins did you use altogether ???? you can never have too many pumpkins , thanks for the link to the photos , have a great Halloween .


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## hogyween (Jul 25, 2020)

pacman said:


> Nice job hogyween , i keep my fingers crossed it does not get trashed , how many pumpkins did you use altogether ???? you can never have too many pumpkins , thanks for the link to the photos , have a great Halloween .


Thanks! I used ten real orange pumpkins and twelve paper mache ones. There's a few white and mixed colour ones thrown in there too. We have a farm near us which was selling some dirt cheap. Not sure if the paper mache ones are going to survive, but never mind, it was fun making them!


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Hogyween - looking really good there - yes the lighting is really strong - the green makes everything glow.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

hogyween said:


> Thanks! I used ten real orange pumpkins and twelve paper mache ones. There's a few white and mixed colour ones thrown in there too. We have a farm near us which was selling some dirt cheap. Not sure if the paper mache ones are going to survive, but never mind, it was fun making them!


Exactly , to me it just brings the whole Halloween atmosphere closer , thats the part i loved the most making my own props , i used to start in spring making my creeps and props all the while listening to ghost stories and horror podcasts and still never get them all made in time for Halloween lol , did you spray the paper ones with waterproof acrylic sealer , it might give you a few more hours life before the moisture gets to them , yes i love them , i,m a decorator and last year i was working at a garden centre up to Halloween where disabeled people were learning to help grow the plants , so they had a massive pumpkin patch and garden all setup for people to come and buy them , i never knew there were so many types and colours , that week last year really did feel like Halloween working there , again well done good work .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

This is the roach I got Pacman. Pretty big eh.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

cor bloody hell yes thats cwell cool , i just loooked on Home Bargains website zero Halloween stuff there , thats the nuts


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

its bloody near a foot long isn't it ?


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

It is massive - I have a skeleton in the drivers seat of the car right now with two of these attached so it looks like it has been stripped clean of flesh by them. I looked on the website and as usual it is useless. The roach is a really good solid plastic so is worth the money even at full price.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

cheers DandyBrit for the photo , i will see if my daughters going near there tomorrow see if there's any left at my local branch , top man thank you .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

No worries - when good stuff like this comes along we have to make sure they go to good homes!!


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## HALLOWEENTOWN3110 (Aug 5, 2012)

Happy Halloween Peeps


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Happy H day to everyone on the forum.

Now where are those Halloween reductions??


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Touche , a very HAPPY HALLOWEEN to all on the forum , if you have a yard display or mini setup indoors or aything i hope the weather improves before the Trick or Treaters start to arrive .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

It's tipping down here right now. Although one poor lady down in the New Forest (on one of my FB groups) apparently had a tornado go through her garden spoiling pretty much all her Carnevil/Fair display. I would have been in tears if that happened to me.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

yes same here m8 , non stop heavy rain all night and due to carry on until 3ish this afternoon , i sincerely hope it stops for all you yard setup guys .


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## Daveferatu (Oct 2, 2015)

Happy Halloween/Samhain to everyone!
Yes, weather here near Manchester is the same, very wet and occasionally throwing it down! Looks like it'll ease a bit for this evening?
I hope everyone's displays hold up and all goes to plan for you all!
@hogyween , great piccys of your setup, it looks really effective, you have been very busy (between feeds)!

Hoping some of you will post photos of your displays!
they would ease the Post Traumatic Halloween Disorder! 🎃🎃🎃


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## hogyween (Jul 25, 2020)

Hoying it down in Newcastle, my toxic waste barrel prop is wrecked. The rain has washed away the paint. Oh well! It's due to calm down in the afternoon so we may still get trick or treaters tonight. I'll cover the damage by using a big green light.

Happy Halloween all! 🎃


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## Matt 82 (Oct 15, 2012)

Happy Halloween, guys. Weather is miraculous here. I've even got stuff out the front for the first time.

Hope everyone is enjoying themselves.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Just brought everything in - had 32 ToT's. Better than last year when I had 4. Lots of compliments on my spit roasted skelly.


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## alexmc (Sep 6, 2019)

Well that was or best ever turnout! Just under 300 people attended and we managed to raise just over £1000 for charity. 

We were so lucky with the weather!!

Link to a video of the haunt before the hoarde arrived below from our Facebook page. 









A little video of the haunt last night with no actors. The amount raised will be announced in a few days | By Mcmunn horror | Facebook


. ၁၈၇ views, ၁၅ likes, ၆ loves, ၀ comments, ၂ shares. ၁၈၇ views, ၁၅ likes, ၆ loves, ၀ comments, ၂ shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Mcmunn horror: A little video of the haunt last night with no...




fb.watch


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## joanneB (Oct 24, 2014)

Hope everyone had a good Halloween. In the end just a very small setup wind was so bad it was getting dangerous. Had one little girl crying so much begged her Dad to take her home. She took her treat bag then refused to go down the path Getting too old now to setup in just one day going to have to think how I do things now😥 Got to make a start on my large Christmas display hope the weathers kind to me.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Alex - I can't even imagine having 300 people. Well done.


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## Matt 82 (Oct 15, 2012)

300 is crazy. We had just under 40 this year. Quite a few folk arrived by car so I think they're seeking out the few houses that join in, rather than walking about the streets.


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## Nick Nick (Oct 6, 2019)

alexmc said:


> Well that was or best ever turnout! Just under 300 people attended and we managed to raise just over £1000 for charity.
> 
> We were so lucky with the weather!!
> 
> ...


well done, fantastic amount raised.


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## Nick Nick (Oct 6, 2019)

Been very busy this year, so sorry for not posting much or joining in on conversations, manged to get the haunt up and opened it for two days, The mayor and our local councellor came down to open the haunt on saturday night. so managed to get halloween in the public eye. had over 600 attend and raised £700 for charity (RSPCA).
will put some pics up and a video soon.


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## Nick Nick (Oct 6, 2019)

here are couple for now


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## Privateer (Aug 28, 2013)

*Here’s a quick account of our 2021 Halloween display.*

Weather:
Daytime: Slight rain, slight breeze, 14°C (57°F)
Night time: Dry, slight breeze, 12°C (53°F)

All times are for UK GMT:

16:25 Projectors switched on
16:38 Sunset
17:35 First ToT
20:00 Last Tot
21:50 switched off projectors

80 ToTs in total (not including parents). Could possibly have had more ToTs but we went out around 20:00 to video the display and as we weren’t dressed up people didn’t seem to want to venture off the public path.

Back in 2018, our Halloween display was trashed, and several items were stolen. Which disheartened us so I didn’t do a display for 2019. In 2020 I decided to do just projects onto windows from inside the house (for weather and vandal reasons) but of course, 2020 was lockdown and nobody came. I did the same for 2021 and had the best number of ToTs since my records began!

I used no external display in my front yard just two projectors in the windows, but being the UK, the ToTs have not seen much if any projection stuff before, so they were amazed by the display.

Here's a video of the display:






I think that our friends from the USA will be amazed at the number of ToTs attracted to just two projections and no other display in the front yard. But here in the UK we tend to do very little decoration (compared to the USA) for Halloween. I just hope that I can learn how to and create a projection mapping display of the house for next year!

Regards,


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Hey guys. Hope everyone is OK and not too tired right now. I'm know that there were various problems with the weather but hopefully no major disasters.
If anyone wants to vent or discuss or just chat how things went or how they are at the moment then feel free to do so on here.
If you have vids or pics then please let us see them.


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## Buggula (Jun 26, 2008)

Happy Halloween everyone! Impressive turn outs and displays here, so well done everyone. I had a handful of TOTs and frankly was thrilled that anyone turned up. The weather held until 7 pm, but by then the kids had come and gone.


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## Batzie (Nov 4, 2021)

Hey all, formally Batley here. Sorry for not being active during the buildup this year.

It was a shame the weather wasn’t great but happy to see most of your displays was able to go ahead and money raised for charities!

sorry to read about your mums passing @Daveferatu - happy to see you went ahead with your display, looks like your best yet.

There wasn’t as many trick or treaters here as 2019, probably less than half. I kept to social distancing and filled a bowl up for them to chose their own treat, most obeyed; but as expected at least half-a-dozen emptied it. I suppose that’s to be expected.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Welcome back B - it's been a strange couple of years if I'm honest. 

