Titan Publishing have sent us these rather amazing new images from their new book, Harry Potter Page to Screen – The Complete Filmmaking Journey which is on sale now and you can order your copy here. The book is packed to the brim with images from the movies and we’ve got a fair few of them below all of which you can click to enlarge.

The book is broken into sections which covers the complete world of Harry Potter and any muggle out there who likes anything to do with Potter will love this!

Packed with spellbinding details and hundreds of never-before-seen photographs and illustrations, HARRY POTTER: PAGE TO SCREEN provides an insightful, in-depth look at the inner workings of the world of Harry Potter(Titan Books; Hardcover; October 25^th, 2011; £49.99).

The book unravels some of the films’ most peculiar mysteries, such as how Harry’s Invisibility Cloak became visible, which ingredients were used to make Polyjuice Potion a reality, which mythical creature required the most make-up, and why the Sorting Hat failed miserably as a puppet, while also addressing some of the broader issues surrounding the set, including the impact of Richard Harris’s death on the cast and crew, and the young stars’ thoughts on growing up on a public stage.

Complete with extensive profiles of the cast and crew, this lavishly illustrated volume is the official behind-the-scenes look at the art and making of the most popular film series in cinema history as told by the Muggles who made the magic real.

Click the images below to enlarge.

copyright © 2011 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
HARRY POTTER, characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © JKR.

To celebrate the release of Anonymous, HeyUGuys and Sony Pictures UK are giving three lucky readers the chance to win an Anonymous Coffee Table Book.  Anonymous is out this Friday (28^th October) and stars a star-studded British cast including, Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, Joely Richardson and Jamie Campbell Bower.

Set in the political snake-pit of Elizabethan England, Anonymous speculates on an issue that has for centuries intrigued academics and brilliant minds such as Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and Sigmund Freud, namely: who actually created the body of work credited to William Shakespeare?  Experts have debated, books have been written, and scholars have devoted their lives to protecting or debunking theories surrounding the authorship of the most renowned works in English literature. Anonymous poses one possible answer, focusing on a time when scandalous political intrigue, illicit romances in the Royal Court, and the schemes of greedy nobles lusting for the power of the throne were brought to light in the most unlikely of places: the London stage.

To find out more info, become a fan of the official Facebook page here, the Sony Twitter account here or click here to see  all our coverage.

To be in with a chance of winning simply answer the following question using the form below:

Who plays the character of William Shakespeare in the film Anonymous?

1. Rafe Spall
2. Rhys Ifans
3. Jamie Campbell Bower

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

Terms and conditions

• Competition close date – Monday 31st October at 23:59 GMT
• The winners will be drawn at random from all the correct entries, and only they will be contacted personally. Prize must be taken as stated and cannot be deferred. There will be no cash alternatives.
• Sony Pictures UK and HeyUGuys do not accept any responsibility for late or lost entries due to the Internet or email problems. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt. Entrants must supply full details as required on the competition page, and comply with all rules to be eligible for the prizes.
• No responsibility is accepted for ineligible entries or entries made fraudulently.
• Unless otherwise stated, the Competition is open to all GB residents of 18 years and over, except employees of: (a) the Company; and (b) any third party appointed by the Company to organise and/or manage the Competition; and (c) the Competition sponsor(s).
• This competition is a game promoted by HeyUGuys. HeyUGuys’s decision is final in every situation and no correspondence will be entered into. HeyUGuys reserves the right to cancel the competition at any stage, if deemed necessary in its opinion, and if circumstances arise outside of its control.
• Entrants will be deemed to have accepted these rules and to agree to be bound by them when entering this competition. These rules are governed by the laws of England and Wales.
• Prizes unclaimed after 28 days will be deemed to have been forfeited and HeyUGuys reserves the right to either offer the prize to the entrant whose name is next drawn at random or to re-offer the prize in any future competition.

In December of last year I reviewed the initial ten books in the excellent Masters of Cinema collection from Cahiers Du Cinema, published in the UK by Phaidon Press and I’ve been sent two of the next batch to be released. Here Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles are under the spotlight, the other new books focus on Billy Wilder, Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini.

