A MAKE-UP artist who worked on a promotion for the new series of The Walking Dead, has teamed up with a Warrington actor to create a new scare attraction for Halloween.

Gill Johnson has joined forces with former William Beamont High and Bridgewater High pupil Craig Davies to create ‘Evans Haunted House’ which opens on Friday and runs until Tuesday.

Craig, who has appeared in Peaky Blinders, runs the escape room Lockdown Escape at Evans House in Norman Street but decided to go all out on a Halloween experience by using his contacts in the industry. Visitors will encounter around 40 actors in 10 zones inspired by Craig’s favourite horror and fantasy films and games like The Ring, Poltergeist, Aliens, Labyrinth and Resident Evil.

The actors will be made to look horrifying by Gill, who was the former head make-up artist at Farmageddon and helped turn more than 100 people into zombies just days ago as part of a promotion for The Walking Dead in London.

Making use of the other attractions at Evans House, there will also be elements of Quasar and the escape room craze during the event where under 15s must be accompanied by an adult.

Craig, of Kerridge Drive, said: “Usually you go to a scare attraction and walk around and things jump out or if you go to an escape room you get locked in a room – but I’ve combined the two crazes together as well as Quasar.

“It should be something new for everyone. It’s scary and you’ve got to think – or you’re not getting out. You’re going to be trapped in a room with ghosts and freaky creatures.

"You start off at Quasar where soldiers come and tell you that things have gone wrong and you basically turn up as a new recruit. Every section has a different story and I’ve deliberately tried to go over the top.”

Gill, who met Craig at the former Manchester scare attraction House of the Dead, added: “It’s going to be an interactive event involving a maze and a twist at the end.

“We’re following on from America where these attractions are massive. The intensity of the scare will be there. There’s good quality make up and we are working with actors who have a lot of experience in the industry.

“We wanted it to have a community feel as well which is why we’ve invited students from Warrington and Vale College to get involved. I’ve got a team of make-up artists coming as well and they’re actually gaining assessments from that.”

Gill has been working in the hair and make-up industry for 30 years and for 22 years she has also been teaching the tricks of the trade in further education.

On top of that Gill was the head make-up artist at Farmageddon, the renowned Ormskirk scare attraction, for eight years.

She said: “I gained a lot of experience there. It’s really good and I’m drawing on my experiences in the industry to create something that is fun, exciting and a little bit different. We’ve got some clowns as they’re really big at the moment following IT at the cinema and we’ve got zombies and aliens.

“Craig and I started talking about this last year and we’ve been working on it since the beginning of 2017 putting the characters together, getting the right make-up.

“If you don’t get the make-up and costume right it’s just like someone walking around in their old clothes. It’s got to have real visual impact or it doesn’t really work. It needs to be convincing up close. You need to see that they’ve got demonic eyes, dirty teeth and things like that.

“The hair needs to look right too. They can’t go in scaring people with floppy boy band hair.”

So why does Gill think intense Halloween attractions have become so popular?

She added: “It’s strange really but I think it’s the anticipation and the buzz that people enjoy. It’s an adrenalin rush. A lot of people come with bravado and think they’re not going to be scared but they’re usually the worst.”

Meanwhile, Craig has been working with Mission: Impossible 2’s Dougray Scott on the TV adaptation of Guy Ritchie’s Snatch.

The Warrington actor has a fight with Dougray in a prison scene.

Craig, 32, said: “I spent the whole day with the guy and he’s good mates with Tom Cruise and it’s just weird chatting to him thinking I watched you fighting with Tom Cruise and now you’re fighting with me.”

Tickets are available here