From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Escape To Witch Mountain (1975)

Posted on February 12, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. For this “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update we will be taking a look at a sci-fi fantasy family film that has a tiny dash of horror that was unleashed on young moviegoers by Disney! The film is Escape To Witch Mountain, about two siblings who have psychic powers and are being tracked down by a rich man who wants to use their powers for his own gain. This one is a strange one as growing up and at school, this film was looked at as a horror film but as I grew up, the film was more looked at as a fantasy one, but for me and my memories as a kid this will be viewed as a semi kiddy fright flick. So just roll with it and have fun while reading this update. So if you are ready, grab your star case, head to the Rotten Ink Motor Home and let’s start our quest to Witch Mountain as I heard that that’s where witches come from as well as a few U.F.O’s have been spotted around the peaks.

So before we get too deep into this update, let’s take a look at the villains of this film and how they deal out their evil ways. The main villain is Aristotle Bolt, who is a very rich man who is stricken with greed and a massive ego as he thinks his money can buy him whatever he wants, and because he has an obsession with the occult and paranormal, he thinks that he can even own humans and will use his blackmailing ways to do so. He is also very mean as his greed makes him feel untouchable and he also has people that will do his bidding for a price and that includes kidnapping and lying to children. One of the people under the money control of Bolt is Lucas Deranian, his attorney who is a lair, yes man and will do whatever he is told as long as money comes his way, and because of his job of being an attorney he is able to con people into listening to him and even fakes being the orphans’ uncle. In fact Deranian is the one who sets the ego driven Bolt onto the track of the young kids with powers. And finally you also have the hired hand and muscle of Bolt named Ubermann, who is cold and does what he is told and is looking for the kids with the powers. While none of them are killers per say, all of them I think would kill in order to get what they want, and at one point Ubermann does have a gun! Bolt and his men are just mortal and have many weaknesses that include their own greed, egos and mortality as they can be killed like any normal person so by gun, knife, fire, water, force and fists. And while Aristotle Bolt and his men might be the weakest baddies we have ever covered on a From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update, they are still dangerous and can strike fear into the hearts of the poor and those who are in their way.

Now that we took a look at the baddies of Escape To Witch Mountain, I think that it’s time we take a look at the film itself. Like always the film’s write up will be taken from our good friends at IMDB, and after that I will write about the film’s production as well as my thoughts about the film. So if you are ready, let’s make our way to Witch Mountain and see what is in store for us.

Escape To Witch Mountain (1975)

“Tia and Tony are two orphaned youngsters with extraordinary powers. Lucas Deranian poses as their uncle in order to get the kids into the clutches of Deranian’s megalomanical boss, evil millionaire Aristotle Bolt, who wants to exploit them. Jason, a cynical widower, helps Tia and Tony “escape to witch mountain,” while at the same time Tia and Tony help Jason escape the pain of the loss of his wife.”

The Walt Disney Company was riding high in the 1970’s and besides working on classic animated films and shows, they also did live action films and some of these films had hints of horror and sci-fi as those genres of films have always been popular with movie goers. Disney wanted to make some of these type films for their audiences, and so they decided to adapt the 1968 novel by Alexander H. Key called Escape Of Witch Mountain! The film’s script was written by Robert Malcolm Young and would be directed by John Hough who was known for directing the horror films “Twins Of Evil (1971)”, “The Legend Of Hell House (1973)” and after Escape To Witch Mountain the films “The Watcher In The Woods (1980)”, “The Incubus (1982)”, “Howling IV: The Original Nightmare (1988)” and “American Gothic (1988)” showing that he knew how to make horror. The film would bring in Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann to play the orphans Tia and Tony Malone and other names being Donald Pleasence, Eddie Albert, Ray Milland and Walt Barnes. The film was scored by Johnny Mandel and would be released on March 21, 1975 and would go on to bring around $20,000,000 at the box office, making it a success. The film was well received by both fans and critics, and over the years it has spawned sequels, remakes and has built itself a pretty big cult following. The film would release the same year as other sci-fi/horror films as The Devil’s Rain, Jaws, Legend Of The Werewolf, Night Of The Seagulls, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Trilogy Of Terror and The Werewolf And The Yeti. And while this is not a full fledged horror film and only has very small elements of it, this is a great semi spooky adventure film that has made it’s mark on the youth who grew up watching it.

