From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Blacula (1972)

Posted on September 3, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to another From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update and this is also the start of our countdown to Halloween 2024! This one is going to be a truly spooky update as we will be chatting about the 1972 fright flick Blacula and the 2023 graphic novel based around it. It’s a great thing that Blacula has finally made his way to comic books as this is truly long overdue and he really should have gotten a comic series or at least an adaptation in the 70’s via Marvel, Dell or Charlton. I am really loving seeing so many classic horror films and even modern ones lately getting the comic book treatment as these comics help these characters live on in entertainment as well as give fans more of their favorites. I will never understand why indie filmmakers doing crowd funding never offer a comic book perk, it is just silly to me. So if you are ready, let’s travel to Los Angeles and see what Blacula has in store for us all.

To start off this update, let’s take a look at Blacula himself and his way of dealing death to the living! Blacula, who’s human name was Prince Mamuwalde was an African Prince around 1780 who was tricked and bitten by Count Dracula after a meeting at his castle. Dracula and turns Mamuwalde into a vampire and he’s given the name Blacula and is sealed in a coffin and his wife Luva is locked in a room with the coffin. It would be not until 1972 that Blacula would be discovered and he and his coffin sent to L.A. and his rise as a vampire king would start. Blacula has many ways of dealing death to his victims as first he is very charming and can use this charm to lure in females in order to drain their blood or make them into a vampire bride. He can also almost hypnotize you into trusting him and following his every word. While when looking normal he is a handsome man, but when he shows his vampire side his appearance shocks and scares those he comes in contact with. Blacula is stronger than a normal man and is able to shake off assault attacks, gunshots as well as even being hit by cars. He can also turn into a bat and fly away or faster to his targeted victim, not to even mention he can speak to people through their minds. He can also use his bare hands to kill a person but his main way of killing is his sharp teeth that he uses to drain the blood out of his victims or turn them into one of his mindless minions. But while Blacula is immortal for the most part he can still be killed by a stake to the heart, fire and of course sunlight like all vampires, and he can also be distracted by love as when a female reminds him of his deceased wife, he tends to make mistakes. Blacula’s anger as well as his need to cover his trail and what he is can also lead him to make mistakes that can lead to his true death. Blacula is a very powerful vampire with only maybe Dracula being more powerful than he, and that is why he is one of the most deadly undead monsters we have covered this far.

So as you can see, Blacula is a very powerful vampire and is one that is not only looking for his lost love but also to claim the throne of being the new King Of The Vampires. But now I think it’s time that we take a look at the 1972 film that he is from. And like always, we will be taking the film’s plot from our pals 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 see what horrors Prince Mamuwalde has in store for us.

Blacula (1972)

“An 18th century African statesman is transformed into a vampire, cursed with the name Blacula, and entombed in Dracula’s Castle after he fails to convince the Count to support him in his cause to end the slave trade. Two hundred years later, a pair of interior decorators transport his coffin to L.A. where he awakes with an unquenchable thirst for human blood. As Blacula pursues a woman who resembles his long dead wife, her brother-in-law, a pathologist, investigates the string of carnage that follows in the vampire’s wake.”

