Halloween Psychedelia

Halloween - the time of year where the cold creeps in, the Christmas lights come out and humans turn to the living dead for inspiration.

While the end of October is a traditional pagan festival so cherished by those candy loving North Americans, the UK isn't too far behind.

As a student, one is guaranteed to find some form of fancy dress goings on where you actually wake up looking significantly scarier than you did when you first went out.

So this year a bunch of gooseberries (me and my friends) decided to do something a bit different.

Leaving Warwick Uni behind, we headed to Whitechapel.

The dead centre of East London; this is where Jack the Ripper once brutally mutilated his victims.

Now he is a household name - for all the wrong reasons.

So it was a strange feeling, walking through an East London estate on this particular night.

One felt the need to jump out of the shadows and stay in the dull street lights.

Arriving at 34 Ghoulish Road, it seemed that the Rippers victims had come back to life as old vintage dresses and bloody wounds appeared in all directions.

After some drinks had been put away, we made our way to the main attraction of the night, and to be honest I was glad to get the hell out of there.

The Shpongle After Party at the Scala Night Club, Kings Cross was the next stop.

UV and luminous colours decorated painted globes and Gamesh became a raving deity

Halina Watts

As a zombie, a luminous spider, a clockwork doll, a flame and a bloody Mrs Mia Wallace from Pulp Fiction, we were a sight to behold.

The 18 quid price ticket raised the stakes which meant that when we had to wait in a two hour entry queue, we were all a bit peeved.

But we got in and then the party really did start.

Psychedelic music put the zombies in a trance while the rest of the old motley crew managed to put the fear of God in us.

UV and luminous colours decorated painted globes and Gamesh became a raving deity.

All of society's odd balls were here tonight, maybe it was the dress code or maybe it was the man who sat next to me with a stuffed bird on his shoulder and declared in a noble voice that he was the "God of the Munters".

People raved all night - it closed at 6am - while others decided to fall into a deep sleep next to a booming speaker.

It was an evening of entertainment for all, a realisation that Halloween is a terrifically fantastic celebration,and even though I still don't know who Shpongle really are, I bloody love 'em.