In 1999, The Blair Witch Project ushered in a new sub-genre of horror called Found Footage. And while Blair Witch is credited for bringing attention to the first person POV, found footage style of film-making, there were films shot like it before 1999, going back as early to 1998’s The Last Broadcast and back even further (nearly two decades) with 1980’s Cannibal Holocaust, which is often cited as the first to utilize the now popular format. But even older films such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Town That Dreaded Sundown have the same gritty shade and documentary feel.
Journals of Horror: Found Fiction is a pet project of editor Terry M. West that has been kicking around in his head for years.
“I waited for someone else to do it,” West confessed. “It just seemed like a no-brainer for a horror anthology: to take the concept of found footage and transplant it to the page. Imagine finding a diary partially buried in the woods and reading a missing person’s account of a monster or dark force pursuing them. Now imagine an entire evidence locker filled with transcripts like this and you can start to picture where I am going with Journals of Horror.”
West and publisher Pleasant Storm Entertainment are thrilled with the roster of authors who have contributed to Journals of Horror. This anthology is filled with some of the hottest talent in the horror fiction genre: P.D. Cacek, Todd Keisling, Glenn Rolfe, Robin Dover, DS Ullery, Essel Pratt, Michael Thomas-Knight, John Ledger, Paul D. Marks, Sonja Thomas, Paula Cappa, Stuart Keane, Darryl Dawson, Crystal Leflar, Lori R. Lopez, Michael Seese, Jeff O’Brien, Matt Hayward, Joseph Ramshaw, Michael McGlade, DJ Tyrer, Wesley Thomas, Regina West, Evan Purcell, Robert McGough, Erik Gustafson, Christopher Alan Broadstone and Robert Holt. West himself plans a contribution.
“Everyone involved is excited and we all feel we are doing something different. To my knowledge, an anthology of this type has never been attempted before,” West said. “I hope this is the beginning of an ongoing series. Viva la found fiction!”
JOURNALS OF HORROR: Found Fiction will be released on Kindle on 10-31-14, with a paperback edition to follow before Christmas. You can pre-order a copy right here.