When I was a kid I can remember watching this film in school. It was around Halloween time when it was shown, and this always made me think of this film as a kids horror flick; plus I mean at times the kids are even blamed for being witches, they make a ghost like creature out of a broom & a coat, animals attack people and the kids are really aliens from another world. So as you can see, this film does have elements of sci-fi and horror and you can see how a young kid could see it as a horror film. While the kids are the stars, I always liked all the animals that helped them through their journey like the bear, horse, cat and dogs, all of whom talk to Tia and all help run off the humans on their trail. You have to also like that the film’s main villain is a rich creep who is obsessed with the occult and wants to use psychics as his key to become more rich and wants to exploit people with powers as well for his own gains, and it’s nice to see in the end him not get what he wants and to have to return to his mansion a defeated man. Besides showcasing alien kids and their powers, the film is also about not allowing sadness to take over your life as the two young kids teach widower Jason O’Day how to love again and how to let go. Another fun aspect for younger viewers is that in the end it becomes a chase film as Bolt’s men give chase of the kids and O’Day across the back roads of small towns, plus you get to see a motorhome fly and I can remember it getting a laugh at school. While by today’s standards the eerie and spooky elements of this film are lost, the sci-fi ones are still very much present and add for a great watch for the young and young at heart. Also I have to point out that seeing veteran actor Donald Pleasence in this film as Lucas Deranian was also very cool the first time I saw this film I knew him from films like Halloween, Land Of The Minotaur and Tales From The Crypt. If you are looking for a kid friendly sci-fi/fantasy/horror film to watch give this classic film a chance as it’s a fun one for sure.

Now that we have taken a look at the film Escape To Witch Mountain and Mr. Bolt and his yes men of money loving goons, I think that it’s time we review the comic adaptation done by Gold Key Comics. This will be a first time read for me, and I am very much looking forward to seeing how close it sticks to the film as well as how well the art captures the likeness of the characters. I want to thank Bell Book And Comic for having this comic in stock and making this update possible. I want to also remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comic stays to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So with that, let’s get into the Gold Key motorhome and get even closer to Witch Mountain. And I should also note this comic is from the Walt Disney Showcase line that showcased comics based on Disney films, cartoons and shows.

Escape To Witch Mountain # 1 **1/2
Released in 1975 Cover Price .25 Gold Key # 29 of 54

Tia and Tony live at the orphanage and are getting ready to get on a bus after seeing a movie when Tia has a vision of a car across the street getting into an accident and warns the passenger not to get inside the car. A few moments later, a tow truck crashes into it. The man is attorney Lucas Deranian who rushes to tell his rich boss Aristotle Bolt about the young kids and their powers, and they set up a way for Deranian to forge records in order to act as the kids’ uncle and take them to now live at Bolt’s castle mansion. Tia and Tony along with their black cat Winkie now live in the mansion and unknown to the kids they are being watched by Bolt and Deranian via hidden cameras who witness the kids use their powers to control puppets as well as talk to a horse! That night at dinner Bolt confronts the kids about their powers, and they do answer and hear later that night that Bolt does not want them to ever leave and locks them in their room! As Tia and Tony escape the mansion they get the help of Winkie as well as the guard dogs and a horse that Tia talks to for assistance. They get into town, and Tia and Tony sneak aboard the motorhome of Jason O’Day who unaware talks to Deranian about the missing kids before driving off with the runaways onboard. Once Jason finds the kids, they have breakfast and they tell him about their powers and that they found a map in the star case that Tia carries and that they need to get to Witch Mountain! Jason agrees to take them and on their drive there Deranian has found them and gives chase, as Tia and Tony sneak out of the motor home so that Deranian will chase Jason they are captured by the town sheriff. Tia and Tony use their powers to escape the jail and even free a caged bear that helps them get to the home of Jason’s brother that he told them about and meet back up with Jason who was waiting for them there. Jason gets Tia and Tony to the mountain as Bolt as well as all of his men, the sheriff and townspeople are given chase, but after the motorhome starts to fly in the air from the help of voice that turns out to be the uncle of the kids and some of the cars wreck…it’s Jason as well as Mr. Bolt that watches as the kids get into a U.F.O. and fly away, Mr. Bolt and his goons leave to head back home as Jason who has Winkie sets out to find more kids with Star Cases to bring them to Witch Mountain.

