A Life in the Cinema [Hardcover]

Mick Garris (Author), Stephen King (Author), Tobe Hooper (Afterword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 12, 2000

SIGNED BY STEPHEN KING, CLIVE BARKER, Mick Garris and Tobe Hooper this is the first short story collection by Mick Garris (director of the mini-series THE STAND and THE SHINING). These SIGNED editions by King will sell out prior to publication, so place your orders now with Amazon.com to insure your copy of this unique short story collection. Only 500 copies signed by King are available. Clive Barker provides the cover art and 2 cover concept sketches. King writes a long introduction. Tobe Hooper provides an afterword. The stories are both horrific and erotic.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Readers with a taste for clever horror and kinky sex will devour this debut collection of eight randy, gross-out tales and one screenplay by filmmaker Garris. The director of Stephen King's movie Sleepwalkers and small-screen adaptations of The Shining and The Stand, Garris makes good use of his movie-making experience in the title story. A disillusioned horror film director purchases a deformed infant from her mother, then features the "monster" in his new film. The narrative, which is alternately comical, surreal and graphic, sets the tone for the tales that follow. In "Baby Shower," a man finds his septuagenarian parents center stage in a sexually overactive retirement colony, and "Forever Gramma" culminates in a retch-inducing act of necrophilia. "Starfucker" pokes fun at nostalgia for old Hollywood when its main character pays $100,000 for a sexual encounter with a resuscitated but crumbling Jean Harlow. "Flesh and Fantasy" is a kind of bonus; a screenplay based on one of the stories, "Chocolate," in which a man's mysterious psychic connection with a female stranger leads him to stalk and kill her. Although readers with delicate constitutions might want to steer clear of Garris's work, fans of scary movies and sci-fi fiction will relish his stomach-turning plot twists. Garris does not have Stephen King's sophistication, but he does create and sustain a compelling, colloquial narrative voice, with a witty, informed skewering of the film industry. (Dec.) Forecast: A limited edition with an introduction by Stephen King, an afterword by Tobe Hooper (director of the classic Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and illustrations (not seen by PW) by Clive Barker? This one will sell out fast.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From the Publisher

For a fuller description of the book, go to the Gauntlet Press website, gauntletpress.com. As with any book signed by STEPHEN KING, these will sell out quickly, so don't wait to place your order.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 325 pages
• Publisher: Gauntlet (November 12, 2000)
• ISBN-10: 188736837X
• ISBN-13: 978-1887368377
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,415,395 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic read, October 13, 2000

By 

"badrobot" - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Life in the Cinema (Hardcover)

This book is great! Mick Garris is an insightful and entertaining writer. I've read a few of his short stories before, but it's a million times better when you get a full dose of his prose. Stephan King's introduction is complimentary and fun (not to mention that he signed the book!) and Tobe Hooper is as irreverant as ever in his afterword. The Clive Barker cover art is stunning in it's simplicity and edginess. This is a full package of horror, from the fiction to it's collectability. Like I said, along with Garris signing the book, King, Barker and Hooper have also signed. This is a must for ALL collectors and for people who just love good writing.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just brilliant. Along with King's Night Shift, the best collection of short horror, May 16, 2006

By 

refined cujo "Aaron" (Sydney) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life in the Cinema (Hardcover)

It seems in the light of Mick Garris' recent and many collaborations with Stephen King in the cinematic realm, everyone has an opinion when it comes to the author of this book. It would seem that his films are a suited metaphor to the man himself, you either love or hate him and his work. I cannot get enough of his film and television. And now, on discovery of this book- his writing too. This is a collection of stories and a screenplay, based upon one of the stories (which Garris himself just filmed as his Masters of Horror episode). The stories are generally top notch. He has this wonderful habbit of never letting the stories climax too neatly; there is always an element that is unresoved and therefore you are left uneasy and frustrated. This is a very clever and direct approach; and it works wonderfully. The stories are as highly erotic as they are in horror content; but it is the razor sharp satirical stabs at hollywood that are undoubtably the most deserving of praise. The title story and its sequel are two of the most original and horrific stories I have ever read and both are horrific in two completley different ways. If possible, read the story Choclate first, then see the Masters of Horror episode to see how it was cleverly adapted, then read The Screenplay entitled Flesh and Blood, in this collection- and see what we would have got as well, had a feature developed. Razor sharp and biting, nobody is spared. It's Mulholland Drive meets It's Alive, meets Stephen King via Stuart Gordan, with a dash of Tiikashi Miike (mispelt I'm sure) and pure, cinematic heart as garnish. SEEK this collection out, hunt it down. It will be expensive, but it is worth it. My copy was signed only by Garris (yay!), so dont expect to get all of the contributor signatures unless you pay a small fortune- just so you know. And keep an eye out for Desperation, Micks new Showtime film- which looks like it is going to absolutley rock. And also in June sometime his first novel Development Hell is going to be released. Bring it on, not many people can stick their fingers under my skin, unlike the violent, depraved, erotic and knowledgable words of Mick Garris can. And for those who do not like his direction as a filmmaker, do not be detered; he writes far more viciously then he films, but his characters are just as beautifully realsied.