Farris was born in
Jefferson City, Missouri to John Linder Farris (1909–1982) and Eleanor Carter Farris (1905–1984). Raised in
Tennessee, he graduated from
Central High School and attended Southwestern College (now
Rhodes College), both in
Memphis. His first wife, Kathleen, (deceased) was the mother of Julie Marie, John and Jeff Farris; his second wife, Mary Ann Pasante, is the mother of Peter John (P.J.) Farris. Beginning with his first publication at age 19,
The Corpse Next Door, Farris published twelve novels from the mid-1950s through the 1960s. These included a series of hardboiled crime novels under the pseudonym
Steve Brackeen. Farris's early "Harrison High" novels were a major influence on Stephen King. Farris assisted in the rejuvenation of the horror novel with
When Michael Calls, published in 1967. After a hiatus of several years, he returned to the horror field to write his best-known novel,
The Fury (1976), which was filmed the following year by
Brian de Palma. Farris's horror novel,
All Heads Turn When the Hunt Goes By, saw print in 1978. He then demonstrated a remarkable diversity with a suspense novel,
Shatter (1981); the occult adventure
Catacombs (1982); a subdued ghost story,
The Uninvited (1982); and a flamboyant novel of possession,
Son of the Endless Night (1985). In 2001 he was presented the
Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement. At the 2015 World Horror Convention he was an Author Guest of Honor. Apart from his substantial body of fiction, his work includes motion picture screenplays of his own books (i.e.,
The Fury), original scripts and adaptations of the works of others (such as
Alfred Bester's
The Demolished Man). He also wrote and directed the film
Dear Dead Delilah in 1973. He has had several plays produced off-Broadway, and also paints and writes poetry. At various times he has made his home in New York, southern California, Puerto Rico, and most recently near
Atlanta, Georgia. ==Film adaptations==