Horror Host Icon: Jeepers

Posted on October 2, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. Have you ever sat and wondered what other Horror Hosts have graced the airwaves of California besides Vampira? Well I am here to tell you that state has had a great amount of hosts who all brought their own style and flare to late night moving hosting, and one of the best and earliest to follow in her footsteps was Jeepers, who was the host of Jeepers Creepers Theatre that haunted the airwaves in the 1960’s. Jeepers also had a slew of hosts that not only followed him in becoming the host of Jeepers Creepers Theatre but also inspired others for generations to come in becoming a horror host themselves. It’s with great honor this Halloween season that I bring to you Horror Host Icon Jeepers! So sit back and get ready to not only get scared but also have a few laughs.

Jeepers is a strange ghoul who has a pale face, wears a top hat and cape and would wander around his dark set and host spooky movies all the while having a good silly sinister sense of humor and would have a very memorable laugh that would fill the air. He claimed that he worked in Hollywood and on horror films and was connected, well that was before he was a Ghoul! Jeepers would also always play up on how famous he was and how people loved his work in film and on the show. He was the original host for Jeepers Creepers Theatre and was the most well loved one as viewers just could not get enough of him! Jeepers would also became a hit on radio when he would team up with musician Frank Zappa in 1963 to release a 45 that had two strange and fun songs called “Dear Jeepers” and “Letter From Jeepers,” and they would be popular on the radio stations around his market in Los Angeles. While his time as the host of Jeepers Creepers Theatre was short lived, his impact and connection with the fans was very strong, and this made him a true icon of the art of Horror Hosting and is one that is still remembered to this day for those who grew up watching him. Jeepers was played by Bob Guy, who was a local actor and personality who sadly passed away on September 10, 1984 at the age of 64.

Jeepers Creepers Theatre started in 1962 and aired on KCOP-TV, Channel 13 out of Los Angeles and was a super popular show that aired at 10pm and showed the Shock Packages of classic Universal Monster films. The show was a hit from the start, and viewers loved seeing the classic monster movies on TV. It became a popular topic at schools for kids who stayed up late to watch the antics of Jeepers as well as the horrors of the film. The show would lose its original Host Jeepers in 1963 and others would take over the show including Ghoulita who started and ended in 1963, Jeepers’ Keeper from 1963-1965 and The Creeper the final host who lasted from 1965-1966. So Jeepers Creepers Theatre would last for a total of around four years and remained a very popular show on TV up to its final episode. Even once off the air the show’s legacy remained as even to this day for people who grew up watching it and the new fans who discovered it thanks to the internet chat about its legacy and impact on the pop culture in the state of California and beyond. Sadly, much like all the other hosts from the 60’s and even 70’s many of the shows were shot live or the master tapes tapped over to save money as the tapes were way to expensive, and this make most of the shows lost to time.

On September 10, 2022 at HorrorHound Weekend, the legendary Jeepers made his way into the Horror Host Hall Of Fame! This classic host was inducted by Halloween Jack and was a Legacy Host to be inducted in that year. It was very cool to see Jeepers get the respect he deserves, and it was also cool to hear people laugh and chuckle at the clip shown of him doing what he did best. Halloween Jack did a great job of inducting him in. Jeepers going in has been long overdue and I was glad to see him get this honor. Jeepers was joined in the Class Of 2022 by names like Scarewolf, Sinister Minister, Spooky Spectre and the cast of Midnight Movies to name a few.

As you can see, Jeepers is a true legend of Horror Hosting and one of the biggest hosts from California and his legacy still lives strong to this day and his impact can still be felt in the state. We are now at the point of this Horror Host Icon update that we take a look at the episodes I have, and lucky for the world some footage of Jeepers has survived and way back when a fan made a reproduction of the show and that is what we will be taking a look at here, just seeing this footage is amazing and is a great way to showcase his talents. There are no star ratings for these Horror Host shows. I will be writing about what the host does in the episode and the film’s plot will be taken from our friends at IMDB. So with that, let’s see what Jeepers is up to and bask in this classic hosts glory.

Jeepers Creepers Theatre: Mummy’s Curse

Host: Jeepers has gotten himself some tanna leaves in order to get himself a Mummy, and he places them into some sort of liquid and says the magic words. After a few moments Jeepers thinks the leaves have failed and takes us to the movie as a Mummy is creeping up behind him. We next join Jeepers who is unaware of The Mummy behind him and he is very down thinking he failed, but when he turns around he sees The Mummy who is coming every closer and Jeepers lets out a very nervous laugh before we are back to the film. We next join Jeepers as he his being choked by The Mummy who lets him go for a moment in order to go to a commercial break, once back from the commercials Jeepers shows The Mummy his weird family members that consist of a boars head, a white rat and a rubber snake before the monster starts choking him again as we go back to the movie. Jeepers next is making The Mummy some tanna leaf tea and then reads the Mummy’s fortune in the tanna leaves before being choked again after making a joke about a museum…and then back to the movie. Next Jeepers wants to call Hollywood to get The Mummy in some movies, and Jeepers strikes out time after time as the Film Producers shoot down the idea of making a movie with The Mummy…but soon The Mummy finds out Jeepers was faking the calls as the phone bill was not paid and the phone was not plugged in and as he goes back to choking we go to the movie. Next Jeepers reads a fan letter that he got from a fan about loving the show before going into the final part of the nights film. In the end Jeepers puts The Mummy into a coffin for some sleep and then tells the viewers you can not get a Mummy using tanna leaves, but The Mummy shows back up with a noose and attacks Jeepers as the end credits roll.

Movie: An irrigation project in the rural bayous of Louisiana unearths living mummy Kharis, who was buried in quicksand twenty-five years earlier.

Note From Matt: This is a fan reproduction and takes the only known footage of the show to make this episode for the fans.

Horror Hosts like Jeepers are very important to local culture and help inspire creative minds in the field of Horror Media, and it’s a shame that so many markets at this time do not have a local made Horror Host on the airwaves and that is why it’s important to support your local Public Access stations as they allow a outlet for many local hosted programs. And of course so do websites and streaming stations like YouTube, The Monster Channel, The Vortexx and Shudder all who deliver Horror Hosts to the masses. While Jeepers’ time on TV was short, his impact on Horror Hosting is long lasting. But I think that it is time to wrap up this Horror Host Icon update as we have more scary updates to come as we countdown to Halloween 2025 and our next update will be a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” that will be about The Conjuring 3 and the DC Comic mini series based around it. So until next tim,e read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Film or two and as always support your local Horror Host! See you next update as we explore the world of The Conjuring 3.

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Little Shop Of Horrors (1986)

Posted on September 23, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. Our countdown to Halloween 2025 continues! Horror films come in all types of sub-genres, and one that is often over looked and not talked about is the horror musical. One of the best hands down for me was the 1986 film “Little Shop Of Horrors” that truly set the bar for all those that followed. And of course this film was base off the Off-Broadway musical that was based off the Roger Corman film from 1960! And as you noticed, this is another PG-13 film and ends our updates for September. And with that I think it’s time that we start this long overdue “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update that is all about that mean green mother from outer space named Audrey II, and the Little Shop Of Horrors he’s hiding out in.

So let’s start off by taking a look at the killer plant from this film named Audrey II and it’s ways of dealing death to mankind. Audrey II is an alien from outer space. When it first lands on our planet during a total eclipse of the sun, it is very small in size, but grows in size when it gets fresh blood and human meat to eat. The more blood it eats, the bigger it can grow and it can grow to be Kaiju size as well as can sprout more of its kind. Audrey II when small is cute and can draw people into its trap, but as it grows the more frightful it looks and can truly shock the weak. Audrey II as well has a mind of its own and is super smart and can use it to plot out evil plans, it can also talk and sing and can uses its words to get one simple minded florist to do its bidding of bringing him blood and people to eat with the promise of fame and fortune. Audrey II has razor sharp teeth that can rip apart flesh, vines that can grab and pull plus grow smaller heads with teeth and a mouth big enough to eat a person in one or two chomps. Audrey II also has a very mean temper and a wicked attitude and has goals of taking over our planet and does not care how many humans it has to eat to complete this goal. But while Audrey II is a big green mother from outer space that is bad, it can be hurt and even killed as it needs blood to live and without it will shrivel up and die, you can also crush it, burn it and possible chop it up into little pieces but that is only before it grows to Kaiju size. The main way to destroy Audrey II is use high voltage electricity, as this will cause the alien plant to explode, and end its reign of terror. Audrey II is a truly dangerous alien plant from outer space and if not put in check his species could easily take over the planet.

Now that we see just how dangerous that Audrey II is and just how easily it could take over the world and make every human dinner, I think we should take a few moments and talk about the film its from and that of course is the 1986 Musical Horror Film Little Shop Of Horrors that was a remake of a cheesy 1960 fright film. And I would like to remind you that I will be taking the film’s plot from our friends at IMDB and then I will write about the film’s production and then my thoughts on the film. So with that, let’s avoid becoming plant food and head to this little shop of terrors.

Little Shop Of Horrors (1986)

“A nerdy florist finds his chance for success and romance with the help of a giant man-eating plant who demands to be fed.”

David Geffen was a music executive that was producing a off-Broadway musical show based on the 1960 Roger Corman film Little Shop Of Horrors and he had the want to turn the stage show into a big production musical film to release in theaters and even at one point in time had big names like Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and John Landis attached to the film, and this was causing it to have a big buzz around it. But the film stalled for a while due to Charles B. Griffith, the original film’s script writer and voice of Audrey Jr. tried to sue Geffen in a failed attempt. And once the lawsuit ended, Frank Oz was hired to be the director and he even helped writer Howard Ashman with the script to bring the Broadway show to the big screen and this meant adding and subtracting some of the songs to make it have that big theater event film feel. When casting the film, Rick Moranis was hired to play Seymour Krelborn with Levi Stubbs from the musical group The Four Tops being the voice of Audrey II. Other names attached to the film in supporting as well as cameo roles include Steve Martin, Vincent Gardenia, Jim Belushi, John Candy, Bill Murray, Christopher Guest, Vincent Wong and the trio of Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold and Michelle Weeks acted as the singing chorus who act as the stories guides. When it came to casting Audrey, it was given to Ellen Greene who had played the part for the stage, but the roll was also offered to pop singer Cyndi Lauper and even rumored to Barbra Streisand. The film’s main villain Audrey II took many puppeteers to control and filming would take place in England at the 007 Stage. The film was given a $25million budget with Warner Brothers stepping in to distribute the film in theaters and home media. The film’s ending had to be re-shot after the test screens did not like the original downbeat ending of Audrey II growing to giant size and taking over the Earth as Seymour Krelborn failed in the final fight and was killed. The film would be released on December 19, 1986 and would bring in $39 million and was well loved by fans as well as critics and would become an even bigger hit for Warner Brothers when it was released on video. The film was released along side such other Horror Films as Class Of Nuke’Em High, Demons 2, Friday The 13^th Part VI: Jason Lives, The Hitcher, Maximum Overdrive, Night Of The Creeps, Psycho III, Rawhead Rex and Trick Or Treat to name a few.

