A family in Croydon has taken Halloween decorating to a whole new level by completely transforming their home into a spine-tingling circus of terror.

Every year since 2019, Alix Ramser and his kids have transformed their home on Caterham Drive into a Halloween wonderland.

With the spooky season being the family’s favourite time of year, they begin collecting bits and bobs starting November 1, leading up to the next Halloween, before transforming their home into a creepy extravaganza once again.

(Image: Alix Ramsier) The 36-year-old running coach told Your Local Guardian: “It started about five years ago, when my kids were much younger, with one or two things we found through Halloween to dress up as.

“And that’s when we thought ‘Wouldn’t it be funny to put some of these costumes in the garden?’

“And it evolved from there.

“So, in the first year, it started with just a couple of life-sized costumes looking like people on the front lawn.

“And then over the past few years, it’s gotten slightly out of hand.”

Alix explained that now his front garden is decorated with uncountable characters, from “the roof down to the lawn”.

He added: “This year, my nine-year-old daughter decided she wanted to try and create a circus setting.

“So, we’ve transformed the front lawn into a creepy circus, and we crated a 12-foot spider together made of guttering and things that she saw on YouTube.”

(Image: Alix Ramsier)

On Halloween, Alix and his family host a Halloween Walk for the local residents and neighbours.

Due to its popularity, he uses the event to raise money for cancer charities.

Alix explained: “We live right next to the woods, and we try to do it for all the local people around here and turn it into quite a big deal as we’re doing it for charity.

“The people come to my house, and my dad often does a big speech at the start to scare them a little bit, before they wander off into the woods to try and find some clues.

“And then, when they come back with all the answers, they get a medal and some sweets.

“It’s really great fun.”

In 2023, Alix managed to raise more than £2,000.

Despite the great fun of organising everything, Alix said the only downside is that, due to its popularity, they’ve got to do it every single year, much to his "wife’s annoyance”.

It took Alix, his wife, and their two children, aged 11 and nine, a whole weekend to decorate the front garden.

While it’s great fun, the British autumn weather isn’t always on their side.

Alix said: “It took us the last weekend of September to set all of this up, but, because of the wind, every day there’s something you’ve got to put back together or put a head back on the characters.

“But it’s fun, even though it takes a little bit of time, and we keep adding more and more as we get closer to Halloween.”

As soon as Halloween is over, the Ramsier family take the decoration down and start planning what they’re home will look like for Christmas.

Every year, the decorations go into lock up before being brought back the following Halloween, but the theme always changes.

(Image: Alix Ramsier)

Alix explained: “We try and do something different every year.

“We have a lot of the same masks, but it changes just to keep everything fun.”

Alix tends to get the decorations throughout the year in charity shops and car boot sales, while the kids find their own things, and they put all the decorations into one big box ready for October.

This year, the home has around 10 clowns, which they managed to obtain from one person who was getting rid of their fancy-dress shop.

Ironically, Alix very rarely dresses up for Halloween, saying that he “more likes to get his kids dressed up” with his 11-year-old son and nine-year-old daughter going as Jack and Sally Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Halloween is Alix’s favourite time of the year.

He said: “I love it – it’s great.

“I really should go and live in America, but I really enjoy it.

“I think the best part of it is seeing the kids pushing boundaries and stepping out of their comfort zone, where they don’t know whether to be scared or excited.

Alix hopes to raise £500 for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity this year, explaining: “This year, my uncle has not had great news and he’s been looked after at the Marsden.

“So, we’re trying to raise money for them because it looks after so many people, but the news my uncle has received has been really tough this year.”

People can donate to Alix on his Just Giving page.