Halloween

JESSICA Alba has found herself on thin ice with fans following a massive fallout from her Halloween costume.

There has been such a backlash over her choice of outfit that the Fantastic Four actress, 45, has been forced to delete the picture of her wearing it after being called “distasteful”.

Much like the rest of the celebrity world, at the weekend Jessica Alba got into the spooky spirit and revealed her costume on social media to fans.

In a pic posted on Instagram Jessica dressed up as the famous 90s figure skater Nancy Kerrigan.

In the snap, her costume consisted of a white lace figure skating dress with a bloody bandage wrapped around her knee.

Jessica’s friend Kelly Sawyer dressed up as her rival Tonya Harding, and was wielding a baseball bat.

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Back in 1994, Nancy was famously assaulted and struck in the knee with a baseball bat right before she performed at the 1994 Winter Olympics.

Tonya was blamed for having an involvement in the attack – something she denied – but she later pleaded guilty to conspiring to hinder the prosecution.

Nancy’s attacker was later revealed to be Shane Stant, who was hired by Tonya’s ex-husband Jeff Gillooly, along with Shawn Eckhardt.

Fans found Jessica’s reference to this attack as “distasteful”, and the actress has since pulled the picture from Instagram following the backlash.

One fan said: “We expect better, Jessica.”

Another called the actress “immature”, with another commenting: “Why are we being nasty this Halloween?”

However, this fan jumped to Jessica’s defence and said: “It’s been over 30 years. Seems like a pretty tame joke at this point.”

BROOKLYN Beckham stripped off to just a towel as he shared a shirtless photo from his luxury LA home.

The eldest of the Beckham boys, 27, is trying to do all he can to distract fans from mocking him about his “awkward” Halloween snaps with wife Nicola, 31, and their friend Damian Hurley, 24.

So, in a bid to get his followers talking about something else, Brooklyn shared a sultry black and white shot of himself stood by his pool.

Showing off his muscular back, Brooklyn could be seen wearing just a towel as he looked out over the impressive grounds of the home he shares with wife Nicola.

The shirtless picture comes just days after the aspiring chef was ridiculed over some photos that were posted of himself, Nicola and Liz Hurley’s son Damian.

In the snaps, the unlikely trio were seen dressed up for Halloween – with Brooklyn as Superman and his wife in a Catwoman costume.

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While actor Damian wore an all-leather black outfit unzipped to the waist.

The threesome were all at the same celebrity bash in LA, and Brooklyn shared a series of snaps from the party which also included a pic of Damian with his arm around Nicola.

But just hours after posting it, Brooklyn deleted the photo of Damian and Nicola from his grid after he was inundated with comments mocking him.

One wrote: “This photo is awkward as f***.

“That girl is leaning more towards the other guy than to her own husband.

“Body language proves how she’s not that into her husband at all! What a shame.”

A second pointed out: “Omg he deleted the photo with Damian. Brooklyn, what are you even doing bro. You’re a Beckham.”

“I thought Superman was third wheeling,” wrote another referring to Brooklyn.

Melissa Rycroft has been arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, again.

The “Bachelor” and “Dancing With the Stars” reality television star was arrested after Southlake, Texas, police say that she crashed into an ambulance and fled the scene on Halloween.

According to a press release published on the Southlake Police Department’s Facebook page, the former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader allegedly collided with a Southlake Fire Department ambulance that was sitting at a stop sign just before 6 p.m. A short time later, officers tracked down the “hit-and-run vehicle” and identified the driver as Rycroft.

No injuries were reported, but the mom of three was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, second offense; accident involving damage more than $200; and driving with an invalid license. The TV personality was transported to the Keller Regional Detention Facility for processing, and bond for the combined offenses was set at $9,000.

Rycroft, who appeared on the 13th season of “The Bachelor” and went on to host “Bachelor Pad,” pleaded guilty to a separate DWI charge in August, stemming from a September 2025 incident, and agreed to serve 20 months of probation. Days before her Halloween arrest, she posted photos from a Studio 54‐themed party, where she donned a costume complete with a gold sequined dress and showed off the “Dancing With the Stars” mirror ball trophy she scored when she won Season 15 in 2012 alongside her pro partner Tony Dovolani.

Rycroft’s attorney did not immediately respond on Monday to The Times’ request for comment.

TO say this Hollywood star looked unrecognisable would be an understatement after she transformed into a giant severed hand for her annual Halloween bash.

The supermodel, famed for her bizarre costumes, disappeared inside the grotesque creation, with only her eyes and mouth giving the game away.

As usual, Heidi Klum pulled out all the stops dressing up as an enormous severed hand featuring glossy red nails, rings and an ultra realistic mangled wrist.

The 53-year-old’s face peered through a gruesome opening in the back of the hand, with streams of fake blood running down the prosthetic skin.

Two of the giant fingers housed her legs, which allowed the Project Runway host to walk in the crazy creation.

The elaborate outfit was a supersized replica of her own left hand, complete with recreations of her engagement and wedding rings.

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It even featured her tattoo of husband Tom Kaulitz’s name.

The musician was unable to join the festivities because he was on tour, but was was still represented in her costume.

Heidi spent around five to six hours getting into the creation and admitted carrying the enormous outfit was a challenge.

She said: “Hands down, the hardest thing is carrying it. It’s quite heavy.”

The Halloween queen unveiled the grisly look as she celebrated 25 years of her iconic celebrity parties.

This year’s bash took place at Cathédrale at New York’s Moxy East Village on Saturday night.

Famous guests included Little Mix star Jade Thirlwall, NSYNC’s Joey Fatone, Twin Peaks actor Kyle MacLachlan, Taylor Momsen, Paris Jackson and rapper Ice-T.