Little Shop Of Horrors is a film that was a big part of my childhood as it was one I watched all the time and I knew almost all the songs by heart as they are just so damn catchy. I can remember seeing the film’s TV spots for coming to the theaters and also remember the poster being printed in the newspaper and really wanted to go to the theater to see it. My parents did not take me but to hold me over till it came out on home media, they did buy me the trading cards and candy based around the film. And when I finally did get to see the film, I was a fan as the acting, songs, special effects and monster were all fantastic and helped draw me in as a viewer. The film’s star Rick Moranis was a big star of the 1980’s and 1990’s as most people know him for his roles like Bob McKenzie from Strange Brew (1983), Louis Tully from Ghostbusters (1984), Dark Helmet in Spaceballs (1987), Wayne Szalinski from Honey I Shrunk The Kids (1989), Barney Rubble from The Flintsones (1994) and the voice of Rutt in the Brother Bear franchise to name a very few. As you can see, Rick Moranis was a big star for kids of that time and was one of the big draws for the young Monster Kids of 1986 to want to see Little Shop Of Horrors. The puppet used for Audrey II is amazing and the puppeteers who controlled it are masters of their craft as he really does seem like a living thing! I should also note that Levi Stubbs, the voice actor and singer for Audrey II is known of course for being the lead vocalist for the group Four Tops but I also should point out that he was the voice for Mother Brain for the cartoon “Captain N: The Game Master” that ran from 1989-1991. And this is the movie that made me have a crush on Tisha Campbell that would continue when she was also on the sitcom Martin were she played Gina, and in fact she is still a very beautiful woman to this day and one talented actress. If you have not seen this film, I really thank that you should not only for the great songs, a top-notch lead cast, amazing special effects but also for all the cameos from some of the top comedians going at that time. And really this is one of my favorite films and is one I have watched so many times over the years and of course own on home media. And over the years the film has been slated for a remake that never gets out of the talking stage, and I for one say if they cast it they should have Lady Gaga play Audrey, Rami Malek as Seymour, Jared Leto as Orin Scrivello DDS, John Leguizamo as Mr. Mushnik, Poppy, Mya and Charli XCX as the Chore Ladies and lastly Bruno Mars as Audrey II…just saying.

Little Shop Of Horrors was slated to be a big film and with that when released lots of cool merchandise was made to promote it before, during and after the film’s release as cool items are still being made based around it to this day. When the film first came out, you could buy the soundtrack on CD or cassette, trading cards from Topps, DC Comic adaptation, a paperback adaptation, posters and a very cool candy dispenser of Audrey II, and I had many of these things with my favorite being the Audrey II candy holder. After the release and through the decades the film has also gotten shirts, art prints, buttons, cups, bed covering, Funko Pops and so much more as this film’s popularity is still very strong and it has a huge cult following. So if you are a fan of Little Shop Of Horrors, there are lots of cool things for you to collect and add to your collection.

So as you can see, Audrey II is a very dangerous plant from another planet and the film it’s from Little Shop Of Horrors was an awesome film that spawned some great merchandise and was a big part of so many kids lives in the late 1980’s and also showed that Musicals and Horror can really mix! And I am really happy that DC Comics gave this film the comic book treatment as you readers know I always say that comics make great promo items for films, and I wish more companies would see this and make more in these modern times. I would also like to thank Mavericks Comics and Cards for having this comic in stock those many, many years ago to make this update possible. I would also like to remind you 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, its entertainment value and its art and story. So let’s head into Mushnik Florist and see what that strange and unusual plant in the window is all about.

Little Shop Of Horrors # 1 ***
Released in 1987 Cover Price $2.00 DC Comics # 1 of 1

Seymour lives and works at Mushnik Florist owned by the grumpy Mr. Mushnik who also employs Audrey who comes to work late this day and is sporting a black eye that he boyfriend gave her, and after Seymour trips and breaks some flower pots and its now 6pm and they have not seen a customer all day Mushnik threatens to close the shop down for good. But Seymour and Audrey have a plan and that is to put some strange plants in the widow to attract new customers and Seymour brings up a flytrap of sorts that he calls Audrey II and once in the window a customer comes in asking about it and Seymour tells the story of how he bought it after it mysteriously appeared at a sidewalk plant shop after a total eclipse of the sun. And Audrey II does its job as more customers keep coming in asking about it and before they leave they are buy flowers and plants causing the shop to make some money! But after the store closes and Audrey and Mr. Mushnik leaves for the night Seymour has to stay behind as Audrey II is sick and that is when he learns that the plant needs human blood to feed in order to grow. A week later Seymour and Audrey II are a guest on a local radio show in order to promote the shop, and at the shop Audrey and Mr. Mushnik listen as it’s clear that her boyfriend once more beat her up. Once back home Audrey thinks about a life she could have if only she would be dating Seymour. Days pass and Seymour is tried as he has to keep feeding Audrey II his blood, and while the shop is packed and the money is coming in Seymour just cannot build up the nerve to ask out Audrey. Meanwhile her boyfriend the motorcycle-driving dentist Orin Scrivello who torments his patients and huffs the nitrous oxide as he enjoys causing living things pain, and that night he heads to the shop to pick up Audrey for a date and Seymour witnesses how bad he treats her. That night Seymour sits next to Audrey II all sad about Audrey being treated bad when he learns that Audrey II can talk and needs fresh blood, and promises Seymour fame and the two decide that Orin will be the victim after they see him smack Audrey after their date. And when Seymour goes to the office of Orin Scrivello to kill him the dentist dies from an overdose of nitrous oxide gas and Seymour drags his body to the shop and chops it up to feed to Audrey II but unknown to Seymour his boss Mr. Mushnik witnesses him chopping up the body! The next day Audrey finds out her boyfriend is missing and she and Seymour bond as they both let their feeling for one another be known, but once Seymour gets back to the shop he is confronted by Mr. Mushnik who in turn is eaten alive by Audrey II. The days that follow lots of pressure falls on Seymour and he buckles under it all as in order to keep up the fame that means he needs to get more blood for the now massive planet, but when he finds out that Audrey would still love him even if he was broke he comes up with an idea to marry her that night and for them both to run away. Later Seymour heads to the butcher shop to get Audrey II some bloody meat, but while he is away Audrey II uses the phone to call Audrey into the shop with the idea of eating her…Seymour arrives just in time to save her and then knows what has to be done Audrey II must be destroyed. Seymour goes inside the shop and tries using a gun first and it does nothing but make Audrey II mad and he brings down the walls but this exposes an electrical wire that Seymour uses to zap and fry Audrey II killing the man eating plant. In the end Seymour and Audrey get married and but a little house together…but unknown to them another Audrey II is in their very flower garden.

The comic adaptation of the 1986 Musical Horror film Little Shop Of Horrors is a very fun read but it does lack something that makes it amazing and that is well the musical numbers as all the songs as well as many characters are missing from this comic and the changes are very noticeable. And for me the biggest missing element from this comic is the characters of Crystal, Chiffon and Ronette as they are not around to move the story forward nor are they even around to interact with the characters…they are just gone. But while this is just one of several changes the comic is still a fun read and captures the story of the film with out the musical numbers. The plot is this a man working and living on skid row has a crush on his co-worker and after finding a strange plant after a total eclipse of the sun his life turns hectic but also more positive as fame and money start coming his way, but he soon finds out that the plant is really an alien who eats blood and human meat and grows and has world conquest on its mind! When it comes to the hero of this comic you would have to give that role to Seymour who is the one in the end that stops the alien plant, but to be fair he is also the one who ended up given it the human blood and meat it needed to grow into the super dangerous creature all because of fame and wanting to try and get the attention of his crush. Audrey is a sweet woman who sadly has poor taste in men who abuse her, but her sweetness and caring nature is what helps Seymour stand up and finally defeat Audrey II who of course is the evil alien plant who was sent to Earth with the idea of taking over once he can get large enough as well as sprout offspring. Audrey II is very smart as well as manipulative as he can use his words in order to get Seymour to do what he wants him to do and that includes feeding him the dead body of Audrey’s boyfriend! And when Audrey II gets big enough and finds out that his hold over Seymour is weakened he decides to kill him and start his quest to take over the world! This film has some blood but nothing major and it of course has death as several characters find themselves plant food. The cover for this comic is pretty dang cool and has the main cast around a baby Audrey II with the interior art being done by Gene Colan being great stuff, but I also have to say that the characters sadly do not look like the actors who play them. This is a pretty great comic adaptation and while there is big changes the spooky and fun nature of the core of the film are here and make for a great read for fans of the film as well as Horror Comic readers in general. Checkout the artwork below to see the style Colan used in this comic, and I have to say make sure to grab yourself a copy of this comic for your collection.

The 1986 Horror Musical version of Little Shop Of Horrors was a very odd choice when you think about it to be turned into a comic book as the musical songs just could never be done well on the pages of a comic, but somehow DC Comics made it work here. And it’s a shame that DC did not do more comics based on Horror Films that their parent company Warner Brothers was making at the time like it would have been great to get comics based on such films as Deadly Friend, The Lost Boys, A Return To Salem’s Lot, It’s Alive III: Island Of The Alive to name a few from 1986-1987 from them and all would have made for some very cool and creepy comics. While our time at this little shop of horror has come to an end, we will be staying in the world of horror as our next update we will be taking a look at Horror Host Jeepers the host of Jeepers Creepers Theatre out of California. So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a horror film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update as we spend time with a true icon of Horror Hosting.

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: House II The Second Story (1987)

Posted on September 13, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to another From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update that is all about those awesome comics that are based on creepy horror and sci-fi films that give the fans a little more scares from their favorite films and movie baddies. I love talking about these types of comics and they are super fun to write about. This update will be a fun one as it’s about the horror comedy film House II: The Second Story and the Marvel Comics adaptation of it. Back in the day Marvel was a very cool company who made some great comics not only with their superhero series but also with their horror as well as the strange. So if you are ready, we have just been handed the keys from Marvel Comics and now it’s time for us to enter the House….House II that is.

Let’s first start off with talking about the main villain of House II and that is the undead supernatural outlaw cowboy named Slim Reeser and his ways of dealing death to those who cross his path. Slim Reeser in life was a cowboy adventurer who would help discover an Aztec Temple that house a crystal skull and after having falling out with his exploring partner and being shot and left for dead, his spirit felt wronged and could not find rest and returned to the land of the living twice as a zombie in order to get the skull back. Slim Reeser is undead and has a rotten zombie appearance and dressed in his cowboy gear. The sight of him alone is frightening and can cause panic and distress to those he crosses paths with; his voice is also very unearthly and can send a shiver down spines. Slim can also pass through time and this makes him very dangerous and unpredictable as he can come and go from current time back to his past time. Slim Reeser’s most deadly weapon are his guns as he is a good shot and is skilled with using six shooters the kill his enemies by pumping their gut full of lead. He is also fast and seems to kind of have teleporting ability. He can also take gun shot wounds and shrug them off. Even though he is a zombie, Slim Reeser does have weakness and can be stopped kind of as if takes a heck of a lot of bullets, his whole head being blown off and then having his body set on fire. Slim Reeser is pretty dangerous and can kill with skill with his guns, and while he is not like the other zombies we have covered here on Rotten Ink, he is a very evil one that we have covered on a From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update.

