From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Nosferatu (1922)

Posted on October 2, 2026 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update that is truly going to be one epic and spooky one as we will be taking a look at the 1922 film Nosferatu and the adaptation of the film that is done by Tome Press. Covering one of the world’s most iconic silent horror films to kick off October 2026 is a great way to add a little more scares to this already spooky month. When choosing to cover Nosferatu, there were many different publishers that have done comics based on Count Orlok like Image Comics, Caliber Comics, Blood Scream Comics, Toonhound Studios, Viper Comics and Millennium Comics to name a very few, but to me Tome Press was one of the earliest publishers to do an adaptation so they should be the one to get this Rotten Ink treatment. So if you are ready, let’s get ourselves into the carriage as it’s heading through the deep dark woods, over the old wooden bridges and pass the field that the werewolf stalks to get to Castle Orlok as it’s time to be scared by classic horror!

Let’s start by taking a look at Count Orlok, a twisted vampire that has many ways of tormenting and killing his prey. First off, Count Orlok’s appearance is very ghastly as he is tall and skinny, has a bald head with pointy ears, big eyebrows, long nails and two very sharp front teeth, and this makes people feel very uneasy being around him and some downright scared. Count Orlok being a vampire that has lived for a very long time, can scare people with just the mention of his name as those who grew up near his castle have all heard the terrifying stories. Count Orlok has the power of making those who are around him feel weak and sick, with sometimes death coming to his prey that is often blamed on the rats and plague. He also has a very creepy slow walk but can move among the shadows making him a great stalker of his human prey, and it also allows him to creep up on them without them even knowing they are being targeted by a vampire. His main way of dealing death is with his fangs that he bites into human flash to drink of the blood and this leaves his victim dead. While Count Orlok is very powerful, he does have one weakness that will end his life and that is the sun as its rays turns him into dust. Not much else is known of his weaknesses and this makes Count Orlok a very deadly vampire and creature of the night.

So as you can see, Count Orlok is a very dangerous and deadly vampire who can deal death to so many people very easily, and truly is one of the oldest vampires only behind Count Dracula. And now that we have talked about him, I think we should take a look at the silent horror film he is from, Nosferatu! Like always, I will be taking the film’s plot from our friends at IMDB and then after that I will write about the film’s production as well as my thoughts. So if you are ready, let’s travel deeper into the castle and see what horrors awaits us.

Nosferatu (1922)

“Vampire Count Orlok expresses interest in a new residence and real estate agent Hutter’s wife.”

Albin Grau and Enrico Dieckmann owned a film production company called Prana Film that was based out of Germany, and they were into making films and shorts centered around the macabre. And it is said that when Grau was in the war, he heard a farmer speak of his father being a vampire and this stuck with him causing him to also want to make a vampire film and along with the novel Dracula they started on creating their film. They hired Henrik Galeen to write the screenplay and based it off the Stoker novel. Galeen had already worked on many silent horror films that included The Golem (1915) and The Golem: How He Came Into The World (1920) showing he understood how to bring the frights in classic German silent horror cinema. The film would be directed by F.W. Murnau and would be filmed in Germany as well as parts of Slovakia including Orava Castle that was used as Count Orlok’s castle. F.W. Murnau was a wise choice to direct as he was already on his way to becoming one of Germany’s top film directors as he had already directed the horror films “Satanas (1919)”, “The Hand Of Janus (1920)”, “The Hunchback And The Dancer (1920)” and “The Haunted Castle (1921)” proving also that he knew how to frighten moviegoers. When casting the film such actors as Greta Schroder, Gustav Von Wangenheim, Alexander Granach, Ruth Landshoff and Georg H. Schenell were brought to fill out the main cast with Max Schreck being hired to play Count Orlok. Once done the films score was written by Hans Erdmann and was said to be a very wonderful soundtrack, as sadly over time most of the score music has been lost with only fragments remaining. The film was released to theaters on March 4, 1922 and was a big hit with both critics and fans as the spooky settings, creepy look of Count Orlok and over all horror of the shadows made it the talk of the town. But trouble was on the way when Florence Balcombe, the widow of Bram Stoker, sued Prana Film as they failed to get the rights to Dracula to make their film and she was mad and wanted this film company to pay. Prana Film claimed that they had made several changes from the novel for their film, but the judge did not accept this and ordered all prints of Nosferatu to be destroyed and this court order was put into effect with many of the prints being destroyed…but thank the Gods that several of the prints survived and made it so that horror fans could see this truly masterful film for themselves. The film over the decades has became one of the top silent horror films of all time and keeps finding new viewers thanks to home media as the film has been released on VHS, DVD and Blu-Ray. Nosferatu in 1922 was released alongside other horror films like Haxan: Witchcraft Through The Ages, The Headless Horseman, A Blind Bargain, The Ghost Breaker, One Exciting Night, Esmeralda and The Dungeon to name a few. I also want to say that Nosferatu has been remade twice: once in 1979 and again in 2024 and even had a horror drama film called “Shadow Of The Vampire” that was released in 2000 and acted as if Max Schreck was a real vampire…showing just how iconic this film really is.

