Whereas the infamous Dr. Frankenstein created a solitary monster in his own image, Ghoulish Gary Pullin has redefined what an entire world’s worth of monsters would look like for a new generation of monster kids, his imagination more bold and beastly than the bottomless pit of colourful creatures that flow out of his gnarled fingers and cursed pencil.
Ever since an old, unscrupulous priest gifted young Gary with his first set of markers at the tender age of six, he’s been developing his unique style – equal parts Robert Crumb, Charles Burns and Basil Gogos – that has bled into scads of mediums in and out of the genre. Despite being weaned on the mock horror of Saturday morning TV’s Hilarious House of Frightenstein, the glorious and garish gore of ’80s slasher films and the theatrical films of Vincent Price, it was at a commercial design firm where Gary first put an edge on his scythe, though the staid restrictions of the straight world eventually proved unfit for the graveness he was truly seeking. He soon found what he was looking for at Rue Morgue, the world’s best-selling horror magazine, where he acted as Art Director for the past thirteen years. He was the creative force behind virtually all design aspects of the respected publication, including the masthead logo, covers, event posters, merchandise and websites. Gary helped shape the ever-evolving face of horror, leading him to work with many notable contemporaries such as musician/filmmaker Rob Zombie and artist Mike Mignola (Hellboy), as well as the influences that inspired him to create in the first place, such as horror icons Clive Barker and Basil Gogos.
His award-winning illustrations and designs have also appeared in popular magazines such as heavy metal bible Revolver and beloved pop culture rag Royal Flush; on DVD releases for Anchor Bay’s Hilarious House of Frightenstein box sets, H.G. Lewis’s Blood Feast 2 release and The Coffin Joe Collection from Anchor Bay UK; on posters, websites and album art for Glass Eye Pix’s “radio plays for the digital age” Tales From Beyond the Pale; and gig posters, T-shirts and album art for countless bands including Misfits, Tiger Army, The Brains, Ghoultown, Electric Frankenstein and The Creepshow.
Most recently, Gary illustrated a Lobot card for Topps’ Star Wars Galaxy 6 trading card series; co-designed the official poster for Revolver and Epiphone’s U.S. hard rock and heavy metal awards show, the Revolver Golden Gods; and has completed 24 illustrations for Toronto writer Liisa Ladouceur’s book, Gothica Encyclopedia. When he’s not making monsters, someone’s usually sticking a pen or a camera in his face as Gary has written numerous art-related articles for Rue Morgue, and has been interviewed for several genre-related documentaries, the latest being Fanboy Confessional – a new TV show on SPACE about fans and personalities with an undying love for counter-culture.
Ghoulish Gary currently resides in Toronto, Ontario, with his bride Nicole and their rabid dog Pandora.
