Preston Fassel (born September 11, 1985) is an American author, journalist, film critic, and producer primarily known for his work in the horror and crime genres. His work has appeared in Fangoria, Rue Morgue, Screem magazine, Dread Central, The Daily Grindhouse, and Cinedump.com. He is the author of Remembering Vanessa, the first biography of actress Vanessa Howard, published in the Spring 2014 issue of Screem. From 2017 to 2020, he was a staff writer for Fangoria; in 2018, the magazine published his debut novel, Our Lady of the Inferno, as the first entry in their "FANGORIA Presents" imprint. The book received an overwhelmingly positive critical response, and was named one of the ten best horror books of 2018 by Bloody Disgusting. Since the book's publication he has been described as a cult author.
Early life
Fassel was born in Houston, Texas, but spent his childhood between St. Louis, Missouri and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. He was raised with both Catholic and Jewish religious and cultural traditions; his mother's family came from a line of Poles and crypto-Jews.Coming Soon - Interview with Preston Fassel. Published 12 October 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2019Kuebler, Monica. Five for Frightening: Preston Fassel. Pub. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2019 His father worked for the phone company, and he grew up around telecommunications equipment, later comparing part of his childhood experience to the aesthetics of Videodrome.
When he was seventeen, Fassel dropped out of high school and obtained his GED after budget cuts resulted in the elimination of most of his school's elective courses. After obtaining his GED, he interned for the Broken Arrow police department evidence room, where he received the President's Volunteer Service Award for his work.Staff Report. "Broken Arrow Native will be coming Soon to Bookshelves Near You." The Broken Arrow Ledger. 8 January 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2019 He attended community college at Lone Star College in Conroe, Texas, where he began writing short stories set in 1970s Times Square that were published in the campus's literary journal.Danielle, Tori. "Pop Horror's Q&A with Rue Morgue's Preston Fassel. Retrieved 19 November 2019 He late transferred to Sam Houston State University, from which he graduated in 2011 with a degree in psychology.Kendall, Gavin. "Author Preston Fassel Chats to Kendall Reviews. Pub. 30 July 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2019
Fassel spent his teenage years renting horror and exploitation films from local video rental stores in Oklahoma, initially out of a desire to desensitize himself to disturbing imagery and as an act of defiance against what he perceived of as the oppressively conservative culture of rural Oklahoma; he would later credit his love of horror cinema as contributing to his desire to become a horror writer.Tramel, Jimmy. "Horror writer conquered fears, found career by visiting Broken Arrow video stores." The Tulsa World. Pub. 19 October 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019 He further credited his mother's purchasing him a copy of Stephen King's The Shining with inspiring him to become a horror writer,Barkan, Jonathan. Fangoria Releasing OUR LADY OF THE INFERNO Under Fangoria Presents Label. Dread Central. Published 19 May 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2019 and Bill Landis and Michelle Clifford's Sleazoid Express with interesting him in 42nd street culture.
Career
Fassel initially began writing for an optometric trade publication while working as an optician, receiving a job offer after writing a letter to the editor. He later transitioned into writing for Rue Morgue after pitching a story to their editor-in-chief at a horror convention, beginning by writing reviews and later transitioning into writing feature stories. During his time at the magazine, Fassel was nominated for the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for an interview he conducted with Herschell Gordon Lewis.Colton, David. 16th Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards Ballot. Published 26 Feb 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2019 Concurrently to his time with Rue Morgue, Fassel also contributed to the pop culture websites Cinedump.com and HeardTell.com, being nominated for a further two Rondo awards for an interview with Kelli Maroney and in the best category article, respectively.Results of 17th Annual Rondo Awards He spent 2013 researching the life of actress Vanessa Howard, culminating in the first published biography of her, "Remembering Vanessa," printed in the Spring 2014 issue of Screem magazine.McGillvray, Maddi. "Fangoria Presents Our Lady of the Inferno, Coming this September." Rue Morgue Online. Published 23 May 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2019
Beginning in 2007, Fassel began working on a book he would later call "the theater story" that acted as an expansion of the short stories he had written in college; he worked on it for a period of about six years before shelving the project because "it was really terrible" and, despite being 250,000 words, "nothing had happened in it yet."Frightmakers 101: Horror Writing with Preston Fassel He would later recycle ideas from "the theater story" into his debut novel, Our Lady of the Inferno. Fassel initially sold the book to an independent press called Fear Front based out of Georgia, shortly before the company went out of business. Around the time of the book's publication, Fassel worked as an extra on the set of Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich, where he met producer Dallas Sonnier, who expressed interest in acquiring the film rights; Fassel later convinced Sonnier to purchase the republication rights as well. Fassel additionally asked for a job with Sonnier's production company, Cinestate, as part of the deal, unaware that Sonnier had recently purchased Fangoria magazine; Sonnier subsequently hired Fassel to work for the publication. He joined the staff as a writer in 2017; from 2018 until the magazine's 2020 sale, he wrote a column called Corrupt Signals, focusing on obscure and foreign horror cinema. For his work with Fangoria, Fassel was nominated for a Rondo award for best column and (along with Tate Steinsiek) best article.Colton, David. Here is the official ballot for the (Gasp!!) 17th ANNUAL RONDO HATTON CLASSIC HORROR AWARDS. Published 19 February 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019