I am a massive fan of silent horror films, and one of the best and most iconic hands down is Nosferatu from 1922 as it has such a legacy as well as one of the world’s most creepy vampires to haunt the silver screen. The film has a very special way of creeping you out as you watch Count Orlok glide through the shadows stalking his prey and with the right score music playing, the lights turned off in your house and a thunderstorm raging outside can truly mark one hell of a spooky viewing. Growing up, I remember truly being terrified of Count Orlok as when I was in kindergarten, I would have several of the same nightmare about him coming up from my family’s basement to get me, all the while walking up the stairs and scratching his fingernails on the wall it would make this scrapping noise, the strangest part about this nightmare is that I had not even seen the film yet! I do also remember seeing clips of the film on episodes of the cartoon Muppet Babies as I used to love that show and when they would open a closet door, a clip from an old silent film would play. The first time I got to see the full film of Nosferatu was when I bought a copy of it on VHS from a Dollar Tree as that place use to have all types of silent horror films on VHS and is how I first built my collection up, and it lived up to the hype I had created in my head as well as all the praise I had read about it in the horror books and magazines I was reading at the time. I can remember that I watched the film the moment I got home as I made myself a baked potato for lunch and popped it into the family VCR and was drawn into the dark creepy world it was showing me and it was great to finally see the vampire of my nightmares in the film that spawned him. Nosferatu really is one of those special films as I feel that it still to this day is considered one of the world’s scariest movies and the mystic and mystery around the film is still very strong. If you have not seen this film and enjoy silent horror films as much as I do, make sure to do yourself a favor and give it a watch as I truly think that this film and the 1925 version of Phantom Of The Opera are two of the best films of this era.

So now that we have talked about Nosferatu and the film’s deadly vampire Count Orlok and we find that we have been chilled to the bones by his spooky nature, I think that it’s time we take a look and review the comic adaptation by Tome Press. I want to thank Lone Star Comics for having these comics in stock and making this update possible. I would like 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 comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. When looking back at Tome Press, they were a very strange comic publisher as they really enjoyed making comics based on classic mythology, art books and Sherlock Holmes, but also did do a few horror themed ones like H.P Lovecraft and Jack The Ripper. But with that, let’s head into Castle Orlok and see what terrors await us on these comic pages.

Nosferatu # 1 **1/2
Released in 1991 Cover Price $2.95 Tome Press # 1 of 2

The year is 1838 and the newly married Johann and Ellen Hutter are enjoying their new life together, but his job and boss Knock has been a bit of a burden by keeping him late at work and is now sending him to Transylvania to meet a Count Orlok who wants to buy the Montague Home in Germany. Before Johann starts his journey, he sets it up that his wife Ellen will stay with her best friend Annie while he is away. Once near the castle of Count Orlok, he stops at an inn for a quick meal and drink, only to be spooked by the villagers who beg him to stay there the night as they claim the area he is headed is haunted at night, and he does just that. In the morning a carriage takes Johann close to the castle but refuse to go any further, leaving him at the side of the road next to a bridge. Johann sits at the side of the road wishing another carriage would come by…and when the sun is down one does and takes him to the castle where he meets Count Orlok who has been waiting for him. While Orlok looks over the deed to his soon to be new home, Johann has a quick bite to eat and by accident cuts himself and the sight of blood causes Orlok to act super weird and keeps talking to Johann late into the night, and even gets weirder when he sees a picture of Ellen and is taken by her beauty.