The 1970’s were a time for horror, cult, sci-fi and Blaxploitation films to shine at theaters and drive-in’s as they would show them and moviegoers seemed to not to be able to get enough. And one of the biggest producers of these type of films was Samuel Z. Arkoff who was another “King Of The B-Movies” along the likes of Roger Corman and Al Adamson and was known for such films as Teenage Caveman, Reptilicus, Fury Of Archilles, Die Monster Die, The Dunwich Horror, Abominable Dr. Phibes and so many more, and he teamed with Joseph T. Naar to create the film Blacula in 1972. The team of Joan Torres, Raymond Koenig and Richard Glouner were the script writers, and William Crain was brought in to direct and this was his first feature film as he had only worked on one episode of the TV Show Mod Squad before it. The producers then would hire such actors as Vonetta McGee, Denise Nicolas, Charles Macaulay, Emily Yancy and The Hues Corporation with William Marshall being hired to play Blacula, who is the world of cinema’s first Black vampire! Marshall as well worked along with the producers and crew to make sure Blacula was a powerful and respectable character. The film was shot in Los Angeles and filmed early in 1972 and once done Gene Page did the score that had a funk sound. Once done the film was released by American International Pictures (owned by Arkoff & James H. Nicholson) and hit theaters on July 26, 1972 and was meet with mixed reviews from critics but moviegoers liked it as the film would make over a million dollars and be one of 1972’s big hits. The film would spawn a sequel in 1973 called “Scream Blacula Scream” and would also start a rash of Blaxploitation Horror Films like “Blackenstein (1973)”,“Abby (1974)”, “Dr. Black And Mr. White (1976)”, “Black Devil Doll From Hell (1984)” and “Bones (2001)” to name a few, showing just how important Blacula is to the world of horror cinema. The film was released along side such other horror films as Tales From The Crypt, The Red Queen Kills Seven Times, Ben, Dracula A.D. 1972, Fury Of The Wolfman, Frogs, Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things, Last House On The Left, Horror Express, Vampire Circus, Rats Are Coming The Werewolves Are Here, Baron Blood, Moon Of The Wolf and Don’t Torture Duckling in 1972 and this is just a small amount released that year. The film is a cult classic and found even more fans via Cable TV and Home Media when released on those formats.

I am going to say it, I really do think that Blacula is one of the most underrated horror films of the 1970’s as it is often over looked and tossed aside mostly because people judge it by it’s name and not the quality of the film and that’s a shame as it is a very solid Horror film with a very cool vampire who has a hatred for his own creator Count Dracula. I saw this film when I was a very young kid as I believe it was playing on TBS and both my brother and I had to watch it, I am pretty sure my Dad as well watched it with us, and when the film was done I can remember playing with G.I. Joes and saying Roadblock was Blacula and he was on the prowl for some blood. The film is filled with some great classic style creepy moments and has a very 70’s feel and take on the Dracula story in general. The film’s score was also very different from the others at the time as Gene Page went more for a Funk sound over your normal eerie one, and this helped add to the L.A. feel of the fright flick. William Marshall was a very wise choice to play Prince Mamuwalde aka Blacula, as he is a fantastic actor and really did take the role seriously and delivers a powerful performance, as Marshall had been acting since the mid 1950’s and is known for his roles in such films and shows as Tarzan (1967), The Boston Strangler (1968), Abby (1974), Amazon Women On The Moon (1987) and Pee-Wee’s Playhouse (1993) where he was The King Of Cartoons! I have always had mad respect for William Marshall and he was truly an iconic actor and was truly apart of my childhood growing up as I had seen him in so many movies and shows. I also think that the film packs a few good scares as well as a very new take on the vampire folklore as it did a great job of bringing the classic monster into the 70’s setting. I also think that Blacula should have gotten more sequels as there were plenty of more tales they could have told with the character, and I do need to say that there is a rumor going around the a reboot to the series is in the works and while I wish William Marshall was still alive so he could have taken a role in the film I am interested to see what this film is like if it ever gets made. Say what you will about Blacula but for me it truly is one of 70’s best Horror Films and should be respected by fans just as much as Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Dawn Of The Dead to name a few.

So as you can see, Blacula is a film that you should check out and it was great that finally in 2023 he got his own comic book after all these decades of it truly being long overdue. And while I wish that the comic had been single issues and not a Graphic Novel, I am still happy to be reading it any way I can, and I truly hope that it is a great read as I have been looking forward to this since it was announced by Zombie Love. I would also like to thank Game Swap Kettering for ordering this GN for me 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 with that, let’s see what Blacula has in store for us in his first terror filled comic.

