From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Mardi Gras Massacre (1978)

Posted on October 12, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. Halloween 2024 is creeping up on us very quickly, and I am sure many of you readers are like me as I love the cooler weather and the leaves turning and falling to the ground as the wind picks up and brings that chill down your spine…and also around this time it feels like ghosts, witches, goblins, werewolves and vampires are watching you from a distance. That is why this time of the year is perfect for us horror comic readers as the spooky atmosphere and chill in the air makes for perfect reading weather…I love reading horror comics in a local cemetery around this time the most, but to be honest I do this year round as it is my go to quiet place to enjoy the terrors on the pages. Today’s update is a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update that is based around the sleazy low budget slasher film called Mardi Gras Massacre that splatted its way into grindhouse theaters in 1983 and would be a prefect one to read while visiting your town’s creepiest cemetery. So if you are ready with the cold chill in the air, it’s time to enjoy this horror comic based on a cult film that is set in New Orleans and is surrounded by the mystic of an Aztec Cult.

Let’s first start by taking a look at John, the killer of this film, and his methods and reasons for killing his victims as he truly is an odd and bloodthirsty slasher. John is a middle aged man who has black hair and dresses very nicely in public. While very odd looking in appearance, he does not standout from the crowd, but his looks do give some ladies the heebie jeebies. He looks like he comes from money as he wears a big gold ring and carries big wads of cash that he is able to draw in his victims, mostly prostitutes, with. He is looking for “evil” women that he can lure in and then sacrifice to an Aztec god to please them. While in killing mode John wears a golden mask, a robe and uses a dagger to cut, stab and shred their skin with his main goal being to remove their heart. His golden mask and dagger truly do strike fear in his victims’ then still-beating hearts as they find out his true intensions are not to make love but to slaughter them. John does these killings as he thinks that doing so will give him powers, and he is a true believer in this Aztec cult. But while he mostly kills women, he will kill men if they cross him path or try to do him wrong. His dagger is his main tool of dealing death and he is very skilled in his ritual ways of killing that includes making his female victims feel good with oil messages before he kills them. But while John is dangerous and coldblooded, he is a normal man and can be killed like any other human so that means shot, stabbed, crushed, burnt and blown up, among many other ways one could die. While John is only a mortal man, this slasher is super dangerous and is a master butcher with his dagger. And I should note that John was not the killer’s real name, just that he was a “John” that picked up sex workers.

Now that we have taken a look at John, the masked Aztec ritual killer of New Orleans, I think it’s time we take a look at the film he is from, Mardi Gras Massacre! Like always, we will be taking the film’s plot for our friends at IMDB and then I will write a little about the film’s production as well as my thoughts about the film. So if you are ready, let’s put on our party masks, grab some beads and head to this Mardi Gras Massacre.

Mardi Gras Massacre (1978)

“Police try to capture someone who is committing ritual murders of women during Mardi Gras in New Orleans.”

During the late 1970’s the grindhouse theaters and late night drive-in movies were gaining steam and more and more viewers were flocking to see these cheaply shot films and the more sleazy and exploitive, the better as horror, adult, martial arts and sci-fi films flooded these theaters and many would become cult classics over the years and most made lots of money for the companies who released these films. Jack Weis was one of those producers who cashed in at this time as he was a jack of all trades. He could also direct and write and was already the maker of such genre films as “Death Brings Roses (1975)” and “Crypt Of Dark Secrets (1976)”and in 1978 he wanted more profits so he came up with the script for Mardi Gras Massacre and would quickly get the film into production and would hire such actors as Curt Dawson, William Metzo, Gwen Arment and Laura Misch Owens. The music was done by Dennis Coffet and Mike Theodore, and the movie was filmed fast and yet sat around until 1983 before being released to theaters on February 11. At first it had an X rating due to the nudity and gore and would later be listed as a Video Nasty in England. When released in America, it was part of a triple bill alongside the films Sorceress and Humanoids From The Deep and would over the years build up a cult classic status after hitting home media on VHS, DVD and later Blu-Ray. When released in 1983, it came out alongside such other horror movies as Jaws 3, Psycho II, Sleepaway Camp, The Keep, A Blade In The Dark and Christine, to name a few. While it’s not a super popular and talked about film, for those who have seen this sleazy masterpiece of horror cinema they know the charm it has.

