Source Point Press has announced the release of their two zombie anthologies, “Feast of the Dead” and “Feast of the Dead: Hors D’oeuvres”, to debut at the Detroit Zombie Con on August 17th. These books collect together zombie stories, poems, and artwork from some of the best in the horror business.

“Although considered part of modern folklore, zombies and the undead have been terrifying cultures around the world for thousands of years,” said Source Point Press Editor-In-Chief Trico Lutkins. “Their success in the 60s and 70s was due in part to zombies being an allegory for communism. The thought of masses with no sense of self seemed terrifying to the Western World where individualism is held as a prized trait. Zombies have seen a resurgence in recent years, perhaps due to fears that technology meant to help us communicate better is actually creating a disconnect between people.”

Lutkins said that these fears seem evident in more recent zombie fiction, “where there has been a shift from depicting the fear of the hordes consuming their victims toward showing how the survivors band together and reconnect without technology’s aid or intervention.”

Feast of the Dead collects stories that chronicle the survivors of a plague and how they save not only their lives, “but also their humanity,” said Lutkins. Among the talented horror authors featured are Niccolo Skill, Mathias Jansson, Gary Reed (the creator of the Deadworld comic series), Jay Wilburn (Life Among the Zombies and Loose Ends), and several others.

While Feast of the Dead focuses on short stories from a diverse and talented collection of authors, Hors D’oeuvres collects even shorter stories, poetry, illustrations, and even some surprise celebrity interviews.

“We’re very excited at the incredible talent being featured,” said Joshua Werner, Source Point’s Art Director. “FotD: Hors D’oeuvres will feature some illustrations from artists who’ve really contributed to the zombie genre, such as Jerry Gaylord from Fanboys Vs. Zombies and Mark Bloodworth of Deadworld fame. We’re proud to announce that Hors D’oeuvres will also feature exclusive in-depth interviews with horror film FX legend Robert Kurtzman and actress Emma Bell who played ‘Amy’ on The Walking Dead.”

Kurtzman’s makeup and special FX contributions to the horror genre seem endless, including films such as Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness, Wishmaster, From Dusk Till Dawn, Jason Goes to Hell, Texas Chainsaw 3D, Hostel, and The Devil’s Rejects.

“Emma gave us a really fantastic interview,” Werner said, “and fans of The Walking Dead will really want to check out the things we discussed about the show, as well as other projects she’s working on.”