''Cirque du Freak'' (also known as ''Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare'') is the first of twelve novels in '' The Saga of Darren Shan'' by Darren Shan (real name Darren O'Shaugnessy), published in January 2000. A feature film adaptation of the novel, directed by Paul Weitz and starring

Chris Massoglia Christopher Paul Massoglia (born March 29, 1992) is an American television and motion picture actor, and a city council member for Blaine Minnesota's 3rd Ward. Early life Chris Massoglia was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Christopher and Ka ...

John C. Reilly John Christopher Reilly (born May 24, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, musician, producer, and writer. After his film debut in '' Casualties of War'' (1989), he gained exposure through his supporting roles in '' Days of Thunder'' (1990), '' ...

Ken Watanabe is a Japanese actor. To English-speaking audiences, he is known for playing tragic hero characters, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in ''Letters from Iwo Jima'' and Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in '' The Last Samurai'', for which he was nom ...

, Salma Hayek, Josh Hutcherson and

Willem Dafoe Willem James Dafoe (; born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including the Volpi Cup for Best Actor, in addition to receiving nominations for four Academy Awards, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, t ...

was released on October 23, 2009.

References

2000 Irish novels The Saga of Darren Shan novels HarperCollins books Irish novels adapted into films {{2000s-horror-novel-stub