Crowds flocked to the opening weekend of the annual Blenheim Palace Halloween illuminated trail.
The attraction's popularity last year means gates open at the earlier time of 5.30pm this year, giving younger visitors the chance to enjoy the atmosphere in daylight, before twilight and moonlight descend.
Blenheim Palace CEO Dominic Hare said: "Halloween at Blenheim Palace is a wonderful chance to immerse yourself in our beautiful gardens as you’ve never seen them before, with fantastic shocks and surprises awaiting visitors."
New thrills for 2023 include fire performers from Let’s Circus just before you enter a scary spider tunnel where lurks the faceless horseman in the mist.
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Demons dart, werewolves’ howl and a warlock stalks the palace grounds.
The fanged menace lurks within Dracula’s crypt and there are monsters at large in the Secret Garden.
After the trail, the shaken can settle their nerves with a fiendishly good hot toddy or devilishly decadent hot chocolate and toast a marshmallow or two.
Visitors are invited to join in the madness and dress in their own creepy costume and do a little scaring themselves.
The trail is open from Friday 20 - Sunday 29 October 2023.
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