First published 30 Oct 2026, 10:11am
One complaint has put a beloved suburban Halloween tradition on life support, with a Sydney mum told her wildly popular haunted house can’t go on unless council signs off.
For years, southwest Sydney mother Sarah Naylor-Liddell has delighted local families by transforming her home into the “Spider House”, a sprawling Halloween spectacle that now draws thousands of visitors and has become a fixture on the community calendar.
But after a single complaint, the family says council has moved to stop the free haunted house tours from continuing beyond this year.
The mum-of-four says what began as a fun family display has exploded into one of the area’s biggest Halloween attractions, with hundreds turning into thousands and Halloween night crowds alone reaching about 5000 people.
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Every October, she opens the haunted house to the public for six nights, without charging a cent, simply to share the fun with local children and families.
Now, she says, it could all be over.
“It took one person, one complaint,” she told A Current Affair .
“Of all these years, one person has complaints.”
Fright night at Sarah Naylor-Liddell’s place brings a crowd. Source: A Current Affair
The mum-of-four loves sharing her favourite holiday with others. Source: A Current Affair
Ms Naylor-Liddell said council contacted her about the event after receiving the complaint, despite her belief that officials had long known about the scale of what was happening at the house each year.
In an emotional social media video, she said the prospect of shutting it down had left her heartbroken.
“It literally breaks my heart so much,” she said.
“I was told that even if I applied for a permit, that it’s going to get rejected.”
The response from locals was immediate, with residents flooding social media to defend the attraction and vent their fury at the prospect of it disappearing.
“Absolutely disgusting! This is going to break so many kids’ hearts,” one person wrote.
“Sounds like a Halloween Grinch to me. God forbid someone do something nice and celebrate spooky season,” another said.
What started as a neighbourhood Halloween display has snowballed into a major annual drawcard, with thousands of visitors now flocking to the home each year. Source: A Current Affair
Neighbours say they love getting in on the fun. Source: A Current Affair
Others accused the council of being “un-Australian” and of targeting the wrong problem, urging it to “go fix the potholes instead”.
Neighbour Laksmhi said the family’s Halloween display had been embraced and supported by the local community over the years.
But Camden Council says the problem is not the decorations, but the size of the event and its effect on surrounding streets and residents.
In a statement, council said Ms Naylor-Liddell would still be allowed to run this year’s Halloween event, but future haunted house tours would need the proper approvals.
It said complaints from surrounding residents had raised concerns about community safety, roads and traffic.
Residents quickly rallied behind her online, blasting the move. Source: A Current Affair
The event will go ahead this year but future years are in doubt. Source: A Current Affair
According to council, activities of that scale can require development consent and checks related to pedestrian safety, noise, security and the impact on neighbours.
Council said the tours had been operating without the necessary approvals, but added it was prepared to work with the family to help them understand what would be needed if they wanted to continue in future.
For now, Ms Naylor-Liddell says she still hopes a solution can be found that keeps the Spider House alive without turning it into a business.
“I don’t want people to be charged for something like this, I don’t want it to become a money-making thing,” she said.
“We have enough of that everywhere in the world, in life.”
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