The first time I saw Mardi Gras Massacre was on a VHS that I bought from a video rental store called Accent Video that used to be in Ohio when I was a teenager. They had such a massive horror section as they carried not only the mainstream but also the cult and very weird! They would also over time end up selling some of the films when they needed to make room or sadly the film would stop renting. And on one of the trips to the store to see what horror films they would have in the used section is when I would get my copy of Mardi Gras Massacre, and when I watched it with some friends, I can remember we all had a good time watching the film and laughing at some of the more over the top moments. This film is not for everyone as at times it’s slow moving and is packed to the brim with lots of moments that feature female nudity and low budget style gore effects and main characters that don’t even get names! But to me, these are some of the reasons this film holds such a charm as it really does feel like a grindhouse film. It’s one of those films that has heroes that are two cops…but they are kind of scumbags themselves as one steals money and degrades a prostitute behind her back after he acts like he cares about her. But I will say that some of the prostitutes are the most likable characters in the film, and I have to also say for those of you who have seen this movie, what the hell was up with the pimp character Catfish? That really was a very strange dude who twitches around and talks in weird rhymes. The film’s gore effects for the time were really good and there is lots of it as several ladies are sacrificed and cut up by John The Killer. The most lovely of the “evil” ladies in this film is Laura Misch Owens who played Shirley, the first victim of the film who was also in the 1976 film Crypt Of Dark Secrets that was also directed by Jack Weis. When you hear from those who were involved in this film, it seems that production really was affected several times due to money issues and that is even why it sat unreleased for many years. This makes you truly wonder how many horror films from the 70’s and early 80’s had this same fate and have never been released, as the funds never came through. I am a fan of this weird little film that kind of makes no sense, has a strange soundtrack that features a killer that never even really gets a name.

Mardi Gras Massacre is a very weird cult horror film that is a sleazy gem that is very often overlooked, and that is why it is so awesome that it got the comic book treatment in 2022 via Severin Films and I am very much looking forward to reading this comic. I first would like to thank Severin Films for publishing and releasing this comic and making this update possible. I also want to give a big thank you to all the creators that made this comic possible as the world of horror comics needs more comics based on these type of cult horror films. 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 comics stay to the source material, their entertainment value and their art and story. So if you are ready, let’s see what The Killer was up to on that Mardi Gras that many years back.

Mardi Gras Massacre # 1 ***
Released in 2022 Cover Price $14.99 Severin Films # 1 of 1

The body of prostitute Shirley Anderson has been found dumped on the train tracks, and Detective Mayer and Detective Frank Abraham head to a local bar where she used to pick up her clients and meet Sam the bartender who sends them to talk to Sherry, another lady of the night who tells them that the man Shirley left with that night had a big gold ring on. The Killer strikes again; this time he kills a stripper and it is clear he is killing what he thinks are evil woman, sacrificing them to an Aztec God. When this body is found, the police chief is really mad and wants the killer found, and this causes Abraham and Mayer to call in a cult expert who informs them about the Aztec Cults. Also Detective Abraham at this time is dating Sherry, and they are very much an odd couple. The Killer strikes again, and meanwhile Sherry and Abraham have a fight and break up over the dirty cop stealing the money of the deceased ladies of the night. She goes out and parties getting drunk and it’s Mayer who makes sure she gets home safe. During Mardi Gras, the killer hires three ladies to come over ,and he has the plans to sacrifice them all to his Aztec God with one of the ladies being Sherry, but they are all saved by Abraham (who patches things up with Sherry) and Mayer who go after the Killer, who ends up driving a car off the docks and into the water. When they tow the car out of the water, the Killer’s body is missing but his mask is left behind.

