First look: This book goes inside the making of Shaun of the Dead

We all know the 2004 horror-comedy Shaun of the Dead as a cult classic, but for a time it was just a harebrained idea dreamed up in the back of a taxi. In the upcoming book You've Got Red on You, out Oct. 19, EW's own senior writer Clark Collis, a Shaun superfan and expert, reveals the true stories behind the making of the movie. And EW has an exclusive first look at the book, starting with the cover.

The jacket was designed by the illustrator HagCult (Mayra Fersner), whose creation will be enhanced by red foil gilded page edges and a deluxe hardcover packaging. "Designing the cover as a wrap-around to showcase Shaun's iconic work shirt and red tie was a fun way to create imagery that is instantly recognizable by fans of the film," Fersner says of the final product.

In researching and reporting You've Got Red on You, Collis interviewed director Edgar Wright; producer Nira Park; actors Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Bill Nighy, Lucy Davis, and Chris Martin (of Coldplay fame). The book also contains commentary from notable fans of the film, including directors Quentin Tarantino and Eli Roth and Walking Dead executive producer Greg Nicotero. The result offers never-before-heard stories of the creators' struggles to get the script greenlit, enduring long shoots on a shoestring budget, and, of course the nights at the pub that helped fuel the whole project.

"Shaun of the Dead is one of my favorite films, and I thought I knew everything there was to know about it," Collis says. "I couldn't have been more wrong."

You've Got Red on You is available for preorder now.

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