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

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

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

Escape To Witch Mountain (1975)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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