The dreaded biting Highland midge may go down in horror film lore.
JD Kirk, a Scottish crime writer, has introduced his readers to the idea of mutant flesh-eating midges.
He was inspired to continue working on the concept by the response he received from his fans to just a few script lines and rough movie stills.
He hopes to develop a complete script with fellow writer Alex Smith and eventually acquire the funding required for the production of the movie.
Scotland's residents and visitors are well aware of biting midges, especially in the Highlands.
They are the bane of campers and hillwalkers and are frequently seen on cool, damp summer evenings.
In search of a blood meal to feed their eggs, female midges congregate in swarms of millions, leaving many of their human "victims" with red, itchy sores.
The fact that they are so numerous and tiny makes them a real threat, according to Kirk, who lives in Fort William.
With his DCI Jack Logan Highland police series, Kirk has made a name for himself as a crime author after spending ten years penning children's stories for Harper Collins and Penguin, as well as short stints penning comedy sci-fi and Beano comic storylines.
The Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival is another project he is involved in.
Kirk has written television and movie scripts that are in various stages of development, along with Smith, who is the author of his own line of DCI Robert Kett novels.
We were exchanging theories about the scariest Scottish creature the other day, Kirk recalled. ".
Before the conversation turned to midges, the idea of mutant hairy haggis was quickly dismissed.
That got Kirk to wondering: "What if someone releases a chemical to get rid of the midge menace, but it turns it into a semi-indestructible creature that can strip the flesh off a man in seconds?".
Through his blog and posts on social media, Kirk aimed to get feedback from his readers on the concept.
He posted concept film stills created with the AI imaging program Midjourney.
Kirk explained, "I'd opened the images in Photoshop and added millions of midges using the spray tool.
"My book's readers went crazy for it. ".
He suggested that a low-budget, short Scottish horror movie made with crowd funding could be the next step in the plot's development.
It's possible that Kirk has had this memory of monster midges since he was a young boy.
"I went camping for a Duke of Edinburgh Award thirty years ago when I was in high school, and there was a time when I thought I was going to be consumed by the midges," he recalled.
"I saw my parents receiving my bare skeleton along with a bronze medal as compensation.
. "