Blacula: Return Of The King GN ***
Released in 2023 Cover Price $19.99 Zombie Love # 1 of 1

In modern Los Angeles people have gone missing as vampires are stalking the streets at night and the name Blacula is being spray-painted around town. Tina Thomas is a blogger who is heading to the area that the disappearances are taking place and meets Kross, a man who is on the hunt for vampires! Meanwhile in Hell, Blacula is trying to get Lucifer to grant his request of returning to Earth and the ruler of Hell not granting his request. Kross informs Tina that he is the grandson of taxi driver and Blacula victim Juanita Jones and that he is now looking after young kids affected by the vampire attacks and his goal is to kill Blacula once and for all. Meanwhile Blacula has escaped Hell and is walking the Earth once more and even kills a group of gang members who try and hold him up. While Count Dracula is also around and lures a single mom working at a diner into his trap and drinks her blood even as she pleads for her life, and while draining all of the woman’s blood a news report about Blacula peeks his interest and he ends up calling in two redneck vampires to track down his vampire spawn and bring him back to him. While Kross along with his gang and Tina head to a graveyard looking for Blacula to kill, they only the find the vampire Juanita and they are forced to stake her, and worse Kross is shaken by this and this allows his grandfather who was also a vampire to escape. Meanwhile Blacula is stalking the streets on his quest to find Dracula and even kills a bunch of cops and when he finds safety he is thinks back to why he his killing his own race after he was always protecting them in his time as a Prince. As the two redneck vampires drive around asking fellow vampires if they have any clues to where Blacula is, he has been discovered by Tina, Kross and The Kids who end up listening to his tale of being turned into a vampire by Dracula and wants revenge…and the kids decide to help him! Blacula takes out the two redneck vampires that are tracking him and the kids stake Kross’s vampire grandfather and the group then heads to the location of Count Dracula and after taking out some of Dracula’s minions, Blacula finally gets his chance to fight with Dracula and after going back and fourth it’s Blacula that wins with a silver sword to the heart of Dracula! And after that Blacula leaves with Tina, Kross and the other kids with his future unknown. Meanwhile in Hell Lucifer is very mad about Blacula’s escape and with the help of a demon and Count Dracula himself they decide to send back a werewolf to Earth to get him back…and so this Graphic Novel ends on a cliffhanger.

First thing I have to say is that this Graphic Novel is pretty awesome and is a fantastic read and really does read like a sequel to the classic 1972 film and does so with respect for the character and his legacy and helps bring the Horror and complex nature of Blacula to the readers. The plot has Blacula escaping Hell in order to finally get his revenge on Count Dracula who is the one responsible for turning him into a vampire as well as taking his wife away from him. Also Count Dracula has lost all his wealth and is now hiding out in California and waiting for his spawn Blacula to attack now that he has returned…throw in some young adults who are hunting the vampire legends as well as Lucifer who is mad about the escape from Hell, and you have one heck of a great horror comic read! Blacula while a vampire, a killer and even a spreader of turning others into bloodsuckers feels bad about having to drain the blood of his own race in order to survive and truly hates what he has become as well as the name of Blacula as he would rather be called by his real name Prince Mamuwalde and not the name Dracula forced on him. Blacula also knows that he has angered Hell but does not care as he wants his revenge and even controls his anger and hunger when he meets a group of kids that are hunting him and other vampires down, and these kids are all effected by vampires as their families had been killed or turned by one causing them to want revenge of their own. Tina Thomas however is along for the ride as she is a blogger about the unknown and wanted to get to the bottom of the legend of Blacula and soon finds that the legend is true and she ends up helping him on his quest for revenge. Kross is also a interesting character as he is the grandson of the woman taxi driver that was bitten in turned in 1972 (as seen in the movie) and has made it his life goal to kill Blacula as well as bring together and watch over all the kids that have been effected by vampire attacks, and he ends up having a change of heart when he finally meets Blacula and soon decides to help him against Dracula’s horde. Speaking of Count Dracula, he is no longer surrounded by wealth and power and is now living in a trailer harvesting his own blood from victims and very bored with his immortal life, and is very much looking forward to a fight to the death against Blacula. And the final fight between Blacula and Dracula is fast paced it very much is a fun battle that leaves The Count dead and The Prince still feeling empty. The Graphic Novel does have some blood and violence and fans of Horror Comics will enjoy many of the kills that include lots of blood drinking and some stakes to the hearts of the undead. The cover is pretty dang great and creepy and has a raging Blacula showing his fangs of fright! The interior artwork is done by Jason Shawn Alexander and is great stuff and captures the mood of the film series as well as even the actors who played the characters. Over all this is a very cool and entertaining horror graphic novel read, and I cannot wait for the second volume as this one leaves us on a cliffhanger and we all want to see Blacula fight a werewolf and even possibly Lucifer himself who is pretty annoyed with the Vampire Prince who escaped the tortures of Hell! Do yourself a favor and if you like the film or just like vampire comics, give this a read as I am sure you will enjoy it. Checkout the artwork bellow to see the style of Alexander used in this comic.

