Yet the Wonka experience may yet enjoy its moment in the cinematic sun. A new movie from Kaledonia Pictures is being rushed into production to capitalise on the global infamy enjoyed by the story.

The horror film will focus on The Unknown, a character devised – possibly not by a human – for the Glasgow show. Actor Paul Connell, who played Wonka in the experience, said the script was “15 pages of AI-generated gibberish,” and introduced the “Unknown [who] is an evil chocolate maker who lives in the walls.”

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The Kaledonia movie follows an illustrator and his wife who are haunted by the death of their son, Charlie. They attempt to escape their grief in the Scottish Highlands where “an unknowable evil awaits them”.

Warner Bros, which owns the film rights to Roald Dahl’s character – but not to The Unknown – has yet to comment.

Recent horror versions of children’s classics such as Winnie-the-Pooh have not met with positive notices.