Jérôme Larcher takes us through Chaplin’s extraordinary life, pausing at key points to survey the cinematic and social landscape. His major works have their turn under the spotlight, with Chaplin’s iconic characters deconstructed with The Tramp in particular commented on by Andre Bazin and Chaplin himself.

As Chaplin was at the forefront of cinema through its early development it is the story behind the scenes, battles with outlandish figures from old Hollywood and the discovery of a muse in Edna Purviance there is much to be learned about the man and the industry he helped popularise and instill in the public consciousness.

There is no doubting the majesty of Chaplin’s work, but there is more to the man beyond the early films, and Larcher’s book is particularly illuminating on the final films, notably 1952′s Limelight.

How to contain the mighty Orson Welles in one book? Paolo Mereghetti gives it his all here and the result is a rich and captivating look at the mercurial, theatrical life of Orson Welles.

Pleasingly Mereghetti starts with Welles’ radio career before joining his meteoric rise in Hollywood to his later years, through his Shakespeare adaptations and ‘exile’ when he produced some of his greatest and most divisive work.

With an expected focus on the world of Citizen Kane, in particular the expectation and legacy of the troubled relationship between director and studio the early section of the book is a lot of fun, I’m a fan of Welles’ earlier films and the productions of The Magnificent Ambersons and Journey into Fear are also covered in detail with, something which each of the Masters of Cinemas collection benefits from, lots of images from the films and behind the scenes. The text sidesteps the obvious and there are useful insets with additional information, for example about the life of William Randolph Hearst.

As with the Chaplin book above the most interesting section comes at the end with a look at Welles at the end of his career, having changed cinema forever, with the productions of Chimes at Midnight, The Immortal Story and F for Fake show a still furious creative presence under varying degrees of control. An iconic figure of cinema, Welles has the last word with a description of one of his final projects The Other Side of the Wind, which is a fascinating story that never made it to the screen.

An illuminating look at an incredible story of a life in cinema, Welles’ genius and explosive talents made for a great life and this book is an excellent and thorough examination of the man and the legend.

For more information and to order any of these books click here to go to Phaidon Press At £5.95 each you can’t go far wrong.

****~ (4/5)

Ok, this one is a bit special. In fact, when my review copy arrived in the post I tweeted the cover and found several jealous replies coming my way – and this is entirety understandable as this book is a collection of the finest cult movie inspired artwork I’ve ever seen.

L.A.’s Gallery 1988 opened in 2004 and for the last few years has been the home of the Crazy 4 Cult exhibitions which has artists from around the world interpret classic cult movies and the results are uniformly wonderful. Introduced by Kevin Smith there is a tangible affection and love for the artwork and the films on display here. Taking the very best from the first four years of the exhibition every page is a revelation – there is simply no knowing what you’ll find next and some of the pieces are astonishing.

I can only show you a few pieces below, but when you do pick up your copy (because it really is only a matter of time) page 46 has Dean MacDowell’s terrifying Dali inspired take on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the various character portraits of the children from the film which follow are both playful and disturbing.

Travis Louie’s Eraserhead portrait manages to make Lynch’s iconic film even more horrifying and the director’s other films get a look in too, as do the gallery of Edwards from Tim Burton’s Scissorhand movie. The Big Lebowski also features heavily, as does Donnie Darko – the latter perhaps a little too much, but there is so much here to enjoy simply because the talent here is phenomenal.

It’s pretty simple – this is the finest and most esoteric collection of movie art for a long time. Titan Books are selling the book right now. Cult Movie Happiness is only a click away.

***** (5/5)

To mark the Home Entertainment release of Never Let Me Go on DVD and Blu-ray 27th June, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment have given us five copies of the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro on which the film is based to give away.