Blacula: Return Of The King is a really great horror graphic novel that gave new media life to this classic iconic horror character from the 70’s. And with a new reboot sequel in the works (or so it’s said) I just wish William Marshall was still with us as it would have been great for him to see this rebirth and respect the character brought to life by him is now getting from modern horror fans. With that this From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update is over, but our time with horror is still going as our next update will take us to the Rotten Ink Arena as a “R.I.W Legend” update event will be taking place and will feature The ECW Zombie, so make sure to comeback for that one. 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 as I wonder if The Zombie will cut one of his iconic moaning and groaning promos?

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Die, Monster, Die! (1965)

Posted on April 27, 2018 by bloodlinematt

In the 1960’s Dell Comics was a major comic publisher who made lots of great comics based on cartoon characters, TV shows and movies. And among these titles, of course, many Horror Films got the comic treatment with many being the Edgar Allen Poe films of Roger Corman as well as a handful of others. One of the Horror films that got the Dell Comics treatment was the 1965 film Die, Monster, Die! This film stars Boris Karloff and has inspired many creative minds even in the world of music like The Misfits who based a song around this movie. This Horror Film is based off the story “The Colour Out Of Space” by H.P. Lovecraft and did its part to shock movie goers with its thrilling, mystery style of horror. So it’s my pleasure to bring you this very classic horror version of one of my “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” updates as we take a look at this creepy horror film and the comic based on it.

The first thing we need to look at is the film’s evil villain that is the wheelchair bound Nahum Witley and his radiated meteorite that he uses on planets and humans. Nahum is a man who likes to be in control and hide what he is doing as he is just following in the weird footsteps of his late father. Nahum has in his green house his mutated maid as well as planets and animals that are not under his control with his maid Helga hating him, and even his wife and daughter seem to have a dislike for him and his demanding cold ways. After an accident Nahum himself is mutated into a glowing green monster who is filled with rage as well as has the will to choke and kill his target victim! As a man he is not a threat as he is a weakened old man whose mind is being poisoned by the meteorite and cannot cause any damage. But as mutated Nahum, he is more powerful and has the power to kill with his bare hands as well as use his glowing green skin appearance to strike fear into the hearts of his victims. He also is radioactive and gives off a loud humming noise that is distracting to his human prey. The thing about Nahum is that he did not intend to be a bad person, it’s his vanity of wanting his estate to be beautiful that has driven him to be the keeper of the radiated meteorite, and when trying to rid himself of it, he soon pays the price of owning it as it takes him over. He does have a weakness that can lead to his destruction and that’s being radiated leaves his body very combustible and with a good fall or if hit hard enough, he will break apart and catch fire! While Nahum might not be the most powerful or spooky monster we have covered in one of these updates, he still is a deadly one if given the chance.

So now that we have learned about Nahum Witley and his meteorite that causes mutations, its time for us to take a look at the movie. As always we will take the films right up from our pals at IMDB and after I will write a little about the production of the film as well as some memories of watching it for the first time and my thoughts about it. So if you’re ready lets get to the film aspect of Die, Monster, Die!

