Events & Entertainment Magazine chats exclusively with a few famous faces to find out what they’re up to this Halloween.
From favourite scary films and characters to fun childhood memories, Fright Night, Shocktober, Boo Bashes and even White Isle Halloween parties, here’s what our star interviewees love - and what freaks them out - about the spooky season!
Presenter & DJ Pandora Christie
“I’m a big horror fan - it’s my favourite genre!” Heart radio presenter Pandora reveals to me.
“I love scary films, haunted houses, ghost walks, the lot. I’m also a big kid at heart, so with Halloween I love to go all out and get fully involved! It’s all about the dressing up, having fun and playing tricks on my friends.”
Favourite films? “SO many, but I’ve picked one old-school classic, one recent favourite and one lesser-known gem.”
“First up has to be ‘Poltergeist’. It was the first horror film I saw that scared me so much I literally couldn't sleep with the lights off for three days! There's something about the paranormal that really gets me...”
“Second has to be ‘Hereditary’. I felt uneasy throughout the entire film. That immense sense of dread stayed with me right until the end, and then the twist completely blew my mind!”
“My final favourite - and not many people know about this one but it's soooo good - is ‘Host’. It's about a Zoom call gone horribly wrong, with lots of jump scares and, once again, paranormal activity that will have you hiding behind your sofa!”
Favourite spooky characters? “Freddy Krueger was my childhood favourite… I was super scared of this guy who could get you in your dreams, and boy, did his looks frighten me. I also loved Kayako, the ghost in ‘The Grudge’. After I first watched it, I jumped at every sound in the house!”
What spooks Pandora? ”Paranormal activity… The thought that ghosts/spirits are travelling all around us all the time and we don’t even know freaks me out big time!”
She has many fun childhood memories of Halloween. “I always used to go trick or treating with my best friends and my neighbours. We knocked on every door of our estate, and all the kids were dressed up. Sometimes, the adults would open the door in full costume, scaring us.”
“I remember this one occasion when, as we knocked on the door, we realised it was already ajar. When we pushed it, a bucket of fake rubber spiders fell on us. We all dropped our candy and ran home! I’m still scared of spiders to this day. If I had children, I would want my house to be the scariest one on the street. I would dress it up with pumpkins, werewolves and ghosts!”
What is party-loving Pandora up to this Halloween? “I'm doing something I've never done before - I'm jumping on a plane and heading to Ibiza for their famous end-of-season Halloween party! I'm going for the weekend and will hopefully make it back on the last flight on Sunday, ready for my show on Monday!”
“And Tulleys Shocktober Fest is THE best Halloween experience in the UK! The moment it opens, spooky season has officially begun! I only started going three years ago, but it's now a firm fixture in my calendar because the horror mazes are gruesomely fantastic. I've already been twice this year!!”
@pandorapresenter
Made in Chelsea star Amelia Mist
Spooked-out ‘Made In Chelsea’ star Amelia Mist is among our regular models at our Surrey Fashion Week celebrity charity catwalk shows.
“I actually don’t like Halloween because I’m such a wimp!” Amelia admits to me. “But I do enjoy getting dressed up and attending Halloween events because everybody comes together and dresses up to the best of their ability… some more than others!!”
She’s been to Boo Bashes in SW19 as one of my VIP guests and, despite being a self-confessed scaredy cat, braved Tulley’s Shocktober last week. “Honestly, it was my worst nightmare, but the cameras caught me smiling before crying!”
Her fave spooky characters? “I actually can’t tell you any because I am unable to watch anything spooky!”
Her childhood Halloween memories? “When I was a lot younger, my parents and I had lots of parties with all my friends,” she continues. “I remember my dad used to dress up in something long and black, and he’d cover his head and grab a palm tree leaf, stick it in his collar and make us jump. And we went trick-or-treating around the crescent.”
What really spooks this popular reality TV star and founder of WhiteMist concierge? “Pretty much everything! I am petrified of most Halloween–related things because I am a wimp, as I said… Ha ha!”
“However, I feel after going to the Fright Night event I have conquered my fear of being made to ‘jump’. Just make sure you have a glass of wine beforehand – it makes everything smoother!!”
@ameliamist
‘Made In Chelsea’ star Amelia modelling on our Surrey Fashion Week catwalk
Ted Lasso, Top Boy & Celebrity Race Across the World star Kola Bokinni
We also caught up with ‘Ted Lasso’ star Kola Bokinni, who plays Richmond Team Captain Isaac on the Emmy Award–winning Apple TV+ series.
Kola’s also known for his roles in Netflix’s ‘Top Boy’ and ‘Black Mirror’, as well as appearances in ‘Celebrity Bear Hunt’ and ‘Race Across the World’.
Past Halloween events he’s attended include the Boo Bash in Wimbledon Village, as one of my VIP guests.
What does Kola love most about the spooky season? “Dressing up! As I do in my job… I love the fantasy part of it, and going all out with the costumes and, of course, the parties!!”
What spooks the TV star? “Spiders! I once googled ‘spider eyes’ by accident and haven’t quite recovered yet… Ha ha!!”
His fave spooky character? “Freddy Krueger – it’s something about invading people’s dreams… He takes it too far!”
And Kola’s happy memories of Halloween as a kid? “My mum was REALLY big on it, so the party was doing the whole house up and turning it into a spooky nightmare. We went BIG on Halloween!!”
@kolabokinni
Dancing on Ice champion Alex Murphy
“I absolutely love Halloween!” says ‘Dancing on Ice’ champ Alex Murphy. “It's actually my and my father's favourite time of year. In America, it’s the best season as well as the best holiday!
Where will she be heading this Halloween? “We’ll be going to Cammas Hall Farm on the Hertfordshire/Essex border, and I will definitely have a costume for my dog. Check it out - I LOVE it there!”
Fave Halloween films and spooky characters? “Best films are the ‘Hocus Pocus’ series. I used to love the Addams Family and Casper as a kid growing up.”
What spooks her? “I'm actually easily frightened! My husband loves to prank me and scare me all the time.”
She has fond childhood memories of Halloween. “Trick or treating around the neighbourhood with my family. We all used to compete to get the most sweets.”
Finally, what's next for Alex Murphy? “We're working hard and hoping to start a family. We have lots of things in the works that we can't share just yet, but big news will be coming soon!
@almurph18
Photo credits: © Riki Vigil, © Olufemi Bokinni