Contagion. Infection. Indoctrination. If there were ever a time to consider the ways in which germs, ideologies, or beliefs travel and proliferate throughout our society, that time is now. From the Covid-19 pandemic to the brain-melting contamination of vulnerable minds by Fox News and Qanon, the last year has served as a cogent demonstration of the ability of both tangible and intangible phenomena to rapidly alter the fabric of our world—for better or for worse.

Our September 2021 issue will explore how the concept of contagion manifests in horror. The genre has long been fascinated by the transmission of monstrosity—we see this in texts featuring vampirism, lycanthropy, and zombification in all of its forms. Films and documentaries about cults illustrate the danger of opening yourself up to potentially dangerous ideas, and tech-focused millennial horror taps into the terror that may be wrought when digital phantoms replicate themselves and spread beyond their origin or our control.

This issue will look at horror films, television programs, novels, comics, and video games featuring characters or plots that tie into these themes. We also accept pitches for interviews, particularly with women involved with the creation of horror cinema and television (directors, editors, composers, costume designers, actors, sound designers, etc) and other horror content (authors, publishers, artists, YouTubers, journalists, academics, etc).

Personal essays are also highly encouraged. 

Desired topics include but are not limited to:

  • The politics of immunity (possible text: Blood Quantum) 
  • Contagion and the family dynamic (some possible texts: Maggie, It Comes at Night, 28 Weeks Later)

The above are only suggestions, feel free to choose different texts or topics for your pitch. Once a topic from the list above has been claimed, it will be removed. Consider listed topics still available at the time that you read them!

If you have an analysis, interview, essay, or listicle you’d like to pitch, please email bonjourgrim[at]gmail.com and provide a brief overview (including texts being covered), an estimated word count, and a link to relevant writing samples. Pitches may be submitted until April 10th. The final draft deadline is June 1st. 

As always, we want to hear from writers who identify as female, LGBT2QI+, BIPOC, and/or people with disabilities.

Stay spooky!

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