So as you can see, Slim Reeser is one mean outlaw cowboy who can deal out death with his trusty six-shooter and because he is supernatural he is very hard to kill. But let’s now take a look at the film he is from and that of course is House II: The Second Story. And for this part of the update I will be taking the film’s write up from our friends at IMDB and after that I will be writing about the film’s production and then after that I will be writing about my thoughts on the film. So if you are ready, let’s grab the Aztec Crystal Skull and hide as I am sure Slim is still looking for it.

House II: The Second Story (1987)

“Jesse moves to his biological parents’ house with his girlfriend Kate and soon he hosts his friend Charlie with his girlfriend. Jesse reads old documents and decides to go to the local cemetery with Charlie to unbury his grand grand grandfather to seek out an ancient powerful Aztec skull. They reanimate Gramps that soon befriends Jesse and Charlie. But demons cross gateways in the house to retrieve the magic skull and Jesse and Charlie need to go to other dimensions to retrieve the skull and keep Gramps alive.”

The 1986 Horror Comedy film House was a big hit for New World Pictures, and they as well as producer Sean S. Cunningham wanted to get a sequel out fast to cash in on its success. Ethan Wiley, who was the scriptwriter for the first film, returned to write the second film as well as would get on board the direct. House II: The Second Story was given the budget of $3 million dollars and was aiming for a PG-13 rating in order to get more younger viewers to the cinema to see it as it was going to play more for laughs as well as introduce a new mansion with silly characters. The film would not be connected to the first film and would be a sequel in name only and would showcase another haunted house this time tied into a Aztec Crystal Skull that also featured characters from the Wild West. The film would cast Arye Gross, Johnathan Stark, Royal Dano, Bill Maher, John Ratzenberger and Lar Park Lincoin in main roles and would also feature Kane Hodder, Mitzi Kapture and the voice work of Frank Welker. The film was shot fast and cheap, and Harry Manfredini was brought in to do the score work again. It was released to theaters on August 28, 1987 and was met with mostly negative reviews from critics and very mixed reviews from viewers. The film would go on to bring in over $10million dollars and would help spark two more sequels in the series and would be #94 for the year at the American box office. The film would find a bigger fan base when released on VHS and was a popular rental at the time of release. The film when released along side such other horror films in 1987 as Hellraiser, Evil Dead 2, The Lost Boys, A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 3: The Dream Warriors, Jaws The Revenge, Creepshow 2, Slaughterhouse, Monster Squad, The Video Dead, Predator, Slumber Party Massacre 2 and The Howling III to name a few. So as you can see, it kind of got lost in the shuffle of horror.

House II was one of those films I can remember seeing for the first time on HBO and watching it several times alongside my brother as I found it to be a fun film geared more towards kids and I was one of them at the time of seeing it. While even back then I would say that it was not even in the same league as the first film, it did bring something new to the growing series as it took place in a new home and featured a new group of people being tormented by the supernatural and added in the old western characters that made it stand out even more for me as I liked the look and badass nature of Slim Reeser and Gramps McLaughlin was silly and made me laugh when he had to try and get use to life in the 1980’s. Plus seeing actor John Ratzenberger, who I knew as postman Cliff Clavin on the sitcom Cheers, play the part of Bill who was a electrician was really cool as George Wendt plated Harold Gorton the neighbor in the first film and he was Norm on Cheers…so the House series has a connection to Cheers. And House II was one of those films that as I got older more and more people I knew who liked Horror would trash it and even many would rank it as one of the worst sequels in Horror film history. I think that is a little harsh as while it is not perfect I have see way worse from bigger series. The thing with House II is that it came out a big year for horror that featured many big series debuting and having sequels and I think House II was just lost in the shuffle and to be honest the PG-13 rating I think really hurt it when it came to horror fans checking it out. And when on home media I first owned the film on VHS and currently have it on DVD and have no plans to upgrade to the Blu-Ray release. House II was fallowed by House III: The Horror Show in 1989 and House IV: The Repossession in 1992 and with the fourth film the series would end it and no new plans for any future sequels are in the works as of this update. If you like 80’s horror comedies and have not seen House II, give it a watch and see if you enjoy it.

So now that we have talked about House II: The Second Story the film and Slim Reeser, the main villain of the film, I think it’s time that we take a look at the Marvel Comic version based on it that was released back in the day when New World Pictures owned Marvel Comics and they were making issues based on some of their films and TV shows and House II was one of them that got this treatment. I would like to thank Mavericks Cards And Comics for having this comic in stock and making this update possible. I would also like to remind you 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, its entertainment value and its art and story. So if you are ready, let’s head to that old McLaughlin Mansion and see if Gramps and the Crystal Skull are still around and what kind of danger they are into this time.

House II # 1 ***
Released in 1987 Cover Price $2.00 Marvel # 1 of 1

At the McLaughlin Mansion, a young baby is taken away to safety as the parents are gunned down shortly after by a stranger in a long coat. Decades later that baby has grown up and is Jesse McLaughlin, and he and his record executive girlfriend Kate have inherited the mansion now and right as they move in Jesse’s best friend Charlie Coriell and his punk rock singer girlfriend Lana come to visit and help, and as Kate thinks about signing Lana to a record deal Jesse and Charlie come up with an idea to dig up his great, great grandfather as they think he might have been buried with a priceless and rare crystal skull after finding some old books about the families history. While at the graveyard Jesse tells Charlie about his great great grandfathers outlaw past and how he and his one time partner Slim Reeser became enemies. And once they open the casket they see the crystal skull and crazy enough the dead man rises as the skull has given him eternal life as long as its around and they end up taking him back to the mansion. They end up calling him Gramps and the next day he tells them about is life in the Old West as Kate and Lana go out to lunch with John Statmen the boss of the record company with the ladies unaware that Jesse’s dead relative is staying in the basement. Jesse and Charlie spend all day in the basement drinking beer and listening to Gramps tell stories, but as they hear a noise and head upstairs they find that a Halloween party is taking place an worse for Jesse his old girlfriend Rochelle is around and Gramps has made his way up stairs and is now at the party! As the party goes on a mountain of a barbarian shows up and steals the Crystal Skull and even knocks around Gramps before he makes his escape into a room that is now housing a jungle, and Jesse and Charlie go into it after sending all the party guests home in order to find the skull as with it away Gramps is getting weaker and dying. But they also make Kate and Lana angry who leave the mansion in a huff, but once in the jungle Jesse and Charlie watch as the barbarian is eaten by a dinosaur and when they get the Crystal Skull back they bring back also a baby pterodactyl and a Cater-Puppy! And before they can return the skull back to the mansion’s fireplace mantel Kate returns home and finds that Rochelle is still at the mansion and thinks Jesse is cheating and leaves the house for good this time, and after they also get Rochelle out of the house Gramps is attacked by a Aztec Warrior who takes the skull and disappears in the mansion with it. Jesse and Charlie thanks to an electrician named Bill Towner find a hidden dimension behind a wall in the mansion and they go in and defeat the Aztec Warriors and get the Crystal Skull back and even save a Aztec Woman who was going to be sacrificed. Once back at the mansion Bill leaves and Jesse has a “family” dinner with Charlie, Gramps, Aztec Woman, Cater-Puppy and the Baby Pterodactyl but the meal is interrupted by Slim Reeser who shoots Gramps and is able to not only grab the Crystal Skull but also kidnaps Charlie and the Aztec Woman and takes them to a western town! Jesse armed with a shotgun has a gunfight with Slim inside and outside the western town an the gunfire alerts the cops who arrive and surround the house! In the end Jesse is able to kill Slim for good, the cops open fire on the house when one of Slim’s bullets hits an officer and this sparks a house fire, Gramps dies from his bullet wound and Jesse returns to the western world and stays their with his new “family”.

House II made for a very fun comic and proves that Marvel Comics should have one more adaptations of New World Pictures Horror films when the film company owned them. The comic’s plot is very simple and has a young man being left a massive family mansion that has a curse around it all because of a Crystal Skill that is said to have powers including eternal life, but after his Great, Great Grandfather returns from the grave the mansion becomes a hotbed for other dimensions and many baddies want to get their hands on that skull and that includes a western outlaw that was once the friend of Gramps. The main hero of this story is Jesse McLaughlin whose parents were murdered and had to grow up in foster care, and once his Gramps returns from the grave he will do whatever it takes to keep him as well as his friends safe from the curse. Charlie Coriell is a goofy man but a loyal friend who goes along for the strange ride and adventure with his best friend and not only risks his life but also just accepts all the strange going things happening. Gramps McLaughlin has been dead for over 70 years when he returns to share his wild stories of the wild west as well as explain the powers of the Crystal Skull that has kept him alive some ways after all these years, but while he talks a big game he is the reason for all the trouble and looses the skull several times in the short amount of time its been back at the mansion, in other words besides stories Gramps is kind of a pain. The other characters like Kate, Rochelle, Lana, John Statmen, Aztec Woman, Baby Pterodactyl, Bill Towner and Cater-Puppy are all around and help the story in their own ways. Slim Reeser is the comic’s main villain and is a undead outlaw gunslinger who wants to get the Crystal Skull as he feels he should be the owner and not Gramps as they found it together, Slim is skilled with his guns and has killed many people in his time and will do what it takes to get that skull. Also around wanting that skull and adding danger are a massive Barbarian and Aztec Warriors all who will also do what it takes to claim it! This is a well done adaptation and while many elements are missing or told a little different to keep the page count down and the story moving along, it still for the most part keeps true to the film. The film is not bloody at all but does have several moments of death with my favorite kill of the issue being the death of Slim Reeser as he gets his head shot off and then his body is hit with multiple bullets and then catches on fire…a true brutal death for such an evil undead outlaw. The cover for this comic is really cool and eye catching as it show cases Slim standing in front of the mansion as the hands of Gramps are coming out of the ground, spooky stuff for the young readers. The interior art was done by Alan Kupperberg who is a talented artist, and his style fit really well in bringing House II to the world of comic books. He is also known for his work on Spider-Man titles for Marvel. Over all, this is a really fun adaptation that showcases a time when Marvel Comics was making some amazing Horror titles that tied into films, so if you have not read it make sure to do so if you enjoy the film. Checkout the artwork below to see the style of Kupperberg used in this comic.

House II is truly one of those sequels that fans either love or hate, but even those who hate it have to admit that it is pretty cool that the film got the Marvel Comics treatment. In fact, some years back, I did a write up about the House II comic book for a horror magazine released in Spain called Monster Mash by Fester Entertainment. I would also like for you readers to take a moment to think about what other horror comics based on New World Pictures you would have liked to have seen Marvel Comics do around this time as keep in mind they also did release Hellriaser and Elvira Mistress Of The Dark comics. But as you can see, we have reached the end of this From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update and I would like to say that our next update will be another From Horror Movie To Horror Comic one as our countdown to Halloween 2025 continues as it will be about the 1986 Musical Remake of Little Shop Of Horrors! So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a horror film or two and as always support your local horror host. See you next update for an update that will entertain you with both fear and laughter.