This is a really cool adaptation of a cult film that has a very simple plot as it’s about a Killer on the loose in New Orleans that is killing ladies of the night as he feels that they are evil and his God from Aztec lore needs sacrifices. On his trail are two cops who need to capture him before Mardi Gras. This basic story has charm as the sleazy nature of the film carries over to the comic as our Killer lures in young beautiful ladies to strip down for him and become his victims. But while the comic does have its charms, I should also note that it has a few flaws with the biggest being much of the film does not make it into the comic with the opening kill of Shirley missing. We just open with her body being found. The biggest parts missing are the dates and relationship between Detective Abraham and Shelly; it is talked about but not fully explained. And now that I am thinking about it, even The Killer’s motivation, showcasing he has money and even his charming ways to lure and capture his prey is missing…and for those of you who like the character Catfish, he is as well missing from the comic. The Killer aka John is a pretty dang bloodthirsty murderer as he kills at least three women in this comic and uses his trusty dagger to end their lives. Also it makes you wonder if he truly died when the car crashed into the water and his body is not found…or is he still out there killing more ladies for his Aztec beliefs. The heroes of this comic are Detective Abraham, who is kind of an ass and is corrupt as he steals money from crime scenes and seems to take favors in order to not report crimes. But we do see that he also has a weak spot for Sherry, and even after he hurts her feelings, he kind of feels bad and that’s a change as in the film I feel he is just a scumbag from start to finish. Detective Mayer, on the other hand, seems like a decent cop that really wants to crack this case and is embarrassed by his partner’s behavior. He tends to look the other way when bad things are going down that involves his partner and that is where he is flawed. Sherry is a prostitute who seems like a nice woman, but who tends to make bad choices as at the end of the comic she almost dies by going to a Mardi Gras Party with two other ladies at The Killer’s home! The comic has some blood and gore as the death of the prostitutes are mostly shown and has the red stuff flowing, and the comic also has lots of nudity holding with the feel of the film. The cover is pretty cool and holds the vibe of the film it’s based on and is eye catching. The interior art is done by Simona Simone and is fantastic stuff and after seeing her work in this comic, I am very much a big fan of her work and hope that we get more Horror Comics based on films from her in the future as she is that awesome. Over all this is a pretty great comic and one that is a must-have for fans of this cult film. Check out the artwork below to see the style or Simona Simone used in this creepy and sleazy comic.

I have to say that this Mardi Gras Massacre comic really was a cool read and was a nice treat for fans of the film as well as horror comic readers in general, and I cannot stress enough that I hope that Severin Films continues to release these comics based on the horror and cult films they release as they are doing some great work thus far. And with Error 444 and Wild Eye Releasing at least making comics that act as Blu-Ray extras, we might be heading in the right direction as media companies are seeing that comics are great tools to promote the films they release. And companies like Blood Scream Comics, Eibon Press and American Mythology are still killing it, releasing comics based on horror films. With that, I think it’s time that we get away from Mardi Gras and head to the world of pro wrestling as we will be taking a look at the crazed madman Waylon Mercy! So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a horror movie or two and as always support your local horror host. And until next time, just remember “Lives are gonna be in Waylon Mercy’s hands”!

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: The Horror Of Party Beach (1964)

Posted on September 22, 2019 by bloodlinematt

Summer is coming to an end, and I think that before we head into fall we should take one last trip to the beach and take a look at the Horror Movie “The Horror Of Party Beach” that had a photo comic magazine made about it for this From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update. Remember when Horror and Sci-Fi Beach Party flicks were all the rage? Yeah, it’s hard to believe that this was a subgenre that delivered many titles to watchers and even chilled the blood of moviegoers of that time. So if you’re ready to head back to the beach and try our best to dance to hip rock n roll music all the while dodging radioactive sea creatures who crave human blood, we should start this classic spooky update to help build the mood for the upcoming Halloween season. So let’s start our From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: The Horror Of Party Beach!

So let’s take a moment to take a look at our monsters of this film that are a mutated human skeletons that are mixed with toxic waste and small fish causing these mutation-killing machines. The creatures all stand like humans do and even have arms like a normal man, but have skin and face is that of a sea creature! They are both skilled killers on land as well as in water making them a double threat. The Creatures uses their sharp claws to shred victim’s skin and can also use their odd mouths to gnaw as well. The Creatures can also use their weird and monstrous appearance to strike terror into the hearts of victims that will spark panic and cause them to make mistakes in their escape. The Creatures also kill in pairs and are not afraid of humans and will attack even groups showing they are fearless. They also drink the blood of their victims almost like a vampire, and they try to leave no one alive when they attack. They also give off a foul odor that acts as another way for them to distract and disorientate their prey and they can let out a horrendous scream that chills blood. Their body parts still live even when cut from their bodies making them even more dangerous. They are also pack killers much like zombies and will overwhelm their targets with numbers. But like all living things, these Sea Creatures do have weaknesses like their foul smell can also alert people to their approach. They can be hurt with brute force as they do feel pain. The main way to kill one of these Sea Creatures is with sodium as it dries them out and kills them almost instantly. While these creatures do have a way to be stopped, they are still very dangerous and have a bloodlust that will not stop until they are all wiped out.