Discover a remarkable story of love and loss, in a world where everything is not as it seems… Starring Academy Award® nominee Keira Knightley, Academy Award® nominee Carey Mulligan and BAFTA Award® nominee Andrew Garfield, and based on the acclaimed, best-selling novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go is released on Blu-ray and DVD on 27 June 2011 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Kathy (Mulligan; An Education), Tommy (Garfield; The Social Network and Ruth (Knightley; Atonement), three very unusual children, form a lifelong bond during their childhood at idyllic English boarding school, Hailsham.

As children, they are slowly introduced to the dark and haunting secret about the fate that awaits them as adults… and when they leave the shelter of the school behind, they are forced to confront reality as well as the deep feelings of love, loss and jealousy that threaten to pull them apart.

From acclaimed director Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo), and adapted for the screen by Alex Garland (The Beach, 28 Days Later), Never Let Me Go was nominated for an astonishing six British Independent Film Awards.

To be in with a chance of winning a copy of the book, simply answer the following question using the form below:

Who plays the character ‘Kathy’ in Never Let Me Go?

Competition now closed.

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 27th June at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

Joss Whedon gave the world something special with Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog, his Writer’s Strike circumventing Internet Supervillian Musical Mini Series, and now he’s giving you a little more with the release of the companion book.

Titan Books have gone to town with this tie-in which is essential reading for budding evil geniuses everywhere as you not only get the complete script with a load of production stills but you also get the sheet music for the songs. I can see a million uploads hitting Youtube thanks to this book, and I’m sure Joss Whedon would be pleased at the geekery he has inspired.

If you’ve seen Dr. Horrible (and really, you should – it’s silly, subversive and full of Whedonesque charm), or were a fan of the season six episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Once More With Feeling, then you’ll eat this up and burp tunefully for days afterwards.

The book also features contributions from the main cast with Nathan Fillion and Neil Patrick Harris providing Fore and Afterwords with Felicia Day also penning a love letter to her time on the project. The script is published in full, with annotations, original ideas scribbled onto piece of actual paper – just the thing for fans to hoover up and dance dizzyingly until tiredness or concerned relatives take them.

There are transcripts from the Comic Con panel which is more fun than it sounds, photos of the slightly worrying fandom which has sprung up, as is the destiny of all Whedon’s projects,  and best of all is the roundtable reminiscence of the project from the three Whedon brothers and co-writer Maurissa Tancharoen which charts the inception, production and reaction to the web series.

As a companion piece the book serves its purpose, and if you want to sing/play along to the show and then upload your Horribleness to the world  then this is your ticket. For fans of Whedon or the series you’ll already be looking for places to buy the book, if you’ve not seen Dr. Horrible then the DVD/Blu-ray is your first port of call, then come back and give this book a go. It’s the least evil thing to do.

****~ (4/5)

Well I have just read my first ever 3D book, and this one has interactive cards, stickers, pictures to boot! Donning the 3D glasses made me feel a bit like a geek, but one on a mission! The book expounds the story of Avatar in four clear chapters, introducing us to the heroes, ‘Friends and Foes’ at the start, taking us through to the land of Pandora, which never ceases to amaze. My favourite part of this movie and (therefore this book) has to be the landscape, plants and animals that have been created; the most intriguing landscape imaginable, navigated by air on creatures from your wildest dreams. Spectacular imagery and colour comes through in Chapter 3 as the ‘Na’vi people’ and culture is explored. I loved the little playing cards throughout the book, they brought the characters such as the ‘Woodsprite’ to life and help the reader understand the significant depth to the film. Chapter 4, Machinery of Conflict, did not really leave a lasting impression on me, perhaps that is a personal preference.

Overall this 3D book is fabulously designed and carefully crafted, much like the film. The little extras make the book extremely niche, and even though my eyes feel a little funny after wearing 3D glasses, it was well worth it.

James Cameron’s Avatar Collector’s Vault Book 3D is OUT NOW.

Okay all you Twi-hards (don’t be ashamed, there’s no hatin’ here), put April 12th, 2011 in your diaries, for that is when the Twilight Illustrated Guide will hit book stores (and be available as an e-book for the technologically progressive). The somewhat effusive posting on IESB says:-

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide provides readers with exclusive new material and everything they need to further explore the unforgettable world Stephenie Meyer created in Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn and The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. The Guide also includes character profiles, outtakes, a conversation with Meyer, genealogical charts, maps, extensive cross-references, and much more. Originally announced as “The Official Guide,” The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide includes illustrations from several artists, including Young Kim, the illustrator behind the #1 New York Times bestselling Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1.