This adaptation is a fun read but does also remove lots of moments from the film and as well tells them slightly different and sometimes that works and others it seems to rushed in storytelling and takes a little away from the moment. For instance, they cut the whole moment of Tony using his powers at the orphanage in order to play baseball as well as fight a bully. The bulk of the story is there and is about Tia and Tony, two kids with supernatural powers escaping the grip of a rich man who wants to use their powers for his gain, and when escaping they meet an older man on a cross country trip in his motor home who helps them get away from Bolt and gets them to Witch Mountain. And of course the fact that the kids are aliens and get on a U.F.O with their uncle to get back to space is intact. Our heroes are Tia and Tony, who are sister and brother that have supernatural powers that allows them to move things and talk to each other with their minds, can communicate with animals, can see future events, can get glimpses of the past as well as unlock doors and locks. They are good kids who just want to find their way home and to their uncle who they thought was dead, and along the way they end up helping save the lives of animals by giving them freedom as well as help a man deal with his grumpy attitude. Jason O’Day is a good man who takes a chance to help two runaway kids get to a place they feel is were they belong. The odd thing is they do not mention that he lost his wife and that he wished he had kids. Lucas Deranian is a thorn in the kid’s sides as he is following them all over and while in the comic Aristotle Bolt is a little more downplayed as he is around but not as a major part of the sinister plan. The film is bloodless and does not have any real frightful moments as it’s a very basic watered down version of the film’s plot. They also change the ending that has Jason driving on the search for more alien kids as the U.F.O. lands on Witch Mountain that is now the home of the aliens. The cover for the comic is ok and is your typical Gold Key style for that time that just has stills of the movie put together, and the interior art is done by an unknown artist and is pretty good and very basic and yet it works, but I also have to say that most of the characters very loosely look like the actors who played them. Over all if you are a fan of Escape To Witch Mountain and like family friendly sci-fi films with a dash of horror, then give this a read. Checkout the artwork below to see the style the unknown artist used in the issue.

Escape From Witch Mountain is a really fun film and while dated by today’s standards, still does deliver a fun adventure film for the whole family to enjoy. After watching the film again after all these years for this update, I can see were my classmates and myself thought it was a kid sci-fi horror film as it does have some elements of both. And it was also great to see that the Gold Key Comic adaptation was a good read that while cut out many parts of the film still maintained all the major plot elements even with the art being a little rushed throughout. With that I think that it’s time we leave Witch Mountain and head to back to the world of silent cinema as we will head to the Rotten Ink Theater and talk about the 1921 film The Blasphemer that is a downbeat religious film with a dash of horror supernatural elements! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a Western film or two and as always support your local horror host. See you next update for a silent cinema chat!

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Halloween (1978)

Posted on October 31, 2018 by bloodlinematt

Happy Halloween! I have decided to do something a little different for this haunted holiday update as I will not be having “5 Questions With A Horror Host” or even visiting a haunted place as this year I am going to bring you a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update as I have a blast doing them. Plus I wanted to do this update in honor of the new Halloween movie in theaters right now thanks to Universal and Blumhouse! The Halloween movie series has always been one of my all time favorites and has always entertained and chilled my blood since I was a youngster, and I have been very much looking forward to covering it on Rotten Ink since I started this blog in 2012. So if you’re ready, travel to Haddonfield, Illinois on this Halloween in 2018 with me and not only go trick or treating but also be look out for the Boogeyman known as Michael Myers as the one thing I have learned over the years is that you can’t kill the Boogeyman. No matter where you hide, he will find you!