But while her latest transformation might take some beating, Heidi has plenty of experience making herself impossible to recognise.

Last year, she turned herself into a terrifying Medusa, with snakes crowning her head and green scales covering her body.

Tom joined her as a soldier who had been turned to stone.

In 2024, the couple opted for an extraterrestrial transformation, arriving as elaborate versions of E.T.

Perhaps her most famously bonkers outfit came in 2022, when she arrived as a giant worm.

Completely encased in the ridged costume, Heidi appeared on the end of a fishing line in a look that became a viral sensation.

Her previous Halloween creations have also included Jessica Rabbit, Princess Fiona from Shrek and a skinless human body.

Halloween in Los Angeles is not just Gay Christmas — it’s become a pretty exceptional weekend for music, with top touring acts planning blowout stands around the occasion. While the weekend might be a little soggy weather-wise, here are a few of the better shows and club nights to plan your costumes around.

Phoebe Bridgers
You don’t wear a custom Thom Browne crystal skeleton suit to the Grammys unless you have a deep bench of spooky gear. Bridgers’ three shows at the Intuit Dome this weekend, supporting her expansive LP “Lost Weekend,” secure her status as a stadium-caliber star with a subculture all her own. Intuit Dome, Friday through Sunday.

My Chemical Romance
It’s never not Halloween for My Chem lifers, but there’s no band better equipped for the occasion fresh off a full revisit of their 2006 LP “The Black Parade.” They also have a new short film with Bridgers and Billie Eilish and reportedly a comeback album in the works. Hollywood Bowl, Friday and Saturday.

‘Weird Al’ Yankovic
Pop’s finest satirist had his Hollywood star turn with 1989’s “UHF,” where he played an amateur TV station manager going off the rails. Yankovic revisits the cult classic with a screening set to a live-soundtrack performance. Greek Theatre, Saturday.

Origin
The new Arts District electronic music venue, an ambitious bet on DTLA’s eventual revival, formally debuts to the city with this block party featuring French duo the Blaze, Dirtybird don Claude VonStroke and a tribute to the late “Nightcall” producer Kavinsky. (There’s also an Arcade Fire DJ set, pending your interest in their comeback.) Origin, Saturday.

Freakquencies
A chain-smoking electroclash-y DJ in a slim-cut suit playing the Roosevelt Hotel? Close enough — welcome back Teddy’s circa 2006. The Dare’s Freakquencies party has a pretty savvy lineup, with freshly-minted pop star Tinashe, buzzy duo Frost Children, Dorian Electra and Kenny Beats on decks. Roosevelt Hotel, Saturday.

Rave to the Grave
Lights Down Low wrangles a bill right at home on a Berlin bender — Avalon Emerson (who has a great pop project too), Sextile, Ellen Allien, Effy and Johnny from the industrial-noise combo Health. TBA, Saturday.

Escape
The Great Pumpkin of SoCal mega EDM events this season, this Insomniac institution has all the usual heavy hitters (Zedd, Nina Kraviz, Disco Lines, Cloonee). NOS Events Center, Saturday.

Expression
Yamashiro is an old Hollywood dame that should be more of a nightlife destination. Scene vets Dave Aju, Heidi Lawden and Masha Mar are the ones to do it. Yamashiro, Saturday.

Mayan Warrior
One of Burning Man’s A-list art cars and roving dance music institutions rolls it up to Grand Park, with dancing room for the whole postapocalyptic polycule. Grand Park, Saturday.

ONE of TV’s most glamorous women looks totally unrecognisable after transforming into Sir Mo Farah for Halloween – but can you guess who it is?

The presenter pulled out all the stops to become the sporting legend, donning a bald cap, fake eyebrows and beard, and a Team GB running kit.

She posed for a series of fun snaps including running across the finishing line in front of Buckingham Palace, holding a Union Jack flag and striking Sir Mo’s iconic ‘Mobot’ pose.

And if you haven’t been able to guess by now, it’s Maya Jama!

The Love Island host and Celebrity Traitors star took to Instagram on Saturday night to show off her incredible transformation.

She captioned the snaps: “This year I wanted to pay homage to @sirmofarah our Olympic champ and all round legend (and I think we look alike lowkey) .

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“HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! Can’t wait to skin out tonight & thankyou Mo for sending your actual Olympic outfit and real medals hero!!! Let’s partyyyy.”

Maya also shared a video of the moment she video called Sir Mo, 43, while dressed as him.

Seeing Maya in her full Mo get up, Sir Mo looked shocked and said: “Oh my days!”

An excited Maya said: “I’m transformed! Don’t we look alike!”

Sir Mo replied: “I swear down I thought that was me for a second!”

Maya’s Celebrity Traitors pal Leigh-Anne Pinnock wrote: “SO GOOD.”

I’m a Celeb’s Scarlett Moffatt, who was on All Stars with Sir Mo, added: “This is epic haha!”

Geordie Shore‘s Holly Hagan commented: “Hahaahah you win.”

STACEY Solomon has stripped naked in a hot tub as Pretty Woman and Liz Hurley has showed off her insane figure as Poison Ivy this weekend.

When it comes to Halloween, showbiz stars don’t settle for a pointy hat and a splash of green make-up to celebrate the spooky season.

Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash kept their celebrations at home as they recreated a scene from the film Pretty Woman.

Taking to social media, Stacey captioned the images: “Happy Halloween. Love from The Temu Version of Pretty Woman.

“I’ll be honest as soon as I saw this bathroom I wanted to recreate this scene. The kids wanted to be skeletons & witches this year so it was our perfect opportunity for a couples costume,

“Sorry about the copy and paste fake bubbles I had to add in but fun fact, this bath has no water so here we are. Happy Halloween! Hope you have the best day! P.S we are clothed under the bubbles.”