IESB then quote Twilight saga author Stephanie Meyer:-

“I’m always amazed at how many in-depth questions my readers have about my characters and the world within the Twilight Saga. With The Official Illustrated Guide, I hoped we could incorporate as many details as possible, including character histories, like Alice’s back story. I’m thrilled with the different artistic interpretations done by Young Kim and the other talented illustrators, including Bella’s wedding dress. I hope the fans feel it was worth the wait!”

Six months is a bit of a wait but I’m sure it’ll fly by. The US RRP is $24.99, no word yet on the UK price, but no doubt it will be available through all the usual outlets.

I could well be wrong as I’m not always down with the kids on the latest news from the novel side of Harry Potter but I was under the impression that J.K. Rowling had said she wasn’t going to write anymore. I guess now with the final movie(s) looming, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 & Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, it might only be too tempting for the extremely gifted writer to bring out an eighth book.

The penultimate part of the Potter franchise hits UK cinemas 19th November and the marketing for the movies is only going to increase. In that vein, Rowling appeared on Oprah Winfrey earlier today and has surprised us all by stating that ‘she’s not ruling out another book’.

Rowling: “I could definitely write an eighth, ninth, tenth, easily”

Winfrey: “Will you?”

“Rowling: I’m gonna say I won’t. I don’t think I will. I loved writing those books. I feel I am done, but you never know!”

Even while she’s saying the words, you can see the look in her eyes like she’s actually thinking there and then, shall I do it – and personally, I think she will!

This will cause the Potter community go ballistic as I’m sure there’s nothing they’d like more than to see another part. That said, I could be wrong! Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below after watching this footage courtesy of E:Online where you can hear the above from the mouth of the Potter lady herself!

I came home last week to find a large package on my doorstep. I get sent a lot of review discs and I had no idea what this one was. To my wonderful surprise it turned out to be a book that I was very much looking forward to seeing – The Art of Drew Struzan which is being published by Titan Books.

If you’ve never heard of Drew Struzan, I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll have seen his work. He’s been responsible for some of the greatest and most iconic movie posters for the last 30 years amassing over 300 pieces of work which  includes Back to the Future, Stars Wars, Indiana Jones, Blade Runner and the Harry Potter franchise. In this book we get to see how his working relationship with some of the greatest directors in the world including George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis all come together.

© Copyright and TM Lucasfilm Ltd. 2005 All Right Reserved Used by Permission.

For each poster that Drew has created, we get to find out how each was put together, the progression from the idea in his head to the final poster that we get to see on every bus shelter from here to LA. Each poster has a story behind it with one of my favourites being the progression to get the original Back to the Future poster completed. For many posters, Drew had to use himself as the model which then allowed him to draw the poster since he was unable to get photos of the actual cast member to complete his work. Other stories like Disney buying his original Adventures in Babysitting work and then leaving it to rot in a warehouse make for a fascinating story. Fortunately, someone he knew was tasked with throwing it out along with masses of other work and he managed to get it back but this insight into how each poster was created really is wonderful.

This new book gives us our first in depth look at Drew’s amazing poster designs and the stories behind each one of them with the foreword is given by Frank Darabont. If you like movie poster designs and specifically the work of Struzan, then this book is a must buy.

The Art of Drew Struzan is written by Drew Struzan and David J. Schow and is released 24th September and you can pre-order your copy here.

Drew Struzan may not be a name you recognise straight away but have a look at a few of the images below  I’m sure they’ll be a few you’ll recognise. He’s been responsible for some of the most iconic, hand drawn movie posters of all time including all the Star Wars movies, Harry Potter, The Goonies, Back to the Future, Blade Runner and many, many more!

