William Malone was born and raised in Lansing, Michigan, where he developed a passion for horror films during weekly trips to the Lucian Theater. By the age of 14, he was making home movies with an 8mm camera and designing monster masks for himself and friends to wear for Halloween.
Malone's interest in mask-making led him to a job with Don Post Studios in makeup and costume, where he designed and sculpted the mask used for the character of Michael Myers in the 1978 film Halloween. This was a significant milestone in his career, as it marked his entry into the world of special effects and makeup.
In addition to his work in special effects, Malone also worked as a makeup artist on several films and television shows, including the 1973 NBC TV movie The Norliss Tapes and the 1978 film I Wanna Hold Your Hand, in which he played the role of Beatle George Harrison.
Malone's passion for filmmaking led him to attend classes at UCLA, where he studied directing under the tutelage of Gilbert Cates. He went on to write and direct his first feature film, Scared to Death, in 1980. Despite its modest box office success, Malone was not recognized by major film studios and instead turned his attention to television.
Over the next 14 years, Malone directed several episodes of popular television shows, including Freddy's Nightmares and Tales from the Crypt. He also directed several made-for-TV movies, including W.E.I.R.D. World and Sleepwalkers.
In 1999, Malone was hired to direct the remake of the 1959 film House on Haunted Hill, which starred Geoffrey Rush and Famke Janssen. The film was a commercial success and helped to establish Malone as a respected horror director.
In 2002, Malone wrote and directed the feature film Feardotcom, which starred Stephen Dorff and Natascha McElhone. The film was a commercial success and helped to further establish Malone's reputation as a horror director.
Malone has also worked on several other projects, including the 2005 series Masters of Horror, for which he directed an episode titled "The Fair Haired Child." He is currently in development of Thallium's Box, a new independent feature film that will shoot in the winter of 2019.
