Longtime readers of Daily Grindhouse (and horror fans in general) will be familiar with MENTAL HEALTH AND HORROR, the currently in-production documentary from former Dread Central EIC Jonathan Barkan that aims to look at the intersection of mental wellness and the horror genre. Today we’re pleased to make the exclusive announcement of some exciting new additions to the cast, including cartoonist Jhonen Vasquez (Johnny the Homicidal Maniac; Invader Zim); Rue Morgue magazine’s Kaci “The Homicidal Homemaker” Hansen; Fatale Collective’s Lola Blanc (American Horror Story); writer Megan Rosati (Two Sentence Horror Stories; Bleed); writer and actress Rebecca-Lucia Wilcox (Clubhouse Horror, Frightfest New Blood); podcast host and writer Jenn Adams (The Losers Club, Psychoanalysis, Strong Female Antagonist); and Sara ‘Chibi’ Taylor, lead singer of The Birthday Massacre.

Further, to help the documentary continue to expand in depth and scope, a second crowdfunding campaign was launched today on IdieGoGo, giving fans who missed the opportunity to contribute to the first one the chance to help see the project through to fruition. You can check that out here!

Says Barkan: “Over half a year ago, we broke ground and began production on MENTAL HEALTH & HORROR: A DOCUMENTARY. Since then, we have conducted nearly 30 interviews with people around the world. From horror fans to creators in the genre to mental health professionals who recognize the validity and positive impact that horror can have, our documentary is full of diverse, knowledgeable, passionate voices who have spoken their truths so that others don’t have to feel alone. The work we’ve done so far with MENTAL HEALTH & HORROR: A DOCUMENTARY has exceeded my wildest expectations and the response to our project has been overwhelming in the most beautiful and incredible of ways. There’s still so much to do but I promise you that we’re creating something that will touch the hearts of countless people. Join us and help be a part of something truly special.”

With an already impressive list of horror creatives and scholars, the new additions only further cement this as some must-see documentary filmmaking when it premiers, and an exciting addition to contemporary horror discourse and analysis. We can’t wait to see it!

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Preston Fassel

Preston Fassel is an award-winning novelist and journalist whose work has appeared in Fangoria, Rue Morgue, Screem Magazine and on Dread Central and Cinedump.com. He is the author of the first published biography of Vanessa Howard, Remembering Vanessa, which appeared in the spring 2014 issue of Screem. His debut novel, Our Lady of the Inferno, won the Gold Medal for Horror at the 2019 Independent Publisher’s Book Awards and was named one of the ten best horror books of 2018 by Bloody Disgusting.

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