Now I think we should start by taking a look at our killer, The Shape. Michael Myers started his killing ways at 6 years old when he brutally stabbed his sister on Halloween night while she was in her room. He was locked away at a mental ward where he never spoke and was considered pure evil. But many years after his first murder, he escapes and returns to his hometown in order to kill again and again. Michael Myers is very mechanical and cold in his movements and is a slow stalker who watches his victims before he murders them. His means of killing are brutal as he uses all types of weapons from knives, axes, needles and often his bare hands to choke the life out of someone or even snap their necks. His appearance also strikes fear into the heart of his victims as he wears a white mask and coveralls making him a very blank slate embodying the faceless horrors we all fear. Michael is also un-killable as he has been shot, beaten, stabbed, set on fire and electrocuted and only stays down for moments before getting back up to attack and kill some more. He is also very strong and has above human strength as he can easily pick up, break and impale a human with brutal power. The combination of all of the above mentioned makes him one of the most, if not the most powerful killer we have covered on a From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update! As far as weakness goes, Michael has very few but I would say his slowness can work against him and leave him open for counter attacks. He also seems to only kill on a cycle making one safe for most months minus October. As you can see, Michael Myers is a killing machine who cannot be stopped and will come back again and again to kill and butcher.

So now that we have taken a look at Michael Myers aka The Boogeyman aka The Shape, we should take a look at the first film in the series that was released in 1978 and was directed by John Carpenter and sparked 10 sequels as of this update. I will be taking the film’s write up from our pals at IMDB, and after, I will write about the film’s production as well as my connection and thoughts on the original film. So if you’re ready lets head on down to the Myers house and chat about one of the Grandfathers of Slasher films, Halloween.

Halloween (1978)

“The year is 1963, the night: Halloween. Police are called to 43 Lampkin Ln. only to discover that 15 year old Judith Myers has been stabbed to death, by her 6 year-old brother, Michael. After being institutionalized for 15 years, Myers breaks out on the night before Halloween. No one knows, nor wants to find out, what will happen on October 31st 1978 besides Myers’ psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis. He knows Michael is coming back to Haddonfield, but by the time the town realizes it, it’ll be too late for many people.”

Film producers Moustapha Akkad and Irwin Yablans wanted to make a Horror Film about a killer on the hunt for babysitters and sought out director John Carpenter and writer Debra Hill to make if for them! With the film to be set on Halloween night, the original title “The Babysitter Murders” was changed to just Halloween to capture the mood of the spooky holiday. The film’s $300,000.00 budget was put up by Akkad, and Carpenter would take a small fee for directing plus scoring the film as well as only 10% of the film’s profit. The film’s props were made or bought for cheap including the casts wardrobe and Michael Myers’ mask that was just a reworked Don Post Star Trek Captain Kirk mask spray-painted and tweaked. When casting the film, they originally wanted Peter Cushing to play the role of Dr. Sam Loomis but ended up getting Donald Pleasence in the role, and for Laurie Strode they wanted Anne Lockhart before hiring Jamie Lee Curtis! They also brought on other talented actors like Nancy Loomis, P.J. Soles, Charles Cyphers and John Michael Graham with Carpenter’s friend Nick Castle taking the role of adult mask-wearing Michael Myers. The film was shot on a short film schedule and rumor has it that when watching the film without the score, the producers were not scared and a little worried that the film would bomb, but once Carpenter placed the score music, they knew they had a spooky hit on their hands. The film when released to theaters was a major hit bringing in a total of $70 million worldwide! Plus the film would go on to be re-released in theaters bringing in more money, and in 1981, NBC paid $4 million to show the film on TV with new footage added to pad out its runtime as well as tie it into the second film that was hitting theaters around the same time. In 1978, Halloween was released alongside other Horror Movies like Dawn of the Dead, Jaws 2, It Lives Again, Magic, Grapes Of Death, Dracula’s Dog and Mardi Gras Massacre to name a very select few. Halloween would go onto spark the modern slasher film craze and was the first to bring to light the sex, drugs and death formula to all its clones. This was a very brief look at the production of this classic Horror Movie, and I suggest that if you have some spare time, look up the full history of the film and give it a read, as it’s very interesting to see how a small budget horror film changed the face of horror for generations after its release.

