Perthshire man Derrick Young fancied a change after 30 years as a tattoo artist. In his new job every day is Halloween.
Growing up in Ohio, USA in the 80s meant Derrick celebrated Halloween more than Christmas.
Inspired by his love for the holiday and horror movies, the 51-year-old created Split Dog Productions in March this year making high-end collectible masks.
“I hate saying it, but I met every single goal that I wanted to achieve in tattooing,” he says.
“Basically, I was sitting in my shop tattooing and not enjoying it anymore.
“After 30 years I thought it was time to do something else and my passion for monsters took over.”
Split Dog Productions crafting process
Spilt Dog latex masks are all handmade by Derrick in his “monster lab” in Rattray.
From zombies to werewolves and ghouls, the monster maker uses clay to make his creations come to life.
After sculpting his monster in clay, it’s cast in plaster to create a mould. He then pours latex into the mould and lets it cure.
He then paints the cured mask to bring the monster to life.
Derrick says: “The whole process takes about a month, but once the mould is made I can produce many masks from the same sculpture.
“I’ll work two or three masks at a time at most. It’s definitely not a mass-produced type of situation.
“Each client can have the paint custom done, if they want a demon with clown makeup I can make that.”
American Halloween in Perthshire
For 20 years, Derrick has lived in Scotland with his wife Morag and their son Liam.
The family briefly moved over to the States ten years ago, but came back after just a few months. They missed Scotland too much.
Derrick says: “I haven’t been back to the States since and I don’t miss it.
“Well, I miss Halloween there, but since I’ve been in this new business, every day is Halloween for me.”
The Young cottage on Rattray’s High Street is decked out in spooky decor – just like Derrick’s hometown of Athens, Ohio.
“We shut down the streets, everyone’s dressed in costumes, there’s parties and bandstands, it’s just huge,” he reminisces.
“My mom took me to it when I was five years old. Right up until I came to Scotland 20 years ago, I went every single year.
“I took my wife and son to let them experience it. And they really had a blast, they just didn’t expect it to be what it was.”
Monster masks around the world
All over the States there are haunters – people who build haunted houses or themed displays – who make up a large part of Derrick’s customers.
So far, a few orders have also been shipped out to across the UK.
As well as haunters, the monster maker takes orders from mask collectors such as himself.
Because of the high quality, handmade latex masks are also often used in horror films.
Derrick is showcasing Split Dog Productions at Aberdeen Horror Con this year, hoping for a breakthrough.
“Every mask maker wants to create that iconic mask, like Michael Myers or Jason, that makes it in a film,” he says.
“I’m quite fortunate because at Aberdeen Horror Con the people setting up right next to me are film makers, so fingers crossed.”
Conversation