The man behind what many people say is the best Halloween house in the city has already started preparing for the big day.
Ollie Slim, from Brighton, is a self-confessed Halloween fanatic and admitted he starts thinking about the festivities as soon as the previous year has ended.
“I constantly think about it. From packing away the previous year's decorations, it is always in the back of my mind,” he told The Argus.
The 47-year-old and his husband Ollie Blackaby, 49, have been decorating their house in Highcroft Villas, Prestonville, for the past 14 years.
Ollie Slim said: “I make a rod for my own back because each year we have got bigger and better.”
Last year’s theme was Stranger Things and visitors came from far and wide to see the spectacle.
In the dark of night their house was lit an eerie red and the décor included spooky scenes from the hit show.
A terrifying demon Vecna guarded the house and skeletons hung from fences.
“Last year was perhaps a little too scary,” Ollie said. “We will be making it a bit more family-friendly this year as we have children from the nearby schools coming to visit.”
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Ollie has already ordered in a 20ft Stay Puft marshmallow from the 1980s film Ghostbusters.
The house will be decorated to look like the famous fire station and he hopes to create the Manhattan skyline on his front fence.
He will begin setting up his masterpiece about two weeks before Halloween, so children at Windlesham School and Stanford Infants can see it on their way to school before half term.
“It is always a work in progress but I get a mental image of how it will look,” Ollie said.
“Then it’s the hard work of setting it up.”
Ollie recycles and reuses as much as possible in his displays to keep them affordable.
“We raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support and have been doing so for years. We don’t use any of the fundraising money for the decorations so we try to keep it cost effective,” said Ollie.
He uses Facebook Marketplace to get bargains and also picks up scraps of wood discarded in the streets. Skeletons and other Halloween staples can be used time and again.
Ollie and his husband have raised more than £32,000 for Macmillan and are continuing to raise money this year.
They also have help from local businesses, including Lawsons Builders Merchants who donated £2,000 last year.
Steven, Anthony and Bex from T @ The Dials café in Dyke Road ask their customers to donate 50p with each order in October.
The Hair Salon in Blatchington Road, Hove, also asks its customers to donate what they would normally tip to stylists to Macmillan.
“These extras are so helpful and we usually raise a couple thousand pounds more from those,” said Ollie.
“It is great to work with Macmillan and they come and help on the night.”
Macmillan told Ollie and his husband that their donations have gone towards their new cancer support centre in Bristol Gate near the Royal Sussex County Hospital.
The Ghostbusters Halloween garden will be open to the public on Tuesday, October 31.
Those interested can donate to Ollie’s fundraiser here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/oliver-slim-1695119353285
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