Spooktacular Halloween display to be unveiled at Penwortham bar after "scariest house in the country" takes a break

Fans of Penwortham's House of Terrors will be able to see some of their favourite Halloween displays on show in a town bar.
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For the past decade, Chris Walton has turned his house into the Howick House of Terror - welcoming thousands of people through the door and raising more than £25,000 for charity.

>>>Click here to see how he transformed his house.

But due to new work committments, a house move, and added pressures of the pandemic, the event has been put on hold indefinately.

One of the clowns that will go on display at the Lime BarOne of the clowns that will go on display at the Lime Bar
One of the clowns that will go on display at the Lime Bar
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But fans of his work needn't be disappointed, because just a mile down the road, the Lime Bar will be converted into a creepy clown's cavern in time for Halloween.

The bar has featured props for the past three years, but this year will be bigger and better than ever.

Lime Bar owner Carol Rialas and some of her team were invited to see what was on offer.

She said: "He has a huge warehouse filled with all of this Halloween stuff- there's pumpkins, Dracula, Frankenstein and a hydraulic clown.

Inside Chris' warehouseInside Chris' warehouse
Inside Chris' warehouse
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"We decided to pick a clown theme for this year. We're going to have red balloons so it looks like It, staff will dress as clowns, and we'll have props people can sit and have their photo taken with.

"It's going to be a lot of fun. We missed out on doing it last year because of Covid, so this year we're really looking forward to it."

Chris said: "We have so much going on that we're not able to spent the time decorating the house this year. It would take us two weeks to build, then take down.

"We moved house two years ago and we'd already decided to do it in a venue, because it had got so popular and we were so busy, but then Covid hit and when people have been asking us if we're doing it again, it's a case of 'we're not saying no, but just not this year'."

Lime Bat staff checking out the propsLime Bat staff checking out the props
Lime Bat staff checking out the props
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Chris has supplied some of his creations to theme parks, to scare attractions across the north west and to the Trafford Centre.

What is popular is dictated by horror films in the cinema, but he has seen a trend of people wanting classic props, influenced by such films as The Exorcist.

>>>Click here to read about the 'scariest house in the country' award Chris won in 2017.

Speaking about Lime Bar, he said: "Normally we'd do animatronic props, but because of the space, we're not able to do that.

Carol RialasCarol Rialas
Carol Rialas
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"So it will all be static, but it will look really cool, there will be lighting, and I definately think it'll scare a few people.

"We've had lots of messages from people asking if we're doing the house again this year, so we know people are really keen. Even though this is a much smaller venue, and there's just a taste of the props, there is still something to look forward to in Penwortham this year.

"There's quite an appetite for it from the older teens to the mid-30s."

The decorations will be in place from October 28 till Halloween.

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