Well movie poster fans, I have some good news as his new book is being released on September 24th (published through Titan and available to pre-order here) and Titan have been kind enough to give us some images that will appear in the book.

Here’s the info from Amazon:

Product Description
Drew Struzan has created some of the most iconic movie poster images of the last 30 years, from “Raiders of the Lost Ark” to “Star Wars: Episode III”. This is the first book to cover his movie work in depth. Featuring over 300 pieces of artwork, including previously unseen poster art for “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” and “Hellboy II”, this is a treat for movie buffs and artists alike.

About the Author
Drew Struzan’s art is some of the most iconic in modern movies, with the artwork for over 150 movie posters to his credit, including all the Star Wars, Back to the Future and Indiana Jones movies, Harry Potter, E.T., Big Trouble in Little China, The Goonies and the Muppets. George Lucas dubbed him “the only collectible artist since World War II” and Steven Spielberg called him his “favorite movie artist”.

© Copyright Columbia Tristar 2003 All Rights Reserved, Used by Permission.

© Copyright Drew Struzan / All Right Reserved.

© Copyright and TM Lucasfilm Ltd. 2005 All Right Reserved Used by Permission.

© Copyright Drew Struzan / All Right Reserved.

Last week, Jon put up a brand new poster and trailer for The Killer Inside Me which stars Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba and Casey Affleck. Today, Filmofilia have given us the new image of the book cover which has been re-released by Orion in conjunction with the movie which is based on the book by Jim Thompson and is directed by Michael Winterbottom.

No news yet on a release date in the UK but we’ll keep you posted.

You may seen the post I did yesterday with some wonderful images from the book which accompanies How to Train Your Dragon (new trailer here), the new 3d animation which is based on the novel by Cressida Cowell and features the voices of Jay Baruchel,  Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrara, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Craig Ferguson, Kristen Wiig and T.J. Miller while being directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders. It’s called The Art of How to Train Your Dragon and has some really lovely images in it, some of which you can see here.

It looked too good to not have a copy so I contacted the lovely people at Titan Book Publishing who said that they would love to give us a copy for our wonderful readers (that’s you!).

So, here is your chance to win a copy of The Art of How to Train Your Dragon which has been compiled by Tracey Miller-Zarneke.

Description: From the studio that brought you Shrek, Madagascar and Kung-Fu Panda comes How to Train Your Dragon an animated adventure comedy set in the mythical world of burly Vikings and wild dragons, based on the book by Cressida Cowell. This lavish Art book features over 250 concept sketches, watercolors, oil paintings and digital artwork bringing the Viking and dragon worlds to life.

So, to win a copy, you must answer the following question:

Which American TV series is America Ferrra most famous?

User the form below to enter.

The small print:

• This competition is open to the UK only.
• Only one entry per household will be counted.
• The competition will close Friday 5th March at 23.59 GMT.
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received.

The usual T&Cs can be found here.

How to Train Your Dragon is released 31st March.

You may have noticed that we have a couple of competitions currently running for  Solomon Kane. The first is to win a signed poster from the movie and the second to win a copy of the novel.

If that’s not enough to whet your Kane appetite, we have exclusively been given permission to share the first chapter from the novel very kindly by the publishers, Titan Books.

Both Solomon Kane the movie and Solomon Kane the novel are released tomorrow, 19th February. The movie is directed by Michael J. Bassett and stars James Purefoy, Laura Baranik, Mackenzie Crook, and Pete Postlethwaite. The novel is written by Ramsey Campbell based on the screenplay by Michael J. Bassett and based on the character created by Robert E. Howard. You can follow all our Solomon Kane coverage here.

You can purchase the novel on Amazon here.

So grab a cup of tea or coffee and settle in for chapter one which I’ve embedded below:

Solomon Kane, Chapter One:

Stay close to Captain Kane!”

