From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Jezebeth (2011)

Posted on July 25, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Independent horror films are alive and well, and over the decades millions have been made with all types of budgets from backyard gore epics to bigger budget films being released by the likes of A24 and Neon. And all have delighted those of us who love the genre of horror. One thing that I always love is when these filmmakers and studios realize that comic books are an amazing tool to promote and expand on the film’s universe. One filmmaker who understood this is Damien Dante, who created a film series called Jezebeth that also got a comic book that helped explore more of the twisted mind of the demonic vampire lead killer! And as you guessed by now, I will be doing a From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update all about Jezebeth! This is one of those indie films I am sure a large amount of you readers have not heard of, and to be honest, while I have heard of it, doing this review was my first time viewing! So if you want to find Hell with Jezebeth, let’s start our dark and twisted comic book journey with her!

Let’s first take a look at Jezebeth and her ways of dealing death to those who are foolish enough to cross her path. Jezebeth is a demonic being that was born to be evil and has extreme powers and carries a curse for all who summon and have contact with her. Jezebeth is a mix between a vampire and demon and is very cute in appearance. Her good looks can deceive those she comes across and has selected as her victim. She has razor sharp fangs and a deep menacing demonic voice, and yes, she does use the fangs to bite into human flesh. Once she bites you, she can also control you and you can become one of her mindless pawns in her demonic game of power that also can go out and kill with their fangs. She is abusive physically, verbally and emotionally to her victims as well and likes to strike fear into people’s hearts. She also likes dealing out both pleasure and pain and takes great joy in doing so to her scared and innocent victims. She is sadistic and pure evil and almost worships herself as she thinks she is the only higher being that matters as she is immortal. Oh and let us not forget, she will also use weapons like knives and hammers on her victims and has zero remorse for taking a human life. How can Jezebeth be stopped you are asking. As of the first film, she does not show any weakness once she is unleashed, making her very dangerous to all of mankind. It does seem that while Jezebeth plays tough she might have a fear of God himself. So in other words Jezebeth is very deadly and walks the line of being unstoppable and not knowing what to do with all her power.

So now that we have talked about the sinister Jezebeth and her blood thirsty ways, let’s take a few moments and talk about the film that spawned her! The film is of course called Jezebeth, and I will be taking the film’s write up from our friends at IMDB and then I will write briefly about the film’s production and then about my thoughts about the film. So if you are ready, let’s take an occult filled walk with Jezebeth.

Jezebeth (2011)

“In the attic of an ancestral home, a devil worshiping sadist, Jezebeth Blandy, at war with God, unwittingly discovers a nineteenth century diary that details the summoning of a demon. Jezebeth succeeds in breaking a satanic code inside her hell room which creates for her two realities.”

Jezebeth is a film from 2011 that was made by director Damien Dante, an independent filmmaker who is known for being the creator of Jezebeth as he was also the writer for the film as well as much more on the set while the film was being made. Plus I am pretty sure Dark Star Records had a big hand in making this film as all of the songs used in the film are from that record company and the film even got its own theme song by the band Slam Bang. You see SGL Entertainment and Dark Star Records are owned by the same guy, and the film Jezebeth is released by SGL and that’s how they got access to all these songs. The film brought in such actors as Katie Auerbach, Colleena Corrigan, Galina Emmerich, Drake Mefestta and Bree Michaels as Jezebeth, and many of these actors’ only film credits is this film. The film was released in 2011 and even had a big theatrical premier and would have many of the cast doing signings as at local Hot Topic store in a mall. The film was your normal indie low budget production was also joined in the world of horror in 2011 by such films as Cabin In The Woods, You’re Next, Wrong Turn 4, Scream 4, The Howling Reborn, Laid To Rest 2 and Monster Brawl, to name a few. While the film is not super iconic in the world of horror films, it has built up its own cult following among fans of B-Horror Films.

Jezebeth is a film that I have heard of but took me way longer then it should have to check out as I have owned the DVD of the film for a while now but I did not watch it until early 2021! I have to say that the film’s acting is pretty rough in spots and it seems like the actors are reading from cue cards. I can look past it for the most part, but some parts are just so overly hammy that I found myself laughing out loud. The plot of a demon curse coming to live again in modern time over an old diary an occultist woman finds in her old family attic is pretty cool and classic horror stuff, but while to plot is fun, the filmmakers do seem to pad the runtime with long montages and strip club scenes that are filled with music from the record company that helped make the film. It tends to drag down the pacing of the film with slow motioned shots of graveyards and characters that mean nothing at all to the film’s overall story. I did like actress Bree Michaels who played Jezebeth as I feel she did well with what she was given, and I liked that the character’s voice would change deeper once the demonic vampire would take over her body. It reminded me a lot of the character Angela Franklin from the film 1988 film Night Of The Demons. And to be honest after seeing the first film, I went to Amazon and ordered the sequel as the film made me want to see more of what Jezebeth had in store for me! I think Damien Dante is a man who really stands behind his creation as he has gone all in on Jezebeth and not only did he make a sequel he also did a three episode TV Show, did a comic book as well as a novel series in the works showing that Damien is a man who loves the world and character he created, and to me that shows lots of heart and makes me respect this film a little more. While the film is far from perfect and is not a household name in horror, it is one that has heart from all those who made it and that counts for something. If you like horror movies that are like music videos, have lots of nudity, demonic vampires and rock music, then check out Jezebeth.

So now that we have talked about Jezebeth and the film that spawned her, we should now get to the indie horror comic that was released by Stigmata Studios in 2014 that brought her alive with ink on these pages. I would like to thank IndyPlanet for having this comic in stock and making this update possible. I would also like to remind all you readers that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, their entertainment value and their art and story. So with that, let’s crack open this diary and give it a read and see what this comic has in store for us.

Jezebeth # 1 **1/2
Released in 2014 Cover Price $2.99 Stigmata Studios # 1 of 1

At a club the all female band called The Sisters Of Solomon is on stage, and the crowd are loving them. The lead singer is Jezebeth, and she uses her powers to have two females meet her back stage and she and her band feed on their blood as her band is also made up of demonic vampire creatures. Meanwhile a female witch hunter crusader finds an abandon church that Jezebeth has taken over and has covered in satanic symbols. She summons a demon and with the power of God forces the creature to tell her where Jezebeth is hiding now. The demon alerts her that she is at another church making it her own. The female Crusader heads to the church and gears up in knights armor and rushes in and slaughters two of the band members before coming face to face with Jezebeth! As the two face off, Jezebeth uses her charm on the Crusader and makes her fall under her spell and then makes love to her breaking her bond with God and taking away her holy powers. Jezebeth thinks it funny and brags to the Crusader that her God has left her and with that the Crusaders uses her own sword to slit her wrists and as she is dying Jezebeth feeds on the warm blood.

This comic is a fast read and showcases the sinister power of the demon vampire known as Jezebeth and has her fronting an all female rock band and making old churches her home and even uses her powers to kill a Holy Crusader that was sent to kill her. Jezebeth uses her song lyrics as spells and is clearly traveling around America and using her satanic charms in order to lure women to her so that she can kill them and drink their blood. She is pure evil and even is strong enough to use her powers on holy warriors in order to corrupt them, and its crazy to think she loves being so evil! The other band members are evil as well and love to feed on the blood of those Jezebeth targets for death! And the Female Crusader Warrior comes from a long line of warriors who have fought and killed many witches, werewolves and other creatures over the centuries, but she is not ready for a demonic creature that is as strong as Jezebeth and her will is broken really fast and she is driven to suicide when her pure virginity is taken. The comic does a good job of capturing the weird and randomness of the film series and does a fantastic job of bring Jezebeth to the world of comic pages. The comic is also filled with blood and violent acts as well as some nudity making it a true horror comic. I also have to praise everyone involved in making this comic as I think more indie comic companies and indie horror film makers should team up and make comics like this as the world and readers need more comics based on horror films! The cover is pretty cool and is eye catching as it showcases both Jezebeth and the Female Crusader and draws you in with the design. The interior art is done by Jon Towers and is very classic indie comic style, and I have to say I like it as I find it raw and fitting for a comic based on this film. I think if you like the Jezebeth film series and TV show or even just like comics based on films, you should check this one out. Take a look at the artwork below to see the style of Towers and also see what Jezebeth looks like in this comic book.

Jezebeth the comic book was a fun read that helped add layers to the character that in this case I think the films left out and delivered a good horror comic based on a film that really did do justice to the over all character and universe created by Damien. While Jezebeth the film will not be every horror fan’s cup of tea it will bring joy to those who like cheesy Z-grade horror with hammy acting and a confusing and hole ridden plot. For our next update we are leaving Jezebeth behind and will be taking a look at The Crypt Keeper. I am not talking about the host of Tales From The Crypt, but I am talking about the hardcore Death Match wrestler from the late 1990’s! So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a horror movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next time as Crypt Keeper shows us some of his twisted tales of the wrestling ring.

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: The House Of The Devil (1896)

Posted on July 14, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. As you can see, there is a chill in the air and that must mean that we find ourselves at another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update. This one will be about what is considered by many to be not only the first horror movie of all time but also the first vampire film, and I am of course talking about the 1896 short film The House Of The Devil that was directed by the amazing Georges Méliès, considered to be the godfather of cinema special effects and who brought his magic skills and creative mind to early cinema. In 2023 Blood Scream Comics released a comic book about House Of The Devil as part of their Silent Universe, and both the short film and the comic are the topic of this update. Like always, because of my connection to Blood Scream Comics, I will not be giving this comic a star rating, but I truly think House Of The Devil needs to get the Rotten Ink treatment. So if you are ready, let’s head to the House of the Devil and see if a demon or a vampire is who dwells within!

Let’s first take a look at the films villain, a vampire devil that is called Mephistopheles who has many ways to deal fright and death to humans. Mephistopheles dresses all in black and has what looks like a beard and goatee combo with a kind of a sinister appearance that makes those who see him feel very unsettled. He lives in a very big and gloomy castle that adds to his spooky appearance and his evil persona. His strange look and rundown castle strike fear in the hearts that set their eyes on them, and this can cause people to panic as well as die of fright. Mephistopheles is a vampire and a trickster who is a blood drinker and can use his fangs to drain the life out of his prey and also can use his dark magic tricks to deal fright as he can summon ghost, creatures, witches and skeletons to do his bidding. He can also cause madness in people that will cause them to even commit suicide, and he seems to truly enjoy toying with his victims. Mephistopheles also can change into a bat and can fly around his prey and attack if he chooses. Mephistopheles is also handy with a sword and can also use it in his magic when he summons his minions. While Mephistopheles is a very sneaky and tricky vampire, he does have weaknesses that can allow his human victims to fight back and escape. His first weakness is that he has clearly a sinister ego as he seems to take joy in messing with the minds of his targets and this ego makes him very cocky and can open him up for attacks and failure at his goal. His biggest weakness is seeing a crucifix as he is a vampire and this religious symbol sends him running in fear and allowing those who are armed with one to escape his grasp. While he does have some weaknesses, it is truly unknown if there is a way to kill Mephistopheles and this is what makes this devil vampire so deadly to mankind.

Now that we have taken a look at Mephistopheles and his evil ways, let’s now take a look at the classic silent horror film that he is from and that of course is House Of The Devil! Like always, I will be taking the film’s plot from our friends at IMDB and after I will be writing about the film’s production and then my thoughts about the film. So if you are ready, let’s take a look at the 1896 film that helped shape the world of horror films forever.

The House Of The Devil (1896)

“A bat flies into an ancient castle and transforms itself into Mephistopheles himself. Producing a cauldron, Mephistopheles conjures up a young girl and various supernatural creatures, one of which brandishes a crucifix in an effort to force the devil-vampire to vanish.”

Cinema was in its very early stages in 1896 and most “films” at the time were very short in run time and would feature basic stories or even just scenes of everyday things like workers leaving a factory or even silly comedy acts doing falls. But one French born director Georges Méliès wanted to make something very different as he would bring his magic and illusionist act to the screen and would wow moviegoers worldwide. During his early days in cinema, he made the three minute short film called “Le Manoir du Diable” or The House Of The Devil, a film that features a vampire devil like character called Mephistopheles who uses his dark magic to frighten two cavaliers and even creates witches, skeletons and an imp to do his bidding…and in the end of course it’s the power of the cross that saves the day. The film was shot at Méliès’ house outside near his garden with a painted backdrop used as the inside of the castle. When casting the film actress Jehanne d’Alcy is said to have played the beautiful woman that is created by Mephistopheles, and as for that character, two names are thought to have played that role with Jules-Eugene Legris being the one most think played the part while others saying that it was Méliès himself. Sadly no other actors have been credited to the film so who plays the remaining cast is unknown, and that is a shame as they deserve credit for being in an early, if not the first, horror film in cinema history. The film when released dazzled viewers and early critics, but sadly, like most silent cinema, it went missing for decades and was considered a lost film until 1988 when a copy was found in the New Zealand Film Archive, with many saying the last known print before this was sold at a junk shop in the 1940’s as well in New Zealand. While by today’s standards of what we see as horror, this film is not that scary but in 1896 I am sure while some were amused by the illusions they saw on the screen, some viewers were terrified, and I for one am glad a copy was found as this is a piece of horror history that everyone should see at least once.

As you readers know, I am a very big fan of silent horror cinema as there is something very spooky and amazing about these films as they bring the scares to the viewers with expressions and atmosphere and this gives them a very unsettling feel when watching them. One has to give the film The House Of The Devil and its director Georges Méliès lots of credit as from all accounts the horror genre of films started here with them and even vampire cinema is said to have started here making this film one of the most important films in this genre. The film has been reviewed and debated about for decades as the film plays very heavy on the magic and illusion aspects of the main baddie Mephistopheles who seems more content tricking and messing with the two cavaliers that make the mistake of entering his castle then killing them. And because Mephistopheles turns into a bat twice and is afraid of the cross in this short film, people think that it is the earliest vampire film, and I feel that this is very much the case as I think Mephistopheles is a trickster vampire who also has the powers of black magic at his twisted finger tips. The one part of the debut that really annoys me is when people try to downplay the horror of the film as they claim it was played more for laughs and such, and to that I say what do modern “critics” really know about 1896 moviegoers as I am sure there were people in the audience that were scared of the supernatural creatures and elements of the film. I mean look at the creepy little Imp guy and the spooky specters. Georges Méliès really was a pioneer of early horror, fantasy and sci-fi cinema and was one of the masters of early special effects and film tricks. This film can be found on YouTube. To sum it up ,I have lots of respect for this film and cannot stress enough just how important silent horror cinema is to the genre.

As you can see, The House Of The Devil is a very important film and its main villain Mephistopheles is truly important to the vampire culture in cinema as he is the one who started it all. And now that we have taken a look at both, I think it is now time that we move onto the review part of this update. Like I have stated, I will not be giving this comic a star rating as I work for Blood Scream Comics and even wrote the story adaptation and some of the dialogue for this comic book, so yeah it would be silly for me to grade my own work. I would first like to thank Blood Scream Comics as well as artist Jeff Potter for making this update possible and help creating this comic version of the classic film. I would also like to thank everyone who has read this comic as it was such a fun one to work on and to bring all these character to life once more in a modern age with a Blood Scream Comics Silent Universe twist! So if you are ready, I am ready to enter The House Of The Devil!

The House Of The Devil 1896 # 1
Released in 2023 Cover Price $1.99 Blood Scream # 1 of 1

Leon and Victor are two cavaliers that are caught out in a nasty thunderstorm and head to a crumbling castle that the townspeople claim is haunted, but inside the owner Mephistopheles is bored and decides to use his dark magic and a cauldron to create a woman to become one of his brides. He also has the help of a very mean hairy Imp. As Leon and Victor enter the castle to escape the storm, things start to go wrong for the two heroes as the Imp attacks and jabs Leon in the back with his pitchfork and causes him to run away deeper in the castle in fear, as Victor goes after the Imp only for the evil character to disappear. As Victor sits down for a moment to process what has just taken place, a Skeleton armed with a sword appears and attacks. Victor is able to take the head of the skeleton with his own sword as a giant bat now appears and turns into Mephistopheles who uses his four ghostly ghastly female witches to scratch the face of the cavalier before introducing him to his new lovely bride showing that his castle is filled with pain and pleasure…and lies as he forces Victor to dance with his bride who goes from beautiful to ugly on his words. Meanwhile Leon is lost in the castle and is hurt and scared, and when he is not looking, the Imp with a knife appears and removes both of the scared man’s eyes, who then stumbles around in darkness and falls over the balcony and breaks his neck as Victor watches on unable to help! Mephistopheles then shows Victor that he is a vampire and goes for the attack, but thanks to Victor’s cross necklace he is able to burn the vampires forehead that causes the blood drinker to run away and allows Victor to as well flee back into the stormy night away from the castle. Later Mephistopheles is surrounded by his servants and is filled with anger because of the pain, and soon finds that the vampire Count Orlok is in the castle and finds him to be a disappointment, and this puts the two vampires at odds.

The House Of The Devil 1896 was a very fun comic to write and it was lots of fun to bring gore and blood to this world that Georges Méliès created. It was a great experience to bring out the sinister side of the demonic vampire Mephistopheles in the pages of this comic alongside Potter, and that is the thing with Mephistopheles is he really just a trickster vampire? Or his he a demonic vampire with black magic powers? The plot is very classic horror as two cavaliers are stuck out in a nasty thunderstorm and find shelter in a haunted castle only to be attacked by the owner and the evil spirits that dwell inside its stone walls. Victor is the cavalier who stands up to these horrors and does not fall victim as he is able to escape the castle as well as hurt the evil inside the walls with his crucifix, while poor Leon is struck with fear and has his eyes removed before falling out a window and having his neck snapped! Besides Mephistopheles the vampire who likes to mess with the minds of his human prey before he kills them, there are many other evil spirits in this castle that include the Imp who with his pitchfork and knife has a thirst to spill blood, the Bride whose beauty draws you in and puts you under a spell, the skeleton warrior who is skilled with a sword, the four witches whose ghastly appearance alone can stop a mans’ heart and The Knight who sadly does not get to show off his means of death and fright in this issue. As for the horror of the comic, we tried to bring it with atmosphere from the spooky castle to the storm outside; we wanted to truly have the brooding dark feel. And of course we also had all the creepy castle dwellers and the blood kills to bring the chills as well. The interior art by Jeff Potter is amazing and his style is so good. I am shocked that he over the years never got hired by the likes of Marvel and DC as I think he truly is that good. The cover is super eye catching with the art being done by Potter and the coloring by Jason Gilmore just making it pop with almost an eerie glow. I also want to say on a side note for Free Comic Book Day 2023 a limited amount of copies were given away at the heavy metal record store Catacomb in Kettering, Ohio, and this comic and that shop go so well together! Over all I hope that we did the film justice and added enough horror elements to the story to bring a fright and a spooktacular read to all the readers who are brave enough to give it a go. Oh and just wait, I do not think that the bad blood between Mephistopheles and Count Orlok is over! Checkout the artwork below to see the style that Potter used in this House Of The Devil comic.

This was a true honor to bring into the world of comics as House Of The Devil is considered the first horror film, and on top of that director Georges Méliès was a true visionary who understood the true meaning of entertainment. I am sure many purists are a little taken aback by the more bloody elements of the comic, but we just wanted to add our own little touch to this wickedly delightful story. And like always I do want to thank Jeff Potter and Jason Gilmore for helping bring this comic to life and of course I want to thank everyone who read the comic and or read this blog update. But I think that it is time that we leave Blood Scream Comics Silent Universe behind and head to the world of indie horror as we take a look at another vampire, this time a female one by the name of Jezebeth! So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a silent horror film or two and as always support your local horror host. See you next time for another bloody good time!