From Freddy Krueger to Ghostface: Hollywood insiders on how they brought monsters to life

Academy Award-winning special effects artist Howard Berger recalls getting nightmares the first time he ever watched a horror film — George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead — a night that sparked his passion for all things monster.

Now, after working on hundreds of iconic film and television projects like From Dusk Till Dawn, The Chronicles of Narnia franchise and 1986’s Alien, Berger teamed up with fellow “monster kid” and film critic Marshall Julius for their second book collaboration, Making Monsters: Inside Stories from the Creators of Hollywood's Most Iconic Creatures.

The pair’s first book,  Masters of Makeup Effects, was released in 2022.

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“ We were very like-minded,” Howard said in an interview with LAist. “We were geeks and nerds and weirdos, and we loved movies and monsters.”

Their new book is a compilation of behind-the-scenes stories and personal photos from the people responsible for bringing to life some of the most iconic monsters in the history of television and film — think Freddy Krueger, Ghostface and Frankenstein.

“ Everybody's so enthusiastic and excited about it,” Julius said. “They're good war stories, aren't they?”

He said they interviewed dozens of creatives, including directors, writers, actors, makeup artists and more over the course of the Hollywood writer’s strike. In the book, horror pioneer Wes Craven shares a story about his first-ever feature film, The Last House on the Left. The director writes that people should continue making horror films because “you’ll have the freedom to do what you want.”

“You can become a sort of auteur within this forbidden, outlaw region of film, which some people think is terrific, and others believe is the work of the devil,” Craven says in the book.

Howard Berger and Marshall Julius are authors of the new book "Making Monsters."

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Gillian Morán Pérez

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LAist

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Filmmaker John Carpenter also shares his wisdom: “If you want to make a good monster movie, get yourself a good story. Do that and you’re halfway home.”

The book is also packed with never-before-seen images and an index to help readers navigate the horror community. It was intentionally designed to be accessible for people with learning disabilities, Berger said, adding that he’s proud to live with dyslexia himself.

“We were really adamant with the publishers,” he said. “The font we picked and the spacing and the breakup of photos makes it very easy to read.”

Berger is set to speak at a book signing event Saturday at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena from 4 to 6 p.m. He said he’s excited to share his passion with new and older fans.

“ I love meeting the people that grew up on films that I worked on and that my friends worked on,” he said. “Because I was that person when I was younger — I would go and wait in line to meet Ray Harry Hausen or Rick Baker… they're still my idols.”