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The cute snaps showed Stacey’s marble bathroom in her new home, with her bathtub overflowing in a cloud of bubbles.

Stacey rocked curly hair as she lounged in the bath wearing bright orange headphones connected to a yellow retro cassette player perched on the tub’s edge.

Joe was also seen in a grey wig as he planted a kiss on his wife’s cheek while they relaxed under the bubbles.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Hurley also shared a stunning snap to her socials which she captioned: “Poison Ivy and Batman, Happy Halloween.”

In the image, Liz looked stunning as she showed off her gorgeous figure in a tiny bikini made out of green leaves.

Her husband Billy Ray Cyrus looked fabuous standing beside her as Batman.

Meanwhile, Myleene Klass looked unrecognisable in her Halloween outfit as Edward Scissorhands from Tim Burton’s 1990 film.

While, Holly Willoughby shared a snap of herself dressed as a scary looking pilgrim which she captioned: “Tis the season of the Witch… Happy Halloween everyone.”

However, one of TV’s most glamorous women looked totally different after transforming into Sir Mo Farah for Halloween.

Maya Jama pulled out all the stops to become the sporting legend, donning a bald cap, fake eyebrows and beard, and a Team GB running kit.

It’s Halloween and our remaining 11 celebs are sinking their teeth into a spooky line-up of fresh dances on Strictly Come Dancing.

This week there’s a cameo from Sir Ian McKellen during the results show, Nikita Kuzmin as a vampire and there are two unexpectedly brutal twists.

For Halloween, three couples will be in the dance-off instead of the usual two and when one couple gets sent backing the judges will be voting to eliminate them, rather than save.

It’s getting brutal and we’ll be following tonight’s Strictly every quickstep of the way.

HELEN Flanagan revealed a telling mark on her neck while celebrating Halloween with friends on Thursday evening.

The former Coronation Street star was in attendance as lingerie brand Ann Summers hosted an elaborate party in honour of the spooky season at raunchy London nightspot The Box.

Drawing inspiration from lovelorn Wuthering Heights character Catherine Earnshaw, Helen, 36, commanded attention in a cleave-enhancing corset and red skirt as she let her hair down at the Soho venue.

But it was a decorative vampire bite that caught the eye, with social media followers speculating that Helen – who is believed to be single – may well be brandishing a love bite.

Commenting on the costume detail, one follower wrote: “What u done to your neck?” [sic]

While a second added: “Who bit your neck?” Elsewhere, a third posted: “Ooft, the neck lol.” [sic]

READ MORE ABOUT HELEN HERE

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‘LITTLE SOLDIER’

Helen Flanagan’s son rushed to hospital and hooked up to oxygen mask

Helen’s night out comes after former fiancé Scott Sinclair revealed son Charlie, five – the youngest of their three children – has needed hospital treatment.

The ex-footballer, who also shares daughters Matilda, 11, and Delilah, eight with the actress, posted a photo of their son in his hospital bed on Wednesday.

“My little soldier,” captioned Scott over the snap, which saw Charlie giving a thumbs up as he used an oxygen mask.

The father-of-three did not share what had happened to his son or if they were to remain in hospital.

Helen and Scott were together for 13-years and engaged for four before ending their relationship in October 2022.

They have since had a strained relationship whilst co-parenting their family – often taking swipes at one another online.

Helen was forced to move out of their family home earlier this year, which was solely owned by Scott, as the footballer decided to sell it.

She spoke openly about not wanting to move and about the ‘stress’ downsizing had caused.

WHEN two brothers open a Mississippi blues bar in horror film Sinners, it starts out like a great party.

That is, until someone welcomes in a very troublesome vampire — and all hell breaks loose.

Which is much like my visit to the Sinners haunted house at Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights.

As I walk arm-in-arm with my best mate, we laugh, scream and cling to each other for dear life as the same terrifying story plays out in front of our eyes.

The Halloween event in Florida has been running for 35 years and film fans can’t get enough of its fully immersive horror houses.

Each year, ten elaborate sound stages are erected to shock, frighten and entertain.

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Horror is now the fastest-growing film genre, so it’s easy to see why the Halloween Horror Nights have grown to the scale they are at today.

What started in 1991 as a single haunted house, open to visitors for just three days, is now a two-month Spooktacular that is virtually sold out every night.

Whether you are a big movie buff or not, it’s a unique experience that isn’t for the faint-hearted.

Some of the biggest movies are played out in such intricate detail that, once inside the dark passageways, it’s all too easy to believe you are part of the movie itself.

As well as 2025 box office hit Sinners, Universal has teamed up with other killer movie thrillers.

They include Evil Dead Burn and Hellraiser — a franchise that Lora Sauls, the theme park’s assistant director of creative development, says has taken a decade to secure the rights to.

And the wait was worth it, as Hellraiser delivered the most jump-scares of the night.

The films’ Cenobites and other ghouls burst out of every dark corner, mysterious curtain and doorway, accompanied by strobe lights, wild screaming and flumes of fog.

Other houses this year include Netflix’s Stranger Things 5 — which also has an energetic light and water show inspired by it on the lagoon — while a very cool Ozzy Osbourne: Prince Of Darkness house features music and gothic moments from the late rocker’s back catalogue.

One original theme house is Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control, which stars the much-loved characters who have dominated the event over the last three decades and have sealed their place in Halloween Horror Nights lore.

The remaining five houses cover aliens, cannibals, classic Universal monsters and futuristic cyber baddies, all offering plenty of scares as well as a few giggles.

The Halloween Horror Nights event is on a separate ticket to the regular theme park 14-day passes — and the fear continues outside the haunted houses, too.

Universal Studios Florida gets a complete and creepy makeover as the sun goes down.

