Hampton Court House was transformed into Dracula’s Castle on Friday night, for a spine-chilling Bloodlust Ball. Carriages carrying sinister vampire brides, their ill-fated victims and evil robed villains, rolled up outside the house to join Kaja Wunder, James Howland and Henry Northcroft for their first annual Hallowe’en Ball.

The “undead” were welcomed by Countess Carmilla Karnstein and Prince Vlad the Impaler for a night of feasting, indulgence, and passionate, blood-pumping merriment. Guests travelled from as far as Los Angeles, New York, Munich and Paris, to taste the delights of a coffin busting evening filled with singing, dancing and Carpathian fantasy.

Grisly rubber heads on sticks lined the front lawn in a horrific, gothic display of bloodthirsty ceremony, and torches burned fiercely beneath the moonlit skies. Masked celebrities, dead kings and queens, Welsh witches and vampire slayers, gathered outside to eye the mesmerising throng of costumed partygoers and theatricals.

I stood on the driveway looking up at the grand, mysterious house, and pulled my cloak tightly around me. There was a chill in the air, and the whole scene looked like it had been lifted from the pages of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’. I shuddered. A crunching sound came from behind me – footsteps upon the gravel path. I turned around to see a lady dressed as Marie Antoinette sweeping across the driveway. She was rolling a cigarette, and blood ran down her mouth.

Production Manager Henry Northcroft, emerged from the dark mass of shrubbery to keep a beady eye on The Incredible Hulk – a chap who had painted himself so green, that he virtually glowed in the dark. I shudder to think what his bath looked like the next morning.

Once inside the grand entrance hall, a coffin containing a semi-naked, resting vampire lady greeted the eye. Most of my male guests stood peering in at her. She managed to lie perfectly still, luckily, it wasn’t a windy night. Two horny devils watched over her, as a talented pianist tinkled the ivories and entertained the guests.

I walked my party through the corridor past a bubbling blood fountain, and down into the depths of a darkened room, where another semi-naked vampire girl carrying a tray of hors d’oeuvres welcomed us to this private, exotic, vampire lair. There were lots of famous faces, although I didn’t spot the dashing Brendan Cole from ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ until later in the evening - he was heavily disguised in macabre makeup.

After a few heady cocktails, I hit the dance floor. Two of my friends ogled members of the band, Holah! and one of them had a romantic kiss. I found a quieter room decorated with a coffin where some mysterious rituals were taking place. Sworn to The Button Club's secrecy, I won’t reveal the ghostly goings on, but suffice it to say, my evening turned into a spiritual journey into the supernatural. Later that evening, a man wearing lipstick and a bra ordered me a cocktail and foretold my fortune, which proved a life-changing experience. He predicted that I wouldn’t join his cult. I predicted he would get me another cocktail.

I met a bunch of chaps dressed as spooky surgeons. They were equipped with green surgical masks and lots of smudged eyeliner. Lisa Scott-Lee and Liz Fuller looked suitably gothic in vibrant red, purple and green. They posed for photographs with the party’s vampire hostess, Kaja Wunder. Kaja also welcomed special guests including: Rick Parfitt, Samantha Rowley, Scott Henshall, Jasmine Lennard and Eva Danenza to this blood-curdling soirée. Celebrities loved the occasion - they could mingle and flirt incognito, and guests were unsure who was lurking behind each guise. Towards the end of the evening, a famous musician asked a friend of mine to pose in a coffin, but a soothsayer prevented her from doing so for fear of bad karma.

I staggered into my hotel room at 4:00 in the morning under the influence of gin fizzes and potent vampire cocktails. I had no doubt taken Bram Stoker’s immortal words: “Drink from me and live forever” too far, having drunk plenty of Castle Of Dracula Marsecco. I fell into bed wearing my vampire bride’s gown and plastic teeth, and awoke on Saturday morning curled up on the end of the bed covered by a bath mat. I was slightly puzzled by a red bite mark upon my neck.

After a stiff orange juice, my friend rang the Golden Rain Spa and told them, “Araminta won’t be coming into work today. She’s been bitten by a vampire.”

I had a fantastic night out.

Araminta Corker-Sherry