HATCHET Director Green Joins Lineup!

Dark Scribe Press is pleased to announce that award-winning film director Adam Green will be contributing a special introduction to the Butcher Knives & Body Counts anthology. In “Are We Sick?,” Green ponders the appeal of the genre and the undying loyalty of the slasher fan and recounts his own genre initiation that involved an older brother, some STAR WARS collateral, and the sequel to an iconic 80’s slasher.

Upon graduating New York’s Hofstra University with a Bachelor of Science in Television and Film production, Adam Green went to work producing and directing local cable commercials in Boston. While employed by the cable advertising company, Green began “borrowing” their production equipment after hours to make his own films. Using friends as cast and crew, three lights, and his severely troubled cat…Green’s first feature film (the comedy COFFEE & DONUTS) was completed for a mere $400 in the summer of 1999. The movie was ultimately bought by Walt Disney Studios/Touchstone TV and developed as a sit-com for UPN with Green writing the pilot.

With the success of C&D, Green made the move out West. While spending the next several years developing, writing, and working on various network television pilots, Green wrote and directed the feature film HATCHET which premiered to rave reviews at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. The film was selected for festivals worldwide winning a multitude of awards, including the Audience Choice Award for “Best Picture” in 3 different countries and placement in both MTV’s and Ain’t It Cool News’ TOP 10 FILMS OF THE YEAR lists. Critically hailed as “the greatest slasher film in 20 years”, “the holy grail of slasher films”, and creating “the next icon of horror”- HATCHET saw a successful nationwide theatrical release in September of 2007. The film went on to become the highest selling original title that its distributor (Anchor Bay Entertainment) has ever had and a sequel is now in the works.

Green’s next film, the Hitchcockian psychodrama SPIRAL (co-directed by HATCHET’s star Joel David Moore), took home the prestigious “Gold Vision Award” at the 2007 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the Silver Award at Austin’s Fantastic Film Festival, and saw a US theatrical release in February of 2008.

Green is now writing the animated AQUAMAN movie for Warner Brothers/D.C. Comics and just wrapped production on his new snowy thriller FROZEN due out in theaters in early 2010. He currently resides in Hollywood, California with his fiance Rileah and their cats Tyler, Perry, and Chewbacca. More about Adam Green and his production company can be found here.

Stay tuned for more exciting announcements!

Submissions Deadline Extended...

As the project continues to evolve and more talent jumps onboard, our deadline for submissions has officially been extended through at least May 31st.

Ketchum, Thomas, Jones Among First Contributors Announced…

Veteran Bram Stoker Award-winning novelist Jack Ketchum, Stoker and Lambda Literary Award-winner Lee Thomas, and Demon Theory scribe and pop culture essayist Stephen Graham Jones are among the first contributors announced for Dark Scribe Press’ Butcher Knives & Body Counts anthology.

• Jack Ketchum
• Lee Thomas
• Stephen Graham Jones
• John Skipp
• Cody Goodfellow
• Jeff Strand
• Gregory Lamberson
• Lisa Morton
• James Lowder
• Peter Tennant
• Gary McMahon
• John Llewellyn Probert
• Lynne Hansen
• Mike McCarty
• Garry Charles
• Paul Milliken
• JG Faherty
• Richard Dansky
• Connie Corcoran-Wilson
• Dustin La Valley
• CJ Lines
• Mike Bracken
• Lance Vaughan
• Jude Wright
• David L. Tamarin
• Nick Cato
• Amanda Bumgarner
• Stephen Bacon
• Joe Nazare
• Rachel Kendall
• Aliya Whiteley
• Johnny Kalangis
• Andrew Barker
• Jesse Baget

More exciting announcements to come!

‘Going to Pieces’ Scribe Adam Rockoff to Pen Foreword…

Dark Scribe Press is proud to announce that celebrated slasher film historian, author, and screenwriter Adam Rockoff will be contributing the Foreword to Butcher Knives & Body Counts.

Rockoff is the acclaimed author of Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film. This popular book was adapted into a critically-acclaimed documentary which premiered on Starz and was released on home video by ThinkFilm.

Rockoff is also a frequent guest on radio and television programs to discuss all things horror, including Bravo’s highly-rated special, The 100 Scariest Movie Moments. He has also written for numerous horror periodicals and had a long-running column in VideoScope magazine.