I can remember the first time I saw Halloween was with my older brother Bryan sometime in the mid to late 80’s when we watched it on cable TV one late night. I can remember being glued to the screen and finding myself drawn into the feeling of dread as Michael Myers stalked and killed the friends of babysitter Lorie Strode before coming after her. I can remember the true atmosphere of the holiday Halloween being captured on the screen as kids ran around in costumes as a masked killer walked among them. I can remember the lights in the room were off and the glow of the screen helped deliver the chills as the music of John Carpenter filled my ears. I can remember being wide eyed over P.J. Soles and her stunning good looks, being into Nancy Loomis as I really liked her character Annie, and most importantly I can remember becoming a fan of Halloween and Michael Myers for life! After watching that film, I became obsessed with Michael Myers and had to see the sequels and even used to draw him in art class as well as in comic strips. My brother ended up finding the score on cassette tape, and I used to sneak and listen to it on my little stereo in my room and would also tape the main theme onto another tape so that I could listen to it anytime. We would also go on to see all the sequels and own them on VHS and DVD. We would watch Halloween II on the USA Network all the time! In other words, Halloween was a staple for the Brassfield Brothers who between the both of us bought and read so much stuff about this film series. In fact over the years I have been a fan of almost all of the Halloween films with the only one I am not too fond of being Rob Zombie’s Halloween II as I find it very poorly written and directed. While many say that Halloween is the start of the slasher movie genre I would say Psycho from 1960 is but Halloween perfected it and is the one that inspired all the clones that were released in the 1980’s. To be honest, my love for Halloween is hard to put into words on this blog as it really does remind me of my youth, has inspired my own shot on video film The Sadness and just has always been one of my favorite Horror Film series, has one of the best scores in horror cinema, gave me my first and still going celebrity crushes Danielle Harris and is one I have to watch every Halloween! Before I ramble too much more, I just want to say that Halloween is an iconic film that grew into a solid franchise (with the original Halloween 2 being my favorite of the sequels) that everyone should watch at least once in their life as the film really does capture the mood and atmosphere of the Halloween season. This will not be the last time I talk about the Halloween movie series so with that bit of news I will wrap this part up.

Over the years Halloween has become one of the biggest horror franchises in movie history and like most big movies in horror it has had its fair share of merchandise! Over the years Michael Myers and the Halloween logos and images have been used on posters, t-shirts, art prints, drinking glasses, buttons, patches, magazines, hats, dolls, books, action figures and video games. Not to mention the films have been put out on Beta, VHS, DVD, Digital and Blu-Ray for fans to own and watch over and over. The score has also been released on vinyl, cassette, CD and digital! Over the years I have owned all types of cool items that Michael Myers has been on with some of my favorites being the score done by John Carpenter on CD, the McFarlane action figure and the Atari 2600 Video Game cart. So if you’re a fan of Halloween and enjoy collecting horror merch, there is so much great stuff out in the world for you to collect…I also recommend the paperback adaptations as they are amazing and great reads as I had them growing up and can remember reading them on dark nights.