Those who re-enter for the night get to enjoy a huge Halloween street party, stretching the length and breadth of the park.

There are dedicated bars and food pop-ups, with drinks and bites themed for the attractions, such as the Meat Grinder Red Velvet Cake and Hellraiser Spicy Meatballs.

Navigating the event is no walk in the park, with five scare zones set up to keep the jumps jumpin’.

One of them, the neon playground based on video game Fortnite, is a fresh and unique take on the event’s street scares.

During the night, you will also pass through Club Horror and The Sideshow Of Decay, which is swarming with zombies.

And the Infernal Carnival Of Nightmares has creepy fairground games and a manic cast of characters.

Perhaps the most terrifying can be found at Downtown Clowntown, which is pretty self-explanatory.

If jesters give you the jitters, I recommend a different route.

Halloween Horror Nights are recommended for guests over 11 — but by day, more wholesome and family-friendly movies take centre stage.

DreamWorks Land at Universal Studios celebrates movies including Trolls, Shrek and Kung Fu Panda.

While over at Epic Universe, you can enjoy rides and attractions based on How To Train Your Dragon, Super Nintendo and the wizarding world of Harry Potter.

Universal’s Islands Of Adventure has you hopping between Hogwarts, Jurassic Park and Worlds Of Marvel, with high-speed coasters such as Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure and VelociCoaster providing the thrills.

The Universal All-Parks Ticket gets you in to all the theme parks, as well as Universal’s water park, Volcano Bay.

That guarantees plenty of excitement and not a clown in sight.

For anyone visiting Florida next September and October, Halloween Horror Nights are a fun way to shake up your holiday.

The event I went to carried on until 2am, so there was still time after midnight to go back through the Sinners house, much to my friend’s despair.

But with entertainment on such a grand scale, a soothing blues soundtrack and the opportunity to laugh at her screaming round every corner, how could I resist?

West Sussex’s haunted folly

A derelict, 24-metre tall redbrick and flint folly outside Chichester, Racton Monument (known locally as Racton Ruin) is said to be one of the most haunted places in Sussex and has been the site of many paranormal investigations. George Montagu Dunk, the second Earl of Halifax, commissioned the folly, but there is no conclusive account as to why he had it built. Some say it was as a summerhouse, others a viewing point to watch ships come in from the Solent. A ghostly woman walking in the grounds and eerie sounds such as sudden manic laughter are among reported spooky happenings. Now completely gutted and roofless, it’s on private land and unsafe to enter, but still easily seen from nearby footpaths.

‘The event horizon of a black hole’ in Bannau Brycheiniog

Completed in 1927, the Pontsticill reservoir in the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) national park supplies water for much of south Wales, holding up to 15.5 billion litres (3,400 million gallons). Like other reservoirs of its time, such as Ladybower in Derbyshire, Pontsticill was built with a bell-mouth spillway, which looks like an eerie giant plughole – or the event horizon of a black hole. Created by flooding a valley, ghostly remains of the submerged village, including a 15th-century church, can resurface during droughts when water levels drop. Richard Ayoade used its terrifying presence with great effect in his 2010 film, Submarine.

Shipwrecks in the Kent marshes

With place names such as Deadman’s Island, Slaughterhouse Point and Bedlam’s Bottom, Chetney Marshes needs no introduction. This forgotten, marshy outpost on the fringes of north Kent, with a limited palette of greens and greys, is home to a collection of slowly decaying, old barges and boats. Such is their level of deterioration, it can be hard to distinguish between the rotten hulks and the marsh itself. Information on the wrecked vessels is hard to come by and contradictory, with Historic England claiming they are former Thames barges. Yet on older maps, they are marked as the more tantalising Victorian prisoner transport ships. An atmospheric place for an otherworldly wander.

A nuclear bunker in Essex

Growing up on terrifying visions of nuclear war, such as 1980s films Threads and Where the Wind Blows, bunkers have always held a certain macabre mystique. Kelvedon Hatch was one such bunker, built in the early 1950s to house up to 600 military personnel and civilians, as well as the prime minister. In this worst-case scenario, it would have become the seat of power in a post-apocalyptic Britain. Above the surface, it looks like an unremarkable bungalow, but, like a Bond villain’s lair, this leads to a three-storey underground shelter equivalent in size to 25 average British homes. Today, the bunker is home to one of the world’s largest cold war museums.

A wailing, windswept tree on the Lancashire moors

On a Pennine hill overlooking Burnley, the Singing Ringing Tree is an eerie sound sculpture created by architects Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu. It is three metres tall and designed to look like a brutalist windswept tree. The sculpture comprises a series of galvanised steel pipes tuned to various pitches over a range of different octaves. On a gusty day, as the wind blows through the pipes, it creates a weird, somewhat discordant harmonic. The artwork is one of four Panopticons, but rather than embodying the original concept – a circular prison with a single guard at its centre – they are far more benign, designed to be seen by many rather than as a symbol of oppressive surveillance.

The Lake District’s ‘skull cave’

Tucked away in the Tilberthwaite valley, between Coniston and Langdale, Hodge Close is an abandoned slate quarry on National Trust land. In the right conditions, its cave tunnel openings and dark pool resemble a skull, which fans of the hit Netflix series The Witcher will recognise – though it’s much harder to see in real life than in the scenes starring Henry Cavill (Geralt of Rivia) and Kim Bodnia (Vesemir). Abandoned in the 1960s, industrial remains litter the site, giving it an edgy, post-civilisation feel.

London’s paupers’ graveyard

Crossbones graveyard, just south of the River Thames near Shakespeare’s Globe theatre and the Shard, was once outside the city’s boundaries (and laws) in an area known as “The Liberty of the Clink”. A pauper’s graveyard, it was the final resting place of medieval sex workers and souls not deemed suitable for Christian burial. More than 15,000 people are estimated to have been unceremoniously buried here. Today, it’s been reclaimed as a garden of remembrance, both mystical and macabre with its own special beauty, and is open to the public at certain times for guided walks and talks.