As the men of the Relentless fought their way across the drawbridge of the castle, Martin was never more than yards behind his captain. More than once he came so close that he was sprayed with the blood of guards that Kane cut down. The blood was as hot as the African night – as hot as the rage for victory with which Kane filled his men. Fighting in his wake felt like following a storm of blood, and now their nearness to the treasure seemed to have rendered him indomitable. Martin saw him gut two adversaries at once, pausing only long enough to snatch his blades out of their vitals. Another guard took that chance to rush him, but Kane thrust his rapier so deep between the man’s ribs that he had to kick the dying man free of the weapon. A defender seemed to think this left Kane vulnerable, but as he ran at the captain the point of the rapier skewered his throat. “Yes?” Kane enquired of his screams, and Martin saw him gaze into the man’s eyes as though he was seeking some truth. When he found none he held the man up with the sword like a specimen he was examining before he pulled the blade out, letting the body crumple to the bridge. At that moment the doors at the end of the drawbridge shut with a thunderous slam.

It seemed to shiver the obsidian minarets that towered against the suffused black sky. Martin heard a massive bar rumbling ponderously into its sockets, and then a stampede of footsteps made it clear that many defenders had added their weight to the barrier. Martin saw Kane’s eyes glitter, not only with the flames with which the bombardment of the castle had scattered the drawbridge. “Aside,” said Kane, and beckoned behind him.

At once four men pushed a cart onto the bridge. It was loaded with barrels of gunpowder. Martin felt the bridge vibrate beneath his feet as the cart trundled towards him. He and his fellows cleared the way, kicking scraps of fire aside or stamping on them. At last the cart reached the end of the bridge, and the men piled the barrels against the doors before setting a trail of powder. One of them lit it and ran back to safety while Kane stood his ground, challenging the explosion to harm him.

The bridge quaked, and the doors caved in as if the wood were rotten. The doorway was blocked by a dense flood of smoke, through which could be heard the clatter of falling rubble and the screams of men. Kane was already stalking towards it, swords held high. His mirthless grin made his lean face wolfish. As he strode through the insubstantial barrier, Martin was close behind him.

Beyond the doorway a wide corridor of amber stone was strewn with men and parts of men and blazing chunks of wood. Not a guard had been left standing, and those who could still move were almost indistinguishable from their dead comrades. Kane strode among them with his swords crossed behind his shoulders, his long black cloak flapping like a vulture’s wings, and peered at each face or remnant of a face. He might have been examining pieces of meat on a slab. All at once he stooped closer to a guard whose body was a mass of torn flesh and tattered armour but whose eyes turned fearfully to meet his. “Where is the throne room?” Kane said through his bared teeth.

The man’s face worked as though he would have dragged himself away from Kane if his shattered limbs had let him, but he gave no answer. His eyes rolled in the sockets, more wildly as Kane traced the guard’s cheek with the point of his dagger. The point came to rest a fingertip’s breadth short of the man’s left eye. “Ajna tudgadur ghurfatul arsh?” said Kane, and Martin understood that he was repeating the question in Arabic. Either this or his fear of the blade gave the guard back his voice. “Hunaak, hunaak,” he gasped and raised a shaky finger to point along the corridor. “Tafadzal, tafadzal.”

“Good lad.” For a moment Kane’s Devonshire accent made him sound as gentle as a lover. “Good lad,” he repeated and stroked the man’s cheek. He straightened up, shaking his long black greasy locks out of his face, and sheathed the dagger. The guard must have had time to conclude he would be spared before Kane took his musket from his belt and levelled it at the man’s head. “Let not one of these putrid heathen live,” he shouted.

The shot added the man’s brains to the rubble on the floor, and seemed to infect Kane’s companions with a lust to kill. They thrust their swords into the hearts of every fallen guard, even those who betrayed no sign of life. Martin drove his blade between the ribs of a man whose last breath seemed to shape a word that might have been a protest or a warning. As Martin dragged the sword out of the corpse Kane shouted “Follow me.”

Had they slain every one of the defenders? None challenged them as Kane led the way through corridor after broad corridor supported by circular arches, past enormous halls where towering columns effloresced against ceilings encrusted with elaborate mosaics. The deserted amber corridors put Martin in mind of tramping through gigantic veins of gold, and the prospect of treasure helped him quieten his indefinable doubts about the absence of any guards. Then Kane held up one hand, saying “It is here.”

