What with the two Wolf Creek films, Saw and The Babadook, Australia has the beginnings of a horror-film tradition. Despite a mixed critical response, it's clear that we know how to chill on the screen. But what about on the page?

A number of Australian writers are doing interesting work in the genre, but you may not know about them. That's probably because horror writing in general has such a rotten reputation. It's supposed to be schlocky, exploitative, revolting, hideously violent and just plain bad. It can be all those things. But it can also be quite disturbingly good.

Author Dmetri Kakmi: "Horror is never just about being afraid." Credit:Simon Schluter

Another reason you might not know about Australian horror writers is that it's hard for them to get published: their work is seen as too underground for the mainstream. But there are ways around this, and the editors of a new anthology are seeking crowd funding to get their project out. If they succeed, the book will be the start of a Down Under imprint, Horror Australis.

Cthulhu: Deep Down Under (www.horroraustralis.com), edited by Steve Proposch, Christopher Sequeira and Bryce Stevens, brings together 24 writers and 24 artists inspired by the stories of H. P. Lovecraft, an American author ignored in his day who since his death has become a huge cult figure, the Tolkien of horror, and an influence on writers such as Stephen King.