Die, Monster, Die! (1965)

“A young man visits his fiancée’s estate to discover that her wheelchair-bound scientist father has discovered a meteorite that emits mutating radiation rays that have turned the plants in his greenhouse to giants. When his own wife falls victim to this mysterious power, the old man takes it upon himself to destroy the glowing object with disastrous results.”

Die Monster Die! was released in theaters on October 27, 1965 and was an American and British co-production that was produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff and released by American International Pictures. Jerry Sohl, who also wrote novels as well as episodes of The Twilight Zone and Star Trek, wrote the script, and he based it on a story by H.P. Lovecraft, and the directing duties went to Daniel Haller who also directed the horror film The Dunwich Horror. The film brought on a solid and great cast with names like Boris Karloff, Patrick Magee, Suzan Farmer, Nick Adams and Freda Jackson all who delivered top notch performances. When released originally, it was shown as a double feature with the film Planet Of The Vampires and was met with mixed reviews from critics and movie goers. The film later found a fan base when it finally was shown on TV and later on home media like VHS and DVD. While not held as an all time classic horror movie Die, Monster, Die! has gained a cult following over its release.

The first time I saw this film was on cable when growing up. I can remember it was a weekend when it came on and I found it to be an entertaining and was always drawn to films that starred Boris Karloff. The thing that I have always liked about this film is the atmosphere of the old mansion and its over grown land that has think fog rolling around, the creepy silence of the massive home not to even mention the creepy mutated people, animals and plants! The other great thing about this film is that it mostly takes place at the Witley mansion and its grounds that is so far away from the town or any neighbors giving the viewers a sense of isolation and dread. The cast is fantastic with Boris Karloff as Nahum Witley who gives a fantastic performance as does Nick Adams as Stephen Reinhart. The way they play off each other with distain and distrust is classic horror movie stuff. As a life long horror fan growing up watching everything from silent films to slashers films, I have always enjoyed this film and think that it’s a sometimes over looked horror thriller that blends both haunted house movie and alien unknown creature sub genres together and delivers a spooky film that relies on chills and not blood spills. If you have never seen this film and enjoy the works of Boris Karloff and even H.P. Lovecraft then make sure to check this film out, as it’s a good old school horror film with some great characters and a paperback novel like story.

Die, Monster, Die! Is an interesting film to make into a Horror Comic, as it will be very hard for DELL Comics to capture the eerie mood and atmosphere that made this film work and be so scary for viewers in the 60’s and beyond. I also want to point out that up to this point, I think this is the oldest film and comic adaptation that I have covered on one of my From Horror Movie To Horror Comic updates! So while we make our way through this fog, I want to remind you all that I grade these 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. I want to thank Bell, Book And Comic for having this issue in stock and making this update possible. So we are now at the Witley Mansion, and I think it’s time to relax for a moment and take a look at the comic adaptation of this 60’s horror fright flick! Oh yes and I must say that this comic was a part of DELL’s “Movie Classics” comic line.

Die, Monster, Die! # 1 **1/2
Released in 1966 Cover Price .12 DELL #603 of ?

