Former Morecambe promenade store to launch spine-chilling Scream Park in time for Halloween

Hitchens will be brought back to life (or death!) in an immersive horror experience called Johnny's Fear Factory, over a series of dates in October.

The scream park will feature four horror zones: Hallway of Horrors; Ghost Rider; and Electrotag.

There will also be access to a fairground and food kiosks, as well as Johnny’s Bar and Hitchens Bar (fairground rides, food and drink will incur separate charges not included in ticket price.)

There will be two 13+ sessions (all under 17s must accompanied by an adult) each evening and an afternoon family session will also run with milder versions of the Ghost Rider, Electrotag and Weirder Things installations (no Hallway of Horrors).

All details, age limits and other restrictions can be found at https://johnnys-fearfactory.com/ and all visitors are advised that it is an immersive horror experience that is designed to scare.

Organisers hope this will bring some real entertainment to Morecambe and surrounding areas during the dark October days.

Solomon Reader, Director of Jet Ltd said: “We have watched the phenomenal growth of new scream parks across the UK over the last few years and it is obvious that people love to be scared!

"We were looking for commercial ideas for the empty buildings that we had and realised that they would be perfect for this type of event.

"As retail occupancy is dropping nationwide, we are seeing more leisure experiences being introduced to raise footfall and bring something new to communities.

“We’re hoping this event will be another reason to put Morecambe on the map.

"We’re quite the horror fans ourselves so we’re really excited about bringing this to the area and giving everyone something to look forward to this Halloween.”

The team behind the event includes Matt Panesh, a familiar face in the Morecambe arts and culture scene as the producer of the Morecambe Fringe Festival, Hawkfest and his involvement in many more local productions. Matt will be coordinating the recruitment, training and management of the actors involved in Johnny’s Fear Factory.

Matt Panesh said: “There are over 20 seasonal positions available across acting and make-up roles.

"We are holding open auditions on September 5, 7, and 12 and people can sign up online to take part.

"You don’t have to have had previous acting experience but you definitely have to have the confidence and energy to play the part!

"It’s great to be bringing a different cultural event to Morecambe where local talent can get involved and I’m really looking forward to it.

“I’ve been involved in the scene creations and, trust me, it’s not going to be for the faint-hearted! ”

John O ‘Neill from Morecambe BID said: “It is exciting to see something new come to Morecambe.

"Scream parks have been rising in popularity and it’s another event that we can shout about for the area that will help drive visitors.”

Initial dates have just been launched and people are able to purchase a limited number of early bird tickets online now at https://johnnys-fearfactory.com/