Life's a scream down on the farm: Screamfest actors ready for spooktacular Halloween

By day he works in IT but by night he transforms into one of the dozens of terrifying and gruesome characters at horror attraction Screamfest.

Thousands of thrill-seekers descend on the National Forest Adventure Farm in Staffordshire every year to be scared out of their wits.

And Daniel, who studied television and film production at Joseph Wright College, is one of 120 scare actors helping to ensure they get a fright to remember.

"People like being scared. There are 101 different horror films out at the moment but here you can walk around and live your own horror film. People like the thrill of it and being able to escape from their day to day life," says the 24-year-old.

Daniel, who appeared as an extra in Jean Claude Van Damme film Alien Uprising in 2012, has been taking part in Screamfest since 2015 and says it’s like being part of a family.

"I've always loved scare attractions and horror films. For my first year at Screamfest I just volunteered and did a few nights but straight way I was hooked and now I do the full run of 15 nights," he says.

This year Daniel is playing the part of a creepy chef in the attraction's latest scare - Hillbilly Joe’s Zombee Zoo.

"It's good because this is a brand new attraction so people don't know what to expect when they walk around.

"We arrive at the site at 5pm and we have an hour to get our make-up on and get into costume. Then as a group we do some physical and vocal warm-ups.

"Then we open the attraction at 6.30pm and it's usually open until 11pm. We get a few pointers about the storyline but you can make the role your own as there is no script," he explains.

He enjoys the variety of the role and seeing the reaction of the visitors. "Last time I was in the Love Hurts maze and I was at the end of the room with a chainsaw.

"Being that close to a chainsaw is very scary and I had people hiding in the corner and someone broke down in tears.

"Hillbilly Joe’s doesn't take itself very seriously, it's a different kind of scare maze," says Daniel.

His scare acting came as a surprise to his friends and family but he says they have been very supportive and have seen him in character.

"My family and friends think I'm quite mad but they are used to me doing Screamfest now. Some of them have come to see me and the other attractions.

"I enjoy it because you get to be a different character for the night in a different reality," says Daniel, who lives in Belper.

The masterminds behind Screamfest are brothers Tom and Ivor Robinson, whose family have been farming in Tatenhill since 1970.

They first held a scare event in 2009 and after realising there was a demand for spooky attractions they developed Screamfest which began two years later.

"In 2009, we decided to hold a fright night in our maize maze and we had five times the normal number of visitors. We realised people had an appetite for scare attractions," explains Tom.

Since then it has continued to grow and this autumn it features 120 live actors, five scare attractions and 15 nights of gruesome spectacles.

New scare Hillbilly Joe’s Zombee Zoo was constructed throughout the summer in order to complete designs, theatrical performance requirements and set building in time for Halloween.

And this year's event, which kicked-off on October 10, also features favourites Love Hurts and Freakout with its circus of creepy clowns.

Months of planning goes into each event and every year Tom and Ivor visit Transworld’s Halloween and Attraction Show in America -the biggest scare convention in the world - for the latest tips and props.

When designing their immersive scare attractions, they use different methods to terrify their guests and make them jump out of their skin whilst entertaining them.

"We might play on phobias and fears, some people are claustrophobic or afraid of the dark so this takes them out of their comfort zones.

"We use all the senses and include sights, sounds and smells. Our clown maze has the smell of popcorn and candyfloss to evoke the feelings of being at a travelling fairground.

"We also have jump and distraction scares. We focus their attention on something as soon as they walk in and then an actor jumps out on them - that's quite effective," says Tom.

He says the talented cast of actors, which includes students from South Staffordshire College and Burton and South Derbyshire College, play a huge role in bringing the scary scenes to life.

Julie Tickle is in charge of make up for the characters and she creates over 100 prosthetics to add details such as gauged eyes, sewn up mouths, scars and boils.

"I always says scare acting is like a sprint rather than a marathon," says Tom. "They have just a few seconds to impress themselves on an audience before they walk away to the next scene.

"It's not like a Shakespeare play where they are on stage for 30 minutes, they have to make the most of those few seconds," he adds.

As well as terrifying visitors, he says it's important that they remember the fear-filled night for being fun too.

This year, in addition to the five scares, there are fairground rides while the last night will also feature a fireworks display

"When Screamfest is running, what I love hearing is a mixture of screams and laughs - then I know we've got it right. We want it to be entertaining and scary," he adds.

*Screamfest runs tonight, tomorrow, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. For tickets and more information see www.screamfest.co.uk