NERD HORROR STORIES

Nerd Horror Stories is our anthology series of original horror fiction.

These slow-burn stories are designed for late-night listening and reading, inspired by classic horror anthologies and modern internet horror traditions. Many of the stories draw from real places, regional legends, and strange historical events, blending folklore, urban lore, and contemporary fear into modern horror mythology.

These are the stories whispered online, shared in comment threads, and remembered long after the lights go out.

THE RELIC VAULT

The Nerd Horror Relic Vault is our growing archive of strange horror artifacts.

Inside the Vault you’ll find bizarre VHS covers, forbidden horror media, lost relics of fandom, strange merchandise, cursed movie posters, forgotten games, and alternate pop-culture artifacts that feel like they slipped out of a timeline that never existed.

Some relics are reconstructed from lost media.
Some are newly created cultural artifacts.
Others feel like they’ve always existed somewhere in horror history.

The Relic Vault is where horror fandom becomes archaeology.

THE STUDIO

Nerd Horror develops original horror projects across multiple forms of media.

Our studio produces narrative worlds that expand through stories, films, games, and interactive media. Many of these projects explore the Nerd Horror genre directly, building new myths and characters that live across different platforms and formats.

By combining storytelling, design, and transmedia worldbuilding, Nerd Horror develops projects that allow fans to explore horror universes far beyond a single story.

THE FOUNDING NERDS OF NERD HORROR

Hal Hefner

Hal Hefner is an award-winning strategist, writer, and creative director specializing in fan-centric storytelling and transmedia experiences.

As a writer and marketing strategist in the entertainment industry, Hal has worked with every major studio creating campaigns and content for film, television, and games. His work blends storytelling, mythology, and audience participation to create deeper connections between fans and the worlds they love.

Hal has collaborated with innovators such as Ridley Scott and 3AM on The Martian and with Fourth Wall Studios on the Emmy-winning interactive series Dirty Work. He has worked across horror, science fiction, animation, and interactive storytelling, contributing to campaigns for projects including Chucky and Yellowjackets Season 2.

Hal is also a Professor of Transmedia Storytelling at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). In addition to his work in film and media, he created the pop art series CONSUME and previously served as Creative Director at DeviantArt.

Hal lives in Los Angeles, California.

Justine Norton-Kertson

Justine Norton-Kertson is an author, publisher, and game designer and the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Solarpunk Magazine and Android Press.

Books they have edited and published have been finalists for the Bram Stoker, Nebula, British Science Fiction, and British Fantasy Awards. Their narrative role-playing game Fighting for the Future released in 2023, and their solarpunk RPG City of Hope releases in July 2025.

Their nonfiction book Utopian Witch: Solarpunk Magick to Fight Climate Change and Save the World was published by Microcosm Publishing in 2024. Their debut horror novella Gutterspace will be released in October 2026 by Stars & Sabers Publishing.

Justine lives in Fall Creek, Oregon.

THE NERD HORROR LAB

Nerd Horror proudly partners with the Rochester Institute of Technology, working with student creators across writing, filmmaking, design, and interactive media.

Through internships and collaborative projects, Nerd Horror helps emerging storytellers gain real-world experience in the media and entertainment industry while contributing to the development of new creative work.