He recently sold two screenplays. The first, Tales for Sleepless Nights, is an anthology in the vein of Creepshow. The second is a sequel to Fever Dreams’ first original production, Flesh for the Beast.

Rockoff is also writing a 2-hour television movie, Love Will Keep Us Together, for The Hallmark Channel, as well as a short film with Adrienne King, best-known to horror fans as the lone survivor of the original Friday the 13th.

His latest horror film, Wicked Lake, just completed a limited theatrical release. It was universally detested by mainstream critics but received a 'Mr. Skin Anatomy Award' for Best Lesbian Orgy.

Evolution...

A few weeks into reading submissions for the anthology and the project is already evolving. You'll notice that the "Films Already Covered" list at left is gone; several film titles previously in that list are now included in the "Suggested Films" list. What gives? Have essays covering those films that were previously accepted now been rejected?

The short answer is "no." We've come to the realization that there may be a place in the collection for multiple essays on the same film and realize that to quickly move film titles from "suggested" to "taken" may be a disservice to the collection. So, for those lamenting a film you really, really wanted to submit an essay on but were disappointed to find the title previously announced as "Already Covered," here's your second chance.

As essays are formally accepted, we'll be posting updates to the blog. All films will remain in the "suggested" list at left, if for nothing else to inspire ideas.

Note: We've also updated other entries to reflect this slight change in editorial policy.

Clarification...

Please note that queries about specific films are not required prior to submission. Films are not being "assigned" to particular writers (unless by invitation) and all films are up for grabs. There is no "first come, first served" aspect to the process. Writers are simply invited and encouraged to write about whichever film(s) or topic(s) interest them and to submit their best work. There will be an editorial selection process, meaning (for example) that if multiple essays are submitted on the film Motel Hell, we will choose one (or more) that best fits our criteria and needs and will pass on those that don't. As with most open calls for submissions, this is a competitive process versus calling dibs.

Call for Submissions...

Butcher Knives & Body Counts: Essays on the Formula, Frights, and Fun of the Slasher Film will be a comprehensive non-fiction collection of essays on the slasher genre and its films, due for publication by Dark Scribe Press in the first quarter of 2010.

We’ve taken great care to compose submission guidelines that are detailed and as all-encompassing as possible. Please take the time to read through the following guidelines in their entirety before contacting us with questions.

We have two primary needs for this project:

I. Essays on Individual Films: 1,000 to 1,500 words on individual slasher films. Please note the list at left which provides a directory of films we’re especially interested in. This list is not all-inclusive of our interests and we are open to essays on slasher films not on our list.

There are three distinct elements that we are looking for in the essays covering individual films:

• A strong angle or approach to the film. This angle should be clearly communicated within a catchy, creative subtitle;
• Passion for the film and the writer’s ability to articulate the film’s enduring appeal and how it contributed to the genre;
• A balanced integration of film theory/commentary and tribute/personal anecdote. We want to read essays in which the writer connects with a chosen film in a personal way.

Considerations before Submitting:

• We are not looking for encapsulated reviews. Elements of plot synopsis should be well-integrated into the essay and inconspicuous to the reader;
• We are open to single essays that take on two films, if the films have a direct relation such as sequels or remakes.

II. Essays on the Slasher Genre: 1,000 to 2,000 (query first for longer) words on the slasher genre or elements of the genre. We are looking for engaging essays that explore the formula and psychology of the slasher film, the history and evolution of the slasher, individual elements of the slasher, the influence of the slasher film in popular culture, the sociological exploration of the slasher from alternate perspectives (i.e. race, religion, sexual orientation), sub-genres of the slasher (subhuman slashers, hospital/medical slashers, summer camp slashers, etc.), comparative analyses that examine originals versus remakes (see above) or take on particular characters (villains, victims, or heroes/heroines), and trends in the slasher genre (i.e. remakes).

There are two distinct elements that we are looking for in the essays covering individual films:

• Ingenuity of topic and approach to subject matter is going to impress us. Think sub-genres and narrow (versus obscure) focuses;
• We want thought-provoking essays that take a more learned, well-read style than scholarly textbook approach to the subject matter. Think well-articulated pop culture versus academic recitation, cerebral but accessible;

General Tips:

• Passion will be key for any writer interested in becoming part of this project. We love slasher films — so you won’t be able to fake your enthusiasm(!).
  

