Biography
With forty books published internationally and nineteen feature movies in worldwide distribution, John Russo has been called a "living legend." He began by co-authoring the screenplay for NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, which has become recognized as a "horror classic." His three books on the art and craft of movie making have become bibles of independent production, and one of them, SCARE TACTICS, won a national award for Superior Nonfiction. Quentin Tarantino and many other noted filmmakers have stated that Russo's books helped them launch their careers.
John Russo wants people to know he's "just a nice guy who likes to scare people" -- and he's done it with novels and films such as RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, MIDNIGHT, THE MAJORETTES, THE AWAKENING, HEARTSTOPPER and MY UNCLE JOHN IS A ZOMBIE. He has had a long, rewarding career, and he shows no signs of slowing down.
One of his most powerful novels, Dealey Plaza – a dramatic exploration of America's epidemic of gun violence – was released to great acclaim by Burning Bulb Publishing in 2012. A new series of novels written during the Covid pandemic have been by Wolfpack Publishing and have all gotten four- and five-star reviews. His screenplay The Night They Came Home – a Western horror story based on true events – is currently in production in California.
His popularity among genre fans remains at a high pitch. He appears at many movie conventions each year as a featured guest, and hundreds of attendees come to his tables or to the bar to share drinks, jokes and serious conversation.
