Halloween: Could this be Cambridgeshire’s coolest haunt?

Drive through Chippenham this month and you’ll find ghosts, ghouls and a spider the size of a small car: all are part of the Halloween House experience, an annual event which raises thousands for cancer charities. Alice Ryan meets the haunt’s hosts, Rob Sheehan and Liam Collis

First things first: you're clearly both Halloween stans! Where does your love of spooky season come from?
Rob: I’ve always seen Halloween as a fun night where children and adults come together to enjoy both being scared and being rewarded for their efforts with sweets and treats. I absolutely love how Halloween is so huge in the United States and enjoy being able to recreate some of that magic here.

When did you first open your Halloween House to the public? Where did the idea come from? Any particular haunted houses or trails that inspired you?
Liam: I first built a Halloween display at my previous house in Newmarket and wanted to continue and extend the display when we moved in together here.
Rob: The first year - six years ago now - it was just a small trail round the garden with a few scary dolls, cobwebs and lighting. Year two we just kind of ran with it, building new things and trying to extend the walkthrough. By year three we’d attracted a few hundred visitors and we’ve hugely increased year on year since. We’ve been to Scaresville several times, which we love, and we try to make our event into a child-friendly version of that.

How has it grown, both in terms of the scale of the experience and numbers of visitors? We know you now host a Christmas event too?
Rob: Our first year just consisted of sweets at the end of the trail. As it was pretty popular we decided to turn it into a charity event, which has grown year on year ever since. Last year we ran for six nights and gave out more than 2,000 goody bags.
Liam: I also staged a Christmas lights display in Newmarket for several years previous to this, raising money for a different cancer charity each year. Since moving here there is more space for the display, allowing us to be so much more creative. As with Halloween, we’ve hugely increased the amount of lights year on year.

It's a massive job, staging the Halloween House! How long does set-up take? And take-down?
Rob: We start building new props around March, so continue building throughout the summer. Then we start setting up at the end of August. Set-up takes around six to eight weeks. We like to get ahead as much as possible, then we can build and add to any areas if we have any time left over before we open for the public. Lighting plays a big part also, so we try to stage our event when it is dusk/dark. Take-down only takes one or two days. It’s much easier taking everything down than putting it up. We’re also always pushed for time, because we have to start setting up the Christmas lights display for a late November switch-on.

Where do you source all your amazing props? Any personal favourites or pieces with good stories to share?
Rob: We always prefer to make our own stuff if possible. The ghost train sequence is entirely built from scratch. Last year's favourite was a shooting gallery we added - like the kind of thing you used to find in a seaside arcade, where you shoot the target which sets off a prop. Each target has an infra-red sensor which, when hit, triggers a relay which then activates the prop. There’s everything from a howling werewolf to a spitting cat, and even a pole dancing skeleton.

You've raised thousands for charity. What's the running total and which charities have benefited? Your chosen charity this year is St Nic's Hospice Care: what made you choose that cause and what's the fundraising goal?
Liam: Since starting in 2016, the running total is more than £26,000. Each year a different cancer charity benefits. Last year we raised £10,122 for Hope For Tomorrow, the cancer treatment bus that you will see in Tesco carpark in Newmarket. Tom Tracy, our landlord from our local pub, The Tharp Arms, sadly lost his battle with cancer in January of this year. He spent his final days at St Nicholas Hospice, so this was our obvious choice for this year.
Rob: We don’t specify how much people should donate; we leave it up to them. We accept donations in cash in the goody bag tent at the end of the trail. Donations can also be made via the Just Giving page online. Additionally, this year we will also have a card machine in the goody bag tent linked to the Just Giving page to make donating even easier.

What can visitors to the Halloween House look forward to this year?
Rob: Although everything we do is aimed to be suitable for children, some of the younger ones still get scared by the actors. So last year we introduced two no-scare nights, where the younger children can stop by and explore without the fear of being scared by any actors. It was really popular, so we’re hosting two nights again this year. Each child gets a goody bag of sweets and treats on completion of the trail. For the first time this year we are also adding a scarier night, aimed at around 14+. The actors will be dressed more scarily than usual and may chase or follow you around the trail!

Christmas is coming. . . Is the Christmas experience back for 2025 too?
Rob: Absolutely - we will be doing our Christmas switch-on on the November 29 at 4.30pm. We’ll have a food stall with mulled wine and mince pies. A food truck will be here also. The lights will then be turned on every day throughout December. Times to be confirmed, which you can find on Facebook or our posters outside.

What's the reward for you both, on a personal level, of staging the Halloween experience?
Liam: It has to be knowing that we’re raising money for charity each year, after losing family members to cancer.
Rob: For me, as soon as Christmas is packed away, I start planning what to build for the next Halloween event. I have a keen interest in electronics, so try to incorporate this where I can. Some of the builds can be particularly challenging, such as the shooting gallery, and require many hours of research. It’s also great to have such positive reactions from our guests.
If you’re coming along this Halloween, look out for our latest creation – a fright elevator measuring 6ft x 6ft x 8ft tall and built on a motion platform. As you enter the elevator, you’ll travel deep underground, encountering explosions, bursting pipes and a hoard of hungry zombies. We wish you a happy Halloween and hope to see - and scare - you all soon. . .

Opening times for October:

Saturday 25: 6-9.30pm

Sunday 26: 5-8.30pm

Monday 27 & Tuesday 28: 5-8.30pm - No-scare nights, with no actors and no scares, for younger visitors

Wednesday 29: 5.50-9pm - Extra-scary night, with scarier actors who may chase you, aimed at 14+

Thursday 30: 5-9pm

Friday 31: 5-9pm

The Halloween House is at 17 High Street, Chippenham CB7 5PP. For more information and to donate, scan the QR code below.