Monsters Makeup and Effects: Conversations with Cinema’s Greatest Artists

Book Review: Monsters, Makeup, and Effects: Conversations with Cinema’s Greatest Artists, Volume 2 by Heather Wixson

Monsters, Makeup and Effects: Conversations with Cinema’s Greatest Artists, Volume 2 by Heather Wixson

Dark Ink Books, 2022

ISBN-13: 9781943201488

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition

Heather Wixson, horror journalist, FX historian, and managing editor with Daily Dead News, has given readers a second tome of interviews with horror movie special effects and makeup artists. The book features interviews with 19 creators of the uncanny, a tribute to John Carl Buechler, and hundreds of behind-the-scenes photographs. Interviewees include Eryn Krueger Mekash, Michèle Burke, Kazu Hiro, Steve Wang, Chris Walas, Mike Elizalde, Todd Masters, Phil Tippett, Richard Landon, and more.

Readers will get brief histories of special effects and makeup artists in their own words, what got them interested in the field, and their paths to working on film. Nothing was particularly eye opening to me, but it was enjoyable reading these interviews. Seeing the behind-the-scenes images was great, including sketches, various sculpts, screen test images, and more. I would recommend this for readers interested in film studies and SFX in the industry.

One issue I had with it isn’t the fault of Wixson. Upon opening my copy of the paperback version, the first ten pages fell out. The binding isn’t great for a book with almost 500 pages. Recommended.

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker