We've spent £1k on Britain's 'spookiest Halloween house' and parents drive kids 30 miles to see it

A Halloween-loving dad and his son have splashed out £1,000 to turn their home into a terrifying attraction, drawing crowds from across the region who line up to witness their hair-raising decorations.

Toby Whittle, 27, a customer service supervisor at Manchester Airport from Macclesfield, Cheshire, along with his father Andy, 55, a parts manager at a BMW garage, have been converting their semi-detached house into a Halloween marvel annually since 2017.

This year, the pair have already dropped £100 on eerie adornments and £75 on sweets for the throngs expected at their doorstep on October 31, with some fans travelling over 30 miles for the experience.

Now a tradition they're deeply committed to, Toby, who has recently purchased his own place in Congleton with his partner Hannah, has secured a Costco membership to stock up on goodies and dedicates weeks to crafting spine-tingling decorations, including an enormous five-foot spider.

Their DIY spooky garden boasts skeletons lounging in deck chairs, 'limbs' strewn about the drive, and jack-o'-lanterns that flicker ominously, while Toby enhances the ambiance by blasting a soundtrack of growling wolves and cackling witches from a hefty speaker outside.

After sharing videos of last year's haunted house online - one garnering over 12,000 views - eager viewers are already confirming they'll be there this year.

"When you’ve got the kids there, the drive’s full of people and the whole community is there, stood watching, it’s nice to see," Toby shared with PA Real Life.

"We do this out of our own pockets and we would never ask for any money because we’re not bothered about it. For us, it’s one of Britain’s spookiest houses."

The first time Toby and his father Andy decided to decorate their family home was in 2017. "Prior to that, we had never really done outdoor decorations," explained Toby.

"My dad came up with idea originally. He wanted to do something for the kids in the neighbourhood."

What "started off small" with just a few decorations has grown year-on-year, as Toby and Andy continue to expand their creepy decoration collection. Some of the most impressive features include a giant homemade spider by the entrance – made using a balloon, an exercise ball, expanding foam, pipes and wires – skeleton dogs and flashing pumpkins.

Before visitors can reach the boarded-up front door, they are confronted by flashing demons inside the Mercedes and Mini parked on the drive. "The giant spider that I built is my number one," said Toby.

"That was a few weeks of work and trying to get the balloon and ball to stay still was tricky."

Toby estimates that around 500 people turned up outside their house last Halloween and anticipates there will be more this year. "Last year several hundred people came by. There was a bit of a queue on the driveway," said Toby.

"It’s mostly locals, however, I had some parents talking to me one year, saying that they had driven a good 30 minutes."

Toby and his father have been sourcing most of their decorations from stores such as Home Bargains, B&M, The Range, Tesco and Asda. Despite their bargain hunting efforts, they estimate that over the past seven years since they started this tradition, they've spent around £1,000 on decorations and sweets.

"I haven’t got an exact number in mind, but if you added it all together, you would be like, crikey," Toby admitted. "One year we probably spent £75 on just pumpkins to carve."

He added: "I always try shopping online after Halloween to buy things that are reduced."

Toby now finds himself on the hunt for Halloween decorations all year round, particularly at car boot sales during the summer.

"It’s something that’s always on my mind," he confessed. Ensuring they have enough sweets to hand out is a top priority for Toby and his father, who start stocking up a month in advance.

"There’s a lot of money spent on sweets alone ... probably around 50 quid," Toby revealed. "We start buying them in September when the multi-bags and Christmas tubs come out."

He continued: "I got a Costco membership about two years ago, so I’ve started going there now."

This year, Toby is hoping to add a smoke machine if the weather permits and plans to start decorating the house a week in advance.

Occasionally, Toby said, children are too scared to approach the house without their parents, but he usually keeps watch to ensure no decorations blow away. "It can be quite intimidating," Toby acknowledged.

"We have noise as well! I found an hour-long playlist of scary Halloween sounds ... and I basically put that on shuffle and connect my phone to a big speaker."

Toby enthused about their dedication to the holiday spirit. Despite running out of space, they plan to keep expanding their inventory: "If you are looking to have the fright of your life and some sweets, come and pay us a visit," Toby invited.

Eager to spread the spooky cheer, Toby added, "People are welcome to copy what we’ve done, and I’m happy to share my homemade decorations."

The sentiment was clear as they concluded, "I think the more people who decorate their houses this Halloween, the better." To get the full scoop on Toby and Andy’s haunted house, spooky enthusiasts can follow @ourhomejourney23 on TikTok.

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