Joshua Hoffine is regarded as the father of modern horror photography. He stages his photo-shoots like small movies, with sets, costumes, elaborate props, fog machines, and SPFX make-up. His work focuses on the psychology of fear, and the metaphoric capacity of the horror genre to express social commentary and criticism.
Hoffine began making horror photographs in 2003 with his series After Dark, My Sweet, which featured his young daughters in scenes exploring classic childhood fears.
The advent of social media propelled Hoffine's work to global recognition, establishing him as one of the first viral photographers. His images inspired a new wave of photographers to explore horror-themed photography, contributing to the emergence of a distinct subgenre within the medium.
His horror photographs have been featured in numerous publications around the world, including Rue Morgue, Fangoria, Horror Hound, Scream UK, Virus, Famous Monsters of Filmland, The Atlantic, Vice, Esquire, Washington Post, Mirror UK, Lamono, Exit, LoDown, Beautiful Bizarre, Suspense Magazine, HuffPost, BuzzFeeed, BBC, and ABC News.
In 2018 Dark Regions Press published a hardbound collection of his photographs entitled Joshua Hoffine: Horror Photography. The comprehensive volume spans 13 years of work and includes rare behind-the-scenes photos and artist commentary. A signed and numbered Deluxe Limited Edition of the book was also released in leather with a dust jacket and black linen slipcase. The book quickly sold out.
He lives in Kansas City in an old house by a cemetery.