Calling all horror aficionados! Mark your calendars for the highly anticipated debut of “First Word on Horror,” a thrilling new documentary series set to premiere on Substack on February 7, 2025. This captivating project is the brainchild of the award-winning trio – Philip Gelatt, Will Battersby, and Morgan Galen King – who helm the independent animation and production company, ETCH.
This 15-part documentary profiles five of the genre’s most acclaimed contemporary authors: Stephen Graham Jones, Paul Tremblay, Elizabeth Hand, Laird Barron, and Mariana Enriquez. These writers, all known for their contributions to modern horror, will take viewers on a journey through their lives, inspirations, philosophies, and writing techniques. Each episode features the authors reading one of their short stories, offering a glimpse into the process behind crafting tales of terror and intrigue.
The series delves into the intersection of fact and fiction, unveiling personal stories from the authors’ lives that shaped their writing, taking viewers from a harrowing Iditarod dogsled race in Alaska to the lurking terror of growing up under the Argentinian dictatorship; from the unbridled energy of the early DC punk scene to an ill-fated hunting expedition on the Blackfeet reservation in Montana.
Philip Gelatt, the Emmy and WGA-winning director behind “First Word on Horror,” has a long history in the industry, with credits including The Spine of Night, Europa Report, and “Love Death + Robots.” For Gelatt, horror writers played a pivotal role in shaping his worldview. He reflects, “Before I loved film or video games or comics, I loved books and writers. In particular, Horror writers were seminal to how I viewed the world. I was raised on King and Rice, on Barker and Lovecraft. As with so many other people, their work made me.
“First Word on Horror” is about getting lost in writing and we wanted to bring it directly to fans via Substack. Substack is such an exciting driver of culture and commentary. We want this series to live in and be a part of that conversation.
The series is purposefully human-forward, designed to remind us of the humanity at the core of creativity. Especially now, in the current moment of technological advancement and uncertainty, with the future so unknown, it’s important to remember that it’s human beings who give us our dreams and our nightmares; that it’s as human to hope as it is to fear; and that it’s human to want to find someone there in the dark with you.”
Produced by Will Battersby (The Spine Of Night, They Remain, Trumbo), with Sean Kirby serving as Director of Photography, and music by Peter Scartabello, “First Word on Horror” promises to provide an engaging exploration of the people behind the horror genre, making it a must-watch for anyone who loves to lose themselves in a good story.