So now that we know how the Creatures kill, we need to take a look at the film they are from and it’s The Horror Of Party Beach! For this look at the movie I will be taking the write up from our friends at IMDB and after I will write about the film’s production as well as my connection to it. So if you are ready let’s head to the beach and hope it doesn’t turn horrific!

The Horror Of Party Beach (1964)

“While the hot-rodders and motorcyclists are having a rock-and-roll beach party, a barrel of radioactive material is unloaded from a passing ship, plunges to the bottom, and splits against a jagged rock. A black liquid oozes out and covers a shapeless mass on the ocean floor, which suddenly moves and becomes an encrusted vicious monster. Soon there are several monsters who must have human blood to survive. Tina is the first victim, and football hero Hank Green and airhead Elaine Gavin enlist the aid of her science-professor father, Dr. Gavin, to find and capture the killer. Not working fast enough to prevent the attack on 20 teenagers at a slumber party or the killing of three girl motorists, Dr. Gavin finds an arm lost by one of the monsters and discovers that only sodium will destroy the monsters, whose composition is mostly water. Can they gather enough salt in southern California to put an end to this horror?”

The Horror Of Party Beach was produced and directed by Del Tenney and was originally called “Invasion Of The Zombies” when being developed. The film had a budget of $50,000.00 and was filmed in Black and White in order to save money. The film stars the likes of Alice Lyon, John Scott, Allan Laurel, Marilyn Clarke and the Charter Oak Motorcycle Club of Riverside, Connecticut! The film only had two creature costumes made, and legend has it, one of them shrunk during filming and they ended up putting a 16 year old kid named Charles Freedman in the costume as he fit, giving this kid major bragging rights at school as he played a monster in a feature film. The film was released to cinemas on June 1, 1964 and was paired with “The Curse Of The Living Corpse” another film Tenney made, and it was met with very harsh reviews and is considered by many critics and viewers to be one of the worst Horror/Sci-Fi films of all time! When released in 1964, it came out with other films like The Last Man On Earth, Two Thousand Maniacs, The Evil Of Frankenstein, At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul, Face Of The Screaming Werewolf, The Earth Dies Screaming and Ghidorah The Three-Headed Monster to name a very few. While this film might be considered a Golden Turkey, it did make its blood stained mark on the world of Horror.

Back in the late 50’s and early 60’s movies based on beach parties was a very popular genre of films and would bring young and hip viewers to their local cinemas, I mean even Elvis Presley made beach movies with his most popular being “Blue Hawaii”! But of course the Horror and Science Fiction genres had to jump on this trend, as they were easy and cheap to make and would bring youngsters to the Drive-Ins and Theaters. Growing up I can remember seeing this film on TV as well as on VHS, and to be honest it just blended in with all the other Beach Horror Films like “The Beach Girls And The Monster,” and while I enjoy them, they never stuck with me like other classic Horror Flicks of those decades. I have never really felt a major connection to this film and to be honest I didn’t even end up buying on DVD until Severin Films release it on August 28, 2018 and when I knew that I was going to cover this Photo Comic Magazine for this update. While I am sure you are thinking that I am not a fan of this film as what I have just written sound grim for it, but to be honest I do like this movie as I find it very cheesy and filled with laughable monsters who at times look like they have a mouthful of hotdogs who are amazing. It also features some lovely ladies and some rocking tunes! Over all this film is a great watch for fans that enjoy the beach and high dose of cheese inserted into their Horror Flicks that are made on a lower budget. I would say that this film is worth watching and worth having in your collection as fans of B-Movies will love this, and oh yeah Mystery Science Theater 3000 also hosted this film and that is another way I had seen this film.

So now that we have chatted about the mutated creatures of the sea and the cheesy golden turkey film they came from, I think we should now take a look and review the Warren Publishing Photo Comic Magazine adaptation of the film. This is one of the magazines I discovered the same time I did Mole People and Black Zoo, and I am very much looking forward to reading and reviewing this one. I want to thank Mile High Comics for having this issue on Ebay to make this update possible. I want to also remind you readers that I grade this 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 if you’re ready, make sure to cover yourself with some sunscreen and let’s avoid the monsters that attack on Party Beach.

