POTTERMANIA left youngsters spellbound yesterday. Less than 24 hours after the European premiere in the West End of the third Harry Potter film, local fans got their first glimpse of the latest blockbuster movie.

They flocked to The Mallard Cinema to see Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, the latest film adaptation of the best-selling fantasy series by J.K. Rowling.

Some were queuing as early as 12.30pm for the 154-seat sell-out first showing and they were not left disappointed.

‘It’s been crazy, especially with this weather, and it’s been fully booked since last Monday,’ said cinema manager Batu Fernandes.

‘It’s been fantastic, but it’s always the same with Harry Potter and it will show for as long as it’s busy.’

Youngsters were complimentary about Harry’s latest adventures at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in which he tackled a dangerous escaped prisoner and the Dementors – the dreaded guards of the wizard world’s prison.

So is it the best film yet and did Potter manage to again cast his magic spell over them? And were the youngsters scared?

A group of 15 youngsters had the treat of their life for Tabitha Lepp’s seventh birthday by getting tickets for the premiere. ‘My favourite character is Harry,’ said Ellie Underdown, six, who dressed up as her hero.

‘It was scary but it’s the best one yet, but I think I might have nightmares,’ she said.

‘It was absolutely amazing and I like everything. It was different, but it wasn’t scary,’ said Keenan Washbourne, 11.

Monty Burnard, seven, said: ‘I think it was marvellous. I liked the bit when the man turned into a wolf and the bit when they did the spell to make the mouse turn into a buck-toothed person.’

Her sister, Daisy, 10, added: ‘It’s quite creepy and I like the way that the professor moulded into a werewolf.’

Holly Cluett, 12, said: ‘I think it was really good, but I was disappointed with the end; but it’s the best yet.’

Helen Keltie took her two boys, Daniel, 11, and Stuart, seven, to watch it.

‘We thought it was brilliant – it was really great and I like the effects,’ she said.

Her son, Daniel, was left almost speechless. ‘It left me spellbound,’ he said.

The new film has attracted enthusiastic reviews and has been widely described as the best of the series, with a much darker atmosphere than its predecessors.

But it stays true to the spirit of the book, tempering its scarier moments with some of the most lavish visuals yet.

The film release came after speculation that its teenage stars may become too old to play their characters before the end of Rowling’s seven-book series.