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Arachnophobia (1990)

Posted on September 3, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update that is part of our countdown to Halloween 2025. For this one I think we will be taking a look at a classic PG-13 fright flick that is all about killer spiders and is produced by Steven Spielberg. That film of course is Arachnophobia! This film sparks fear in many who truly do fear spiders as this film has hundreds of them running around homes and yards and even crawling up sink pipes and under doors…I am sure for many this is one of the scariest films of the 1990’s, those who truly have arachnophobia that is. So if you are ready, get your bug suits on as it’s time to check out these deadly spiders and the film that spawned them.

Let’s first take a look at the Spiders who are the human killers of this film and their ways of deal death to them. The Spiders are a mix of a new species from Venezuela and an American female House Spider that mate and create a very sinister short-lived species. These new spiders are fast as well as sneaky and can quickly descend on a person that is their prey. Their appearance as well can shock and scare people and can even cause major panic among those with a fear of spiders. The Spiders’ main way of dealing death is the poison they inject into a person after biting them with their fangs, and death comes quickly and painfully and triggers seizures and heart failure. They are deadly by themselves as well as in packs and can sneak into places via cracks as well as drains. They also have a Queen that can lay lots of eggs and cause them to spread fast, and if they are not stopped, they will kill and take over towns and cities causing death with every bite. They are also able to survive basic insecticide as they are immune to its effects and will also kill other insects and animals around in order to protect the eggs of their unborn. While they are very deadly, they can be killed and destroyed as they can be stepped on and crushed, they can be killed by highly toxic powerful insecticide, they can be burned with fire, or shot with a nail gun, electrocuted via a power box…but mostly father time is not on their side as they quickly die of age. This new species Of Spiders are super dangerous as one bite will kill you instantly and while they can be stopped they remain a major threat to humans and are very deadly.

So now that we have looked at these deadly spiders and their ways of killing humans, I think we should take a look at the 1990 film they are from, Arachnophobia! Like before I will be taking the film’s write up from our friends at IMDB and then I will write about the film’s production as well as my thoughts on the film. So if you are ready, let’s stay out of the webs and away from the spiders and take a look at this cult classic family horror film.

Arachnophobia (1990)

“A large spider from the jungles of South America is accidentally transported in a crate with a dead body to America where it mates with a local spider. Soon after, the residents of a small California town disappear as the result of spider bites from the deadly spider offspring. It’s up to a couple of doctors aided by an insect exterminator to annihilate these eight-legged freaks before they take over the entire town.”

Horror movies were very popular at the cinemas and drive-in theaters even into the early 90’s and lots of kids enjoyed heading to the theater to watch them. That’s why there was a rash of PG and PG-13 horror films being released and wanting in on this horror action was Disney as well as Steven Spielberg who got on board with the idea of a horror comedy film that circled around killer spiders loose in a small town and with first time director Frank Marshall leading the film and Don Jakoby and Wesley Strick writing the screenplay. They new that this film would be a hit with the youngsters as well as adults as it was intended to both scare and make you laugh. The film was given a budget of $22 million and hired on for cast were names like Jeff Daniels, John Goodman, Julian Sands, Harley Jane Kozak, Brian McNamara and Kathy Kinney to name a few, and most of the filming took place in California with the jungle shots being filmed in Venezuela. The film had over 300 Avondale Spiders on set, and their safety was taken very seriously as actors and crew had to make sure to not hurt any of them. In certain scenes they used dummy spiders as well as made the actors wear special shoes to pull off scenes that involved crushing them. In order to make the crunch and squash sounds of spiders under boots they would step on potato chips and mustard packs. The film was heavily marketed with trailers, print ads and TV spots as Disney, who was distributing the film thought that they had a hit on their hands, and they were right as the film would be released in theaters on July 18, 1990 as a big summer release and would bring in a total of $53.2million dollars and was a hit also with viewers and critics with the film winning the Best Horror Film award at the Saturn Awards. The film would also be a huge success when released on home media both in rental and home sales, and this only helped build the film’s cult following. The film also proved to studios that PG-13 horror films could work if done right and many compare the films mood and tone to such films as The Birds and Jaws. The film was released in 1990 alongside such other Horror Films as Basket Case 2, Bride Of Re-Animator, Child’s Play 2, The Exorcist III, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Maniac Cop 2, Nightbreed, Predator 2 and Tremors to name a few. And still to this day the film has a major cult following and is even rumored to be getting remade by James Wan’s production company.

The first time I saw Arachnophobia was when my Dad rented it for a family movie night at home while we lived in Waynesville, as while my brother and I wanted to see it in the theater we just never got to as our theater trip around that time was seeing Gremlins 2: The New Batch for us, and seeing how Gremlins was a favorite watch in our house it made only sense for us to see Part 2 over other films at the time. I think my Dad rented it not only because my brother and I were always into horror movies, but because he was a fan of John Goodman who at the time was very popular due to his role as Dan Connor on the hit sitcom “Roseanne”. I really enjoyed Arachnophobia and can remember the kids at school talking about it as the small town we lived in had tons of spiders around with lots of them being Wolf Spiders and we would all do the “What If” that one had a poisonous bite. And like all good films I bought much of the merchandise released like the soundtrack on cassette tape and even the book based on it that was at my school’s book fair. What makes this film work is that it plays on the fear of spiders and the threat of being bitten by one that will kill you instantly, and when you are a kid creepy crawlies were a big part of Halloween time and it was put into your mind that spiders are to be feared! The film was very well cast with it being really cool to see actor Julian Sands in a good guy role as I always knew him as The Warlock, and I think he is a very underrated actor in general. At times the film is very over acted and that is very fitting as it gives it that true B-Movie feel and makes it feel like it would have been at home during the 1950’s playing alongside such films as The Deadly Mantis and Tarantula at the drive-in as apart of a double feature. While the film is not overly violent or bloody, the scares truly come from the spiders themselves as well as some of the effects that show spiders crawling out of the mouth of one of their victims…just gross. And I should also point out that actress Kathy Kinney who plays Blaire Kendall, the wife of the town’s mortician, is known for her role as Mimi Bobeck on the sitcom The Drew Carey Show and she also had a small role in the Christmas film Scrooged. Over all if you are looking for a good, spooky, family friendly horror film to give Arachnophobia a shot as it’s an entertaining watch. Also John Goodman is awesome and is lots of fun in this film as the weirdo exterminator.

So now that we have chatted about the killer spiders and the film they are from, I think it’s the time on this update that we take a look at the comic book adaptation that was released by Disney Comics to help promote the film when it was in the cinemas. And I really do like that this PG-13 family friendly horror film got the comic book treatment as I think the film lent itself to be a comic with all the creepy crawlies and weird characters. And I would like to thank Bell Book And Comic for having this comic in stock and making the update possible. And I would also like to remind you 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 if you are ready, let’s head to Canaima, California and avoid these spiders!

Arachnophobia # 1 ***
Released in 1990 Cover Price $2.95 Disney # 1 of 1

In the jungles of Venezuela goofy photographer Jerry Manley has joined a expedition to document spiders that are found deep in the wild, they group finds a new species of Spiders and Jerry gets bitten by one and ends up dying and is flown back to America with one of the spiders in the casket! His body arrives in Canaima, California and once the coffin is open the spider escapes and is now loose in the town. Meanwhile Dr. Ross Jennings and his wife Molly have just bought a new home with a old barn that is filled with spiders, and Ross is terrified of them all cause of a childhood trauma. The spider finds a mate and creates a very deadly new species, and worse for Ross the doctor he was replacing has decided to not retire yet causing him to have to wait around before he takes over the practice in the small town he didn’t want to move to, and worse the old doctor is out of touch on how to treat peoples illness. The new breed of spiders are spreading out in the town and are biting people and causing them to pass away from their poison and the two doctors have different theories on what is happing, but while this is going on Molly meets the town exterminator named Delbert McClintock who hates bugs and loves to kill them. More and more people are dying and including the old doctor from the spider bites, and Ross is doing his best to try and figure out what is happening as the new spiders has yet to be figured out to be the killers. Ross ends up calling Dr. James Atherton, a spider specialist, for help who is the man that lead the expedition in Venezuela when Jerry was killed and he and one of his helpers head to Canaima to investigate these deaths. The town is starting to be over ran with these killers spiders and Dr. Jennings, Dr. Atherton and Delbert McClintock go on a quest to try and find the new species queen to stop the species growth and along the way find more and more people dead as well as more and more aggressive spiders. The queen ends up killing Dr. Atherton as the nest is in the barn of Dr. Ross and when they all show up at the Ross home they find it is over ran and Ross must get his wife and kids out of the home and Delbert McClintock tries to hold the spider back. In the end Dr. Jennings has a showdown with the spider queen in his cellar and ends up killing her using fire and a nail gun, and with that the new species of spider dies off and Dr. Ross Jennings is a hero and finds that he loves living in Canaima.

This comic adaptation is lots of fun and is able to play up the horrors of the spiders as well as the silliness of the characters very well, and while some moments seem to come out of left field like them suddenly showing that Ross Jennings had kids it somehow just kind of works for this comic as it plays up on the more b-movie feel of the story. The plot is this a new very poisonous spider species is invading a small town and the local Doctor along with the towns Exterminator must find a way to bring the horror to a stop by finding the queen of the species before she hatches more eggs. The main hero of the story is Dr. Ross Jennings, a city doctor who finds himself in a small town who must battle the old ways of the out dated town doctor, get over his fear of spiders and has to be the hero that brings down the queen in a blaze of fire. A very unlikely hero but one who does what he must to protect his family and town from being killed. Delbert McClintock is a heavyset goof ball who is the towns exterminator, and his main goal in life is to kill bugs as he just hates them and he is a good guy to have on your side during a infestation like this. Dr. James Atherton is kind of a mystery as while I think he wants to help skill the spiders, I also think he wants to study them as his main interest in in new spider species. The Spiders are killing machines as they bite and kill all types of people from town and seem to do so even when not provoked and that makes them so dangerous and shows why the people of Canaima should be scared to death of them. The comic is not bloody at all but does have lots of death as people are being killed by spiders all over the comic, and it plays the creepy horror and not for bloody horror for the scares. The cover is cool but is kind of lazy as it is just the movie poser with comic logos added, the interior art is done by Dan Spiegle and is good stuff even if the character look nothing like the actors who played them. If you are a fan of the film or like more of a kid friendly type of Horror give this one a read as it will surely entertain you. Check out the artwork below to see the style used by Spiegle for this adaptation comic.

As you can see, Arachnophobia is a super fun family friendly Horror film that made for a very fun comic book read thanks to Disney Comics. And I for one would like to see what James Wan and his production company does when they get around to filming the remake, though I would like to see it done as a reboot or sequel personally myself. I have to also point out you can never go wrong with a movie that has a spider on fire being killed by a nail gun, just classic B-Movie stuff. And with that this update has came to an end, but do not worry we have more horror-themed updates coming your way as for this month I am going to stick with PG-13 horror movies that got the comic book treatment and our next one will be House II: The Second Story and the Marvel Comics adaptation of it! So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a horror film or two an as always support your local horror host. See you next update for a travel through dimensions and time in order to protect a Crystal Skull.

