Aged four he began reading American comic books from DC and Marvel . This was also the time he became a fan of Doctor Who, in the Jon Pertwee era. His interest in Doctor who novels and super hero comics led him to write his own short stories starring his heroes.
After starting school he became interested in the true ghost stories his Gran and Aunt Lil told him. A love of supernatural books followed, mostly of the apparently true variety.
Horror films came next. By the time he'd reached high school, Stuart was a fan of the classic Universal horror flicks, as well as Amicus and Hammer films.