Fangoria republished Our Lady of the Inferno in September 2018 to generally positive reviews. It was named one of Bloody Disgusting's ten best horror books of 2018,Navarro, Meagan. 10 Best Books of 2018 for the Horror Fan. Published 17 December 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019 and won gold in the horror category at the 2019 Independent Publisher Book AwardsMillican, Joshua. Fangoria and Cinestate Win Big at Independent Publisher Book Awards. Published 18 April 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019
In 2018, it was announced that a film adaptation of the book was in development at Fangoria, with Fassel collaborating on the screenplay and serving as an executive producer alongside Sonnier and Phil Nobile Jr.N'Duka, Amanda. Laura Moss & Brendan J. O’Brien To Pen Film Adaptation To Preston Fassel's Book ‘Our Lady Of The Inferno’ For Fangoria. Published 3 December 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2019
In 2019, it was announced that Fangoria would publish Fassel's second novel, Beasts of 42nd Street, in 2020.Monson, Leigh. FANGORIA Presents A New Novel From OUR LADY OF THE INFERNO Scribe Preston Fassel. Published 19 November 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019 In 2020, he served as the editor for Mick Garris' debut anthology, These Evil Things We Do. Following the 2020 sale of Fangoria to Tara Ansley and Abhi Goel, Fassel said that the publishing rights to Beasts had reverted to him, and that the option on the film rights to Our Lady of the Inferno would expire in 2022. In 2021, he published his first novella, a science fiction horror-comedy, The Despicable Fantasies of Quentin Sergenov, with 35% of proceeds going to The Trevor Project.Squires, John. A Pro Wrestler Becomes a Monster in Preston Fassel's Novella The Despicable Fantasies of Quentin Sergenov. Published 20 January 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021
In 2021 Fassel published his first nonfiction work, Landis: The Story of a Real Man on 42nd Street, the first ever biography of Sleazoid Express founder Bill Landis, which also includes a history of the magazine.Squires, John. Encyclopocalypse Launches Daily Grindhouse Literary Imprint with Landis: The Story of a Real Man on 42nd Street. Published 1 November 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021. It was later adapted into an audiodrama starring Kelli Maroney, produced by Fassel and Mark Alan Miller.
In 2022, pre-production began on the feature film The Eyes of Jefferson, a fictionalized retelling of the life of Dallas serial killer Charles Albright, which Fassel co-wrote with director Jonathan Brownlee.
In 2023, Beasts of 42nd Street was released through Cemetery Dance Publications. The book received mostly positive reviews and received an honorable mention at the 2024 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. Archive link
From 2024-2025, Fassel was a staff writer for Hammer's Law, a webseries created and hosted by Darryl Isaacs. Fassel wrote eight episodes of the series.
Fassel co-wrote the script for the 2026 thriller Marrow with director Mitch McLeod and star Jessica Dawn Willis, based on a story by McLeod. Inspired by a stalking incident from McLeod's own life, Fassel incorporated many autobiographical elements into the screenplay. Starring Michael Ironside and Danielle Harris, the film premiered to generally positive reviews at the USA Film Festival.
In 2026, it was announced that a script by Fassel, Bridgette Wrona and the Whisper Creek Murders, based on a concept by Cameron Hazelwood, had been adapted into a film by Mary Beth McAndrews and starring Kelli Maroney. Fassel revealed to Daily Dead that he had written the role, described as "[the] resident Blanche DuBois, a resale shop proprietress with a shadowy connection to the town’s past," especially for Maroney.
Personal life
Fassel is Jewish, and has said his cultural heritage has had a "tremendous impact" on him. He is a member of Temple Emanu-El.
Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Work Result2017Rondo Hatton Classic Horror AwardBest InterviewHershell Gordon Lewis Interview, Rue Morgue Magazine2018Rondo Hatton Classic Horror AwardBest InterviewKelli Maroney Interview, Cinedump.com2018Rondo Hatton Classic Horror AwardBest Article"Less is More: On the Need for a Return to Generic Horror," HeardTell.com2019Rondo Hatton Classic Horror AwardBest Article"Master of Puppets/How to Slit your own Throat" (With Tate Steinsiek), Fangoria2019Independent Publisher's Book AwardHorrorOur Lady of the Inferno2021Rondo Hatton Classic Horror AwardBest InterviewJoe Zito/Barney Cohen (Friday the 13th Part 4), Dread Central2021Rondo Hatton Classic Horror AwardBest ColumnCorrupt Signals, Fangoria2022Rondo Hatton Classic Horror AwardBook of the YearLandis: The Story of a Real Man on 42nd Street2022Independent Publisher's Book AwardHorrorThe Despicable Fantasies of Quentin Sergenov2024Rondo Hatton Classic Horror AwardBook of the YearBeasts of 42nd Street
Bibliography
Novels 2016: Our Lady of the Inferno 2023: Beasts of 42nd Street
Novellas 2021: The Despicable Fantasies of Quentin Sergenov
Nonfiction 2021: Landis: The Story of a Real Man on 42nd Street 2023: Necessary Death: What Horror Movies Teach Us About Navigating the Human Experience
Anthologies 2019: My Favorite Horror Movie 3: Scream Warriors (essay "Videodrome")
As editor 2020: These Evil Things We Do: The Mick Garris Collection by Mick Garris
Filmography
Films and shorts