VIDEO: £8 movie charts zombie invasion of Stoke-on-Trent

FILMMAKERS have envisaged a nightmare future where the Potteries have been overrun by a zombie apocalypse – on a budget of just £8.

The Zombie Chronicles is a web-based drama which charts one man's battle to survive the undead onslaught through a series of films to be released over the internet.

The horror was dreamed up by movie buffs John Williams, from Wolstanton, and John Mountford, of Bentilee.

They taught themselves the art of special effects and produced episode one of the drama on a shoestring budget of just £8, making all the props themselves and enlisting friends as extras.

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All filming took place at locations across North Staffordshire.

Care worker Mr Williams, aged 39 – who stars as lead character Max Peterson – said: "We have never done special effects before, so we have had to learn from scratch.

"There's been a lot of trial and error, but we came up with a recipe for fake blood, which is basically food colouring, water and honey to thicken it up. Everything we have bought for it has cost about £1.

"We haven't got a big budget, but if you've got the will-power then there's a way.

"It's all been filmed around this area, some of it at Knypersley, some of it at Hanchurch Woods.

"There's one scene in the first episode where a zombie is eating someone's intestines. While we were filming, a lady walked past extras dressed as zombies with her dog. It was a case of, 'don't ask'."

Part one – Path of Solitude – sets the scene via a monologue, narrated by the main character Max, in full Potteries accent.

It is a month after 'the outbreak', which appears to be exclusively based in Britain.

World powers have pointed nuclear warheads at the UK, waiting to see if the authorities can contain the problem.

Meanwhile, as the undead hordes approach his village, Max flees, hoping that there will be less zombies in the wilderness.

There, his battle with the undead continues.

Mr Mountford, aged 36, a supermarket manager when he's not battling monsters, said: "We wanted to move away from the cliches of zombie films. We wanted it to be a battle against the elements, to find food and to survive off the land.

"Me and John used to make films going back 10-years. We got together again just after Christmas via Facebook and we decided it would be really good to work together. So I went away and wrote the script.

"We both love making films, it is something we are really passionate about."

Follow the pair on their Facebook group – The Zombie Chronicles – or search for them on YouTube.