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: To Die For (1988)

Posted on August 24, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink as we continue our countdown to Halloween 2025, and as you can see, we are about to dive deep into another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update as I am sure many of you readers are like me and really enjoy reading Horror Comics and really enjoy them when they are based on a film. Today’s topic is an odd one as we will be looking at the 1989 erotic horror film To Die For and the comic adaptation done by Blackthorne Publishing to promote it, yeah it’s an odd one for them to make into a comic for sure but I feel it’s very cool that they did as I love when comic companies take chances on these smaller indie Horror Films to make comics based on them. But with that, let’s get ready to see what this version of Dracula is all about and what makes him different from the pack.

Let’s first start by taking a look at Vlad Tepish, the killer vampire from this film that not only drinks blood but also breaks hearts. Vlad, who is also known as Dracula, is a vampire so his main way of killing his victims is using his mind control and then drinking their blood by biting them on the neck with his razor sharp teeth that he can also use to rip flesh. His charm is also very dangerous as he can use it to bring his victims in closer and give them a sense of safety. He can also use it to make them spill their life story to him in order to use it to manipulate them. Vlad also has telepathic abilities and can lift and throw people around with but a glance. When a full vampire he takes on more of a monster appearance compete with demonic eyes, lots of long sharp teeth, claws and he makes animalistic growls and this as well can freeze his victims in fear. He is also strong and can manhandle those humans he wishes to. With Vlad Tepish as well comes lots of wealth and power over females that he charms who fall for his spell and will do whatever he wants, and let’s also not forget with him also comes Tom, a fellow Vampire that hates him and will kill people that are near Vlad in order to be a pain in his neck makes him even more dangerous to humans. Also let’s not forget that Vlad can turn humans into fellow vampires! But Vlad Tepish while immortal is not truly un-killable as a stake to his heart and sunlight can seal his doom, making him scary strong but can be defeated. I also feel that Vlad has a weakness for love as when he falls for a woman he kind of can turn into a softy and this can lead to his own death by leaving himself open for attacks or even with thoughts of suicide. Over all Vlad Tepish is a very deadly vampire and can deal death to those who cross him, but I will also say that he might not be the deadliest monster we have talked about on a From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update, he still is very powerful and can kill with speed if he chooses.

So as you can see, Vlad Tepish is a vampire who has charm but can also turn into a monster in order to get what he wants from the mere mortals of the world. And now that we have taken a look at Vlad and his death dealing ways, I think we should take a look at the film he is from To Die For! Like always we will be taking the film’s plot from IMDB and then I will write a little about the films production as well as my thoughts about the film. So if you are ready, let’s head to L.A. and see what is causing this vampire outbreak.

To Die For (1988)

“L.A. real estate agent Kate Wooten gets a new lease on life when she learns that her new client, a mysterious and handsome man named Vlad, is looking for a house isolated in the Hollywood Hills where he wants to live and doesn’t want to be disturbed. It doesn’t take long for Kate to fall in love with her new client and to learn that he’s a real vampire.”

Back in the 1980’s the video rental market was booming as were paid cable movie stations like HBO, Showtime, Movie Channel and Cinemax that were popular for movie lovers. And during this time erotic films were very popular in both ways of enjoying movies and ones with a dash of Horror were very much in demand and from this the world got To Die For, a Dracula film that was part horror and part erotic and was made fast and cheap. To Die For was produced by Brian Kumar and Lee Caplin as they wanted to make a profit off the Erotic Horror genre and they focused on Dracula and vampires and hired Leslie King to do the script and brought on Deran Sarafian who would go on to direct the film Death Warrant in 1990 and Terminal Velocity in 1994. When casting started they hired Brendan Hughes to play Vald Tepes aka Dracula and other actors hired included Sydney Walsh, Scott Jacoby, Amanda Wyss and Duane Jones of Night Of The Living Dead fame in his final film role. The film would be shot quickly with some cool practical special effects and would be distributed by Skouras Pictures and Cliff Eidelman was brought in to score it. When done the film had to be trimmed as it was on the verge of getting a X rating and this would have derailed the film from playing in theaters and even could have caused some issues with it airing on the paid cable movie stations. When completed the film would end up getting a very limited theatrical run in 1989 and would find its cult fan base on home media and cable. The film was released along side such other Horror Films in 1989 as Halloween 5, A Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, Puppet Master, Warlock, Friday The 13^th Part 8: Jason Takes Manhattan, The Dead Next Door and Silent Night Deadly Night 3 to name a few. While over the years this film is pretty much been forgotten by most, it still does have a small following and even spawned a sequel in 1991 that was called “Son Of Darkness: To Die For II”. I should also say that for some reason To Die For has other titles it goes by like “Bram Stoker’s To Die For” and “Dracula The Love Story To Die For” to name a few.

I want to start off by saying To Die For is one of those sleazy horror films that I feel like housewives in the late 1980’s would watch on late night cable and then tell their friends that they like horror and would use it as an example of the type of horror they like. And keep in mind, there is nothing wrong with that as erotic horror has its place on the Horror Family Tree. I first saw this film as a teenager when I bought a copy of it on VHS from a second hand store called Replay Media and was expecting a Dracula tale and got more of a Vlad in love with a real estate agent and a odd vampire fight between two long time enemies. While the film tries to be erotic, it’s pretty tame by today’s standards and it’s crazy to think that it was on the verge of getting a X-Rating. The film is very cheesy and I have to say that when Vlad Tepish is in human form, he is the most un-intimidating vampire I have seen in cinema! The film has great monster effects by the late great John Carl Buechler are great and kind of out of place for this style of film, but are very much a big welcome to add some spice to it. The film’s plot of having two vampires for over a hundred years fighting over the same woman every time she comes back to life is an interesting concept, it just is not fleshed out all that well here in this film. Most people who have seen this film gives big praise to actress Amanda Wyss that plays the character of Celia Kett as she is prefect in her roll, but I also feel that actor Steve Bond who plays Tom, the other vampire, is really good as he plays himself charming and also very cold blooded when needed. The odd thing about this film as well as it’s sequel is that in the modern age they kind of have disappeared with the first film having a very small release on DVD that is long out of print and now can only be found on a bootleg double feature release that is a terrible print, and the sequel I have yet to find on DVD or Blu-Ray besides copies on the grey market. Over all I have to say that I enjoy this film and while it’s very cheesy and fails at all levels at being erotic it does make for a good b-movie vampire film. If you like Dracula films, try and track this down and give it a watch as it will not change your life, but you might find yourself enjoying it.

To Die For is a interesting vampire film from the late 80’s that since released has gained a fan base from its limited theatrical run, home media release and of course cable airings. And now that we have talked about Vlad and the film he is from To Die For its time that we now take a look at the comic book based on the film that was released to help promote it. And I would like to thank Lone Star Comics for having this comic in stock and making this update possible. I also would like to remind you all 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, it’s entertainment value and it’s art and story. So if you are ready, let’s head to the castle of Vlad and see what horrors he has in store for us.

To Die For # 1 ***
Released in 1989 Cover Price $2.50 Blackthorne # 1 of 1

Katie is at a boat party in L.A with her friend Martin when she notices a man with long black hair that catches her eye, but he is gone just as fast. As Katie leaves the party for the night a friend of hers and Martin’s goes to his car to do a little drugs but instead is killed by a vampire. The next morning Katie goes to work, as she is a realtor and she finds out from her best friend and roommate Celia that she has a late night how showing scheduled for her and that Celia’s boyfriend Mike as asked her to marry him. As Katie leaves to the castle that she will be showing for sale, a homeless man asks her for change only for her to not have any and after she pulls out that homeless man is killed by a crazed vampire. Once at the castle Katie meets Vlad Tepish who is the man from the boat party she seen who ends up buying the castle, and seduces her and almost bites her as he is a vampire but because he feels a connection to her he does not drink her blood. Katie heads home and breaks the heart of Martin who has a crush on her, and alerts Celia that Vlad is buying the house and is looking for a security, and Celia takes the job and is quickly charmed by Vlad who bites her and has sex with her. Vlad also finds out that Tom a fellow vampire is in town and has his eyes set on Katie as well she looks like a woman the two have fought over on the past. Days later Vlad is holding a party at his castle and sends Katie a dress and an invite and this makes Celia jealous who has as well fallen in love with Vlad, and while at the party Tom appears and tries to scare Katie and argues with Vlad over who will turn her into one of them, Tom also bites and kills Celia and leaves her body to be found in a park and Martin who attends the party finds and steals a book from Vlad that tells of his history and that he is a vampire….and Katie is unaware of all of this and all she knows is that she is in love with Vlad. The next day the body of Celia is found and Katie meets with Mike and Martin to mourn the loss of their friend, and when Martin starts talking of Vlad being a vampire Katie storms out as Martin and Mike head to the morgue and have to fight and then kill Celia who is now a vampire with a wooden stake. Katie heads to Vlad’s castle and he alerts her to his true nature and she wants to become one of his so the pair have sex and he bites her, just as they finish Tom appears and the two vampires fight and Tom is killed when Vlad drops him onto a wooden spear bedpost. In the end Vlad takes Katie down the stairs and to end he nightmare and not make her become of the undead he walks out into the sun and dies just as Martin and Mike come to their friends side as she is heartbroken.

The Horror Comic version of To Die For is a pretty great read and while most of the elements of the film are there it also makes some changes to speed up the read and even removes some of the characters and scenes from the issue to achieve it. Like sadly I feel the comic downplays Celia who is one of the best side characters in the film as they have her die and turned by the hands of Tom way to early and they remove her venom laced speech that she gives to Katie and Mike when she feels she has lost the love of Vlad. Also it would have been nice to see Simon, the owner of the real estate company that Katie works for as in the film that was Duane Jones, the actor who played Ben in Night Of The Living Dead. The comic also at times moves past the gruesome kills and violence to fast and the final fight between Vlad and Tom is way to quick. The plot can be summed up really quickly as its this two vampires continue their blood feud in L.A during the 80’s when they both fall for the same woman who looks like a female from both of their pasts. Vlad while a vampire is fighting the urge to turn a mortal woman he has fallen for, he does however still has his killer and cold instincts as he kills Tom and plays with the heart and mind of Celia and when he gets closed to Katie he throws her to the side that leads to her death and turn. Katie seems lost through the whole issue as she is looking for love and falls for a stranger and once she meets him falls even more for him and even wants to be turned into a vampire in order to be with him, even after what he and his foe have done to her friends (Rich and Celia). Tom is super evil in this one and loves killing humans to drink their blood, has fun messing with Vlad and does his best to try and be the one to get Katie as a way for revenge. Martin and Mike are around and pretty much are used in the issue to kill Celia as well as figure out that Vlad is a vampire. The comic is filled with blood and nudity and my favorite kill of the issue has to be the death of Rich, who was their friend who is killed in his car after sniffing cocaine. The cover for this issue is really cool and eye catching for the time as it has that Indie Horror Comic appeal. The interior art is done by Edgar Martiarena and is really cool as I like the way he draws the vampires when they take their more monster looks. Over all this is a pretty quick and fun read and while it does change lots from the film it makes it feel kind of like a new tale for those characters, I would say if you enjoy the film its based on or just like vampire comics give this one a read. Check out the art below to see the style of Edgar Martiarena used for this comic.

