Haunted house couple set to welcome hundreds of visitors
A HALLOWEEN-OBSESSED couple has transformed their home into a terrifying haunted house – for the 13th year in a row.
William and Roslyn Howson began the spooky attraction at their Motherwell home in 2006 and have welcomed hundreds of guisers over the years.
It takes the pair eight weeks to get their house ready for the Halloween display – unpacking 40 boxes of decorations, bought from as far away as Japan and America.
William, 64, and wife Roslyn, 57, started the tradition after throwing a Hallowe’en party for their grandson’s fifth birthday in 2006.
But 13 years later it’s still going strong, and the couple is preparing to welcome around 600 people to their house tomorrow night.
Trick-or-treaters queue up on the narrow street for hours to go through the haunted house, which is kitted out with hundreds of creepy decorations and scary mannequins.
William, a retired carpet fitter, said: “This is our thirteenth year.
“We normally only got about 20 kids to the door.
“But they went away and told their friends, and that’s basically how it started.
“The following year we did the living room and the hall and got more people coming.
“Now we do the front garden, back garden, bedroom, hall and the kitchen.
“They used to come in the front door but now we bring them in through the back and out the front.
“It’s got quite big. Now we have 600 people on the night – they come from all over.”
William and Roslyn, who have four children and ten grandchildren, get the whole family involved and come up with new surprises and scares for visitors each year.
Hallowe’en mad William, who starts decorating the house in September, said: “Myself, my wife and our family and friends all enjoy it.
“All the kids in the community like it and they talk about it all year.
“As the date comes closer I get messages if we’re doing it this year and when they see the windows getting covered they know we’re doing it. Everyone’s involved.
“The youngest grandchild is two and they’re getting involved.
“She’s dressed up as the bride of Chucky this year.
“The neighbours know what it’s like so they all get involved as well.
“After the first couple of years they knew what to expect.”
The family open their home to visitors for around six hours on October 31 and even put up a marquee to keep families in the queue dry.