Making Monsters - Inside Stories from the Creators of Hollywood's Most Iconic Creatures

"[A] magnificent piece of work. Making Monsters is a brilliant book on the history of creature FX and cinema." - John Carpenter

Explore behind the scenes of the greatest monster movies ever made!

What makes a great movie monster? Academy Award-winning make-up effects artist Howard Berger and acclaimed journalist Marshall Julius have spoken to dozens of film industry legends to find out.

A celebration of monsters, monster movies and monster movie makers, Making Monsters delivers an illuminating, entertaining and accessible oral history of the genre, gathering an enviable array of A-list talent from make-up and digital effects legends (Tom Savini, Phil Tippett) to directors (John Carpenter, Ti West), actors (Simon Pegg, Barbara Crampton), composers (Michael Giacchino) and writers (Russell T Davies).

Packed with hundreds of images, from film stills to personal, behind-the-scenes pictures from dozens of interview subjects - many never before published - Making Monsters is a treasure trove of monstrous creations, and the stories behind them, that is sure to make fans jump, scream and howl with delight.

About the author

Howard Berger is a special make-up effects artist with over 800 feature film credits including Dances With Wolves, Casino, Kill Bill 1 & 2, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Make-up as well as a BAFTA for Best Achievement in Make-up. He lives in Los Angeles.Marshall Julius is a film critic, blogger, broadcaster and author, whose previous books include Vintage Geek (September Publishing) and Action! The Action Movie A-Z (Batsford Film Books). He lives in Kent.

Summary

A celebration of monsters, monster movies and monster movie makers featuring dozens of A-list interviews and illustrated with hundreds of behind-the-scenes photographs.

Product details

• Authors: Howard Berger, Marshall Julius, Julius Marshall
• Publisher: Headline Book
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 11.09.2025
• EAN: 9781802798456
• ISBN: 978-1-80279-845-6
• No. of pages: 320
• Dimensions: 234 mm x 284 mm x 24 mm
• Weight: 1620 g
• Series: Hollywood Monsters; A Quick Ting On
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature > Letters, diaries; Humanities, art, music > Art > Theatre, ballet; Hollywood, Memoirs, PERFORMING ARTS / Film / Genres / Science Fiction & Fantasy, PERFORMING ARTS / Film / Genres / Horror, PERFORMING ARTS / Film / Direction & Production, Film: styles and genres, Filmmaking and production: technical and background skills, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Memoirs, Performing arts: makeup, Performing arts genres: Science fiction, fantasy and horror