Last month, the trailer for an exciting new horror series rippled across the internet. First Word on Horror is an exclusive fifteen-part documentary from the independent animation and production company, Etch.
The first season features five of the most exciting and popular horror writers in the genre today: Stephen Graham Jones, Paul Tremblay, Mariana Enriquez, Laird Barron, and Elizabeth Hand.
Their books and short stories push boundaries, taking readers into the realm of their darkest fears in the most unexpected ways possible.
These writers will offer glimpses into how their lives have been shaped by horror—and the other way around. They’ll discuss their inspirations and their writing process while sharing a short story.
When is First Word on Horror available to watch?
First Word on Horror is set to debut on February 7, 2025. The series will be released in fifteen parts, structured in a way that each author weaves the facts of their lives with their fiction.
Emmy and WGA-winning filmmaker and director of the project, Philip Gelatt, shaped the series to be a “love letter to writers and the human experience”.
New episodes will be available every Friday at noon EST.
First Word on Horror trailer
Where can I watch First Word on Horror?
Not only does First Word on Horror promise to be a fresh take on the literary documentary, it’s also releasing exclusively on Substack.
If you don’t want to miss any of these in-depth episodes, head over to Etchstudio.substack.com and subscribe.
The full episodes are only available under a paid subscription of $8, however, they're only going to charge while new episodes are actively publishing—and will never charge without releasing new material.
Horror authors featured on First Word on Horror documentary
As mentioned above, the first five authors featured on Season One are award-winning and bestselling authors Stephen Graham Jones, Paul Tremblay, Mariana Enriquez, Laird Barron, and Elizabeth Hand.
Combined, they’ve published over one hundred novels, novellas, and short story collections, with hundreds more short stories under their belt, all of which have amassed a cult following from their readers.
If any of these authors are new to you, or you want to get caught up on their work, here are five books—one from each author—to get you started.
After the People Lights Have Gone Off
One of the things that has made Jones a success in his field, is his ability to know exactly what scares you. This collection does exactly that. It crawls into your subconscious.
Over the course of fifteen stories, you’ll find your nightmares drawn from the shadows and splayed on the page.
From discovering the terrors of a horror movie to what happens when you’re born into a family filled with teeth, prepare to be swept into the devious mind of one of horror’s most haunting storytellers.
Horror Movie
Known for taking horror tropes and turning them on their head, Tremblay gives a new twist to the popular cursed film genre of horror.
In June 1993 a group of young filmmakers made Horror Movie. It took four weeks and was one of the most disturbing and notorious films of the time—even though only three scenes were ever released.
Thirty years later, Hollywood wants a reboot. As the last living cast member, the actor who played “The Thin Kid” is going to do whatever it takes to help make it happen.
But as the memories come crashing back, the line between the past and present, real and fake, all starts to blur. There’s always a price for fame and glory.
The only question is if the kid can pay the price.
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The Dangers of Smoking in Bed
Don’t let her gorgeous prose fool you. Mariana Enriquez will unsettle you.
Following the critical acclaim of her first short story collection, The Dangers of Smoking in Bed is an entirely new set of stories written against the backdrop of contemporary Argentina. These stories will straddle the dark line between reality and horror.
From a woman sexually obsessed with a human heart, or a rotting baby crawling into a bedroom, to an entire community doomed to death for failing to answer a moral question correctly, you will be haunted by the deeply macabre yet surprisingly tender morsels plucked from Enriquez’s imagination.
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The Croning
Laird Barron knows what happens in the dark. In his debut novel, the award-winning author unleashes a story steeped in the terrors of cosmic horror.
After living in Alaska for eight years, he wants to bring you into the darkness with him where black magic, weird cults, and worse hide in the shadows beyond the reach of the firelight.
These are the Children of Old Leech. Eighty-year-old Donald Miller, geologist and academic, is about to stumble onto those secrets that live on the edges of the dark.
Truths about his wife and their adult twins. It will shake all he knows, all he trusts. Because he’s about to discover The Croning.
Wylding Hall
Known for her ability to seamlessly weave in and out of genres. Whether it’s bringing beloved television and movie titles to the literary world or creating fantasy steeped in dark Gothic horrors, Hand knows how to delight her readers.
In Wylding Hall we meet a group of young rockers. The British acid-folk band is in the country house to record an album. And it works. The music they produce makes their careers—at a horrible price.
Now, years later, the band is back. They want to understand what actually happened all those years ago. Each one has their own version of events.
The biggest question is: which one knows the truth about what really happened—before their lead singer vanished and was never seen again.
