PARTYGOERS say a Halloween bash turned into a horror show when a string of things went wrong – including the “bottomless” prosecco running dry.

The Phantasmagoria event at Stanmer House, Brighton, promised immersive experiences.

But guests were left complaining about poor organisation, an overpriced bar and a lack of decorations.

Chaun Wilson, who attended the event, said: “I went with a group of four and, after a long time queueing, we were allowed in.

“We were booked into the first ‘spooky’ tour at 9.15pm but when we were shown through to the first room it was at least 9.40pm, then we stood in the entrance for 20 minutes before being ushered through to another room where we waited for another ten minutes for the tour to start.”

The event included “bottomless prosecco” with the price of some tickets but Chaun said it was time limited and had quickly run out.

She said: “There were only two guys working at the main bar and they were clearly overwhelmed.

“There was no real bar set-up and we were charged £12 for a double gin and tonic.”

Following this, the group went to a dance room.

Rah Bray, another member of the group, said: “There were meant to be two dance floors but we could only find one with about 20 people and horrendous music, it was like a school disco.

“It was also right next to a large open door, so the whole room was freezing.”

They described the running of the event as “a ship without a captain”.

Rah said: “The promotional stuff on Facebook looked really exciting but when we turned up it was really boring. I spent £50 on three tickets and want a refund. They have over-reached themselves and failed to deliver.”

The event on Saturday was from 9pm to 3am but Chaun chose to leave at 11pm to continue her night in central Brighton.

Ashleigh Ward, curator for organisers Pop Up Brighton, said: “I am proud of the hard work that me, my volunteers and the artists put into the night. Pop Up Brighton are not making any money from this event and I have paid all the artists and performers for their work, tickets were sold by the venue.

“Other issues were largely the responsibility of the venue but my volunteers worked hard during the event to ensure that people were not queueing for too long in the cold and that everybody who was booked on the tour got to experience it.”

But a spokesman for Stanmer House said: “Stanmer House was just a host venue for this event, we had nothing to do with the promotion, production or delivery of the event.

“We do check our promoters and they had good references so we trusted them, as a venue there is not much else we can do when hiring ourselves out.

“We did witness the event and felt the show was good, the decorations were good, but the door entry was handled badly with only two guest lists and a lot of people arriving earlier than the stated ticket time.”

Stanmer House head of marketing Rob Peaks said: “It was an ambitious project and, whilst there were some issues, we felt that the event was an overall success for all involved. Pop Up Brighton are liaising directly with customers who have complaints and will review these on a case-by-case basis.”