A smugglers’ cave in Northumberland

Hundreds of years ago, Cateran Hole was used by bandits to hide smuggled contraband. Found in the middle of Bewick Moor, about four miles north of Eglingham, it feels as far away from civilisation as you can get, and the steps leading down to its 35 metre-long, dark underground chamber are notoriously difficult to find – making it all the more thrilling when you finally do. You can walk into increasing darkness if you’re brave enough, before the tunnel tapers to a narrow point, but be cautious: there are no safety barriers, lighting or warning signs.

Stony stares from a drystone wall in Dumfries and Galloway

We all know that strange feeling of being watched – then turning round to find nobody there. If you wander just off the Old Edinburgh Road in a beautiful, isolated corner of the Galloway Hills, not far from Newton Stewart, you’ll find a whole bunch of faces staring out at you from the confines of a drystone wall. Artist Matt Baker carved Quorum – the Stone Faces in 1997 as part of a residency in the Galloway Forest. The heads have since become part of the landscape and have even formed new eyebrows out of lichen. The artwork is a stone’s throw away from another impressive piece called The Eye, a 10-metre tall cone sculpture on the banks of Black Loch.

The church ‘floating’ on Rutland Water

Arrive on a cold morning as the mist shrouds St Matthew’s church in Normanton, and it appears as if it is rising up from the depths of a lake. Normanton Church, as it is also known, stands on a small, boulder-strewn promontory on the vast expanse of Rutland Water. Built in the 1820s on the site of a medieval chapel, the church was scheduled for demolition when the man-made lake/reservoir was built in the 1970s. Thankfully, a last-minute public campaign saved it from this watery fate. Easy to view from the shoreline, it is open on scheduled days and for private events.

Dave Hamilton is the author of Weird Guide and Wild Ruins, published by Wild Things Publishing

A wave of youth-led protests has swept Europe, with demonstrators denouncing rising prices and a lack of prospects.

Germany and France are preparing for potential protests over the weekend that could coincide with Halloween festivities.

Approximately 150,000 people in Germany have registered to turn out in about 30 cities, including Berlin, Frankfurt and Cologne, to protest on Saturday.

Police plan to deploy thousands of additional officers across the country. Some luxury jewellery shops and clothing stores have boarded up windows to protect against potential looting or violence.

Protests in Germany are led by a group dubbed “GenZ regelt!”, which translates to “Gen Z has got this!”.

The German protest movement’s complaints include the high cost of living, poorly maintained schools, government spending cuts and, more broadly, politicians taking decisions with little regard for the younger generation.

A wave of largely youth-led protests has swept across Europe in recent weeks, many with similar complaints: rising prices, declining educational facilities and what many protesters see as a lack of prospects for their future.

France braces again

Many of those grievances mirror those of the youth-led protests that have convulsed French cities and towns for three consecutive weekends.

Shops and businesses in Paris and other cities were boarding up windows on Friday.

French police are preparing for another weekend of potential protests and violence by deploying 70,000 police officers nationwide. More than 40 metro stations in Paris will be closed.

Authorities have also said face-covering masks will not be allowed at the demonstrations.

France’s interior minister has warned of a “very high risk” of disorder over the weekend.

Two weeks ago, widespread unrest broke out in cities and towns across France as demonstrations against the cost of living and conditions in schools descended into large-scale looting and riots.

Since then, French authorities have sought to clamp down on violent protests, but last weekend saw further demonstrations across the country, including intermittent clashes with the police.

Alain Di Crescenzo, president of France’s Chamber of Commerce, said businesses were worried.

“Shopkeepers can’t wait for Saturday to be over,” Di Crescenzo told broadcaster France Inter.

Halloween “is not helping matters”, he said, “because we’re going to have people wearing masks”.

Winning tip: an eerie clifftop castle near Aberdeen

Dunnottar Castle, perched on cliffs above the crashing North Sea, is one of Scotland’s eeriest places. The most haunting part is the Whigs Vault, where more than 160 prisoners were confined in dreadful conditions in 1685. Standing in that dark chamber, it’s impossible not to imagine their fear and suffering. With my Fraser ancestry, the castle’s history feels especially poignant. The names of multiple Frasers are recorded, their details written on the wall. The wind whistles through the stonework, the waves thunder below, and there’s a sense that the past hasn’t quite left. It’s beautiful, tragic and wonderfully spooky, especially beneath Aberdeenshire’s brooding grey skies.

Rosie

A Neolithic burial chamber in Pembrokeshire

My dad and I reached Pentre Ifan on a November evening, just before dark. The burial chamber defies explanation: 16 tons of weathered capstone, barely touching three sharp stone points, as though something unseen was holding it up. There was a low hum from somewhere; I hoped it was the wind spilling over the Preseli hills. As the daylight crept away, the chamber beneath grew darker than the settling dusk around us. My dad, who has an explanation for everything, stood silent. I think we walked back to the car a little faster than we had come.

Tom

Haunted by criminals in Somerset

My recommendation is Shepton Mallet prison, or “the Mallet” as it used to be called, back when it was used as a military prison. It opened in 1625, and you can still crawl through a wall into an original cell. The prison has three Victorian blocks and umpteen stories of past prisoners, including the Kray twins. You can have a daytime tour, or a night-time ghost tour, where you’ll hear stories of spooks and ghouls witnessed by many visitors and staff over the years. You can even stay the night in a real, cold, grim prison cell. The staff are friendly and all great characters, I can’t recommend it enough!

