About Us

Scary person in the mist

At school, while your friends were talking about football, you were flipping through a comic about the Necronomicon. Weird? Maybe. But football is boring AF compared to learning about malevolent beings, hauntings, ancient myths, and the scary stuff that other people would sooner ignore. You know, the stuff that no one seems to be able to explain?

The Mystery… The Horror!

Explore the unknown, the unspoken with us!

If that sounds like you, then we’re your tribe at Puzzle Box Horror. We are the kids that grew up watching horror films we were probably too young to enjoy (when our parents weren’t looking). We’re the ones that went as bloodied zombies when everyone else wanted to be a dude from Star Wars for Halloween.


Growing Our Fan Site & Community

Puzzle Box Horror began in the winter of 2019 and we already have thousands of horror fan visitors every month. So, we’re still new but growing. Wondering what we have coming up for our community and what to look forward to on our website? Here’s what we are working on right now to entertain our visitors, guests, and friends.

  • Weekly articles about horror books, comics, films, and only the most terrifying lore.
  • The Puzzle Box Horror publications have started. We have the bi-annual Atlas of Lore and are kicking off our original comics in 2021
  • Author and creator interviews and suggestions. We are focusing on indie authors as well as giving you the best of lists to help guide you to the best supernatural horror out there.

So, why the Puzzle Box fascination?

It’s a symbol that connects the motivation behind curiosity in paranormal and terror-inducing stories. The movie Hell Raiser made more than an impression on the Founder of Puzzle Box Horror (Chad Dahlstrom), but the myths behind the cursed artifact of a puzzle box have actually been around for centuries. All the way back to Greek Mythology, when some curious gal decided to open a box that she knew was forbidden.

So much of the paranormal is forbidden or at least suppressed and it takes a diehard fan who wants to explore answers; someone who enjoys the thrill of the unknown and the macabre happenstance of stories around the world that just can’t be explained. We believe something is out there. We’ve talked to people who have had very real (and terrifying) experiences. And we want to know more.

Thanks for being part of our community of horror fans and paranormal-obsessed people who ask the questions that most people are afraid to find answers for.


Welcome to Puzzle Box Horror, where the really scary stories begin...


Meet our Writers

Mary Farnstrom, The Unhinged Alaskan

Now a horror author and illustrator, Mary has been a freelance writer for over a decade—she spent her time at Fullerton College studying humanities with an emphasis on English and the Arts, but upon moving to Alaska and attending the University of Alaska Fairbanks, she moved on to Indigenous Languages, Linguistics, and Anthropology. As an Honor Society member, she regularly volunteers her time to help students refine their own academic and creative writing endeavors. Her work has appeared in magazine publications such as Chevening Scholarship Magazine, and Puzzle Box Horror’s own, Atlas of Lore. She has been a partner and the head writer and staff editor at Puzzle Box Horror since the site launched in November 2019.

She can be found on her Official Website: The Unhinged Alaskan


Jackie Knight, Modern Cauldron

Jackie has been a hobby writer in the field of pagan spirituality and true crime but began to branch out as a freelance writer in early 2020. As a person who is highly sensitive to the spiritual and paranormal world, she decided at a young age to devote her life to studying different aspects of the unseen world. She holds a degree in Ancient Religious Sciences and is a High Priestess and spiritual tutor in her free time. Jackie’s writing has appeared in Puzzle Box Horror’s own, Atlas of Lore. She presently works as a writer for Puzzle Box Horror where she lends her expertise on paranormal and supernatural subjects, hoping to help educate and entertain readers who are immersed in horror culture.

She can be found on her Official Website: Modern Cauldron


Tritone

Jack’s love of horror and mystery began at a young age. Growing up in the 80’s he got to see some of the greatest horror movies play out in the best of venues, the drive-in theater. That’s when his obsession with the genre really began—but it wasn’t just the movies, it was the games, the books, the comics, and the lore behind it all that really ignited his obsession. As a musician, he has composed for several movies, as a writer, he established this very site, and as a storyteller, he collaborates with the writers here to bring new indie horror and lore to life.


Ezekiel Kincaid

Photo os horror author Ezekiel Kincaid

Ezekiel brings a unique and original touch to the horror genre. Why? Well, there are lots of reasons. First, he was a pastor for twenty years, so he knows a thing or three about the demonic, death, and dealing with people in crappy situations. Second, the only other language he is fluent in is sarcasm. This means he has a flair for horror-comedy. Third, he also has a serious intellectual side, seeing that he has three theological degrees. He can write deep and thought-provoking horror that will make you question everything and poo your pants at the same time. Finally, Zeke was a child of the 80’s and can do throwback better than you can. To wrap this bio up, he is also married with four kids and two dogs. He is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, played football in college and likes to train in martial arts. Zeke hates cat videos but loves wrestling promos from the 80’s. 


Ben Long

Ben Long bio pic

Ben’s love for horror began at a young age when he devoured books like the Goosebumps series and the various scary stories of Alvin Schwartz. Growing up he spent an unholy amount of time binge watching horror films and staying up till the early hours of the morning playing games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill. Since then his love for the genre has only increased, expanding to include all manner of subgenres and mediums. He firmly believes in the power of horror to create an imaginative space for exploring our connection to each other and the universe, but he also appreciates the pure entertainment of B movies and splatterpunk fiction.

Nowadays you can find Ben hustling his skills as a freelance writer and editor. When he’s not building his portfolio or spending time with his wife and two kids, he’s immersing himself in his reading and writing. Though he loves horror in all forms, he has a particular penchant for indie authors and publishers. He is a proud supporter of the horror community and spends much of his free time reviewing and promoting the books/comics you need to be reading right now! You can find more of Ben’s work on his blog and Instagram profile.

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