The Cleveland, Ohio-based 1984 Publishing has announced its fifth book, Ghoulish: The Art of Gary Pullin. The full-color, lavish hardbound book is a comprehensive retrospective of artist and illustrator Pullin’s vivid career.
Ghoulish features his iconic alternative movie posters for beloved films, including horror classics (Halloween, Friday the 13th, Scream, Creepshow) and cult favorites (The Big Lebowski, Re-Animator, Monster Squad). In addition to spotlighting collectible pop culture movie posters, Ghoulish includes a range of Pullin’s magazine covers, special edition Blu-Ray packaging, album covers, enamel pins and monster-based illustrations.
“This book covers it all—from my early years as a budding artist and horror film fan and my thirteen-year stint at Rue Morgue magazine as their original art director to the present day, which finds me owning and operating my own company, Ghoulish Gary,” Pullin says. “I hope you enjoy reading my story and taking in the artwork as much as I enjoyed creating it. Perhaps it will inspire you to carve out your own path.”
Ghoulish is written by April Snellings (project editor for Rue Morgue magazine and a 2017 Rondo Horror Award winner), while Rue Morgue co-owner David Alexander will serve as editor. The book also includes forewords by Rob Jones, the co-founder of Mondo and a visual artist known for his work with The White Stripes, and Independent Spirit Award-winning horror director and actor Larry Fessenden.
Ghoulish retails for $29.95 USD and is available online via Amazon and local bookstores worldwide. The 228 page book will be released on May 8, 2018.
“I’ll never forget the first time I watched Dawn of the Dead, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Thing, or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” Pullin says. “I was utterly terrified, but compelled to keep watching as I peered from behind a pillow. Or the last time I put down a Stephen King book and then immediately checked to see if anything was rising out of the bathtub—or the first time I heard Vincent Price as ‘The Curator’ on Alice Cooper’s Welcome to My Nightmare.
“It’s these sights and sounds that slowly, over the course of four decades, created a monster in me—and gave me an unstoppable desire to emulate them with pens and brushes and to breathe new life into old favorites, or to help new filmmakers and composers achieve their vision. It’s all led me to share my unpredictable art career with you and all of these ‘things’ that can never be unseen again, lurking in the shadows or leaping off the page.”