Charlie

Hollowed out tower in West Yorkshire

Perched high above Hebden Bridge in the historic hilltop village of Heptonstall lies the roofless shell of St Thomas à Becket church. Raked into ruin by a storm in 1847, this 13th-century structure was left to decay alongside its 19th-century successor, creating a rare site where two parish churches share a single churchyard. Gaunt, towering arches frame open skies, and the hollowed-out stone tower feels like the Tower tarot card made real. Expect goosebumps!

Finbarre Snarey

A pub night you won’t forget in Staffordshire

The Four Crosses Inn is the most haunted pub in England – and I should know: it was in my mother’s family for many generations! I grew up hearing about all the ghostly goings on. It was also one of the oldest pubs (it’s only open for tours now), and family lore has it Dr Johnson stayed there. On the edge of creepy Cannock Chase moor in Staffordshire, the scene of many murders, it has dank cellars and creaking attics for you to get really scared in.

Rob

Poltergeist stories in County Fermanagh

Cooneen Ghost House, near Fivemiletown, is one of Northern Ireland’s eeriest places. The abandoned farmhouse is private, but it can be glimpsed from the road, which somehow makes its old poltergeist stories feel even more unsettling. Nearby Crocknagrally Forest is perfect for a cold-weather ramble to make a day of it, especially on a misty winter afternoon when the tracks are wonderfully secluded and it all feels very remote and spooky. The kind of walk where folklore seems woven into the landscape: dark trees, lonely roads and an old haunted house just out of reach. There are loads of stories around this place that locals will share.

Christina Hawe

Romantic tragedy on Llŷn peninsula

The once abandoned quarrying village of Nant Gwrtheyrn, on Llŷn peninsula, lies at the foot of Yr Eifl, down a terrifyingly steep and winding road. On a misty autumn day, with the crashing waves below you and the unsettling presence of a wild goat peering down at you from the cliffs above, it can be truly eerie. The woods in the valley are home to the tale of Rhys and Meinir – a traditional prenuptial game of hide and seek gone awry, with the skeletal remains of a bride-to-be revealed by a bolt of lightning. The site is free to visit.

Sioned

Crashing waves and call of rooks in Aberdeenshire

On a cold grey day Slains Castle on the east coast of Scotland, north of Aberdeen, certainly has a spooky air. Although rumours about the castle inspiring Bram Stoker when writing Dracula are apparently untrue, the castle ruins bring to mind bats pouring out of windows and unsavoury aristocrats lurking around corners. It is precariously located on cliffs above the North Sea and the crashing waves and calls of rooks and jackdaws provide an evocatively eerie soundtrack to your visit.

Joel Rawlings

Unexplained screams on the South Downs

Chanctonbury Ring is an iron age hill fort ringed by beech trees, on the South Downs in West Sussex. Folklore claims that by walking or running around the ring seven times you’ll see the devil. Writer Robert Macfarlane certainly had an unnerving experience there while camping, as recounted in his 2012 book The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot, when awakened in the dead of night by terrifying human-sounding screams high above him in the tree canopy, which seemed to divide and converge before swooping down upon him. Accessible only on foot, who dares follow in Macfarlane’s footsteps to check out the myth?

Kirsty McHattie

Gothic atmosphere in Whitby

My favourite spooky spot is Whitby Abbey, perched high above the Yorkshire coast. Its ruined arches and weathered stone look dramatic in daylight, but imagine them at dusk, with mist drifting in from the North Sea and the wind moving through the empty windows. Whitby’s narrow streets and harbour add another layer of atmosphere, especially when the lamps come on and the town grows quiet. It is easy to see why Bram Stoker found inspiration here for Dracula. I would love to explore the abbey as the light fades, then wander down towards the harbour, listening to the waves and letting my imagination do the rest. The best spooky places are where history, landscape and legend meet – and Whitby has all three. Its magic endures.

Emilio

Authorities vow firm action against violence as yellow vest and student movements announce widespread demonstrations.

France’s interior minister has announced the deployment of 70,000 police officers across the country in preparation for planned protests on Saturday, coinciding with Halloween.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Thursday that security measures, including the use of armoured vehicles and water cannon introduced last week, will be strengthened.

Nationwide protests over the rising cost of living have rocked France, with some degenerating into large-scale looting and riots.

“The day of October 31 presents a very high risk of public disorder,” Nunez said at a news conference.

About 70,000 police officers and gendarmes will be mobilised, matching the number deployed at last week’s protests, he said, calling the move an “exceptional measure”.

Demonstrations last Saturday drew about 410,000 protesters nationwide, according to the interior ministry, though unions put the figure at roughly double that. The ministry said more than 2,700 people were arrested a week earlier.

Warning on Halloween masking

The “yellow vest” movement and student unions have called for a new day of protests on Saturday.

Nunez warned demonstrators against using Halloween as “a legitimate reason to hide one’s face” to cause disturbances in public areas.

He told reporters demonstrations would be allowed, but “not in city centres, where there is a risk of public disorder”.

The interior minister issued a warning to far-right groups that clashed with left-wing protesters at rallies in about 15 French cities.

“We will tolerate no excesses,” he said, and pledged an “extremely firm” response.

Nunez accused the “ultra-left” movement and some yellow vest activists of circulating messages on social media promoting demonstrations on Halloween evening that called for a “revolution”.

“These gatherings will be banned,” he said.

The yellow vest movement has already announced a “third act” of its protests on Halloween and called for demonstrations outside the National Assembly and all town halls in the country.

Halloween costume inspiration can arise from anywhere but one spectacular, often-overlooked source is right here in our trusty home of Los Angeles. This city is a hotbed of festive ideas, as witnessed in the IYKYK costumes of yore: the Sweet James billboard, the Oceanwide Plaza graffiti tower, Bob’s Big Boy, Angelyne and Stuart the Minion over Universal Studios.

