Brookside Close becomes set for horror movie

Mar 19 2008 by Mike Chapple, Liverpool Daily Post

The feaure film, 'Salvage' being filmed on 'Brookside close' in Croxteth. Actors on Kevin Harvey, Neve Mcintosh and Shaun Dooley _320

FOR a fictional Liverpool estate with more than a few Houses of Horror of its own, it is somewhat appropriate that the swansong for Brookside Close should be the making of a horror movie.

The 21-day on-location shoot for the new British chiller Salvage, was being completed this week in the cul-de-sac which became the home for “Brookie”, the Mersey TV production that during its heyday transformed the world of TV soaps forever, with controversial plots involving the occasional siege, rape and murder.

“It’s been the perfect environment for us – the Brookside site has allowed us to turn suburbia upside down and given the actors a real 360 degree environment in which they can live and breathe,” said director Lawrence Gough.

The 35 cast and crew have spent three weeks filming the story of a community under threat from a man turned monster – the victim of a military experiment – who escapes from a container washed up on the Mersey shoreline one Christmas Eve.

Salvage, written by ex-Hollyoaks story editor Colin O’Donnell and produced by Liverpudlian Julia Lau, was one of the three winners of the Digital Departures initiative, who each received £250,000 to make a micro budget film.

Salvage has its official premiere in the city – if horror film connoisseur Mr Gough has his way – on Hallowe’en.

The creature is played by Trevor Hancock, whose four hours in make-up to complete the transformation did the trick at a special preview for the film’s backers.

“I sat in a seat with my back to them feeling like Davros from Dr Who and then swivelled around and there was definitely a shocked silence from those in the room,” said the 36-year-old Mancunian, who doesn’t have any proper lines but has been practising his ear piercing screams and guttural grunts.

He was standing on the patio at Number 10 Brookside. This was where another “monster”, Trevor the wife-beater Jordache, was buried in 1993 after a sensational episode of Brookside in which he was murdered by spouse Mandy and daughter Beth.

As for the Brookside set, this will almost certainly be its final role. The 13 houses, which stand behind a guarded gate, are up for sale at a collective price of £2m.

mikechapple@dailypost.co.uk