Martin raised his sword as he saw movement beyond a rounded arch, but the silhouettes lined up to face each other across an antechamber were not guards, or even human. Only the flickering of torches set in brackets on the walls granted them the illusion of life. They were oval mirrors taller than he was, and he and his companions would have to pass between them. They must be the paraphernalia of some kind of African magic, but no God-fearing man need be afraid of such things. As soon as Kane stepped across the threshold Martin strode after him.

He disliked the antechamber more with every step he took. Was it only the restless light that had made it seem to harbour some form of life? Each mirror was supported by two pairs of thin splayed limbs that might have been the legs of monstrous insects. Or perhaps they resembled bones, because they and the scrawny oval frames were covered in tatters of material unpleasantly reminiscent of human skin. When Martin glanced into a mirror he was unsure what he saw. The figure silhouetted by flickering dimness could only be his reflection, but he retreated to the middle of the way between the mirrors as a chill seemed to reach for him out of the glass. “What is this place?” one of his fellows muttered behind him.

“There’s dark magic,” another man whispered. “We shouldn’t be here.”

Kane swung around to glare at his followers. “Silence, you dogs,” he snarled.

When he stalked forward Martin did his best to imitate his carelessness. Either every guard was slain or any survivors had fled. That was why the throne room was unguarded, unless the guards themselves were fearful of the antechamber. As the thought overtook Martin he heard a murmur at his back, apparently too muted for Kane to catch. “There’s something in here with us.”

“No treasure is worth this,” came a response.

It was, Martin wanted to protest; it had to be. It would make up for the months of rough voyaging, of sleeping on the bare deck, of breathing in the stenches of the bilge, of drinking fetid water and wine turned to vinegar, of subsisting on putrid meat and biscuit infested with weevils. It had even to be worth the sense of dread that had begun to dog him – a dread for which he did his best to blame his companions, although it felt capable of stealing his breath. He glimpsed movements in the mirrors and glanced at one in search of reassurance, but his reflection appeared to be obscured by another shape. Was that simply a flaw in the mirror, which would also explain why the glass was blurred as if it had been breathed upon? Just behind him Daniel whispered “What’s that, in God’s name?”

Martin looked back to see several of his companions peering at the mirrors, more than one of which was blurred by condensation now. As he saw the grey mist fade from one glass oval he realised how unnatural it was. The moisture that looked far too much like evidence of surreptitious breaths was beneath the surface of the glass. The other men had hesitated at the whisper, but now they advanced, and Martin saw breaths swell up within the mirrors to greet them. He was opening his mouth to shout a warning when his voice retreated into his throat. More than breath had come to the surface of the mirrors. Alongside Daniel a pair of hands had planted themselves on either side of the patch of moisture, and Martin saw that the blur was masking a head.

The hands were dreadful enough. Their fingers were abominably long, and grey as death. Their gnarled segments were so prominent that they resembled insect legs more than anything remotely human. Their cruelly pointed tips scraped over the inside of the mirror, and a face loomed into view between them, searching blindly for its prey. It was bald as a worm and almost as featureless, except for a round voracious mouth low down on the long head. In a moment the shape found its way out of the mirror.

The glass did not shatter. It bulged like an egg composed of some material softer than shell, and two elongated fleshless arms sprang forth. As the claws fastened on Daniel’s shoulders, the circular mouth gaped as though the absence of a face had been designed to let it stretch unnaturally wide. It seized like a leech on Daniel’s head. He barely had the chance to scream as he was snatched into the mirror, which closed over him like a pool too deep for light to penetrate.

A second man was dragged off his feet and vanished struggling. A third had no time to cry out before a mirror engulfed him and the shape that had clutched him in a demonic embrace. The remaining men glared about, lifting their swords as they backed away from the mirrors, forgetful of the mirrors at their backs. To Martin the swords looked powerless, no longer weapons but simply talismans his companions were brandishing in a vain attempt to ward off unimaginable evil. He raised his own in a desperate gesture of defence as he stumbled to Kane’s side. “Captain,” he begged and heard his voice shake.

