Our second fiction anthology, Violent Vixens, will focus on Grindhouse horror films, made famous by movies such as Night of the Living Dead, Death Proof, and Suspiria. Since this genre encompasses so many different styles and mashups, we have decided to focus solely on Grindhouse horror stories featuring a strong female lead. The lead may be the protagonist or the antagonist.

In 2007, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez set out to revitalize this genre with their excellent double-feature, Grindhouse. Although it was met with critical success, it ultimately failed at the box office. However, in recent years, the genre has gone through a resuscitation of sorts, and a new era of filmmakers are now creating homage-style exploitation films using the borrowed aesthetics of the 70s and 80s–successful films like House of the Devil, Turbo Kid, and Mandy. This is exactly what we are looking for in your stories; we want to see your particular homage to this style of storytelling in narrative form.

We are looking to publish around twelve pieces of original fiction for this anthology. Overall, we tend to lean more toward fun, action-oriented stories like Army of Darkness, Planet Terror, and Blood Drive over anything too serious and brooding. Genre mashups are HIGHLY encouraged. All stories and characters must be original works.

• Fiction Submissions: Giallo/Slasher, Sci-fi Horror, 80’s Splatter, Japanese Body Horror, 50’s B-Movie Creature Feature, Southern Gothic, Satanic Cult, Lost World, Lost Tribe. Other sub-genres could apply as well, but must have a strong horror connection, including: Carsploitation, Blacksploitation, Spaghetti Western, Women in Prison, Vigilante, etc.
• Word Count: 2,000 – 8,000 words.
• Payment: $50.00 + digital copy.
• Rights: We are seeking first time rights for 1 year after publication. After that time all rights revert back to the author. The publication will appear in both print and digital formats.
• Reprints: None. Previously unpublished only.
• Multiple Submissions: None.
• Simultaneous Submissions: None. Please wait until you hear back from us before submitting your piece to another market.
• File Format: Include your story as an attachment in MS Word (DOC or DOCX), LibreOffice, or Rich Text Format.
• Manuscript Format: Use the Shunn Format, preferably in Times New Roman, and italics should be italicized instead of underlined. Include a short bio in the body of your email. Your subject line should read VV Submission: (“Title”) by (Author’s Name). For instance, VV Submission: “The Black Phone” by Joe Hill. Attach the story as a separate document.
• Response Time: 4 – 6 weeks after submissions close. A confirmation email will be sent within one week of receiving your submission.
• Submission Period: All submissions must be received between May 1, 2020 and August 1, 2020 EST. Any story sent before or after will be deleted unread.
• Send Submissions to: darkpenpress (at) gmail (dot) com

Influential Horror Movies: Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Black Christmas, Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Suspiria, Evil Dead 1 & 2, Bad Taste, Tremors, Cemetery Man, Lifeforce, Motel Hell, Rubber, The Hills Have Eyes, Cannibal Holocaust, An American Werewolf in London.
Influential Grindhouse Movies (homage/tribute): Turbo Kid, Planet Terror, Death Proof, Sin City, Mandy, Doomsday, Kill Bill 1 & 2, Blood Drive (TV Series), Ash vs Evil Dead (TV Series), Drive Angry, Tokyo Gore Police, Crimson Peak, Army of Darkness, Slither, House of the Devil.
Influential Authors/Series: Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight by Alex De Campi, Beast House Chronicles Series by Richard Laymon, The Drive-In Collection by Joe R. Lansdale, Dead River Series by Jack Ketchum, Paperbacks from Hell (Valancourt Books re-released novels) presented by Grady Hendrix.

Read more about the Grindhouse genre HERE: