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After making its first film deal on a Biblical epic about Jesus Christ from a book by gothic horror novelist Anne Rice, faith-based media company Good News Holdings is hatching a horror franchise.

Good News has teamed with Illinois-based Tyndale House Publishers -- a company best known for publishing the Holy Bible -- on "Dudleytown," a series of teen-oriented novels Bodie Ingelvie is writing about the reputedly haunted town of Dudleytown, Conn.

Deserted for years following a series of disappearances and murders, 1,000 acres of the town were bought by a private group and "no trespassing" signs line the now-wooded area that was reportedly an inspiration for "The Blair Witch Project."

Ingelvie, who'll also write the screenplay, starts the series with "Dudleytown: Voice," a journal written from the viewpoint of a 17-year-old protag. Goal is for Tyndale House to publish the book when the movie is released in late 2007.

While genre films have proven they can scare up coin, horror would still seem an unusual direction for a Christian media company and publishing company.

Good News Holdings chairman George Barna made the deal with Tyndale House Publishers senior veep Doug Knox and Red Barn Films, the company that controls the rights to the book series.