Halloween weekend will hold a nasty shock for not one but two of the acts left on The X Factor.

Simon Cowell has given the remaining hopefuls a stern dressing down - and told them that two unlucky acts will be packing their bags after this weekend's shows.

He told the contestants: "There's going to be another double elimination again this weekend, and the difference is this week is there is going to be a twist.

"And the twist is, on the Saturday, the person with the lowest vote is going to leave the show. No sing-off, just whoever is in the bottom is out. And there's a sing-off on Sunday. So there are no second chances.

"This is how important the conversation is now and how important the performance is on Saturday and Sunday. We decided to do this because I think you all need a bit of a wake-up call.

"And I think you've got to understand what I'm saying isn't just words, it's reality, you've all got to build up your game now and you've got to be the best you've ever been because this is really what the music business is like.

"You put out a rubbish record it doesn't chart. If you do a rubbish performance on the night, you're out."

And he wasn't finished there - because after breaking the hopefuls down he tried to build them back up a little bit.

"This isn't a gimmick, because I actually can look at each and every one of you and look you in the eye and say, you are all genuinely all capable of winning this competition, every single one of you.

"I've never been in this situation before, it's the closest we've ever been. Okay, some of you haven't had the best performances, some of you haven't had the best songs. But, from here on in, I wouldn't put a bet on who's going to win, and it's all on you now."

The Sun quoted him as telling that them they need to put in more groundwork if they want to succeed.

"The biggest problem I've got is the sing-offs, which have been horrendous, and there's no excuse," he's reported as saying.

"Michael Jackson was once asked the three things which make you into a star. And he said, 'rehearse, rehearse, rehearse'. That's what it's all about. It's not about mucking around with your friends in the house."

That's them told!