Cryptic crossword No 1,405

A note of thanks to Coot for his help in improving this puzzle. For the curious, spoilers:

Top stuff Guava, a lovely spooky spuzzle to entertain on a rainy Sunday afternoon! I see Cryptic Sunday has also solved on stream but I'm glad I did this myself. I particularly liked 1a (very neat, great surface), 9a (neat), 12a (great surface), 15a (awesome alliteration, cute WP, great def), 30a (neat), 1d (fun), 2d (very neat), 3d (likewise), 6d (fun surface), 14d (excellent example of the type), 17d (neat), 18d (cute), 22d (satisfying) and 24d (fun) - thanks :)

Very good. I lacked a little general knowledge with a couple of clues but otherwise had fun with the theme. Liked 1d and 5d but the grid was full of good clues. Thanks.

Struggled with a few of these and ended up revealing a few. However, the fault is mine, the clues were fair, and the theme was great fun. I enjoyed 1d (smiled), 6d (laughed), 17d, 9a (nice misdirection), 16a (clever), and several others. Feel like I get your style a bit more now so who knows, perhaps I'll have more luck with your next offering. Thanks, Dyno

Thanks Guava. A lovely puzzle, and no apology required for GK. It's always a matter of proportion, just as with obscure words, and this all seems well within fair territory. Favourites were 2d and 17d, both really tidy but the def for 17d makes it really stand out.

This was a fun, breezy ride, Guava. Congrats on a delightful puzzle. Very approachable, some whimsical and amusing surfaces, neat and varied constructions. 4a, 12a, 15a, 16a (!), 2d, 3d, 7d, 8d and 24d were my favourites. Thanks. PM

Thanks Guava, this wasn't too scary in the end! My picks included 4a, 9a, 6d(!), 14d, and 19d.

Thank you Guava, enjoyed this! I liked the playful paired themes, worked into both clues and answers. 17d was a laugh; and the interplay of 11d with 19d and with 26d was neat. NW was trickiest for me. Parsing was clear everywhere.

I thought this was splendid, Guava, with excellent, clear cluing throughout that even I could manage, for the most part equally good surfaces (19a, 27a both a bit weird though!) And a theme that even i could spot! 1a, 9a, 19d made my podium, but lots of other contenders. SPOILER

Thanks Guava, very enjoyable. Favourites include 12a, 20a, 2d, 5d & 24d, with nice theming throughout. Thanks again!

Thanks Guava, great stuff. Faves: 9a, 3d, 6d, 8d, 11d, 14d, 17d (top fave), 19d, 24d. Very nice game with the themes. A couple of quibbles, just to show I'm paying attention: