Book Review: Abbie Bernstein’s MASTER OF HORROR: THE OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY OF MICK GARRIS Delves Into The Career Of A Genre Icon
The name Mick Garris may mean very little to the casual film goer but to those who immerse themselves in the horror genre, Garris is a true Master Of Horror. A screenwriter, director, producer, novelist and host of the podcast Post Mortem, Garris has ticked nearly every creative box there is in the film industry. From his career beginnings working in the Star Wars production office through to his work on Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories to his many Stephen King adaptations including The Stand and The Shining, Garris is a man with a lot of great stories to tell – and you’ll find them all in Abbie Bernstein’s brilliant book, Master Of Horror: The Official Biography of Mick Garris.
Garris has long been known as ‘the nicest guy in horror’ (hence the name of his production company: Nice Guy Productions) but he genuinely does come across as a very grounded and passionate man who loves his creative endeavours. You won’t find any tales of debauchery here and although Garris was a player on the LA music scene in the 1970s, he’s never taken drugs or alcohol. What you find in the pages of Bernstein’s book is an immersive look at a man who has literally seen and done it all on a creative level.
Bernstein knows Garris is a great storyteller and the author lets the man himself tell of his many stories in his own words. However, she has augmented this with a plethora of wonderful interviews including John Landis (who also wrote the forward) Clive Barker, Joe Dante, Henry Thomas, Steven Weber, Matt Frewer and Garris’ wife, Cynthia. It’s a great roster of talent – and that only touches the surface of who Garris has worked with across his varied career.
Master Of Horror goes into great detail on nearly every professional aspect of Garris’ career and it’s a must read for genre fans and anyone who has an interest in the film industry. Bernstein’s book looks as each of Garris’ projects and delves deep into how they came to be (and why some didn’t come to pass). As an interview subject, Garris is humble enough to say what he feels did or didn’t work but he’s also candid enough to go into detail about many of the creative struggles which took place on and off set. Garris discusses the trials and tribulations on working with Anthony Perkins on Psycho IV: The Beginning and also the difficulties in creating the ground-breaking horror anthology series, Masters Of Horror.
Master Of Horror: The Official Biography of Mick Garris gives you everything you want from a biography of a great filmmaker. You’ll be entertained, inspired and also be left in no doubt that Mick Garris really is the nicest guy in horror.
Master Of Horror: The Official Biography of Mick Garris will be released on 13 August 2021.
