He is best known for his adaptations of Stephen King stories, and is the creator of the Showtime series Masters of Horror. Garris won a 1986 Edgar Award for an episode he wrote for the Steven Spielberg-produced television series Amazing Stories. Garris directed the FEARnet webseries Post Mortem. He hosted the double feature re-release of The People Under the Stairs and The Serpent and The Rainbow on 20 February 2010 in the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. Garris is set to direct the film adaption of Stephen King's novel Bag of Bones.
Garris received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2006 New York City Horror Film Festival. He received the award in person after a screening of his Masters of Horror episode "Valerie on the Stairs".