Name: Shakeel Anwar
The State You Live in (or Country if Outside the U.S.): Scotland
Favorite Horror Film and Why: Halloween. One night when I was eight years old I snuck downstairs and saw my mum watching Halloween, I caught a glimpse of the two most horrific scenes that would haunt me every night for five years which were the hedge scene and window scene, I was convinced he was coming for me every night. Halloween is the most iconic horror film to date with the killer, Michael Myers, being a man wearing a pale emotionless mask as a face. It has terrified audiences all over the world! The movie has neither gore nor blood in it and is simply just full of suspense with the terrifying Halloween score being played in the background. You’re left wondering where this stalker is lurking and, to this day, it has never been outdated at all with most recent horrors. The franchise has made me become a link to the Myers community within the mask and prop business.
What You Collect: I collect a wide variety of things from different franchises but my main collection is horror and comics. I have a wide variety of Michael Myers masks, replica horror masks, horror figurines, movie cells, DVD, Blu-Ray, action figures and limited edition memorabilia.
Your Favorite Piece in Your Collection or What Piece You’re Most Proud of: The piece I’m most proud of is my Trick or Treat Studios mask. When I first purchased the mask I loved it! It is the best mass produced Michael Myers Halloween mask out there. They look great and I knew they had a lot more potential, so one day I repainted the mask to make it more movie accurate and posted the pictures on the horror forums out there and, to my astonishment, I had several people wanting to pay me to paint their mask also. I couldn’t believe what was happening! Since then I have been overhauling many collectors Halloween masks and was asked to join a prop business (Quartermaster Props) as sculptor and mask artist. It has truly been a fantastic year for me and look out for us in 2014 where we will releasing our own Michael Myers masks and more lines within the franchise i.e., weapons and props. We have a lot in store for the future with our horror range.
What Inspired You to Start Collecting?L
The movie Halloween inspired me. I wanted to have that exact same mask used in the movie but didn’t have a clue where to find one. I literally have spent 12 years looking for a replica mask and never realized how hard it was to acquire one, let alone the huge horror community out here that was dedicated to the movies and all the masks being produced by talented artists. It was a relief after all that time finding a group and knowing who to go to for purchasing a Halloween mask.
The First Piece You Acquired and When: The first piece I ever acquired was a 2003 Don Post Michael Myers mask from Tam O’Shanters joke shop in Glasgow. I was 13 at the time and finding a Michael Myers was like finding the Holy Grail. I was so ecstatic when I purchased this and scared many people with it. The mask isn’t the most accurate or best looking Myers mask out there, but it was the best you could get at an affordable price.
Your Favorite Story About a Piece You Have: Two months ago I attended my first ever comic convention in Braehead near Glasgow and one of my all-time heroes, Robert Englund aka Freddy Krueger was attending! This was a big deal for me since not a lot of big time horror actors come around to Scotland at all!! So I had to be there. I finally arrived at the convention and I brought along my 18″ New Nightmare Freddy figure for him to sign and what can I say? I had a star struck moment! He commented on my A nightmare On Elm Street T-shirt saying how he had seen this image before in France on a circus poster and how he liked it. My response was just a simple nod. I totally regret doing that! I just didn’t know what to say. He eventually signed my figure and my partner took a picture of him holding it and as he did that he shouted to her in his Freddy voice “Take the picture bitch!!” which she loved! It was a fantastic experience which I hope I get to do again.