My main moan this year is that firstly there didn't seem to be much stuff in the shops, it went quite quickly and wasn't really restocked in some shops and there were not many post Halloween reductions. B and M was poor, Home Bargains here didn't get any of the really nice bits, and other places just seemed to have a lot less. Maybe it was Covid, maybe it was supply - I'm not sure. I do know that places like Asda seemed to dump Halloween stuff really quickly and there were very few things left to reduce.


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## Daveferatu (Oct 2, 2015)

Welcome back Batzie! (whatever happened to good ol' Batley?)
Thank you for your kind words, it was initially a struggle, total lack of enthusiasm but not bad once I picked myself up and got on with it.

I rarely had a look at Halloween stuff in the shops but I did notice there was much less than previous years (and that's saying something!), particularly Morrisons, Asda, B&M, Home Bargains etc. Let's hope next year is better!

Halloween evening actually wasn't too bad round ours! It was teeming it down with rain all evening, we had got back from seeing my Dad about 17:30 and I suspect some T or T's had been round but we stuck all the lights and projections on straight away and during the next 1.5 - 2 hours we had a couple of dozen I'd say, mostly kids with parents all braving the rain!


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## Nick Nick (Oct 6, 2019)

so for the life of me i cant work out how to attach a video, pictures, got that sorted, vids just cant seem to do it, any tips anyone?


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## Daveferatu (Oct 2, 2015)

Nick Nick said:


> so for the life of me i cant work out how to attach a video, pictures, got that sorted, vids just cant seem to do it, any tips anyone?


Morning Nick Nick,
off memory you can't directly upload videos, you have to upload videos to a hosting site like YouTube and then you insert a hyperlink to it on your post. With YouTube it's the "share" button which creates the hyperlink.

Good luck with it, we always look forward to everyone's piccys and vids!


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## Batzie (Nov 4, 2021)

Re: Batley. I forgot the password 😬 . A couple of accounts failed to import from my password manager when I moved e-mail addresses earlier this year. I can’t password reset as the old e-mail address was closed. Ah well, it’s good to be back regardless 👍

it was definitely the worse year for Halloween products. It’s usually a poor show in my town compared to what others post on Facebook. Home Bargains had sweets only, Wilko had a big aisle ready with hardly any stock to fill it. Asda put out more than usual but a week later they removed half of the stock and replaced it with Christmas gifting 🤷‍♂️.

Costco had quite a few props available for a short time but I thought a lot of it was expensive this year. I wish they’d focus more on props made for outdoor use for the UK market. Most are indoor or covered porch use only.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

That's a very good point about the type of props available to buy in the UK. We know it will rain/hail/sleet or even snow so they should at least try to make props semi-waterproof.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Hiya Batley errgghh i mean Batzie lol , yes this has been the problem forever with the proper outdoor props , i think like DandyBrit has touched upon is one of the reasons may be because in general our climate can be brutal at Halloween especially the farther north you head so they can sort of guarantee even if the weathers crap they will still sell there goods if its indoor/party related or even indoor/porch items whereas with totally outdoor gear if the long term weather looks bad they know they will be left with more stock , and of course if your talking about animted props weather proofing isnt going to happen even if it did it would come at a cost money wise i am guessing this is what originally drove me to make my own props .
Well done to everyone wheter you had 1 or a hundred kids each child will have enjoyed thier night and you created memories that may create future Yard Haunters and if just one does it then you have succeded , but lets face it in these times if you can bring a bit of fun and joy to a few kids then its all good .
CONGRATS alexmc on your biggest ToTers total ever , 300 in this current climate is exceptional , do you live in a built up area like i do ? now you may start to feel the pressure lol this is what happened to me where the more people i got the bigger the yard setup had to be and the more work and more sweets etc until it got too much for me sadly , as you all know i used to get around the 450 - to 550 average ToTers each year plus adults and it became a huge prssure , probably brought on by myself to keep the fun increasing each year as i always wanted to improve on the previous year which i usually did until the last year where i had been doing it for over 20 years and then started to draw the wrong sort people through volume of people coming and then i got the egging thing and a few spiteful remarks , and threats to put my windows out in the house etc and then not only critiscisms of the setup but also some really disturbing things which really led me to cancel my yard setups totally , but i AM SERIOUSLY thinking of setting my Back garden up instead every HALLOWEEN now for close friends and relatives etc , as they are all getting grandkids etc and this way i can contain who comes in the garden etc as i have a totally fenced in area and more secure means setting up earlier not having to do it all on the day or take it down the same night etc and i can create more advanced props and scares , i am actually looking forward to doing it again albeit on a much smaller scale regarding volume of kids but better quality props and scares but for the people i can trust and love and carry moy old hobby on again , but this way i will be getting back to the grass roots of making props and scares and enyoing it all instead if the pressure .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

