Creating a spooky scene for your Halloween party doesn't have to be a nightmare. Here are five horrifying hints to try

1. Give the room an eerie glow by using green light bulbs rather than standard incandescent light bulbs. You can find coloured light bulbs at most department stores.

2. Decorate the room with spooky stuff: synthetic spider's webs with plastic spiders; tombstones made out of cardboard; thick paper bats hanging on black threads suspended from the ceiling...you get the idea!

3. Buy a commercially available tape of spooky sounds or have some fun making your own. Tape the sounds of sinister laughter, a dog howling and a door creaking.

4. Don't forget about the classic Halloween tricks. Put some cold spaghetti in a bowl and pretend it's blood and guts. Place a bunch of peeled grapes in a jar and pretend it's a collection of eyeballs.

5. Remember to dress the part. Concoct a scary costume and practise walking like a zombie. If you haven't had a decent night's sleep since you became a parent, the zombie part should be a cinch!