Fake rats and zombie masks help boost film company

7 hours ago

Darren Rozier,in Newmarketand

Neve Gordon-Farleigh

News image — Nazmus Tareque said silicon was used to create prosthetics that mimic real skin

Darren Rozier/BBC Nazmus Tareque from Anthrotek. He is standing inside an industrial unit where there are rows and tables with prosthetic items including silicon rats, body parts and organs. He is looking directly at the camera and smiling and is wearing a red and blue shirt with a blue jumper and dark blazer over the top. — Nazmus Tareque said silicon was used to create prosthetics that mimic real skin

A Suffolk company that makes fake rats and zombie masks says its involvement with the 28 Days Later franchise gave it a huge boost after just a year of trading.

Anthrotek, which is based on an industrial unit in Newmarket, creates synthetic skin, animatronics and prosthetic body parts for films, hospitals and even a Christmas spectacular.

Co-founder Nazmus Tareque said the "momentum" for the company to grow had come after they made a zombie mask for the Danny Boyle film 28 Years Later.

He said: "Anthrotek started out doing work for the cinema and movie industry and then we went into a different direction... we love doing this work, [it is] so creative and fun."

Anthrotek was created after one of its co-founders, Dr Raoul Peltier, had a "fascination" for film prosthetics and started making them in his garage.

The original 28 Days Later film, released in 2002, saw Cillian Murphy stumble around London's deserted streets and landmarks after a zombie virus outbreak. The 28 Years Later instalment, released in 2025, stars Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes

Tareque said 28 Days Later was one of his all time favourite films and their involvement with Danny Boyle had made a huge difference to their firm.

"When he [Tareque's co-founder] worked with [Boyle], that created momentum for us to create the whole company so this is very iconic for us and we really love that film."

Alamy Cillian Murphy in the 28 Days Later film wearing a pair of scrubs while wandering a deserted London against the backdrop of Parliament in London. — Cillian Murphy starred in 28 Days Later which was released in 2002 and Anthrotek created a zombie mask to be used in the 28 Years Later film released in 2025

The firm created a prosthetic zombie mask which Tareque said was "amazing fun".

"We have been lucky. We are just a year old. We have been lucky to get some good calls from people we would love to work with," he said.

The company also works with make-up artists, including BAFTA and Oscar award winning artist David Malinowski, who created a realistic face which was moulded and then painted.

Darren Rozier/BBC A prosthetic face which has been moulded and painted to look like real skin. However, the item has been made out of silicon — Part of the company's expertise sees them combine their film industry knowledge with the medical sector

The company grew when it started to combine its knowledge of the movie industry with other outlets for its expertise.

With one of the co-founders having a background as a polymer chemist, the company uses a composite to make silicon prosthetics which can be moulded and painted.

In 2024, the company worked on 18 state-of-the-art animatronics for the Thursford Christmas Spectacular, in Norfolk.

It has also created pieces for the medical field including injectable pharmaceuticals, dermal injections, epi-pens and even silicon rats to be used in lab testing.