To Die For is a late 80’s vampire film that is not a ground breaking and has a very micro cult following and it’s crazy to think that a publisher like Blackthorne Publishing that was a pretty big player in those days took the chance to make this comic in both 2D and 3D! That’s right, you can also find this comic in 3D as that was one of Blackthorne’s big gimmicks back then as they loved being the ones to do comics in 3D. But as you can see, this From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update is over and that means it’s time for me to tell you that out next update will be as it will continue in the Horror theme as we will be taking a look at the film Arachnophobia and the comic adaptation based around it. So until next time ,read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update as I hope you don’t have a fear of spiders as they are the creepy crawly baddies that are looking for a quick bite.

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015)

Posted on August 14, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update. I am in the mood to talk about sharks, and not just any kind of sharks, ones that travel thanks to tornados and storms and act more aggressive than a hive full of killer bees! And of course I am talking about Sharknado, a film series that has lasted for years thanks to being made for TV films that have built up a huge cult following. Did you readers know that the third film in the series got a promo comic that had the Sharknado storm going through Riverdale and was released by Archie Comics? Well there is one released called “Archie vs. Sharknado # 1.” It was a very cool crossover that was made in order to help build excitement for the TV premiere of the third film in the series, and it worked as I can remember the buzz around the comic shop for this one. So if you are ready, let’s take a journey into the world of Sharknado and more importantly Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! as well make a pit stop in Riverdale. And for those keeping track, we are still in our countdown to Halloween 2025!

Let’s start this update off by looking at The Sharks that make up the Sharknado, who are the death dealers in this film and series. The sight of a shark is its first tool as many people who see one freak out and are filled with fear. The main way of killing for The Sharks comes from their razor sharp teeth that can shred human flesh, remove body parts and even can sometimes chomp down a human whole. Not to mention that their bites can also cause a person to bleed to death and at the least can cause severe crippling pain. The sharks also have a massive weight and when dropped from the sky by a Sharknado, they can smash a human body into a bloody paste. The Sharks are fast moving in the water, sky and space (yes, Outer Space) and seem to adapt to any location they are in when it comes to breathing. They travel in tornados and are dropped into cities when a massive storm rages, and the storm with the flash flooding, high winds and lightning helps add to The Sharks’ abilities to deal death, and they are also very aggressive and show some limited brains making them also a little more dangerous to humans. But while The Sharks are threatening and very deadly, they do have weaknesses and can be killed pretty easily as you can shoot them, stab them, blow them up, freeze them, run them over, chop them up and any other normal way of killing a living thing. They are a little slow on land and cannot move very fast at all once they are on solid land, making them easy to kill as they flail about. Also if you use the right explosives on the Sharknado itself, you can stop it and cause the Sharks to fall to the ground and be picked off by survivors. The Sharks also are blind with rage and the urge to eat and kill their victims also makes them sloppy and open to be killed before they can taste blood. But while they do have weaknesses, The Sharknados are very dangerous and can deal lots of pain and death when they appear.

Now that we have taken a look at The Sharknado and the killing power they pack, I think it is time that we take a look at the film that spawned this crossover promo comic that we will be reviewing and that’s “Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!” and like always we will be taking our film’s plot from our friends at IMDB and after that, I will write a little about the film’s production as well as my thoughts about the film. So if you are ready, grab and umbrella and maybe your chainsaw as I hear that the weatherman is calling for sharks!

Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015)

“A monstrous tornado unleashes ravenous sharks from Washington, D.C., all the way down to Orlando, Florida.”

The Sharknado series was gaining lots of steam and building cult status so of course the SyFy Channel wanted more so a third film was put into production shortly after the second film was completed, with the script being written by Thunder Levin and it being directed by Anthony C. Ferrante once more who had directed that past two films, and on a cool side note also played a zombie in the 1987 classic “The Video Dead”! The film was shot all over the place from Florida to Puerto Rico and of course was being done on a low budget as The Asylum and SyFy only wanted to put a little over $2million into it. Both Ian Ziering and Cassie Scerbo returned playing Fin Shepard and Nova Clarke, and like before the film was crammed pack full of cameos an guest stars in roles like Frankie Muniz, Bo Derek, Mark McGrath, Mark Cuban, David Hasselhoff, Michael Winslow, Chris Jericho, Lou Ferrigno, Lorenzo Lamas, Jerry Springer, Penn & Teller, George R.R. Martin, Kathie Lee Gifford, Maryse Ouellet, Josh Barnett, Chris Kirkpatrick, Maria Menounos among so many others. And also I should say Tara Reid also returned playing April Wexler. During the production it is said that the film came under a lawsuit attack by Donald Trump, who was upset when a part he was asked to play was recast, and keep in mind, this was when he was gearing up to run for President. The film would have its premiere on the SyFy Channel on July 22, 2015 and was meet with mostly negative reviews as both critics and fans started to think that the series was out of steam in this third flick. Other indie Horror Films released that year included Hell House LLC, Howl, Bone Tomahawk, Maggie, #HORROR, The Final Girls, Human Centipede 3, Headless, 3-Headed Shark Attack and Lavalantula that was a spin-off series of Sharknado.

The Sharknado films are something I never fully understood when they started as they were so poorly done and the digital effects were so bad that at times it was hard to try and look past them as both the sharks and the storms were laughable and because they looked so bad it would take me many years before I would watch them. Plus the cult fandom for them slightly annoyed me as viewers would flock to watch films like this, but I feel over look the horror comedy film works of talented directors like Chris Seaver and David “The Rock” Nelson. But when I finally did watch them, I learned to understand what they are and that’s a super over the top action horror film series that is in on the joke, and they cram in cameos from celebrities as well as at times uses some decent practical effects. The plots are filled with holes and part three is really bad for holes, but I do get these films’ appeal now as they are so bad they are entertaining. Plus seeing all the Pro Wrestlers and aged TV actors who have parts in these films is fun, and I am not ashamed to say I have always been a fan of Tara Reid since I first saw her in the 1999 film American Pie, and I think she is just as lovely as she gets older and to be honest next to the cheesy cameos is the only reason I watched all the films in this series as her character April Wexler gets more over the top throughout the series and Tara Reid just rolls with the punches and looks beautiful doing so. And something else I have to say is I can remember friends of mine having parties at their houses when the new film would be released and it was a big deal for them to have Sharknado parties! Over time and the lack of any new sequels Sharknado is losing steam when it comes to being chatted about in the Horror world, but it will forever have a massive cult following complete with having Halloween Costumes that turn you into a Sharknado.

Now that we have talked about Sharknado and the way it kills as well as the third film in the series, it is now time that we take a look at the comic crossover that the world always wanted and that’s The Archie Universe mixing with the Sharknado Universe to deliver a strange Horror Comic that no one ever thought they would truly see. This really does give me joy as what a strange crossover to promote a cheese Indie Horror Film Series. I would like to thank Lone Star Comics for having this comic in stock and making this update possible. I would also like to remind you 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, its entertainment value and its art and story. So if you are ready, grab an umbrella as I heard its going to be raining sharks this evening!

Archie vs. Sharknado # 1 ***
Released in 2015 Cover Price $4.99 Archie Comics # 1 of 1

Betty and Veronica and in Washington D.C with Hiram P. Lodge the rich father of Veronica as he is there to talk politics over the Sharknado storms! As Betty and Veronica tour the capital the visit all the monuments with the final one being the Washington Monument, but soon find themselves trapped inside as a Sharknado has arrived and during this storm Mr. Lodge is killed by the sharks and this causes Betty and Veronica to escape the wrath of the storm and kill as many sharks as they can, and know that they must warn Riverdale as it’s the night of the big dance and who knows how many lives will be lost and who Archie will take to the dance now that they are both stuck in D.C. Meanwhile back in Riverdale Archie is at the beach with his friend Jughead when they get invited to a yacht party by Cheryl Blossom, and while they are having fun and swimming in the ocean they are all attacked by sharks as the Sharknado is near and as panic runs crazy many of his classmates are being attacked and eaten! Meanwhile Betty and Veronica are on a motorcycle heading towards Riverdale when they find a crashed helicopter and decide to fix it up to head home and save their friends. Meanwhile back in Riverdale Sabrina The Teenage Witch and her cat Salem are the lifeguards at the beach and as they try to use magic to save they day, they are eaten by the sharks…and this leaves Archie to be the hero of the day. As the yacht sinks Archie is able to get the boat Sabrina was driving and save many of his friends including Jughead, Moose and Cheryl and they rush to the school to warn the others, all the while Betty and Veronica have fixed the helicopter and are heading toward Riverdale High School as well. Meanwhile at the school the teachers are shocked as hardly no one is attending and the band Josie And The Pussycats are playing, but things get bloody as Archie and the others arrive at the school and so does the Sharknado and the sharks go on the attack killing many and being killed themselves. And during this fight Betty and Veronica crash in and help kill the sharks as well. Archie comes up with an idea to make a bomb and toss it into the eye of the Sharknado to bring it down, and after they are armed with chainsaws thanks to the schools janitor they set out to fight the sharks. One ends up eating Cheryl, who has the bomb, and Archie has to cut the shark in two to save her and using team work they get the bomb in the right spot and when it explodes it brings an end to the Sharknado and the town of Riverdale is safe!

This is such a great and cheesy crossover that just works so well as having Sharknados touchdown in Riverdale is a very cool idea and the concepts of the likes of Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead killing sharks is pure comic book crossover magic. Who would also ever think that we would get a comic where Reggie, Sabrina, Mr. Lodge and so many other characters from the Archie Comic Book universe would be brutally killed by sharks as I have to say I was very shocked about the amount of blood used in the comic as characters get ripped apart and body parts go flying, plus even the sharks deaths are pretty bloody! Now that I am thinking about it I would say this comic is way bloodier and gory than the film series it’s based on. The Horror elements of the comic of course come from the sharks that are chomping on human flesh and because it’s Archie Comics, the humor comes from the character like Jughead who bites one of the sharks and also loses his crown to one that he goes on a small quest to get back. The comic also has lots of inside jokes towards other Horror Films like Jaws and Evil Dead, and they even poke fun at the fact Tara Reid played Melody Valentine, the drummer for Josie And The Pussycats, who plays April Wexler in the Sharknado films. For me reading this I have to say that the real heroes of the story are Betty and Veronica who kill more sharks and do more over all to stop the Sharknado, but of course Archie in the end seems to get most of the credit for being the hero. The most shocking death in this comic is that of Sabrina The Teenage Witch as she does not even get a chance to use her magic before she is ripped apart by sharks as her friends watch on in horror. Who ever came up with this idea was very wise as this was a cool way to promote the third film in the Sharknado series as I can remember this comic getting some press when it was released and even Horror News sites talked about it. The cover I have is very cool and captures the spooky elements of the crossover as it has Archie fighting off sharks in a flooded street, and the interior artwork by Dan Parent is great as its that cartoony look but in panels done very bloody. Over all this is a really cool one-shot issue that did its job of promoting the film and entertaining the reader. Check out the artwork below to see the style of Parent used as well as some of the panels that captured the mayhem.