And no Angeleno with an L.A.-centric social media algorithm could forget Jason Radovan and Hannah Webb, who reigned as “The Mother & Father of the 110” on Halloween 2023. Radovan, an artist and actor, said the idea came to him after driving past the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra mural countless times on his commute, and then Webb, also an artist, suggested adding a freeway and cars, which “really cemented the concept.” Finding inspiration while in traffic? Now that feels like L.A.

This Halloween, if you’ll be debuting a costume inspired by weird and wonderful Los Angeles, we’d love to see it. Upload a photo below, along with a few words about it, and we may feature it in an upcoming story.

FORGOT Halloween is this week and the kids are nagging to do something?

Well, fortunately there are still tickets available to Halloween events at the UK’s biggest and best theme parks.

Whether you have little ones and want something more tame, or older kids desperate to head on thrill rides in the dark, there are plenty of Halloween events with availability still for this week.

Here’s a roundup of the best theme park Halloween events with tickets still available:

Legoland

Legoland Windsor Resort’s Brick or Treat event still has tickets available, where you will be able to see different Lego models as well as Lego Monsters.

There’s a huge party for visitors to enjoy as well as live entertainment and of course, visitors can head to the 55 rides and attractions across the park as well.

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Returning this year is also the Lord Vampyre’s House Party show, where everyone can have a boogie.

Tickets cost from £37 per person.

Thorpe Park

This year Thorpe Park is marking ’25 Years of Fear’ and is known for its award-winning theme park scare event with a new maze for this year called Tenement.

There’s a 4D cinema experience and a number of shows as well.

Guests will also be able to head on the different rides at the park in the dark.

A day ticket including Fright Nights costs from £39 per person or a Fright Nights ticket including the Scare Mazes costs from £71 per person.

Gulliver’s

Across Gulliver’s Theme Park Resorts you can still snap up tickets to Fright Fiesta.

There will be a festival-style atmosphere with costumes, music and meet and greets.

And at both Gulliver’s Valley in Rotherham and Gulliver’s Land in Milton Keynes, visitors can step onto the ‘Ghouliver’s Travelator’ for an immersive journey across a Halloween landscape before arriving at the Midnight Manor Hotel (Gulliver’s Valley) or the Wicked Woods (Gulliver’s Land).

Tickets cost from just £19 per person.

Alton Towers

Alton Towers Scarefest still has tickets available, with scare mazes, family spook attractions and rides open in the dark until 9pm.

There are six scare mazes in total including Compound and Dark Hollow, which is new for 2026.

Little ones can enjoy Amigos in the Afterlife with Dia de los Muertos celebrations and Trick O’ Treat Town.

Tickets cost from £37 per person for daytime Halloween events and entry to the park, or £80 per person for a day ticket as well as evening thrills.

Paultons Park

For families with younger children, Paultons Park still has tickets available to its Halloween Spooktacular with spooky characters and late-night openings.

Visitors can enjoy the Little Monsters Ball as well as the Great Halloween Mystery/Spirit Squad Ghoul School shows.

There’s also the Ghostly Manor – an interactive dark ride.

Tickets cost from £46.75 per person.

Drayton Manor

Over at Drayton Manor, visitors can enjoy rides, two fireworks nights and a new Trick or Treat Trail ideal for little kids.

There’s loads of themed locations to snap a pic at too.

If you are feeling a little braver, you can head on the Revenge of the Haunted Express and catch a lake show at the end of the day.

Tickets cost from £39 per person, or £16 per child between the age of two and three-years-old. The Revenge of the Haunted Express is an additional £5 per person.

Halloween candy sales are declining as financially strained Americans cut back on discretionary purchases, with higher chocolate prices and rising household expenses weighing on demand ahead of the holiday.

U.S. candy sales fell 6.7% in the four weeks ended Oct. 17 from a

WITH Halloween fast approaching, our Spotlight on column focuses on Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

The city is home to Europe’s biggest Halloween festival – now in its 40th year.

To celebrate, the city is launching a year-round Derry Samhain Experience and a permanent Halloween mural.

Here are some other top tips from us, including where to stay and some hidden gems.

MUST SEE/DO

From October 28 to November 1, The Awakening The Walled City Trail fills the city centre with light installations, street theatre, fire performers and live music, while the Little Horrors programme keeps younger children busy.

On Halloween night the Carnival Parade sets off at 7pm, followed by fireworks over the River Foyle.

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Beachfront city with 300 sunshine days, wild sea lions & champagne vending machines

Pack a costume, as locals take dressing up seriously.

The trail, parade and fireworks are all free, but if you plan to visit make sure you book a bed as soon as possible.

BEST VIEW

Derry‘s 17th-century walls, built between 1613 and 1618 to protect English and Scottish settlers, are the only fully preserved city walls in Ireland.

They have never been breached, not even during the 105-day siege of 1689.

The mile-long loop takes you past seven gates and 24 restored cannons, including Roaring Meg, stamped “Fishmongers, London, 1642” after the livery company that paid for it.

From the ramparts you can look down over the Bogside, where murals and Free Derry Corner tell the story of the Troubles.

HIDDEN GEM

The Dickensian-style Derry Craft Village in the heart of the city is a reconstruction of an 18th-century street and 19th-century square, home to more than 70 local makers.

It was built by the Inner City Trust, a charity set up in 1976 to rebuild the city centre during the Troubles. Its cafes are good for a coffee or a bite.

Derry Girls fans should then pop next door to the Tower Museum, home of the Derry Girls Experience.

RATED RESTAURANT

Browns Bonds Hill, on the east bank of the River Foyle, serves modern dishes made with local, seasonal produce.