Halloween has always been a very special film to me as it like Psycho introduced me to the world of Slasher Films and really opened my eyes to Horror Movies that did not have werewolves, vampires, phantoms or Frankenstein’s Monster in them. I also need to credit the Friday The 13^th movies and Horror Host show Commander USA’S Groovie Movies for that as well. But now we are at the point of this update where we must take a look at the comic series based on Halloween that was put out by Chaos Comics. This is one of those comic series that when issue one was out, I made sure to have Mavericks save me back a copy and they did and in fact I still own that copy to this day. I can remember reading the copy and enjoying it. That was 18 years ago so it will be cool to see if I still enjoy it as much. I was able to buy off issues 2 and 3 off Ebay many years back and oddly enough am just getting around to reading them! I want to also remind you readers that I am grading these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well these comics stays to the source material, their entertainment value and their art and story. So with that let’s dive into the Chaotic world of Halloween on this Halloween.

Halloween # 1 ***
Released in 2000 Cover Price $2.95 Chaos Comics # 1 of 1

Survivor Tommy Doyle is now grown up and writing a book about serial killer Michael Myers and heads three hours away from his home to pick up old case files written by Dr. Sam Loomis for research. Before Tommy arrives, the doctor who is waiting for him is killed by Michael Myers who is lurking in the dark as Tommy comes and goes and no one finds the murdered body of the doctor as Myers has pinned it to the back of the door. Once back home Tommy starts to read the files and finds out that Loomis wanted to separate young Michael from the other young kids at the asylum and even with the help of Dr. Jennifer Hill (who Loomis is starting to have a relationship with) they could not get it to happen, and even after he attacks and almost all the other kids around him die, they keep Michael around others as he can never be connected to the deaths. Finally after years of terror, Michael kills Jennifer Hill and makes it look like a suicide and this makes Loomis forever be the person who will be the thorn in Michael’s side and be the one who tries to keep him locked up forever. As Tommy finishes part of the files, Michael Myers shows up in his home and tries to murder him, but Tommy is able to shoot him as well as set his face on fire and knocking him out of the window! But like before as Tommy looks down from the broken window, Michael Myers is missing.

It’s hard to believe that Michael Myers and the Halloween Horror Movie series first made their way to the comic book world in 2000 way after the likes of Jason Voorhees, Freddy Kruger, Pinhead, Norman Bates, Chucky and Leatherface! And even more crazy, it was Chaos Comics who finally brought him to Horror Comic readers! The plot of this first issue has Tommy Doyle, a survivor of the 1978 babysitter massacre grown up and now wanting to write a book and dive into the history of the killer Michael Myers who is now back and targeting Tommy! The other cool thing is that this issue showcases the files of Dr. Sam Loomis with him trying his best to warn everyone that Michael Myers even as a kid was a danger to others and shows that at one time he was in love and engaged to a fellow doctor who was killed by Michael who made it looked like a suicide. Tommy Doyle is a very focused man who wants to write the best book about his would be murderer and when faced with the fact he has been targeted by the mask killer again he snaps into action and takes the fight to his attacker. Sam Loomis as always is a hero who has his sights on Michael as he knows that the young man is a cold, evil killer who will do so over and over if and when he gets the chance. Having both Loomis and Tommy in this comic really ties it into the film series as both are featured in the first film and both have gone on to be in some of the films sequels. The rest of the workers at the asylum are fooled by Michael and his silent act, besides Jennifer Hill who kind of trusts the words of Loomis but also just becomes a victim to the pure evil youngster who targets her to get as Loomis who is his doctor. Michael Myers as a youngster and as a masked un-killable adult is a pure evil killing machine that is silent and brutal and is the ultimate in slasher killers and one heck of a great Horror Comic bad guy. The comic has some great kills and does have some blood, and while bloody, it’s not over done and not a total gorehound’s dream but will please fans of early slasher films. The cover for this issue has a classic movie photo of Michael Myers and is pretty cool and eye catching for fans of the film and the interior art is good and done by David Brewer and has a classic late 90’s style look. Over all this is a pretty great comic that does a fantastic job of blending the past and present and shows that Halloween was long overdue for a comic series. Oh and I have to say that this comic holds up for me as I enjoyed it back in 2000 when released and enjoyed it now in 2018!