The spooky 1922 film comes to the pages of a 1991 comic book and for the most part is really well done. The plot this far is newly married Johann Hutter is sent to Transylvania by his creepy boss Knock in order to have a Count sign a deed on a old rundown home in Germany, but things get strange for Johann on his journey as the town people are afraid of the land near the Count’s home and this spooks him. Plus once he is around The Count, he finds him to be very creepy as he is very much into the sight of blood as well as the sight of Ellen his new bride. Johann Hutter is man trying to move up in the real estate company he works for and even takes a very strange and far away job in order to lock a sale and get a nice commission that he can use to better the life of his new wife and himself. While Johann is brave and smart, he also seems to be a little spooked by the tales he is hearing from the locals about the area near his new client’s home. Ellen seems like a good wife who is waiting for her husband to return, she also seems to like to read books about vampires while she waits. Knock is the owner of the business Johann works for he is very untrustworthy and is clearly setting up his young worker by sending him to lock this sale, as he is very mean spirited and seems to almost get joy out of bullying his employee. Count Orlok is a very strange man and while we know that he is a vampire his real estate agent Jonathan does not. The Count is very much getting information out of Johann who has made the mistake of showing him a picture of his wife as it’s clear the vampire is now in love and really likes what he sees. So far the comic is doing it’s best to stay true to the film but is making some very odd choices as for one they are misspelling Count Orlok’s name as they have it Orloc and at the start they are oddly talking about Johann using the toilet twice during his journey to Orlok’s castle. While so far the comic is pretty bloodless, the horror is coming from the atmosphere as well as just the strange look of Count Orlok himself. The cover for this comic is pretty cool and eye catching if you’re a fan of the film as it showcases Count Orlok, and the interior art is done by Ken Holewczynski. While it is not a style I like at all, it some how fits for this adaptation. So to sum it up a solid spooky read that is making me look forward to reading the second issue.

Nosferatu # 2 **1/2
Released in 1991 Cover Price $2.95 Tome Press # 2 of 2

Johann Hutter is stuck at Castle Orlok and is feeling very weak and watches as this monster is loading up coffins into carriages for his voyage to his new home, as Johann himself caught Orlok asleep in one of them and he now knows that his host is a vampire and once Orlok leaves to set sail for his new place Jonathan escapes the castle to try and get home to warn Ellen of this monster. While back in Germany Ellen herself has fallen ill and was being taken care of by Doctor Van Helsing while his old boss Knock has lost his mind and is locked up in an asylum as he is eating flies and spiders and now has a craving for blood. Johann pushes himself hard and gets back home and warns Ellen of Count Orlok, and both share that they have been having terrible nightmares. But also now in Germany is Count Orlok who has moved into the old Montague Home, and this also gets Knock all worked up who is now calling Orlok his master and he escapes the asylum and causes panic in the town as they think that a plague is around when the ship that Orlok was on is found with all the crew onboard dead. Meanwhile Johann is trying to bounce back from his journey home as Ellen thinks she is the only one who can stop Count Orlok as that is what the vampire book she is reading says. Johann meets with Van Helsing and after a long talk the Doctor believes the tales of a vampire and they make plans the next morning to enter the Montague Home and find were Orlok sleeps. Later that night Ellen has fallen ill and Johann rushes to get Doctor Van Helsing for help…but it was a trick as Ellen lures Count Orlok to her and keeps him busy until the morning sun comes up and the rays burn him up into dust. Poor Johann and Doctor Van Helsing don’t make it in time and find the dust that was once Count Orlok as well as the body of Ellen who gave her life to save her city.