Archie vs. Sharknado is a great colorful, funny and bloody Horror Comic that should be remembered as I think it’s truly a must read crossover comic that deserves to be praised for all its weirdness. And in fact all the strange Archie crossover comics should be remembered and if you readers have not checked them ou,t you should as Archie has also met The Predator, The Punisher and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, to name a few. But with that I think it’s time we leave the world of Sharknado and even Archie Comics behind as our next update will keep us into the world of Horror Films as our countdown to Halloween 2025 continues as we take a look at the 1989 released vampire film To Die For. So until next time, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update as we spend some time with Vlad as he looks for a new home in L.A.

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!

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Casper (1995)

Posted on June 23, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to a very kid friendly “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update. One of the great things about horror films is that humans of all ages like to be scared and enjoy watching these types of films late at night. We covered a horror film that was for all ages earlier this year I talked about the 1975 film “Escape To Witch Mountain,” and I figured why not do another so I chose the 1995 film Casper that was the first live action film starring everyone’s favorite Friendly Ghost who was a big hit already for decades thanks to his many comic series from Harvey Comics as well as the many cartoons he had made about him. Now yes, I know that Casper is not a “horror film” but it is what I would call a gateway film for younger fans to discover the wonderful scares of horror cinema, plus I am sure The Ghostly Trio did give some younger viewers some frights…I mean what is more classic scary than a ghost saying “Booooooo”. So let’s not waste any more time as I think a storm is brewing and Whipstaff Manor is just a short distance away and we can find shelter and talk about Casper!

Let’s start off by taking a look at The Ghostly Trio (Stretch, Fatso & Stinkie) and their ways of haunting and scaring the living. Not much is known about the lives of The Ghostly Trio before they passed away. What is mostly known is their time as ghosts who live at Whipstaff Manor, an old property that was owned by a rich family that has been neglected for many decades causing it to become rundown and the source of the town’s stories of haunted lore. Stretch is the leader of the trio, and he is a tall lanky ghost with a big nose and a bad attitude. he likes to give orders, shout and scare those who cross his path. Stinkie is a more quiet ghost but is just as much into scaring people as his brothers. his calling card is that he smells real bad with his breath being the worst as it is enough to make a person pass out from smelling it. Fatso is the short chubby one of the bunch who is always hungry and is always looking to deliver a fright. Since the Trio are ghosts, it mean they can float through objects, enter a living person’s body and can make their appearances more extreme causing maximum fright to the living. They are said to be the uncles of Casper but probably not in life, just in the after life as he lives in the home with them and in some ways they watch after him. While they are frightful ghosts, they do seem to also have a nice side, as friendship seems to be important to them. The only way that they can be defeated is by them finding their reason for being still on Earth and not in the netherworld, and by that I mean finish their unfinished business here among the living. While The Ghostly Trio are not the scariest ghosts nor the deadliest that we have covered here on Rotten Ink, they still have their place in the would of spirits.

So now that we have taken a look at The Ghostly Trio and their haunting ways, I think that we should now take a look at the film they are from and that is of course Casper from 1995. And like before, I will be taking this family fright film’s plot from our friends at IMDB and then I will write about the film’s production as well as my thoughts on the film. So if you are ready, let’s head a little deeper into Whipstaff Manor and see what Casper The Friendly Ghost is up too.

Casper (1995)

“An afterlife therapist and his daughter meet a friendly young ghost when they move into a crumbling mansion in order to rid the premises of wicked spirits.”

Back in the early 90’s Steven Spielberg was looking to make a film about the classic cartoon and comic book character Casper The Friendly Ghost and found Brad Sillberling to direct this big screen live action film. The thing with Brad is that he was mostly known for being a director of TV shows as he had such shows as Doogie Howser M.D., L.A. Law and NYPD Blue under his belt. When it came to the script, Sherri Stoner & Deanna Oliver would be hired to make a super kid friendly film that would do the Harvey Comics character justice. The film was given a budget of around $55 million, and the production was really stressful as this was one of the first films to feature a CGI created character as the main character and without Casper looking just right, the film could have fallen apart. When it came to casting they would hire Christina Ricci to play the young living friend of Casper and other actors hired include Bill Pullman, Eric Idle, Cathy Moriarty, Ben Stein and Amy Brenneman plus it also featured cameos from Mr. Rogers, Mel Gibson, Dan Aykroyd, Rodney Dangerfield, Don Novello and John Kassier to name a few with Aykroyd playing his Ghostbusters character Ray Stanz and Kassir is voicing The Crypt Keeper again! Once edited James Horner would do the musical score, and Little Richard would perform the classic Casper theme song. The film would be released in theaters on May 26, 1995 and would do very well for Universal Pictures as it would bring in a worldwide box office of $288 million and was met with pretty positive reviews from critics as well as viewers. The film was slated to get a sequel after the success of the first film but it is said that is was cancelled when Christina Ricci was not fully committed to reprise her role. The film would spark a Marvel adaptation comic, toys, books, music, video games and cards to be released based around it, not to mention Harvey Comics would team with 20^th Century Fox to release direct to video live action films to cash in after the official sequel was never made. Casper in 1995 was released alongside such other Horror Movies as Castle Freak, Candyman 2, Halloween 6, The Howling 7, Leprechaun 3, Night Of The Scarecrow, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 4, Vampire In Brooklyn and Witchboard 3 to name a few.

In 1995 I can remember when Casper was being released in the theaters as it had a pretty big push around it, but I was a teenager and had not much interest in seeing it in the theater as I would much rather had been watching more bloody Horror Films and not a family friendly fright flick. One of the biggest things I remember as well is the glow in the dark puppets that were at Pizza Hut as at a time my family ate at The Hut fairly often, and for a fast food plastic puppet, they were pretty cool and detailed. The one thing that made the film stand out for many was the fact it starred Christina Ricci, who was a popular actress for my age group as she was the same age as me and my classmates and she had been a star due to her role as Wednesday Addams in the 1991 film “The Addams Family” and its 1993 sequel “Addams Family Values”, and this also showed that she was a teen actress who starred in many kid friendly fright films and she would fully make the jump into horror in 1999 starring in the Tim Burton film “Sleepy Hollow”. I cannot tell you the first time I saw Casper but it was on broadcast TV when I did and I can remember liking the film as I thought the special effects for the ghosts were really cool, and one other weird memory I have is when I worked for a local Blockbuster Video a upset mother wanted her money back as she claimed the film scared her child and gave them nightmares! Yep that really happened, so maybe Casper really is a horror film for young kids! If you are also wondering my favorite Ghostly Trio member is Stinkie as I find this foul smelling ghost to be cool looking plus you can’t go wrong with a ghost that has foul breath. I did grow up reading Casper comics as well as paperback books and really enjoyed them, we would get most of our Casper comics from garage sales as well as gifts from my grandparents. One other thing I guess I can talk about is I did have and play the Casper video game that was based on the film for the Sony Playstation…but really I don’t have much more to say about the Casper film besides it’s a good kids film that has a solid following still to this day.

So as you can see, while Casper is a film that I remember from my youth it is one that I was just a little too old for when released so I do not have that big of a connection to, but again I do understand why the kids of that time do. I would like to thank Bell Book And Comic for having this comic in stock and making this update possible. I would also like to remind you all 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, its entertainment value and its art and story. I would also like to point out that Marvel Comics released an adaptation comic of Casper who is a character that was created by Harvey Comics who still was making comics and merchandise for him at the time…what a crazy time it was for comics in the 1990’s. So with that, let’s get to the review portion of this update.

Casper # 1 **1/2
Released in 1995 Cover Price $2.50 Marvel # 1 of 1

After the death of her father Carrigan Crittenden is left the family haunted home in Maine called Whipstaff Manor, and she is very mad about this, as she wanted all the money that instead he left to animal charities. But Carrigan and her lawyer Dibs get more interested in the old home when they find a hidden message in the homes deed that says there is hidden treasure on the property, but when she and Dibs get to the home one rainy night they are scare off by Casper The Friendly Ghost who tries to welcome them to his living place. And when Carrigan tries to hire a priest and a Ghostbuster to rid the home of the ghosts, they are all scared off by Stretch, Fatso & Stinkie also known as The Ghostly Trio. One night Casper is watching TV and sees a story on the news about Dr. James Harvey, a man who talks to lonely ghosts, and he also falls in love with his daughter Kat Harvey and travels via the cable wire to the hotel room of Carrigan and plays the news story and this causes her to call Dr. Harvey to try and ride her haunted home of the ghosts and he takes the job, and makes his daughter Kat a promise that this will be the last case the do if he is unable to make contact with the ghost of her mother Amelia. Once Dr. Harvey and Kat make it to the Whipstaff Manor they start setting things up, and Casper fails at his first attempt at talking to Kat as by accident he scares her, and worse The Ghostly Trio arrive and start messing with Dr. Harvey even entering his body and causing him to shake around, chasing him around and just being gross…but by the next morning they kind of start to become friends while they still mess with him you can tell that they like him…and Casper even fixed everyone breakfast. Kat starts her new school and puts it out there that they can have the Halloween dance at Whipstaff Manor here current living place and also the towns local haunted house. Casper gets jealous when a young man named Vic asks Kat to be his date as he wanted to be, but it is all a set up by a fellow classmate Amber who just wants to tease Kat in front of her new school. Casper and Kat hang out that night were the young ghost tells her he has forgotten about his past, and this makes her sad for him as well as for her mother as she might forget her and her dad. The next night while Dr. Harvey is depressed The Ghostly Trio take him out for a night on the town that leads to him falling into a hole and dying, Carrigan and Dibs find the homes blueprints and the possible location of the lost treasure and this leads to Carrigan dying in a accident and becoming a ghost so she can enter the vault, and lastly Kat finds Casper’s old toy room and the memories come back of his death as well as his dads secret lab were he made a machine that could turn a ghost into a living human again! In the end Kat tricks the ghost of Carrigan into disappearing for good, Dibs is knocked out of a window, The Ghostly Trio scare Amber & Vic before they can pull their prank, the machine is used to bring back Dr. Harvey to the land of the living, Casper is granting a wish of becoming a real boy by the ghost of Amelia Harvery who also speaks to her husband before returning to heaven, and Kat has her Halloween Dance Party and is able to dance with Casper.