Halloween II # 1 **1/2
Released in 2001 Cover Price $2.99 Chaos Comics # 1 of 1

Tommy Doyle grabs his gun and heads to the old Myers house as he thinks that’s where Michael will return to after getting set on fire, shot and knocked out of the window. As Tommy Makes his way there, Richie Castle, a man who also came face to face with Michael in his youth, has had his life in ruin since then, as he knows he came face to face with evil and on this night wants to set the Myers house on fire! While across town Tommy runs into Keith and Lonnie who are friends of Richie and have spent their lives making fun of Tommy and his quest to hunt down the boogeyman. While Ritchie is killed in the Myers house by accident by former Sheriff Leigh Brackett who thought he was Michael and has now taken the body to hide in a field is followed by Tommy who has gotten away from his bullies. The pair talk about the true history of the town and how it’s filled with Samhain worshipers who are the ones who made Michael the way he is and that his babysitter the old woman Blankenship is one of the leaders of the cult! Meanwhile back at the Myers house Michael brutally kills Lonnie and Keith who had shown up in order to find Ritchie who owed them weed. While back in the field Tommy and Brackett are attacked by the cult who tie them up and keep them prisoner in the basement with Blankenship wanting to kill them and the priest wanting to let them go. Michael is on his way to the church basement as the priest sets Brackett and Tommy free just in time as Michael shows up and kills the priest and stabs Brackett. Tommy is able to once more set Michael on fire and push him into a power box electrocuting him and allowing himself to pick up Brackett and escape the now burning church only to run into the cultist outside. Our issue ends with Tommy being blamed for all the current murders and fires and is sitting in an asylum figuring out a plan to escape and stop Michael Myers once and for all.

This second issue is good…but not as good as the first as this time around they added in much of the plot twists of “Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers” with the whole Thorn Cult. While I don’t mind the cult aspect, I did feel they took away lots of panel time from the main star of this comic Michael Myers. The plot of this issue has Tommy Doyle on the trail of Michael running into Brackett, former town sheriff, and together they want to stop the masked killer but soon find themselves at the mercy of a cult who has protected Michael for decades and who will do whatever it takes to cover for him and try and control his rage. This time around Tommy Doyle is way more focused and is ready to take the fight to Michael, plus he is a likable character who brings a touch of the classic Halloween to this comic series. It’s also great to see Sheriff Leigh Brackett back as he really does have a bone to pick with Michael as he killed is daughter Annie in 1978 and now is back in town with revenge on his mind. Ritchie, Lonnie and Keith are the goofy younger kids from the first film that tell Tommy that the Boogeyman is coming for him, and in this, they are still very mean spirited adults who all get murdered for being terrible people doing terrible things at the wrong house. Blankenship and the cultist are all cold blooded people who will do anything for the spirit of Samhain and that includes murder, kidnapping and framing others for their crimes. Michael Myers is as always an unstoppable killing machine who’s only goal is to kill and kill some more. This issue ups the blood and gore as many of people meet their end by Michaels knife, and it really feels like a 80’s style slasher film! The cover on this issue is great and eye catching to not only Halloween fans but also fans of Horror Comics in general. Jerry Beck this time around does the interior art and I think it’s better than the art in issue one as this one seems darker and more independent in style. Over all we once more have a great issue that builds up a great cliffhanger that comic readers had to wait a year in order to see how it all works out. So let’s not wait a year ourselves and see what the third and final issue has in store for us.

