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John Kenneth Muir | |
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| Born | December 3, 1969 |
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of Richmond |
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| Years active | 1996–present |
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John Kenneth Muir (born December 3, 1969) is an American media historian, critic and speculative fiction author. As of 2022, he has written thirty reference books in the fields of film and television, with a particular focus on the horror and science fiction genres.
Muir was educated at the University of Richmond from 1988 to 1992. [1] He cites Pauline Kael and Roger Ebert as influences. [2]
He began his full-time writing career in 1996, authoring several books for McFarland & Company. He also has written monographs on science fiction television, including Exploring Space: 1999 (1997), An Analytical Guide to Battlestar Galactica (1998), A Critical History of Dr. Who on TV (1999), A History and Critical Analysis of Blake's 7 (1999) and An Analytical Guide to TV's One Step Beyond (2001).[ citation needed ] His first book, Exploring Space: 1999, was the first English-language attempt to analyse the TV series Space: 1999 in a wider cultural context, and is sometimes contrasted with a similar French-language book written by Pierre Fageolle. [3]
He has written a book about Kevin Smith titled An Askew View: The Films of Kevin Smith, [4] a study of Sam Raimi titled The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi, [5] a book on horror television called Terror Television: American Series 1970–1999 , [6] and another on the works of Christopher Guest, Best in Show: The Films of Christopher Guest and Company. [5] As of 2010, Muir's most recent film director study was Mercy in Her Eyes: The Films of Mira Nair . [7]
Muir's first novel, published in 2003, was a licensed Space: 1999 continuation titled The Forsaken. He followed this with The Whispering Sea in 2014. His other fiction includes the Space: 1999 short stories "Futility" and "The Touch of Venus", as well as Farscape short stories for Official Farscape Magazine. [8]
In 2006, Muir wrote and directed a science fiction web series titled The House Between. [9] [10] The first episode, "Arrived", premiered at Fantasci V convention [11] in Chesapeake, Virginia in July 2006. Twenty-one episodes were produced over three seasons. [12] The second season premiere ("Returned") was nominated for a SyFy Genre Award in 2008 under the category "Best Web Production" but was narrowly beaten by Star Trek: Of Gods and Men . The third season was nominated for "Best Web Production" at Airlock Alpha.
Muir has also written two novellas in the House Between series: Enter The House Between Book #1: Arrived and Enter The House Between Book #2: Settled, both published in 2022. [13]
In 2024 Muir wrote, directed and starred in an independent web series called Abnormal Fixation, [14] [15] a mockumentary comedy-horror series about the hapless Elvis Bragg (Muir), a paranormal investigator seeking to win a contest against an organization called SKEPTI-COP by proving the existence of the Woodpyre Mill Phantom.
Abnormal Fixation won awards including Best Web Series at Luminary International Film Fiesta, [16] Palm Beach Shorts, [17] and New York Movie Awards. [18] The six-episode first season was released between January and March 2025. Nerd Alert News wrote that the production quality was "fabulous." [19] Regarding the first episode, "The Contest", SciFiPulse commented that Muir "has written a warm-hearted and engaging opener. The characters are established with wit and clarity. Additionally, Muir has deftly balanced the real stakes with the comedic tone." [20]
Muir's TV appearances include E! True Hollywood Story: "Curse of The Exorcist". On radio, he has been a guest on Destinies: The Voice of Science Fiction, NiteShift, Good Morning Charlotte, The Allan Handelman Show, and The Mitch Albom Show.[ citation needed ]
In 2007, Muir appeared as a commentator in Decade of Darkness, a special feature on the Collector's Edition DVD release of The Return of the Living Dead . [21] He also appeared in the 2009 documentary Nightmares in Red, White and Blue . [22] In 2010 he was a judge at the Acefest NYC2010 Film Festival. [23]
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