Six of the best spooktacular contraptions

By Peter Jenkinson

The frightfest is almost upon us, and this year we're embracing it more than ever before - supermarkets have been trying to tempt us for weeks with an ever-expanding range of ghoulish gadgetry and devilishly delicious treats.

Across the country, pretty much every major theme park is hosting a Halloween gathering of some sort, and ancient buildings are hosting ghostly tours and scary story-telling sessions.

Do more than just buy a few cheap sweets to keep the trick-or-treaters content - go all-out ghoulish with an elaborate Headless Horseman costume or arm yourself with one or more of these specially selected, attention-grabbing items...

Self-propelled pumpkins - Flying Pumpkin Lanterns - £14.95 for four from www.firebox.com Each flat-packed paper pumpkin unfolds into a sizeable 3D lantern ready to light up the night sky.

Just ignite the combustible base, let a flame form and fill your lantern with hot air before releasing it into the night sky. Enjoy the spectacle as it climbs up to 1,500m and stays aloft for around 20 minutes.

Ghostly glow - Spoka Night Lights - £9.99 each from www.ikea.co.uk These apparition-inspired night lights give off an ambient hue from inside their almost friendly faces, the gentler side of the spooky season.

With all this character, they'll find themselves being used all-year-round.

Performing pupils - Freaky Eyeball Illusions - £14.99 from www.iwantoneofthose.com Perform quite literally "eye-popping" tricks with this illusion set, you'll need just a little practice to perform the basics.

There are 13 tricks in total to entertain your gathered audience and amaze them into a near hypnotic state.

Macabre mould - Zombie Brain Jelly Mould - £8.95 from www.firebox.com Keep catering to an absolute minimum and serve up the ultimate freakish feast - your guests will be so impressed, they'll forget about the other courses.

This mould should ideally be filled with pink jelly or, better still, blancmange. Serve up and watch the faces.

Blow and glow - Illoom Balloons - £3.95 per pack from www.cutebitz.com These are the world's first light-up balloons with an LED inside - once activated they glow from within for up to 15 hours, adding atmosphere to any room.

The best effects are achieved by inflating the illooms with helium and tying them down with fishing line to create an eerie floating illusion.

Shower shock - Blood Bath Shower Curtain - £11.99 from iwantoneofthose.com Reminiscent of the scene from the classic Hitchcock film Psycho, the best results from this bathroom accessory are achieved by just leaving it fully expanded and saying nothing else.

Just enjoy the pale faces of those returning from a visit.