It's horrible that some people seem so jealous of what you do that they will spoil it for you and everyone else that might want to come and see your display/haunt. They are too lazy or stupid to do it themselves so just want to diss anyone who shows dedication like yours.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

yes definatey DandyBrit , i would have understood if someone had knocked my door trick or treating and i had been rude and slammed the door in their face maybe then i could have digested it and thought i deserved it but it wasnt like that . And then afterwards when someone who was friends with the person who egged my house said some horrible things to my other half and they were the sort of things that were disturbing in so many ways , that i finally decided after 20 years to quit the yard setups as i really didnt want to paint a target on mine or my familys back so enough was enough , but now hopefully , with friends and family and thier kids and grand kids i can get to enjoy it again , i get so many people , neighbours and people in my street who ask me every year can i do the yard setups again , but i never will for people who i do not know and who do not really know me , so things are looking exciting for me HALLOWEEN wise , and surprise surprise even my 21 year old and 26 year old daughters say they would love me to do the back garden up for HALLOWEEN as they missed it so much , thats why it brings me so much joy to see all your setups etc , again well done all .


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## Nick Nick (Oct 6, 2019)

so hopefully this link should work for you to see the vid of this years haunt,




let me know if does not work, and i`ll try again lol


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Brilliant Nick Nick , well done lol i see loads props that i have in your setup lol , many years of collecting there i can see , one of if not the best UK walk-through i have seen this year , congratulations sir .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Nick this is awesome - I don't know how you manage to cram so much in.


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## Nick Nick (Oct 6, 2019)

thanks, years of collecting and there is a lot of it, but it is what i enjoy doing as a hobby, and ends with 3 to 4 weeks of hard graft each October, just for a couple of hours of watching shear delight on peoples faces as they pass through, will i do it again? OF COURSE I WILL 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

yes know exactly what you mean , keep up the good work , after 20 years of doing the same thing myself its hard to explain it to someone who does not get it lol , and i am guessing like i used to be your never not on the look for new stuff winter , summer , spring etc , lol got any ideas what your thinking for next year ?


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## alexmc (Sep 6, 2019)

DandyBrit said:


> Alex - I can't even imagine having 300 people. Well done.


Not going to lie it was tough work!!


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## alexmc (Sep 6, 2019)

link to this year's video.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

yeah bloody marvellous m8 , top job , i,m guessing you want bigger and better next year , good for you i got lost when you was going through that would have freaked me out i,m telling you ,l 
excellent work .


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## alexmc (Sep 6, 2019)

pacman said:


> yeah bloody marvellous m8 , top job , i,m guessing you want bigger and better next year , good for you i got lost when you was going through that would have freaked me out i,m telling you ,l
> excellent work .


Thanks, PacMan it was even better with the actors in place. In regards to next year, I've decided to turn this into a business. McMUNN haunt has a much bigger, better location. Very exciting times.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Alex - details please!


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## alexmc (Sep 6, 2019)

DandyBrit said:


> Alex - details please!


haha, still in the planning stages but we are going to open a yearly haunted walkthrough with a few concessions. We haven't decided if we are going to do one big walkthrough or several smallish ones. We would love to get around and see all your haunts to build up a fan base on a youtube channel to get others involved in Halloween. A little bit like Epic haunts in America. We hope over the next few years for this to grow into a much bigger event. Very much in the planning stages with tonnes of ideas floating around. We will keep you all updated on the progress.