In this final issue of this adaptation of Nosferatu the plot becomes a race for time as Count Orlok is making his was to Germany and is spreading death and sickness while Johann himself has escaped the vampires castle and is racing back to Germany in order to warn his wife about the vampire that has just moved in next door! All the while its Ellen who finds that she must give her life in order to stop the creatures path of destruction and she does just that to end all the madness. Poor Johann he goes from getting high hopes of making enough money to help he and his new wife to live comfortably, to being stuck in a vampires castle plagued with terrible nightmares and rushing back home worn out in order to try and warn his village of the horrors that re coming. But in the end he looses it all as his true love is gone forever. Ellen Hutter is a woman who loves her husband deeply as well as the village she lives in and when she finds out that she must die to stop the evil, she makes the ultimate sacrifice and saves everyone from a slow and painful death. Doctor Van Helsing is around and is helpful trying to do medical stuff but is pretty useless when it comes to stopping the vampire. Knock is around and breaks free from the asylum for a moment to torment the villagers, only to be locked back up and never be spoken about again. While Count Orlok is wondering around Germany spreading death and fear, but he falls for a pretty ladies trick and ends up dying by the rising sun. This is a pretty good adaptation of a classic film, but some changes and even mood has been changed in order to fit the story into only two issues. And I do feel that Knock is really downplayed, the boat scenes is cut down to hardly nothing as is some of the dread that Ellen Hutter feels about her husband’s trip. The mini series is bloodless and really only shows two deaths in panels with that being of Ellen and Count Orlok, and like I said before it’s the atmosphere and dark brooding mood of the comic were the horror comes from…and yes of course the vampire Count Orlok. The cover for this issue showcases Count Orlok again this time its close on his twisted face, and the interior art once more is done by Ken Holewczynski and as I stated this is not my style of art as at times to me it seemed more like sketches and not finished panels. Over all if you love the story of Nosferatu, then make sure to check out this comic series by Tome Press as it really does make for a great read late at night and both issues would have gotten three stars if not for the art as I really was not a fan. Check out the art below to see the style of Ken Holewczynski used in this adaptation series.

Nosferatu is one of those very special films that has scared viewers for over 100 years and truly showed that in the silent film era they knew how to bring the frights without the use of blood, guts, gore and jump scares. And for me it was great to work alongside artist Damien Brunk as we at Blood Scream Comics released a comic based on this iconic film and have became a very small part of its legacy. I would also like to dedicate this update to the memory of F.W. Murnau, Max Schreck, Alexander Granach, Greta Schroder, Gustav von Wangenheim and the rest of the cast and crew that made Nosferatu. For our next update we of course will be staying in the world of horror and will be taking a look at Warlock the film from 1989 that starred the late great Julian Sands as the title character. 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 update for a spooky great time.

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: Wolf Blood (1925)

Posted on May 2, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update. This time around we will be taking a look at a silent horror film that is also very much a romantic drama that was made in 1925 and is the oldest surviving werewolf film known as of this update’s posting. I am talking about Wolf Blood, a film that is often overlooked when people speak of early silent horror cinema. Now this update is going to be a little different as Blood Scream Comics the company I own and am the editor-in-chief of is the one who released this comic series, so I will not be giving the issues any kind of star ratings as I feel that would be very cheesy of me to do so. So instead I am just going to talk about the plot of the issue and “review” what is going on after as well as some of the twists that we added to spice it all up. So with that, let’s hike ourselves into these woods and let’s talk about a werewolves and people who get blood from wolves!

Before we dive too deep into this spooky update, let’s take a look at the “werewolf” named Dick Bannister! Dick is the foreman at Ford Lumber in the woods of Canada and is kind of new at his post but does have the respect of his men as he shows them respect and gives them chances even after they make mistakes. He also knows some basic medical care, and when his men are injured, he cares for them or sends for help in order to truly treat them. He is a skilled fighter with his fists and he very loyal to his co-workers as well as his boss Edith Ford who he gets a crush on, even though she is set to be married to her doctor boyfriend soon. But after a bad fight that leaves Dick almost dying, he has the blood of a wolf transfused into him to stay alive and this is when he starts having some mental issues as people fear him when word gets out. He also starts to get more angry and violent as he thinks the wolves of the woods are calling to him. But even in his state of madness, he is not dangerous and does not kill a living soul and is more of a danger to himself as he almost leaps off a cliff! Not a danger to a living person at all and not a werewolf, Dick Bannister is just a normal man who for a brief time has a mental break and can be killed like any normal person from shooting, stabbing, beating or burning making him one of the weakest killers or monsters we have covered on a From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update…but while he might not be a killer, he does throw a mean punch and that has to count for something.

