My nightmare on Realm street

Confronting his fear of scary movies, Carl Dixon donned a bloody mask and ran riot in a Cork house of horrors

THE Nightmare Realm, a walk-through version of a ghost train, is back in Cork for Halloween. It is an elaborate maze of demented zombies and clowns, screaming maniacs and rabid dogs. For one evening, I joined the team, as a boiler-suited, half-human psychopath to terrify a preview audience.

The Nightmare Realm is disorientating. Once you are inside, it is hard to turn back. The frights range from creepy to stomach-churning, often in claustrophobic darkness. Not everyone you meet in the maze is who they appear to be. The effect ranges from disquieting to frightening, depending on your disposition.