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Sounds great - will watch with interest.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

I think your onto a winner alexmc , HALLOWEEN is getting bigger and bigger every year here i tried to get an investor interested into turning an old property on the edge of maidstone into a haunted house attraction a few years ago , i nearly succeeded but it fell through when the property was taken off the market early as it was sold through a family friend of the owner privately , i had even said we could turn it into an easter themed house at easter then xmas grotto theme at xmas , of course i would make the props for all occasions and find part time scarers , elves etc , damn who knows it may have led to a different life path for me if it had happened as i would have worked full time for him renovating the property at first along with various building trade friends of mine off and on , and then the set dressing etc for the themes ,when the house fell through he moved on immediately and bought 2 x new builds which he rents out and also took on another refurb project further away , so close , so you go for it m8 , if i won the lottery i would try to do something similar , theres a gamble and risk involved but i think it would pay off in my area especially as TULLYS FARM in sussex does a roaring trade at HALLOWEEN every year and they are full most nights , the market is there my friend the very best of luck to you keep us all informed , and if you need full size props coffins , vampire hunters kits lol think of me i i do you a good deal .


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## Nick Nick (Oct 6, 2019)

alexmc said:


> link to this year's video.


Fantastic, how long does it take you to set up


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## alexmc (Sep 6, 2019)

pacman said:


> I think your onto a winner alexmc , HALLOWEEN is getting bigger and bigger every year here i tried to get an investor interested into turning an old property on the edge of maidstone into a haunted house attraction a few years ago , i nearly succeeded but it fell through when the property was taken off the market early as it was sold through a family friend of the owner privately , i had even said we could turn it into an easter themed house at easter then xmas grotto theme at xmas , of course i would make the props for all occasions and find part time scarers , elves etc , damn who knows it may have led to a different life path for me if it had happened as i would have worked full time for him renovating the property at first along with various building trade friends of mine off and on , and then the set dressing etc for the themes ,when the house fell through he moved on immediately and bought 2 x new builds which he rents out and also took on another refurb project further away , so close , so you go for it m8 , if i won the lottery i would try to do something similar , theres a gamble and risk involved but i think it would pay off in my area especially as TULLYS FARM in sussex does a roaring trade at HALLOWEEN every year and they are full most nights , the market is there my friend the very best of luck to you keep us all informed , and if you need full size props coffins , vampire hunters kits lol think of me i i do you a good deal .


that's such a shame, such an awesome idea!! I hope one day you get another option to do something like this. I went to Tulley's farm early on this year and what a set-up. I would love to do something similar one day here in the midlands.


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## alexmc (Sep 6, 2019)

Nick Nick said:


> Fantastic, how long does it take you to set up


Hi Nick, too long lol. Around 2 months but I'm the only one building. I will be starting a lot earlier this year.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

alexmc said:


> that's such a shame, such an awesome idea!! I hope one day you get another option to do something like this. I went to Tulley's farm early on this year and what a set-up. I would love to do something similar one day here in the midlands.


if you get the chance grab it alexmc , theres a huge market out there for it i just dont think anyone really thought about apart from the odd place like Tulleys Farm , lol alexmc i,m guessing you will be starting at easter like i used to lol , and i still run out of time at the end of october always wanting to add another prop lol .


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## Batzie (Nov 4, 2021)

Sorry for the late reply, I just got over covid - fortunately it was only a mild case. I hope all you guys are keeping well (especially @Silver Spike)

-
Hey @pacman!! I’m happy to see you active here again. I agree diy props are the way to go. I made a foam tree trunk a couple of years ago and thought it sucked, however it looks better now it was left out in the back garden all year. Nothing to assemble is the props I like lol. Great idea regarding a back garden display for family and friends. I always loved your displays

exellent work @alexmc @nicknick - thanks for the videos 👍

edit: well damn, you’ve been busy @alexmc , incredible.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

sorry to hear you got the covid Batzie , i,m just glad your getting better , i see tonight the deaths are highest since the March lockdown so i hope you fully recover soon my friend , and thank you for your kind words , its crazy the way mother nature adds that bit extra to our props lol , last time i used my prop coffin with the old man prop inside it it had gained loads of real spiders webs and spiders , on the night with the lid off a lady who lived along the road from me commented on the big legged evil looking spider on his face and how realistice it was , we both took a better look and it ran behind his head ...... crap if she had been strong enough i would jumped into her arms , hell i hate spiders , but it created a huge laugh with all the Trick or Treaters there i can tell you lol , all of you guys and ladies please keep safe , remember theres only 349 days tills HALLOWEEN so get planning ..... lol .


