Best Halloween Props on a Budget

Halloween, always a popular holiday in the USA, has been growing in popularity in the UK in recent years. Trick or treating, costumes, and scaring the pants off people is becoming a yearly ritual across much of the West.

But, with Christmas not far behind, many people don't want to spend a lot of money on their costumes, decorations or parties.

So, make your Samhain go with a scream this October!

A giant bat hanging in your doorway or against a pale coloured wall will certainly bring a sense of darkness to any Halloween party. This bead curtain is fantastic value and can even be kept up all year round for those of you with a gothic outlook.

Bead curtains are great fun, adding a retro look to any home. Retro-scary: now that's the way to go! Made from bamboo and wood, this bat bead curtain is affixed to walls or door frames with the eyelets that come already attached to the crossbeam. The 31 strands of bamboo make up the curtain and the size - 36" x 72" fits any standard sized doorway.

Add a sense of the gothic to your bathroom and scare your guests with a grinning skeleton holding your toilet roll! This polyresin skeleton is quite heavy and not made from cheap plastic, and must be attached to your wall with screws. However, it's such a conversation piece that this doesn't matter - after all, why would you want to take it down once Halloween is over?

Ever fancied floating into a party dressed as a Death Eater, one of Harry Potter's enemies? Well, now you can! This ladies costume consists of the dress, mask and waist cincher. It comes in one size and, with the waist cincher to pull in excess material, should fit any lady who is a UK size 10-14.

And don't forget the kids! This supergirl pink outfit will dazzle any young superheroine and comes in a variety of sizes, from toddler to small (age 3-6) and medium (age 7-9). The dress comes with a cape attached, a belt and boot tops to complete the look.

There's plenty for gentlemen to wear too, at good prices. This Gruesome Gunther outfit comes in a variety of sizes and is a Halloween steal, including the hat with hair attached, gloves, and the black and green velvet waistcoat with attached velvet collar and cape. For $16 (or sterling equivalent) this is a fantastically-priced Halloween disguise.

Printed balloons these days, for any party or holiday, can be ridiculously expensive. At less than £1 for six, these are brilliant quality, well-made latex balloons that can be inflated up to 12" big. There are a variety of other designs available as well - click on the balloon to find more - bats, ghosts, witches and ghouls... Balloons make a party, and these are no exception.

This polyresin skeleton with lantern will give any guests turning up to your door a fright. It measures 11" x 6 1/2" x 13" high and, with the addition of two AA batteries, will beckon guests up the path to their doom. Some assembly of this item will be required, but its sturdy construction and excellent size make it a worthwhile purchase. Sit it on your front lawn and watch people's faces as they approach and think a zombie is climbing from his grave!

Window clings are a great, cheap way to decorate the inside and outside of your house without creating mess or pools of fake blood. These spooky window clings stick easily to any glass or non-porous surface without the use of adhesive, and can be removed and re-applied time and again, making them even better value. Buy them now and use them year after year for a great value Halloween purchase.

No party would be complete without a soundtrack, and here we have three great, Halloween-themed CDs to add the spooky and the weird to your ambience.

The Ultimate Rockin' Halloween Party includes tracks such as Igor's Party, Graveyard and The Blob. These are songs from the 1930s to the 1950s, so don't expect Thriller by Michael Jackson or anything like that. But the oldies can be the goldies, and some of these tracks are well worth the listen.

One Hour Haunted House Music is exactly what it sounds like - a collections of sounds from horror films, including creaking doors, screams, wolf howls etc. Set it on repeat at your party and perhaps, with a little judicious tweaking of the volume control, you can have people jumping out of their seats all night.

Halloween Hits is another complilation CD like Ultimate Rockin' Halloween Party, but includes some more modern tracks such as the theme tune to The Addams Family, Monster Mash and Ghostbusters.

So there you have it, some of the best and best-value Halloween accessories out there.

And as a finishing touch, hollow out some pickled onions and fill the hole with an olive and voila! a bowl of eyeballs staring up at your horrified guests.

Happy Halloween.