This is a fun and silly adaptation that really does do justice to the film its based on as it keeps everything very kid friendly and retains some of the ghostly frights that could for sure possibly scare younger readers as The Ghostly Trio are the source of the scares, but to be fair by a certain point they become nice to the family and are very much major aspects of the comedy. The plot as a spoiled woman wanting to find hidden treasure in the old family manor that is haunted by four ghosts so she hires a man who claims to be a therapist to ghosts to get rid of them, but instead he and his daughter becomes friends with the ghosts and protect them from being kicked out of their home and put a stop to the woman’s greed when she herself turns into a ghost. The main character of this adaptation comic is Casper, the ghost of a 12-year old boy who passed away after getting sick and who’s dad made a one time use machine that could bring the ghost back to the world of the living, but when his father was locked up in an asylum the young ghost slowly started to forget his past…but thanks to his new living friend Kat Harvey he is able to remember and hold onto his memories. Casper is a very nice and friendly ghost who does not want to scare people but wants them to be his friends, while on the other hand his three “uncles” The Ghostly Trio like to scare and torment people who enter their rundown home, but even they come around and befriend the Harvey Family showing that the three are not such bad spirits after all. The Harvey Family are kind of a mess as the father James has dedicated his life to speaking to ghosts with the hopes of being able to talk to the spirit of his deceased wife, but his work also has caused him to move around and that means is teenage daughter keeps having to switch schools and is not making any lasting friends. And the main villains of this story are Carrigan Crittenden and her goofy lawyer Dibs, but while they are greedy they are not much of a threat to the ghosts or the Harvey Family and when push comes to shove they are both beaten pretty easily. The story over all is touching and about how you should never forget your passed loved ones, but you can not also allow those memories of them to hold you back from living your life. It also shows the importance of friendship and family as well as the fact it’s a great thing to show kindness to others. The scares in this comic as I have said before come from The Ghostly Trio as they are gross and go out of their way to scare the living, another aspect comes from Whipstaff Manor as it is a rundown place and looks like your typical haunted house. And with this being a kids comic that means much like the family film its based on there is no blood being spilt. The cover for this comic is pretty cool and is just one of the classic promo pictures used for the film and the interior art is done by Ernie Colon and is great stuff as the living characters do not look like the actors who played them in the film the four ghosts are dead on and I really like how he drew The Ghostly Trio. Over all this is a fun read if you are looking for something that has horror elements but is not t0o scary, plus fans of the film and Casper in general should check this one out. Checkout the artwork below to see the style used by Colon in this adaptation comic.

Casper really is an iconic character when it comes to the world of comics books and cartoons and he even made a splash in the world of movies with not only this one but also all the direct to video films that flooded shelves for awhile. And it was fun to revisit the film as well as read this comic adaptation for the first time to create this update, plus it was nice to showcase a film and character that is a gateway for younger fans to discover the awesome world of Horror Movies. But while our time with Casper & The Ghostly Trio has come to an end, our next update will be our July 4^th update and we will be celebrating an America Hero in the world of comic books and this year it will be a team and that team is The Flavor Force ! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update as we talk about those tasty frozen treats called Popsicles and their superhero versions! Oh and I should say that Casper The Friendly Ghost here is the first update in our countdown to Halloween 2025, and while we will be taking a break for Popsicles the Horror Themed updates will pick up right after it and will continue until the first update of November so as you can see we have many frightful updates ahead of us.

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: The Bonesetter (2002)

Posted on May 22, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update. For this one we will be chatting about an indie horror film as well as the comic book based around it, both done by filmmaker Brett Kelly! This is what I love to see here at Rotten Ink, a horror filmmaker turning his films into horror comics for fans to checkout in order to not only bring attention to the film, but also give horror comic readers something new featuring their favorite horror characters. The film and comic we will be talking about is The Bonesetter that was released in 2002. So if you are ready, let’s beware of 7:00pm as that is the time that brings him!

The Bonesetter was a man that used to travel around and reset the bones of the townspeople who would break them in the 19^th century, but every night when he would leave at 7pm, kids would go missing, and when he was caught he was dealt with as they killed him. Now 100 years later, the Bonesetter has returned to the town of Munster and kids once more go missing as this killer is on the loose again. The Bonesetter is a Satanist that is now supernatural and has a ghastly appearance with grayish skin, wears a black top hat and smells like brimstone and this alone turns the blood cold of his victims and cause them fear. The Bonesetter can also appear and disappear making him very dangerous as he can attack as well as snatch in the blink of an eye. He also is a master of breaking bones and can do so to cause not only pain but also death to those that dare cross his path, and his strength is powerful as he can snap the bones with ease. He also is on a mission to murder seven kids on the seven day of the seventh month at midnight in order to get more powerful and that is why he kidnaps at 7pm as the number seven means something to him and his twisted religion. He also taunts his adult victims with threats and warnings as he gets great pleasure in watching them become fearful and sad when he takes their children away. He is also very strong and can toss grown humans around like they are paper dolls and is skilled in hand to hand fighting, can punch through a human body showing that he is truly a evil force. But while the Bonesetter is powerful, he does have a weakness. If he cannot kill the kids at midnight ,he painfully disappears into thin air only to rise at a later time to try again to complete his mission. The Bonesetter might not be the goriest of killers we have covered here nor is he the most dangerous…but he could be one of the most evil as his crimes are against the children.

So now that we have taken a look at The Bonesetter, the child killer, we should now take a few moments to take a look at the film he is from that of course is called The Bonesetter. And like always, we will be taking the films plot from our friends at IMDB, and then I briefly will write about the film’s production and then after that my thoughts about the film. So if you are ready, let’s take a look at this film before 7pm as that time brings him out and I am not in the mood to get my bones broken.

The Bonesetter (2002)

“In the town of Munster, children are going missing. According to one mother, it is the doing of bonne homme sept heure . . . the Bonesetter. Its up to two librarians, a cop and a single mother to stop him! He’s coming. At seven o’clock”

Brett Kelly is a Canadian filmmaker who had worked on three indie horror films before making The Bonesetter in 2002. His first film was Night Songs in 1999, followed by 2001’s Planet Blood and finally The Feral Man. But it was The Bonesetter that got him the attention of the then-growing indie horror film scene. For this film, Brett Kelly not only directed the film but also wrote and starred in as the lead role, and he would hire such names as Sherry Thurig, Anne-Marie Frigon, Mark Courneyea, Tara Rheaume and Jody Haucke would play The Bonesetter. The film was filmed around parts of Canada including the real life town of Munster and was a true low budget production complete with gorilla-style filming. The film would shoot for around thirteen days and would even have some recasting during production, and once completed Sylvain Lavigne would come in to score the film with a number of bands also having songs featured. Once done the film would get released by Tempe in 2004 on DVD and would be meet with mixed reviews as some critics were too harsh on it and many fans of indie horror enjoyed its creepy story and classic SOV style, attitude and production. The film would spawn a sequel in 2005 called “The Bonesetter Returns” and two short films with one in 2009 called “The Legend Of The Bonesetter” and the other in 2015 called “A Tale Of The Bonesetter” plus it got a comic book. Now the film is being released for viewers to see by Wild Eye Releasing on digital and on streaming.

Back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, it felt like a boom was happing again for independent horror films as many great directors were going like Andy Copp, Chris Seaver, Henrique Couto, Chris LaMartina, Brian Singleton, Andrew & Lucas Campbell, Todd Jason Cook, Matt Hoffman, David “The Rock” Nelson, Brad Sykes, Danny Draven, Brandon Womeldorff and even myself among many more were making these horror films and finding all different types of success. Another one of these awesome Indie Horror Filmmakers going was Brett Kelly, who I discovered thanks to Tempe Video, B-Independent website and Gates Of Gore website with the first mentioned being the one releasing his work on home media and the other two being amazing websites that covered and reviewed classic backyard and low budget cinema from around the world. Then when the film got its DVD release from Tempe, I got to see it for the first time and have to say I enjoyed it, and even when watching it again I really enjoyed the creepy fun nature of the urban legend feel of the story. Plus when you watch the film, you can see that everyone involved had heart and truly believed in the film they were making, and that goes a long way as so many films are made for nothing more than profit with no care put into them. If you like indie horror films that feel like an urban legend put to tape, then The Bonesetter is for you! I hope that one day Brett Kelly makes a third film and a second issue in the comic series!

So now that we have talked about the Bonesetter himself as well as the 2002 film he is from, we should now take a look at and review the indie comic book that is based on the film that was released by the film’s creator Brett Kelly. The first thing I want to do is thank Brett Kelly who had a copy of this comic that he was willing to sell me and make this update possible. I want to also say once more to all the indie horror filmmakers who are reading this to always consider a comic book based on your film as they make amazing promo items. And with thats I want to remind you all 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, entertainment value and art and story. So with that, let’s see what horrors the Bonesetter has in store for us on these comic pages.

The Bonesetter # 1 ***
Release in 2006 Cover Price $0.00 Brett Kelly # 1 of 1

It’s bedtime for the campers at Munster Campgrounds, and they decide that they are going to instead tell each other a ghost stories and the first one is the origin of The Bonesetter! The camper talks about how The Bonesetter would enter a town and offer crude medical services to the injured and by 7pm he would hunt down and kill kids for Satan before leaving. One day some villagers got together and hunted down The Bonesetter and murdered him, but he swore revenge before his death. And just then The Camp Counselor comes in and tells them all to go to bed, as The Bonesetter is peeking into the window waiting for some kills. We then flash back to the 1930’s and Jack is a father who lives in a apartment building with his two kids and he is having a rough time as he has lost his job at the factory and money is running out fast. As Jack is sitting there stressed about life, The Bonesetter appears and tries to make a deal with Jack about taking one of his kids away, but Jack refuses and runs Bonesetter off who in turn laughs as he is going to take one of this kids anyway as he was just toying with the down and out father.

This comic that is based on the indie horror film The Bonesetter proves that more and more filmmakers should be making comics based on their films and what is cool about this one is that Brett Kelly wrote both stories featured and even lettered the last story making the creator of the film and characters involved in the comic. As I just stated, the comic has two stories with one being campers telling the legend of The Bonesetter as a ghost story and the other is about a stressed father being teased by The Bonesetter who is messing with him before taking one of his kids’ lives. And while both stories are really cool, I do think the Campers telling the origin of the killer is the better as it was a great way for readers to truly get to understand the evil nature of The Bonesetter and also did a great job of making you want to see the film if you had not yet seen it before reading this comic. The Bonesetter in this comic is evil and really does get joy in killing as well as messing with the minds of his victims! He is very sneaky and cruel and hunting down the kids to slaughter for Satan seems to be his one goal in the afterlife. The comic does have some bloody kills and does justice to the film it based on. The cover is really cool and showcases The Bonesetter standing on a pile of bones and is eye catching if you are an indie horror comic reader. The interior art is done by two artist with the first being Chris Prunckle, and I really dig his style. The second being Christopher Herndon who is also good and has a more underground indie comic look to his style. Over all I think this is a good indie horror comic based on a cult classic indie horror film, and if you can track down this comic and like the film you should get it. Check out the artwork below to checkout the art style used in this comic.

So as you can see, The Bonesetter comic book was well worth tracking down as it is a fast, spooky quick read and truly does do the film its based on justice. And to be honest, many of Brett Kelly’s films would make great horror comics as such ones as Konga TNT, Ghastlies, Attack Of The Giant Leeches, Kingdom Of The Vampire, Prey For The Beast and The Feral Man all come to mind. But with that, its’ time to end this update and for me to tell you want the next update will be about and that’s DC Comic hero Metamorpho who is the Element Man. So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch an indie horror film or two and as always support your local horror host. See you next time as we once more showcase a classic DC Superhero.