Payment: $0.05 (five cents) per word for original essays upon contract for FNAR. $0.02 (two cents) per word for reprints. For the purposes of payment consideration, works having previously appeared as part of blogs and other electronic or web-based publications will be considered reprints.

Submission Specifics:

Reading Period:

• Exclusive Call Period: In our efforts to support and encourage support of the professional writing organizations working on behalf of dark genre literature, members (at any level) of the following writing organizations will have a two-month exclusive submissions period beginning November 1st through December 31st: Horror Writers Association (HWA), International Thriller Writers (ITW), Mystery Writers of America (MWA), and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). Writers of these professional organizations should note their affiliation and status in their cover letters. Writers from other professional writing associations not listed above should query first.
• Open Call for Submissions: We welcome submissions from all writers beginning January 1st, 2009.
• The submission period ends May 31st, 2009.
  

Notification of Writers:

• Email confirmations will be sent upon submission. If you do not receive a confirmation that your submission has been received after two weeks, first check your Spam folder and then drop us a line. We’ve also taken the time to create this project-specific blog in an effort to communicate with writers. Please bookmark the page and check back for updates on where we stand with submissions.
• Expect to hear back on your submission(s) between 60 and 90 days from the date of confirmation. Essays will be either accepted or rejected outright, or we may ask to hold an essay until the end of our reading period. We realize that 6-8 months is a long period to ask to hold onto a particular essay, but because of the nature of this project we anticipate several submissions per film. At DSP, we realize that a writer’s time is money. If you receive an email from us asking to hold onto your submission until the end of the process and don’t want to tie up your work that long, simply let us know and we’ll take the piece out of consideration and release it back to you with our best wishes.

Formatting Submissions:

• Send as Word attachments only – do not send submissions in the body of an email or as any other type of attachment
• Use Courier, 12-point font
• Single space body of essay
• 5-space indent at beginning of new paragraphs
• No manual page or section breaks
• No extra spacing between paragraphs – the 5-space indent will tell us where a new paragraph begins
• Use 1-inch margins — this includes top, bottom, left and right
• Film titles within essays are to be italicized — do not use all caps or bold
• Working title of essay center on first page — do not use italics or all caps, no quotations
• For film essays, title should include film title and subtitle that communicates the angle of the essay separated by a colon. Examples:

Curtains: Paging Agatha Christie
A Nightmare on Elm Street: No Sympathy for This Devil

• No headers or footers
• No page numbers
• At the top of the first page in the left-hand corner, single-spaced, please include the following information:
  

Name
Street Address
City
State
Zip Code
Email Address
Word
Count (body of submission, excluding title)

Multiple / Simultaneous Submissions:

• We will accept multiple submissions. Limit of (3) submissions per author. Send up to three at one time, but kindly wait until you hear back on one or more of your submissions before sending another.
• No simultaneous submissions.
  

Sending Submissions:

• Include a short cover letter in the body of your email with the film or topic your submission covers, 2-3 sentences describing the essay’s unique perspective, and a brief bio. For those submitting between November 1st and December 31st, please note your professional writing organization affiliation.
• Our plans for this project include interspersing first-person blurbs and anecdotes about the various films covered in between the essays. Kindly note any connections or contacts you may have with anyone involved with a specific film. While helpful to us, this is in no way a prerequisite to submission.
• Send submissions via email only to DSPsubmissions(at)aol(dot)com.

Questions:

• Questions? Hopefully, we’ve covered all bases with these guidelines. If not and there is a pressing need for information, you may contact us at darkscribepress(at)aol(dot)com. Due to time constraints, it may not be possible to answer questions individually. We will, however, compile questions and answer them here on the blog. Bookmark and check back often.
• Please do not email us asking if a particular film has been covered. Once we make final decisions regarding submissions and have notified the authors, we will periodically post updates to the blog. Even if a film title is covered in an essay that is announced as accepted, all films remain fair game until we announce otherwise. Conversely, if we receive a dozen essays dealing with The Burning, we may note that on the blog to discourage additional submissions on that film. Again, check the blog often.