Kane’s eyes blazed beneath a scowl like the onset of a storm. “Hold steady,” he growled and put out a hand to take Martin by the shoulder.

Martin disengaged himself and stepped back out of reach. “Stay close to Captain Kane” – but the advice that every man heard before they fought alongside him seemed to have no power in this place. “There’s deviltry,” Martin said louder and turned to flee. “Let the devil take my share.”

“I said hold steady,” Kane told him in a voice as chill as steel, but Martin was already running between the mirrors. He saw some of his fellows think of imitating him, and then their faces betrayed a different kind of fear. Before Martin had a chance to draw another breath he was thumped with great force on the back.

For the briefest instant he thought a denizen of one of the mirrors had tried and failed to capture him, and then the impact exploded through him. It felt as though his heart had been punched from behind. As he heard the shot, his ribs splintered and his chest burst outwards. He was thrown to the floor, which was splashed with blood – his own. “I am the only devil here,” he heard Kane shout. Then he heard and felt nothing, but a final thought accompanied him into the dark: his captain was wrong. There was worse in this place than Kane.

After I watched 29 horror films and wrote my Halloween articles on Freddy Krueger, Jason Vorhees and Michael Myers for the site, I found a new love for the horror genre and the characters it created and one of those characters recently came knocking on my door, or the postman did, to deliver a review copy of ‘Hollywood Monster: A Walk Down Elm Street with the Man of Your Dreams’, the autobiography of Freddy Krueger’s character creator Robert Englund, and I was thrilled.

Not only did I get the book to review I was also lucky to meet Robert Englund himself as he was in London for a signing at Waterstones in Piccadilly Circus and it pretty much made my day after being so heavily immersed in his movies for Halloween and he was a genuine down to earth movie star and an absolute legend.

I tried to get some information on upcoming projects and I got some minor news which i will post shortly but for now i will focus on his book.

The book is a fantastic insight into Robert Englund’s rise to fame to become one of the most recognizable movie icons in the world today and how he embraced the fact that he would forever be synonymous with his murdering alter ego name of Freddy Krueger.

The book interestingly looks back at his early years as a trained theatre loving performer who idolised the arts and was destined to stay there until he was eventually tempted to Hollywood to fulfil his potential as an actor, to make some money, some movies and meet beautiful women and of course he did this but to a level he never believed possible “World wide stardom”.

And it’s the early stories that interested me the most with his involvement in theatre from his debut into acting in his school days that followed on through to a young adult and with the success and struggles it brought, not mentioning the ladies it attracted and he got the acting bug and it’s this period that led him to be the actor he is today and it’s engrossing.

The book is quick paced and funny with some fascinating anecdotes of his auditions, rejections and meetings with the stars of Hollywood like the intimidating Gary Busey, the immense Henry Fonda or good friend Mark Hamill, all the stories are honestly told and character building for him personally that made him take greater steps into Hollywood.

It’s when he was cast as the lovable alien “˜Willie’ in the TV series of V that his career took a massive leap to stardom and that’s when the book got stuck in my hands and hooked me, Robert’s fame went through the roof as V took the world by storm and became one of the most successful TV shows of it’s time that was followed one year later with the release of the horror character that would change his life forever, Freddy Krueger.

His stories of his time on all Seven Freddy Films is brilliant and a brutal lesson in extensive makeup applications pro’s and cons in creating the face of Freddy. Robert tells of his relationships with the makeup artists, directors of the franchise and all the actors (some very famous) he worked along with and normally ending up murdering and it’s immensely interesting but annoyingly brief as you want to hear more of his times on the films.

So overall if you’re a fan of horror your going to love it, if your not then it’s still a fine read that’s a genuine and inspiring look into the world of Hollywood by a man that has appeared in around 120 films/TV and counting who just loves to act and entertain and so from the masks of Comedy Tragedy to the mask of Freddy Krueger Robert Englund has certainly done so in a fascinating career.

Thanks for the dreams Freddy!

The book is out now.