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

by Howard Berger, Marshall Julius

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.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

764 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 11, 2025

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish you could see the creepy cool cover art from this book.
It's worth picking it up alone.

If you like Horror films, how movies are made, stories from Hollywood, dreams of makeup artistry or creature creating, this is the book for you!
Filled with hundreds (yes you heard that) pictures from movies from the Golden age of Cinema to the most recent horrific, gory flicks, this is for you!
Interviews with makeup artists, directors, producers, monster actors, onscreen scene partners to the monsters/creatures, costumers, special effects creators and many more fill up every page with stories, experiments and experiences.

[Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will be honest, this book wasn’t what I was expecting. I thought this would do deep dives into the creation of some of the most iconic creatures in entertainment. Instead this is just little snippets from people about their feelings on certain creature movies. Some of them were so simple as a single sentence saying this was the person's favorite movie.

There were a few sections towards the end of the book that were a little more interesting to me because they spent more time talking about one movie and actually discussed more in depth about creating the monsters. These mainly were the Gremlins, Predator, Aliens, and The Last Of Us pages. But overall, a creature was only discussed for one, maybe two pages before it moved onto the next one, and it wasn’t in depth or anything.

Basically this was disappointing in content, but the pictures were good and did show behind the scenes of some of the creatures.

[John Bleasdale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic fun and great pictures. Must for monster fans.

[David Garrett jr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that I got a digital critic’s copy thanks to Meg from Parsons Publicity Group for Welbeck. What shocked me when I settled into reading this is that Howard Berger, one of the great makeup and special effects artists, is one of the authors. Along with his co-writer, Marshall Julius, they interview more than 75 luminaries in the industry. This ranges from John Carpenter and Wes Craven to iconic horror actors like Barbara Crampton. We also get to see dozens of makeup artists and digital effects notables, composers and writers.

It is broken up into different categories, mostly by the main creature from the films. That is fun as we get smooth transitions from one film to the next. Getting to hear from the likes of Jeff Yagher, Chris Walas, Robert Kurtzman, Greg Nictoero, Rick Baker and Tom Savini is amazing. These guys didn’t invent what they do, but they shared who inspired them and what they learned. It is one of those things that makes it fun as a horror fan to connect with since we have similar experiences as to how we got to where we are.

I’ll say that this is an easy read. All the interviews that were done, they are broken into little snippets. These are then artfully placed on the page along with behind the scenes and images from the films that are being referred to. That was something that I appreciated as a fan. I might have seen the film they’re talking about, but being able to directly compare, right after reading something is a positive for me. There are just so many images in this. The amount of research is an element that I can’t overlook.

I would then say that this is truly a must buy for someone who loves special effects and creature makeup. It would make an excellent coffee table book and I would recommend reading as well. If you also have a budding artist who wants to get into this line of work, there are good pieces of advice in it as well. Hearing from all these amazing people, seeing how most came from modest beginnings to where they are is a true inspiration.

In conclusion, this is an essential addition to any horror fan's collection, especially those with a passion for special effects and creature makeup. Berger and Julius have crafted a compelling and visually rich journey through the history of cinematic monsters, offering invaluable insights from industry legends. Its accessible format, stunning imagery, and inspiring stories of artistic journeys make it not only a fascinating read but also a potential source of motivation for aspiring artists. This book is highly recommended for both casual fans and serious enthusiasts alike.

My Rating: 7 out of 10