Michael McDowell was a prolific American novelist and screenwriter renowned for his contributions to the horror genre. Born in Enterprise, Alabama, in 1950, McDowell left an indelible mark on horror literature and cinema before his untimely death in 1999 due to AIDS-related illness.

McDowell began his writing career with the horror novel The Amulet, which tells the tale of a supernatural pendant causing tragedies in a small town. His second novel, Cold Moon Over Babylon, continues his exploration of the macabre, with a murdered woman's spirit seeking vengeance.

Stephen King once praised him as "the most refined writer in the United States." Besides his novels, McDowell wrote screenplays for notable films and television shows, including Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Tales from the Crypt, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.