Pete Wicks is relishing the chance to play one of his favourite film characters, the Joker. Jowita is Harley Quinn in a red ruffled, frilly dress. Pete’s been calling it “the Viennetta walk” in training this week, which is a worrying sign. He starts in Arkham asylum, miming along, then emerges from behind bars and gets into hold. Gliding romantically around the floor with plenty of dizzying spins. Not sure the footwork is quite there and they’re not quite flying flat but confident performance and cracking mood. End up on the floor. Fun.

Song: That’s Life by Frank Sinatra. The 1966 recording soundtracked the final scene of 2019 Joker and was reprised by Ldy Gags in this year’s sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux. Ore Oduba performed a Viennese to it in Blackpool, scored 38 points and went on to lift the glitterball trophy. No pressure, Pete.

The glorious Sara Cox is this week’s Clauditorium guest, reading out the voting smallprint. Loved her since The Girlie Show.

Uh-oh. Out first with a samba. Double danger. He moved many viewers to tears with last week’s You’ll Never Walk Alone waltz. Now can Chris McCausland get the party started? The samba has claimed two victims already this series. Surely it won’t make it three here? We start in a spooky graveyard where cadaver Chris and decomposing Dianne Buswell rise from the dead for their annual disco dance. Chris has complained amusingly that Latin is “too knackering” and he lacks the requisite hips but he’s doing a respectable job. Disco vibes and plenty of party spirit. Flat-footed, though, and perhaps his most hesitant performance yet. The Rio carnival zombies have come alive for one night only, so they return to the graves at the end.

Song: Stayin Alive’ by The Bee Gees. The 1977 disco hit from Saturday Night Fever also soundtracked Davood Ghadami’s samba during the 2017 series.

Our 11 couples emerge and they’ve all been raiding the creepy costume box. Werewolves! Devils! Zombies! Ghostly pirates! Spooky scarecrows! It’s like a primary school dress-up day on that staircase.

The paddle-raising quartet arrive in full fancy dress. Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood have come as the twins from The Shining. Don’t have nightmares, kids.

Here come our hosts, so let’s compare their fright night finery. Tess Daly has come as a pearl queen qwith weird sleeves. Claudia Winkleman is in chic black frock and blazer. Claud wins.

Four of these couples have bitten the dance dust already. Who’ll be next to join them in the glittery graveyard?

Cue the compulsory spook-themed VT. Craig Revel Horwood in bed. Not a coffin, surprisingly.

Tonight’s couples are bidding to make it through to Strictly’s first ever Icons Week next Saturday, when routines will celebrate “music icons across the decades”.

Let’s hope it’s more of a success than Around The World Week a decade ago (remember that?). Ten minutes until the chilling church bell tolls…

We can look forward to the traditional outlandish costumes and theming overload tonight. Our couples will be channelling the Addams family, the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and the Joker and Harley Quinn, alongside a whole gamut of ghostly randomness.

Dig out your animal ears because it’ll be like a Mean Girls costume party in that ballroom. So fetch. A mere 15 minutes until trick-or-treat time…

Tick them off when they happen on-screen! Take a drink for each! End up apple-bobbing with a bolt through your neck and clown make-up you can’t remember applying! Here’s your 10-point spotter’s guide for tonight:

• Every VT has a hammed-up horror film theme

• Judges wield pumpkin or ghost-shaped scoring paddles

• Someone begins their routine by climbing out of a coffin, giving us Nancy Dell’Olio flashbacks

• Halloween prop overload means too much “messin’ abaht” and dances take ages to get going

• Routine “enhanced” and “augmented” by shonky CGI creatures

• Someone has a disembodied hand on their shoulder

• Craig describes a dodgy dance as “a horror show, darling”

• Someone’s face is painted green and the make-up transfers to their partner’s cheek during the dance

• Band leader Dave Arch is dressed as a baton-wielding werewolf or vampire

• The production team’s names are “spookified” with Halloween puns on the end credits

Tonight sees the most varied hoofing repertoire of the series so far, with 10 different dance styles on display. The only overlap is two sambas (from Chris McCausland and Tasha Ghouri). Most excitingly of all, we’ll be treated to the first Argentine tango of the series, courtesy of Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola.

Twenty minutes until the witching hour…

Based on the 2024 series so far, being on first and performing a samba could prove fatal. Three times in four weeks, the couple who danced first on Saturday night went on to appear in Sunday’s dance-off (this fate has befallen Tom Dean, Shayne Ward and JB Gill).

Meanwhile, two of the four eliminated couples went out on a samba (namely Toyah Willcox and Paul Merson).

Keep an eye on the running order tonight for potential portents. It’s 25 minutes to creepy kick-off…

Media medic Dr Punam Krishan is the bookies’ strong favourite for elimination this weekend, having languished near the bottom of the scoreboard every week but one. She also has the lowest average score of any surviving celebrity.

But will tonight’s scoring paddles and the public vote go according to form? Sam Quek and Pete Wicks are the next most widely tipped for the exit door. Could Halloween characterisation help them to safety? Less than half an hour until we get our first choreographic clues…

Twinkle-toed trick or technical treat? Good evening and welcome to week six of Strictly Come Dancing 2024. I’m Michael, your undead dance partner for tonight’s annual spooktacular – this year’s second themed show and another milestone on the road to glittery glory. I’d love you to watch along with me as our pro-celebrity pairs perform Halloween-themed routines. It promises to be a scream.

Last week saw more perfect 10s, this time for Montell Douglas and Jamie Borthwick, while dad-dancing footballer Paul Merson was given the red card.

Our surviving 11 pro-celebrity pairs now don phantasmagorical fancy dress and hit the Elstree dancefloor once again, bidding to make it to the contest’s midway mark next weekend. As per usual, tonight’s scores will be combined with the public vote. The two lowest-ranked couples will hoof again for survival on Sunday night.

Who’ll fall victim to fright night and fall short of the halfway point? Dr Puman Krishanlooks in the most danger. Sam Quek and Pete Wicks could also be vulnerable, while Shayne Ward and JB Gill have made shock appearances in the dance-off in recent weeks. Amid the Halloween frenzy, it’s all to hoof for.

It’s spooky showtime at 6.25pm on BBC One. I’ll be liveblogging from 5.55pm, providing build-up, rolling coverage, analysis, reaction and pumpkin-spiced asides. So pour a bubbling chalice of magic potion, stock up on skull-shaped snacks and I’ll see you on the cobweb-draped sofa.

As always, I’d love to hear from you too. You can tweet me @michaelhogan, email me michael.hogan.freelance@guardian.co.uk and the comments section below is open for ghoulish gossip. I’ll zombie-shuffle down there from time-to-time to eavesdrop and report on your reactions.

Someone’s Halloween is set to be a horror show. Nearly time to staaaart spooky dancing!