Wicked Horror is looking for new writers — and that includes YOU!
Wicked Horror is a great site, no doubt about it. And we’re looking to add even more content and coverage — more reviews, more interviews, more retrospectives, more think pieces, more listicles, more EVERYTHING.
Which means YOU could have a seat at the proverbial table here. We’re officially looking for new writers to come aboard the Wicked Horror mothership and we want a variety of different voices and perspectives to lend their talents to the site.
OK, the boring stuff first. It’s a non-paid gig, BUT if your work is selected for the site it gets heavily promoted by yours truly on social media, ranked highly on Google (well, if I’m doing the SEO stuff right, anyway) and your personal byline will get picked up by news aggregators like Muck Rack. If absolutely nothing else it’s an excellent resume builder, a chance to collect some showcase portfolio material and something you can totally rub into the faces of your friends and family on Facebook and Instagram. Plus, every article will be edited and fine tuned by an actual award-winning journalist (me), who’ll show you the ins and outs of getting niche interest entertainment coverage published, printed and widely circulated to the masses. And let’s be real, I’m a heck of a personal reference for your next job interview — by the time they’re finished talking to me, they’ll think you’re a future Pulitzer winner for sure.
My goal is to make Wicked Horror the PEOPLE’S horror culture and lifestyle website. We want to cover every nook and cranny imaginable, from low brow comedy pieces to well-cited academic treatises to hard-hitting, unbiased reviews that’ll probably make directors cry. Plus we’ve got ample room to incorporate multimedia into our website — i.e., video interviews, roundtable discussions, that kind of thing. So even if you don’t want to write for Wicked Horror, per se, you might have an opportunity to talk with Wicked Horror for certain features and articles.
You don’t have to be a 20-year journalism veteran to apply. In fact, we’re more than happy to be the first place that fledgling writers, critics and commentators are published. As long as you can write a coherent article and spell more words right than you get wrong, you’ll probably get an opportunity to shine on the site. If you’re passionate about horror and willing to take some velvet soft constructive criticism from time to time, you’ll fit right in with the extended Wicked Horror family.
So, what are we looking for specifically? Here’s the shortlist.
MOVIE REVIEWS — There are so many horror and horror-adjacent movies coming out these days that it’s almost impossible to keep track of them all. We want reviews of as many theatrical releases, straight to streaming movies, new VOD flicks and weirdo indie low budget films as possible. And since we’re a respected media website, we DO get advance screeners, so there’s a good chance you’ll get to watch some high-profile movies before everybody else does.
BOOK REVIEWS — Take everything I said about movies above and just change it to “books” and it’s the same effect. Fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, Y/A, paranormal romance, retrospectives, tell-alls, comic books, graphic novels … we’ll take reviews of any and all of them, especially if they’re newer releases.
VIDEO GAME REVIEWS — Hey, if you’re going to play Resident Evil for 200 hours, you might as well get self-reflective and write a review about it, right? We’re definitely interested in new console release reviews and Steam Store oddities. Whether it’s a AAA release or a one-person indie labor of love, we want it covered on our site.
MUSIC REVIEWS — Just as long as it has an obvious horror or horror-adjacent angle to it. But hey, you never know when Michael Bolton might make a giallo-inspired album, though.
TV REVIEWS — No, not of the televisions themselves, but the programs that appear inside them. Netflix, Hulu, Starz and Tubi programming all qualify here.
CONSUMER REVIEWS — Now here’s where we getting wacky. Horror is so en vogue nowadays, fast food establishments are releasing tie-in monster burgers, cosmetics companies are selling nail polishes based on slasher icons and you can walk into any Home Depot in the U.S. and buy a 20 foot tall animatronic skeleton in the middle of July. I want Wicked Horror to become the first horror website to review Jason Voorhees-themed underarm deoderant, Chucky-inspired protein powders and Hocus Pocus-branded lipgloss — if not corner the market altogether.
RETROSPECTIVES — Did a certain horror property make a big impression on your personal life? Well, break out those number two pencils and write us an essay about it! The more inventive and unique your take, the better.
THINK PIECES — Time to put on our thinking caps, kids! Do you have evidence that a certain horror property is actually about deeper issues in politics and society? We at Wicked Horror are ALL about that kind of stuff. Again, the more atypical and intriguing your premise, the more likely we are to publish it.
INTERVIEWS — Filmmakers, actors, writers, cosplayers, video game developers, novelists, special effects people, streaming celebrities … they all want coverage and a chance to promote their latest endeavors. We get WAY more requests than we can handle, but if you’re an inquisitive and intrepid reporter we’d love to have you whittle down our backlog.
PHOTOS AND VIDEOS — There’s a major horror convention going on pretty much every weekend in the States. Why not hone your multimedia skills and send us some pics and clips of your most recent con adventure? Oh, and we’re totally doing a best Halloween costume contest this fall, so start prepping that sexy Horace Pinker outfit ASAP.
So all of that to say, we’d love to see what you’ve got. If you’re interested, feel free to send an email to JamesXSwift86@gmail.com with the heading WICKED HORROR APPLICATION (it doesn’t have to be in all capital letters, though.) Let me know what type of article you’d like to write for us and if you’ve got it on you, send over some previously published work, resumes, portfolios and/or freestyle poetry about House II: The Second Story. It might take a day or two to get back in touch with you, but if you email me I will respond and give you more details on what to do moving forward.
I look forward to hearing from you, readers. Or should I say soon to be Wicked Horror writers?