Horror Of Party Beach # 1 **1/2
Released in 1964 Cover Price .35 Warren Publishing # 1 of 1

Some boat workers are dumping toxic waste into the ocean, and one can springs a leak and the contents land on a skeleton on the ocean floor and when small fish gather around, a monster is created! While at the beach Tina and Hank are splitting up due to her drinking problem, but she needs not worry as she has caught the eye of a member of a biker gang who has also decided to have a day at the beach. When Tina makes a fool of herself, Hank and the biker get into a fight as Tina runs off to sun herself on a rock and feel good about her mission to make Hank pay, but she becomes the first victim of one of the Sea Creature that rips her to shreds! The news spreads fast in the papers, and Hank’s boss Dr. Gavin’s daughter Elaine gets a crush on him, and the two quickly start a relationship as the cops want answers to what killed Tina as scales are found under her nails! The next night while Hank and Elaine are on a date at a beach party, two more girls are killed by a Sea Creature filling the city with fear…and things get worse when the monsters attack again and kill a group of ladies having a slumber party! As Hank and Dr. Gavin try and figure out what the monsters are, they attack again, first a young woman swimming and later three women who have car issues, then a man in a truck all killed and making the these creatures body count rise as they have a true night of terror as the bodies pile up. As the creatures attack, one accidentally gets his arm cut off and Dr. Gavin and Hank are able to get it and find sodium is one thing that will kill the creatures. As Hank goes to the next town to get sodium, the cops along with Dr. Gavin and Elaine use geiger counters to find the main body of water hang out for the creatures. In the end Dr. Gavin and Elaine are surrounded by the Sea Creatures and Hank with the Police arrive with the sodium and fling it one tons of the creatures killing them off. After it’s over and all is safe Hank and Elaine share their love for each other.

The cheesy 1964 cult classic film comes alive in this photo comic magazine that does its best to bring Horror to a film that is filled with lots of dancing and music. The plot of the comic has Sea Creatures coming out of the water and killing people that cross their paths as two doctors try their best to figure out what they are and how to destroy them. In the end, the doctors figure out a way to save the day and kill the monsters once and for all, and thanks to basic science and elements a way is found and the creatures are killed. Hank Green is our hero who is a man who once wasted his life just partying on the beach who has now took a job in science and has outgrown is wild girlfriend and falls in love with his boss’ daughter. Hank is a man who wants to do his best to save lives as well as treat whomever lady he is dating right. Dr. Gavin is a scientist who the cops go to when this outbreak of creature killings start up as they are all unaware of what they are up against, and all faith is put into him and Hank. Elaine Green is a sweet girl who cares about her town, family and friends and is willing to risk her life to try and help end the rash of killings. The cops are pretty useless in this magazine as they do very little to keep people safe and mostly just wait until they are told what do by scientist. The Sea Creatures are blood drinking killing machines that mostly hunt for humans at night and are very dangerous, and yet the cops don’t even patrol at night nor put a curfew in effect. This photo comic magazine for the most part follows the events of the film pretty well, but does do a few out of place or even have a slightly different outcome. One main change in this magazine is that the Sea Creatures are given razor sharp teeth and not the cheesy looking hotdogs like in the movie. The comic keeps some of the blood and kills in place and plays up the spooky horror and cuts down the let’s dance on the beach while a band places surf tunes moments way down. The dialogue is written really well and while cheesy in spots its super fitting. I would say to be honest this is a really good photo comic magazine that does the film its based on justice and even in spots improves on the movie! To sum it up, if you like the movie, love photo comics and collect Horror Comics this is one you might want to get for your collection. Check out some panels below to see how this magazine looks.

So as you can see, the Sea Creatures who want to crash the Party on Horror Beach are pretty mean and want nothing more than to drink the blood of every living human they come across and this Photo Comic Magazine complements this cult classic film very well. So not only is this update coming to an end but so is Summer 2019 and that means fall and Halloween are just around the corner! And sticking with our Countdown To Halloween and From Horror Movie To Horror Comic Theme, I think the next comic we will take a look at is one based on the 2008 film Zombie Apocalypse! So until next time, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Movie or two and as always support your Local Horror Host! See you next time as we chat about a the undead.