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

by the way all in my absence from Halloween Decorating i had a prop making void which i had to fill lol , so i turned my back garden into an Hawaiian / Tiki bar area and Tiki hut and entertainment area , the reason i am posting this is due to post Halloween blues as i mentioned earlier i am still thinkling about and maybe hoping to do a Halloween night setup in this same back garden area and was thinking of the first year to do a creepy polynesian theme to tie in with my bar etc , so if anyone can give me a few ideas of props and decorations i would be more than grateful , i will post a few photos of what i have built so you can see the area and what i can play with , any ideas from my friends on this forum would be welcome , i hope to get a few ideas so maybe in the new year icanstart making stuff , i am getting that old excitement back i used to get so in the meantime if any of you have any ideas i would really love to hear them .


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

I was thinking of cursed village or maybe use the idea of the Hawaiian NIGHT MARCHERS , but if anyone has any good ideas let me know , i called my bar THE HEAD HUNTER BAR and did make two prop skulls to add at the bar perimeter to the garden shrub area so maybe some of you can think of something relating to that as well .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

This is fantastic Pacman. I like the Night Marchers idea - didn't know anything about it until I watched a film recently that touched on the theme.
I also like shrunken heads as props but not sure if that is related to the right geographic area.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Thanks DandyBrit , yes the night marchers are as far as i am aware hawaiian in origin , the headhunter tie in was drawn from the rise of the Tiki craze which was driven a great deal after WW2 by ex U.S. servicemen coming home from serving in the south pacific in WW2 and of course during the island hopping campaigns of WW2 they went through many exotic and varied islands and inc new guinea etc and some of the tribes there were thought to once have been head hunters etc , so in the overall south pacific theme i used that idea as the native peoples travelled throughout the pacific regions and of course into Australia and New Zealand , and the Hawaiian islands , plus you know me theres always got to be a bit of horror in there lol , plus i had some Halloween shrunken heads which i used in my voodoo witch setup a few years ago which i was going to use in the bar setup , but i cannot find them lol . If you can think of anything i would be grateful , i already found an excellent link on the forum for some light up interactive Tiki god statues which i am thinking of doing , thank you for your kind words again m8 , you all know me i have to be making something and believe me we have had some fantastic nights and days up there as i started it during lock down , so it has not been a flash in the pan especially with my new found bestie drink TEQUILA .


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## Keltset (Oct 1, 2020)

pacman said:


> by the way all in my absence from Halloween Decorating i had a prop making void which i had to fill lol , so i turned my back garden into an Hawaiian / Tiki bar area and Tiki hut and entertainment area , the reason i am posting this is due to post Halloween blues as i mentioned earlier i am still thinkling about and maybe hoping to do a Halloween night setup in this same back garden area and was thinking of the first year to do a creepy polynesian theme to tie in with my bar etc , so if anyone can give me a few ideas of props and decorations i would be more than grateful , i will post a few photos of what i have built so you can see the area and what i can play with , any ideas from my friends on this forum would be welcome , i hope to get a few ideas so maybe in the new year icanstart making stuff , i am getting that old excitement back i used to get so in the meantime if any of you have any ideas i would really love to hear them .
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This is freaking awesome!!! Excellent work, I would love to have the skill to build up a Tiki area like this that turned out so excellent in my backyard!

-K


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Thank you very much Keltset , the trick is having the right tools and LOCKDOWN ..... lol , thank you again.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

sneaking on here quickly to wish my friends on the forum , in advance A VERY MERRY and safe CHRISTMAS from me and my family .


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

Same to you Pacman - and to everyone else who drops in on this thread (and those on the wider forum who may or may not pop in). 

Feel free everyone to continue contributing on this thread until the new one starts in 2022 (wow - seems weird to be writing that date).


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

i know what you mean DandyBrit , this year seems to have flown by , again keep safe and have a safe and HAPPY CHRISTMAS to all who find these here messages .....


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## Batzie (Nov 4, 2021)

wow @pacman - it looks like your garden belongs to a theme park, incredible workmanship.

Happy New Year 🥳 to each and everyone of you, Let’s hope 2022 is kind 🍾


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## DandyBrit (Sep 6, 2013)

And the same sentiments to all our members - wherever they hail from.


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