Opened in 2009 by chef patron Ian Orr, Michelin‘s inspectors single it out for its good value.

For something more casual, sister restaurant Browns in Town is across the river on Strand Road and serves classic burgers, steak sandwiches and pasta.

BEST BAR

Peadar O’Donnell’s on Waterloo Street has live traditional Irish music every night, in a pub done up like an old-fashioned grocer’s and hung with flags.

It’s a top spot to pull up a stool and sink a pint of Guinness. If it’s too busy, try the Gweedore Bar, under the same roof with an equally buzzy atmosphere.

HOTEL PICK

The Walled City Hotel opened last autumn with 40 rooms in a 1920s former Bank of Ireland building on Strand Road, a two-minute walk from the Guildhall.

Its vaulted ceilings now look down on a bar and restaurant. Rooms cost from £102 per night. See walledcityhotel.com.

Prime Video’s Last One Laughing is back for its very first Halloween special

Last One Laughing fans risk missing a key episode of the Halloween special.

The Prime Video show is finally back on our screens with an exciting line-up of comedians taking on the side-splitting challenge. After its hugely successful second series, the competition was confirmed for a new season coming out in 2027. But viewers still have four fresh episodes to devour in the meantime.

We are, of course, referring to the spooky Halloween special which slightly changes the show’s beloved format. As always, a group of famous comics put their comedic talent to the test as they try to break their opponents – laugh and you’re out. But there’s an additional spooky-themed rule this time around: scream and you’re out.

The final comedian standing will take home the crown and join season one winner Bob Mortimer and season two champion David Mitchell in the hall of fame. So when can viewers tune in to the special episodes?

When is the Last One Laughing Halloween special released?

The first three episodes of Last One Laughing: Halloween are available to stream on Prime Video from Friday, October 23. Fans will be forced to wait another week before the final episode, which drops on Friday, October 30.

A synopsis for the seasonal special teases: “Over the course of the first Halloween Special, the famous faces will use every ounce of their comedic talent to break their opponents without laughing or screaming.

“And it’s not just their rivals they need to watch out for. Cursed props, ghostly interruptions and spine-tingling surprises are all designed to catch even the bravest comic off guard. The rules are simple: laugh and you’re out, scream and you’re out. Who will survive last One Laughing: Halloween?”

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Jimmy Carr returns as the show’s host, with the likes of Jack Dee, Daisy May Cooper, Phil Wang, Lou Sanders, Reece Shearsmith, Harriet Dyer and Tom Allen on the cast.

A 30-second teaser for the upcoming episodes has been generating buzz on social media, where one fan raved: “Looking forward to it!” Someone else said: “Looking forward to seeing Jack Dee on this!!”.

A third fan chimed in with: “Oh this is going to be funny for Halloween,” with a fourth adding: “THE BEST SHOW OF ALL TIME. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.” And another enthusiastic viewer commented: “Oh great… Now you want to make me laugh to death on Halloween. Good grief!”

The first three episodes of Last One Laughing: Halloween are available to stream now on Prime Video

Hollyoaks villains Gemma Bissix and Tamara Wall are taking part in a spooktacular on-set experience titled HorrorOaks for one day only,

Hollyoaks fans are in for a spooky treat this Halloween.

Fans of the Channel 4 soap will be able to take part in a special edition of the popular Hollyoaks set tour as production company Lime Pictures opens the doors to the eponymous village once again on Saturday, October 31.

The synopsis for the event reads: “For one night only, fans and thrill-seekers are invited to step directly into HorrorOaks, an immersive, one-hour walkthrough horror attraction and guided storytelling event taking place on Saturday, October 31.

“The iconic set and surrounding grounds will be transformed into a nightmare village, featuring haunting thematic dressing, ambient low-light effects, heavy fog, and chilling soundscapes.

“Led by expert tour guides who will navigate structured groups safely through the darkened sets, guests will experience the famous locations like never before. But beware—roving live scare actors will be lurking in the shadows, delivering heart-pounding jump scares throughout the route.

“Word around Chester is that the supernatural activity won’t stop there… eagle-eyed fans might even spot a few familiar faces along the way, as legendary ex-cast members may rise from the dead for a surprise appearance you won’t forget.

“The event is designed for an audience of 16 years and up. Young people aged 14 and over are permitted as long as they are accompanied by an adult (over 18). Nobody under the age of 14 will be permitted.

Proof of age may be requested and event staff reserve the right to refuse entry if this is not provided. We strongly recommend those planning to bring along anyone aged 14 to 16 look through all of the information and visual material on our website, in order to make an informed decision. This is a one-off event for Halloween 2026, tickets are extremely limited and will sell out fast.”

It has been confirmed that Hollyoaks sisters Grace Black and Clare Devine aka actresses Tamara Wall and Gemma Bissix will join the fun as the set will be transformed into a grim and spooky village, featuring low-light effects, fog, and chilling soundscapes.

Tamara, whose on-screen alter-ego Grace met a tragic end last year, will be back on set for the unmissable event alongside Gemma who viewers kno made a historic return from the dead as Clare last year, despite having seemingly met her demise over a decade earlier.

Being revealed as the leader behind the exploitation of the local teens, Clare wasted little time in causing trouble, claiming she had cancer and teaming up with serial killer Jez Blake (Jeremy Sheffield), who drove a plane into the village as part of the show’s 40th anniversary.

Teaser videos have been shared on Hollyoaks’ official social media pages with fans rushing to share their excitement. Taking to the comment section, one fan penned: “YAAASSSS! I been waiting for this @gbissix #claresback.” Another added: “This is so cool.” A third person wrote: “Wish I was brave enough.”

Hollyoaks airs Monday to Wednesday on E4 at 7pm and first look episodes can be streamed Channel 4 from 7am and Horroraks tickets are available here