THE nastiest show in town was opening today at York Dungeon.

Gorvik, the dungeon's new £50,000 re-creation of the Viking invasion, stresses the dark side of the seafaring invaders. The new show opens with a maritime scene and visitors move to a ransacked monastery.

Actor Greig Hart, 24, from Stockton, enters wielding a mighty battle-axe.

Greig said: "My job is to paint a graphic picture of the true scale of the slaughter and mayhem wreaked by those devilish Scandinavians. And just when they think they've seen and heard the worst, then I take them to meet the infamous Erik Bloodaxe." Erik will be brought to life using animatronics and special effects.

Dungeon manager Helen Douglas said: "Gorvik is undoubtedly the most terrifying show we've ever had. Our Vikings are certainly going to make any others in town look a real bunch of cissies."

Updated: 11:43 Thursday, March 21, 2002