Scientist Stephen Reinhart has received a letter to come visit the home of the woman he loves, Susan, who lives in the small town of Arkham. But Stephen soon finds that no one wants to drive him to the Wintley Mansion, and once he walks there, he finds that her father Nahum does not want him there, but seeing Susan makes him not listen to her father’s words. Susan shows Stephen around the mansion and introduces him to her sick bedridden mother Letitia who speaks to Stephen alone and begs him to take her daughter far away from the mansion! Stephen starts to notice strange things and finds books on the occult as well as the family butler faints for no reason. All the while Nahum is mad over the young man being there and argues with his wife about it and his secret work that he thinks will bring the family riches. While wandering the grounds of the mansion is a strange hooded figure with long fingernails who seems to spy on Susan, causing Stephen to really want them to leave as soon as possible. And later that night the Butler dies and Stephen watches in the shadows as Nahum buries him in an unmarked grave in the green house. Stephen needs to speak to someone about the weirdness of the family and goes to town and talks to the mostly retired doctor, who shares info about how some of the past Wintley members died. Once back at the mansion Stephen and Susan sneak into the locked greenhouse and find that animals and planets have grown to large size and are very dangerous! The couple soon go back to the mansion where Stephen goes to the cellar and finds the massive rock that is causing all the sickness and death as well as is confronted by Nahum who finally sees the errors of his ways, but before anything can be done, Letitia who is now transformed rushes outside into the rain and has the water drops kill her as those infected cannot get wet! After the burial of Letitia, the family makes plans to split ways as Susan is to leave with Stephen and Nahum goes back to the mansion to destroy the rock that, when hit, spawns a living energy that enters Nahum who attacks Stephen, as the possessed energy Nahum leaps at Stephen he falls to the ground dying on impact and catching on fire his remains and the mansion. In the end Stephen and Susan escape the burning mansion, and so ends the legacy of the Wintley family.

I want to start off by saying this while this comic adaptation is really entertaining and a good classic spooky horror comic read, it does however seem to be lacking all the great atmosphere from the movie and speeds up the plot taking away the suspense. The plot is very simple and has a young man visiting his girlfriend’s family at the request of the sick mother and soon finds that the family has a very dark secret that revolves around a rock that fell from space and the father’s quest to make the family’s name mean something again. Our stories hero is Stephen Reinhart, a man who is smart and in love with his lady who rushes to her hometown in order to visit and has been chosen by her mother to take the young woman away from their mansion home. Stephen also really heroes up when needed and saves the day numerous times including fighting off killer planets and even going toe to toe with a radioactive killer. Susan is a normal young woman who is trapped in a home that is surrounded by mystery and does not want to leave her sick mother behind. She is also clueless as things around her are clearly odd and she does not question nor seek the truth until Stephen forces her to see the stuff going on. Letitia Wintley is a sickly old woman who is slowly losing her mind due to the radiation off the stone. She loves her daughter very much and is starting to question her husband and his attentions as she slowly gets sicker and sicker until she turns into a ghoul that is killed by water. Nahum Wintley is a man who is proud of his family heritage, and even after it was run through the mud, he craves to make the name mean something again and thinks that a rock he found that fell from space and makes things grow fast is the key to become the star he thinks he should be. Sadly this consumes him and forces him to make bad decisions that even leaves people he cares about dead. While he’s not a bad person, he is a very self absorbed person who by the time he snaps out of it is possessed and taken over by the rock that turns him into a walking radioactive unstable firebomb. The comic does have some classic spooky moments, and while it does have deaths, none of them are bloody and gory. The cover for this comic is a photo of Boris Karloff as Nahum Wintley with an ax and is pretty eye catching for fans of the film and classic horror actor. The art was done by an Un-Credited Artist and is pretty good stuff and has that Dell Comics charm to it, as strangely enough the character art looks oddly like the actors who played them. Over all this is a pretty cool comic adaptation that does an okay job of bringing the film to pages, only down side is plot had to be crammed down and the atmosphere of the film is missing. Check out the art below to see the art style used in this comic, and really is worth a read and owning for fans of the film.

It makes you wonder if DELL Comics would have lasted past 1974, what other Horror and Science Fiction films would have gotten the comic adaptation treatment? Then it also makes me wonder why no one has brought Dell back to the world of Independent Comics. Imagine some of the other Karloff titles they could have made that would have gone along with the likes of Die, Monster, Die! For our next update, we will be staying in the world of Horror Comics but will not be looking at one based on a movie but one from a indie company that much like Dell makes you wonder what could have come from them. The company is B-Movie Comics, and the title is Vault Of Doomnation. So until then, 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 some spooky good times.