So while Dick Bannister might just be a man with a mental breakdown for a short time, he still made his mark on werewolves in cinema. And now let’s take a look at the film that he is from and that’s the 1925 film Wolf Blood. Like always, we will be taking the film’s write up from our pals at IMDB and after I will write about the film’s production and my thoughts. So if you are ready, let’s wander into those woods and keep our eyes open for wolves as we chat about this underrated silent horror classic.

Wolf Blood (1925)

“In this tale of the great Canadian forest, Dick Bannister, the new manager of the Ford Logging Company receives a transfusion of wolf blood, followed by strange reactions that he begins to think he is neither beast nor man.”

Wolf Blood is a silent film from 1925 that was produced by the Ryan Brothers and was released by Lee-Bradford Corporation. It was based on the story by Cliff Hill with the screenplay by Bennett Cohen. The film is set in Canada and is about two feuding lumber companies that lead to a man being injured and to save his life he gets a blood transfusion from a wolf and this causes people to think that he will turn into a werewolf after false rumors are spread around and this drives the man mad. The film is a mix of drama, horror and romance and directing the picture was the team of Bruce Mitchell and George Chesebro, who would also play the lead role of Dick Bannister. And sadly the horror aspect is really cut down as they focus more on the romance aspect. Other actors brought into the cast include Marguerite Clayton, Raymond Hanford, Milburn Morante and Frank Clark. The main star George Chesebro was known for being a western actor and would have a very long career in Hollywood and would pass away on May 28, 1959 at the age of 70 and was pretty much active almost to his death. The film, while a werewolf film, more plays up on the mental madness of a man after getting some wolf blood to stay alive. He thinks that he is becoming a wolf even chasing after phantom wolves that act as his pack, so those who are looking for a transformation will be disappointed. The film was met with mixed reviews, and to this day it has that same reaction as many enjoy the simple story of love finding a way, while others wanted more scares with their horror. The film was released with such other horror films in 1925 as The Phantom Of The Opera, The Lost World, The Monster and The Unholy Three to name a few. While not a full fledged horror movie, thanks to home media this film as gained a cult following over the decades. And at some point I will be doing a Forgotten Reels update about this film.

I am going to start off saying that I am a big fan of Wolf Blood and can see what impact it had on early werewolf cinema as it deals with the mental strain that a person goes through when they fear the moon and what they may become once the beast side takes over. Actor George Chesebro plays the role of Dick Bannister so well that you believe his confusion and pain throughout his mental breakdown. I really think that George Chesebro is a silent actor that should get more credit as he was fantastic at his art and had that classic Hollywood leading man look. Actress Marguerite Clayton plays Edith Ford in this film, and she has that classic beauty to her. She does a great job in the film as many of the film’s key moments also fall on her performance, and she knocks it out of the park as she and Chesebro seemed to have good chemistry on the screen. And yes, I would have loved to have seen an early transformation from man to wolf in this film, but I can also step back and enjoy that the film plays more up on the mental disease of lycanthropy as well as the power of persuasion of how planting a seed in someone’s mind can grow to truly affect them and others around them as they might believe a little white lie that will grow into a full fledged nightmare. While the horror elements of the film are pushed to the back in order to play up the romance aspect of love can conquer all, there are still some truly great moments that are spooky for the time like Dick’s decent into the madness and even the phantom wolves that run around the woods can add a classic chill to viewers of the more early horrors of the world. One aspect that makes me laugh when watching this film that Edith Ford and Doctor Eugene Horton are slated to be married and quickly Edith falls for Dick Bannister and by the end of the film Edith acts as if Eugene owes Dick the apology for telling a lie that the wolf blood might effect him to her that Dick overhears…when in this film Dick steals Eugene’s lady, chokes him and without Eugene he would be dead…owed an apology indeed! The film’s finale is also very well done as Dick who is filled with madness after thinking he killed a man who was found dead in the woods runs with his phantom wolf pack to the edge of a cliff. If not for Edith, the crazed man would have fallen to his death, but it is she who holds him back and risks her own safety. This is such a fun film that is a quick watch as it only runs a little over an hour. While it’s not as iconic as many other silent horror films, I do think that it is one that is often over looked. If you have interest in seeing it you can find it on YouTub,e but I would suggest watching it on Physical Media as you can get it on DVD from Alpha Video or Grapevine Video. While not fully horror, I feel the aspects are there and because of its ties to early werewolf cinema it’s worth a watch for sure.

Now that we talked about not only the film Wolf Blood but also Dick Banister, the man who thought he was cursed to become a wolf, I think it’s time we talk a little about the comic based on the film by Blood Scream Comics that was written by me! That’s right, I wrote the story and along with artist Jeff Potter, did the dialogue. And boy did we make some changes, but I will save that for the “review” part of this update. Like I said before and just like with The Giant Gila Monster, I will not be giving these comics any kind of star rating as that just seems silly as I worked on the comic. But I wanted to cover this comic for two reasons: I am a fan of the film and wanted to chat about it and the other being that I had a blast working on this comic series and wanted to share it with you readers. I would like to thank Jeff Potter for creating this comic alongside me for Blood Scream Comics and making this update possible. I should also warn you that this will spoil some of the big surprises we have in this comic adaptation so you have been warned: read on at your own risk. So of you are ready, let’s head into the woods of Canada and see if we can find the old Ford Lumber Company so that we can talk about the tale that is known as Wolf Blood.

Wolf Blood # 1
Released in 2022 Cover Price $3.99 Blood Scream # 1 of 2

The Ford Lumber Company and Consolidated Lumber Company are at war with each other in the woods of Canada as they are very close to one another and their mangers Dick Bannister and Jules Deveroux have different ways of dealing with the job as Bannister wants his people to work safe and Deveroux is giving orders to his men to sneak into the woods and shoot to wound the lumberjacks that work for Ford. After another attack and having to give the camp’s guard, Pop Hadley who has a track record of drinking too much and passing out, another chance, Bannister sends a message to the Ford Company’s owner that they need help as well as need a doctor to take care of these bullet wounds. And meanwhile in a small town bar Deveroux and his men celebrate the attack and even attack an old man looking for work and his son at the bar just to be cruel. The call for help is answered as Ford Lumber owner Edith Ford, her doctor fiancé Eugene Horton as well as her Uncle head to the camp and start helping the wounded. This is when Bannister sees that his boss is a beautiful young woman, and he falls in love with her fast. Bannister at this time also is almost stabbed and crushed by a tree by Jacques Lebeq, who is a bootlegger and has been entering the camp and selling his liquor to his workers, and this makes the two men truly hate one another. Late at night Edith Ford also hears the howls and growls of the wolves that are all around in the woods, and this frightens her as it reminds her of a time in the city when an unknown man stalked her in the streets until she got home, and this is a story she shared with Bannister the next day after they toured the camp. As Bannister and Edith head into town with the camp’s Cook, the wolves attack and slaughter one of the Consolidated Lumber Company’s lumberjacks. In town Edith tells Bannister that she is to be married to Eugene and that their attraction needs to stop, and this breaks Bannister’s heart as once back at the camp he goes alone to investigate the Consolidated Lumber Company and learns that they are building a dame to block the Ford lumber on the river. When Deveroux sees Bannister, he orders his men to kill him, and after a big fight, Bannister is beaten badly and then tossed off a cliff where he is then bitten by wolves! When Bannister does not return, Pop and the lumberjacks set out to find him and it’s Eugene that finds Bannister who is dying from blood loss and is able to get the wounded man to a cabin that is owned by Jacques Lebeq who refuses to give his blood to save Bannister and the Doctor has to make the decision to use the blood of a wolf to save his life. The next day Eugene is able to get Bannister back to the Ford Camp where he is able to recover and tells Edith that he is in love with her! The next day Edith, Eugene and Pops all head into town when Jacques Lebeq enters the Ford Camp and spreads the rumor that Bannister is a werewolf due to the wolf blood, and this causes the Lumberjacks to riot and armed with axes they kill the Uncle and as the moon gets full Bannister turns into a werewolf and busts out of a cabin looking to kill!

This was such a fun issue to work on, and the plot is simple as we have two feuding lumber camps at war with one another and things get out of hand when attempted murder comes into play and that act causes a good man to have to get wolf blood in his veins and this turns him into a beast at the Full Moon! You also have a love story brewing as Edith Ford must choose her doctor fiancé or her new love, the rugged lumber boss that works for her company. And we leave you on a big cliffhanger as the Ford Lumberjacks are armed with axes and are worked up into a fearful rage of their boss who now is a werewolf with bloodlust in his eyes. Dick Bannister is a good man that is a great boss as well as will fight for the rights and lives of his men. He also is tough as nails and is a good fist fighter and has the heart of a champion…he also has a soft spot and that is his boss and the lumber company owner Edith Ford who seems to be all he can think about after meeting her. Bannister also proves he has the will to live as after being beaten badly, thrown from a cliff, bitten by wolves and getting a blood transfusion from a wolf, he still lives…but he is also now cursed to live his life as a werewolf! Edith Ford is a kind hearted woman who owns a big company and has a fiancé that is a doctor, but while her life sounds perfect, it is not as she is confused as she finds herself loving Bannister who is her employee. She is also living with a secret that she does not share with many and that is she fills her life with late night parties with friends out of fear as she was one night stalked by Nosferatu! Pops Hadley is a drunk that is trying to change after he failed at his job and allowed workers to be shot. Eugene Horton is a good doctor who helps the wounded and saves Bannister’s life, and Cook really loves talking about the deals he got on food from town! The comic has three real “bad guys” as first you have Jules Deveroux, a scumbag who is a bully and also a coward who gives orders to hurt and kill others that stand in his way. You have the bootlegger Jacques Lebeq who sells his liquor as well tries to kill Bannister and sets up the Ford workers to turn on their boss. And lastly you also have to say that the wolves are one of the biggest dangers in those woods as they kill anyone that they can surround and rip to shreds. The comic is very bloody and the kills are gory with my favorite kill in this issue being the death of lumberjack Henrique who is ripped apart by a pack of wolves! The cover is really cool and the art was done by Jeff Potter with the colors by Jason Gilmore and the interior art is done by Potter and is 100% what I was looking for when I wrote this adaptation story. To sum it up, this was a blast to write and is one of the Blood Scream Comics projects that I am the most proud of! Now let’s talk about the second issue in this series and see how this twisted tale of love, horror and lumber ends!

Wolf Blood # 2
Released in 2022 Cover Price $3.99 Blood Scream # 2 of 2

Dick Bannister is now a werewolf and is killing all the Ford Lumber Camp workers and his howling has also brought the wolves to join in the bloodshed. Giovanni is a lumberman who runs past the bodies of his friends and finds an old train freight car in the woods and uses it as shelter to get away from the werewolf and his wolf minions. While at the cabin of Jacques Lebeq the bootlegger has a visitor; he is selling Deveroux the boss of Consolidated Lumber tons of whiskey as he wants to have his workers to celebrate the downfall of Dick Bannister, but the two are quickly greeted by the werewolf who bites the head off Deveroux and then burns the face of Lebeq on the stove before throwing his body to the wolves to be ripped apart. The next morning Edith Ford, Eugene Horton and Pop Hadley arrive back at camp to find the massacre, and when Eugene finds Dick still alive and asleep in bed, he tells the others the truth about the wolf blood flowing through the veins of Dick and that maybe he did turn and cause all this death! Pop does not want to hear it and heads into the woods to hunt the wild animals he thinks did the killing while Edith tells Eugene that she is in love with Bannister and wants to be with him, and the confused lumber man hears this all and runs into the woods as he does not want to change in the coming full moon and hurt anyone else, and Edith goes after him. Meanwhile a lumberjack from Consolidated rides up and says that they are closing down for good after they found the mangled bodies of Deveroux and Lebeq and he warns Eugene and Edith that they should leave as well. As Giovanni takes supplies from the now dead Lebeq’s home in order to survive and wait for help in the rail car, while Eugene thinks of his life without Edith and decides to end it with one bullet. Meanwhile in the woods Edith runs into Pops, and they two are surrounded by wolves. As Pops tries to fight them off, he is overwhelmed and ripped to shreds as Edith runs from them and ends up meeting the werewolf and she knows that her love Bannister really is a beast now…she tries to talk to him to bring the human side back…she fails and gruesomely pays with her life. The next night Dick Bannister is back human and is about to leap off a cliff to end his life when he is stopped by Nosferatu himself, Count Orlock, who informs him that he has need of a man with his talents.

The second issue of Wolf Blood is all about the slaughter as our hero Dick Bannister truly loses control and becomes a werewolf and slaughters almost all his workers (minus one who escapes and hides away in a steel trail freight car) and after he is done making Ford Lumber a slaughterhouse who makes sure to swing by his enemies home and kill both of those who wished him death as a man with that being Deveroux and Lebeq who are both killed very brutally. And even a little later in the issue the werewolf rips apart his true love and allows his wolves to attack and kill his best friend Pops! And all of these werewolf and wolves attacks are done super gory to truly show you the savage nature of these creatures as their bloodlust is out of control and it also shows that once the moon is full the caring and hard working Dick Bannister is not longer in control and in his place is a killing machine that wants to annihilate all that’s in his path. And poor Doctor Eugene Horton is another victim of Dick Bannister and while he is not killed by razor sharp teeth and claws he is broken spiritually as his whole world is taken away by Bannister as he steals his lady love away, and she cruelly has fallen out of love with the man who has given her everything…and he thinks his only way to find a way to end his pain is by a self inflicted gunshot to the head. Deveroux and Lebeq are truly two scumbags who enjoyed trying to not only take Dick Bannister’s life but also try to ruin everything about him, but they really do get their comings when the werewolf comes howling around and they find themselves begging for their lives to the one person who is now a creature that they never showed any mercy to. Poor Pops Hadley stays loyal to his friend Bannister and does not believe the tales of him being a werewolf, and even before dying by a pack of wolves, he still tries to save the life of Edith…poor drunk old fool. You have to also feel bad for Cook as he is killed during the slaughter at the Ford Lumber Camp, and by the looks of it, he really was ripped apart! And for those wondering about the fate of Giovanni, you will find out what comes of him in a future comic as his tale is not yet finished and his fate is yet to be shared. This issue really was a blast to work on as artist Jeff Potter and myself were able to showcase the idea of Bannister becoming a fully fledged werewolf, something sadly the classic silent film did not do as they played up more on the aspects of it all being in his feverish mind. And while the first issue was bloody, we upped the gruesome level to 11 with this second issue! I am sure you also have noticed that in the Silent Film Universe by Blood Scream Comics, the one and only Count Orlock has been appearing and is almost recruiting people for some sort of sinister plan, and this will unfold in every issue of these comics based on Silent Horror Films. The cover for this issue showcases The Werewolf as well as Edith Ford and the colors by Jason Gilmore make it pop! The interior art is done by Jeff Potter who is a fantastic artist and who has brought many comic alive for Sparkle and Blood Scream Comics as his work includes such titles as Adventure Man, Curse Of The Beast, Spring Heeled Jack, Eternal Sleep, Farmer Joe and Shocking Macabre Theater, to name a small few. The way Potter draws the werewolf is fantastic and reminds me of the classic Creepy and Eerie Magazines, and the gore we draws rivals that of the indie horror comics from the late 80’s and early 90’s. While Nosferatu # 1 started the Silent Universe for Blood Scream Comics the Wolf Blood series is amping up the chills and blood spills, and this is just the start as you readers have not seen nothing yet. Check out the art work from Potter below to see his style in this series.

So as you can see, we truly put the horror first in this reimagining of Wolf Blood as we have Dick Bannister turning full force into a werewolf and he ends up killing everyone at the Ford Lumber Camp and also his true love Edith Ford, and by the end is taken away by Nosferatu himself Count Orlock as this is just one of several issue we have in store for you as Jeff Potter and I have more twisted tales in our Silent Universe to bring you! We released “Haunted House 1908” for Halloween 2023, and we screened the movie with a new score by musician Todd The Fox at Horrorama! If you have interest in ordering Wolf Blood # 1 and 2 you can do so here, while it remains in print that is. And yes, I will also do a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update for Haunted House 1908 as I love sharing my love for silent horror cinema with you readers. Well as you can see, this update has come to an end and for our next update we will be heading to the world of cartoons as we will be talking about the 1966 Captain America series. 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. Oh and remember when Captain America throws his mighty shield, All those who chose to oppose his shield must yield!