It's that time of the year again; when you start searching for a costume that will do true justice to the zombies, werewolves, vampires and others of their ilk out there. It is also time to plan the annual Halloween party. So how do you transform your humble abode into a creaky, scary, old, haunted mansion? We give you a tour. ➡ The Gate Daunts Halloween is all about the ambiance and it needs to be set right at the start. As your guests walk down the pathway leading to your door, they should be excited and spooked in equal measure.

• Place jack-o-lanterns along the pathway on both sides to give an eerie effect. Ensure that all other lighting is dim so that the effect is magnified.
• Keep monstrous ceramic candle holders at the steps leading to the door. The candle holders should obviously be in keeping with the theme.
• Play a recording of owls hooting, the wind howling and other such scary sounds to create the right mood.

➡ The Door Creaks Your doorbell rings and you open the door in a perfectly ghoulish costume to freak your guests out of their wits. But why waste those precious seconds when they are waiting at the door. Here are scary door decor ideas.

• Rent a smoke machine and place it inside a cauldron so that it looks like something's cooking. Now place other elements like the silhouette of a cat, a broomstick, spiders etc., for the perfect tone. If you cannot rent a smoke machine, mix water with dry ice.
• Use pumpkins in different sizes and shapes for the perfect Halloween effect. Carve the pumpkins and place candles inside. Scoop out mini pumpkins, place tea-lights, and attach black pipe cleaners to create spiders.
• Place a rocking chair and an old side table at the entrance to your house. Place a headless mannequin on the chair and place his head on a silver plate on the side table. Don't forget blood splatters for the extra effect.

➡ The Table Teeters An old rickety table right at the center of the room that is splattered with blood and shrouded by cobwebs can be quite a sight. Take the fear factor up a notch with these tips.

• Halloween is the night of the dark side. Use skulls, smoke, tombstones, crystal balls, and everything else that you associate with the supernatural and create a tableau of sorts on your table.
• It is a party and your guests would be looking forward to the food. Use edible, scary art as centerpieces on your table. Vases filled with candy corn, cupcakes dressed up as scary figures, bat pops. Unleash your imagination with food art.
• Place a blood spattered hand at the center of the table so that it looks like a zombie is reaching out for something. Of course don't forget to use a clean, white tablecloth dirtied with fake blood.

➡ The Chilling Corner The corner of your living room can be the perfect space to create a scene that is ghoulish, ghostly, and gob-shockingly freaky. Include chairs and couches here so that your guests can relax and enjoy the party.

• Place an old wooden ladder right at the corner. You may have to make it look older by placing fake cobwebs and splattering white paint on it. Now place a jack-o-lantern, spiders, a broomstick, bats, and other such elements on the ladder.
• Rent a life size mannequin of a witch and place it alongside a cauldron. Place dry ice in the cauldron with water for a smoky effect. Don't forget the other essentials; the broomstick, a black cat, and spiders.
• Want to create a space where people can sit and relax? Place an old bench or stacks of hay against the wall and place cushions on them.

➡ The Whining Wall If everything else in your room screams Halloween but your walls are threadbare, it can be a sore spot. Take inspiration from real life eerie places like the Sedlec Ossuary in Czech Republic. Spread the darkness with these ideas.

• Drape orange and black streamers on all the walls in your house. Alternate the streamers with a streamer made of skulls. Use shoe boxes to create coffins that can be placed strategically alongside cobwebs and bats.
• String cords across the wall and use clothespins to hang photographs and small figures that are synonymous with Halloween.
• Create a slightly more creepy feeling by hanging white drapes which have silhouettes stuck on them so that the view from the outside is other worldly. Of course, the silhouettes need to represent the supernatural.

➡ The Freaky Fireplace Are you one of those lucky individuals whose living room has a fireplace? Make your friends a little more jealous with these show-stopping ideas for that illuminating spot.

• Light the fireplace and place cardboard cutouts of your favorite ghostly character at a little distance. The cutouts should be completely black so that they look eerie.
• Don't light the fireplace. Instead stack it up with wood and place a jack-o-lantern right outside. Also put up a sign on the mantle that says haunted house.
• Carve flames on about six or seven pumpkins and stack them up inside your fireplace with candles inside. Also place some tea-lights and candles outside to heighten the effect.

This year, on All Hallows' Eve unleash your creativity. Bring out your dark, deep side and go all out. The creepy, evil, and scary come out once in a year. Join them. Happy Halloween!