Halloween III # 1 **
Released in 2001 Cover Price $2.99 Chaos Comics # 1 of 1

Tommy Doyle has been in the asylum for two years now for the “murders” of Ritchie Castle and Brackett, and on this day he finds out that he is to be killed by the orderlies in order to make it look like a suicide via orders from the cult, but lucky for him he is able to fight back and escape. Meanwhile back in Haddonfield, survivor of the 1978 massacre and now reporter Lindsey Wallace is looking into the disappearance of Laurie Strode who went missing after changing her name and becoming a headmistress at a California academy and was attacked by Michael Myers. She also learns that the bodies of the three victims of the 1978 massacre have been stolen and that Tommy has escaped the asylum! Tommy of course meets up with Lindsey who has the private diaries of Dr. Loomis, and they talk about Laurie Strode being Michael’s Sister. But before they can come up with a plan they are attacked by Michael who ends up chasing Lindsey out of the house and down the street and right into the old Myers house. Once inside, Michael tries and kills Lindsey but Tommy comes rushing in and stabs and removes the mask to find that Laurie Strode is now crazy and has killed her brother back in California when he came for her and she as well dug up her friends and has taken over at being the Boogeyman! Tommy and Laurie have a struggle and both fall out of a window with Tommy dying and Laurie is now an inmate at an asylum not speaking a word and bidding her time to escape like her brother before her. Lindsey is left to wonder is evil real or was it all just metal illness in the Myers family.

This third and final issue in the Chaos Comic Halloween series does its best to try and tie in “Halloween H20” to the rest of the series and adds a two year gap in the story from issue “2” and itself. The plot of this issue has both youngsters Tommy and Lindsey who survived the 1978 killing spree of Michael Myers coming back together as adults only to be attacked again by Myers who this time around is not Michael but his sister Laurie who was the one who kept them save from the first attack! Tommy in this issue is a doomed man as the cult wants him dead as does the Boogeyman and he gives his life to save his childhood friend. Once more Tommy makes a great hero in this comic even though he also walks the line of being crazy. Lindsey Wallace is a great reporter now who as well has become obsessed with the legacy of terror of Michael Myers and wants to write a big report about him, and she as well finds that she has the will to fight when pushed by the masked killer. The cult members this time around take a back seat and are only at the start of the issue as they want to murder Tommy and pass it off as a suicide. Michael Myers sadly is nowhere in site as he is “dead” by the hands of his sister Laurie Strode who is now wearing the mask and wanting to go on a killing rampage in her old hometown. This is the twist I dislike about this comic series as with issue 1 and 2 we have Michael Myers doing what he does best and that’s slashing and stabbing people who are in his way, with this third issue we lose Michael and have to believe that Laurie has lost her mind and has taken the spirit of Samahin in her and is now a cold blooded killer…and to that I say no thanks as Laurie to me is best being the one who wants nothing more than to get away from her past and her mask wearing brother. By turning Laurie into a killer, they also undid all the heroic stuff she did in the first, second and H20 films and just made her feel so generic. The issue also has very little blood and gore and while it’s around, it almost feels like a PG-13 movie making it the least bloody in the series. The cover for this issue is pretty great and showcases Michael Myers with a full moon. Handling the interior art for this issue is Justiniano, and while it’s okay, I would also say it’s my least favorite in the series. Over all this third and final issue in the series is a little of a letdown and the build up to this issue was so good and we got a lame payout in this Horror Comic reader’s opinion. Below is some artwork from all three issues to show you the styles of each artist and I must say while the ending is a little bit of a letdown I do recommend tracking down this series and given it a read as the first two issues are very solid.

It would be seven years after the comic by Chaos before Michael Myers would return to the world of comics thanks to Devils Due…but those comics are for another update for another year. I also hope that you readers went and seen the new Halloween film in cinemas because by doing so, maybe we can get a new batch of sequels made and have Michael Myers be a box office draw again at the cinema! Also thanks for spending a part of your Halloween with me as I really do look forward to doing these updates on this day even if this year we did something a little different. For our next update we are leaving the world of horror behind and will stark our countdown to Thanksgiving with a forgotten superhero with this year’s being one from the pages of Mad and it being Captain Klutz! So until then read a Horror Comic or three, watch a slasher film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. And oh yeah remember you cannot kill the Boogeyman even if you shoot him six times.