From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)

Posted on September 13, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink! Do you remember back in the 1990’s when big companies tried to breathe new life into all the classic movie monsters with big stars being cast and bigger budget driven Hollywood blockbusters hitting the cinemas worldwide? This started in 1992 with “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” and would be followed by the 1994 films “Wolf” and “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein” and in 1996 we got “Mary Riley” based on the maid who worked for Doctor Jekyll, all have their own success and following to this day. During this time the comic book industry had an influx of indie companies and many of them released Horror Comics. One of these indie companies was Topps Comics who released many comic adaptations of films including the one that will be the topic of this “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update as its time for us to take a look at Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the 90’s version of a classic monster of literature and cinema as well as the Topps Comics mini series adaptation based on it.

Let’s start off by taking a look at The Monster and his ways of dealing death in this movie depiction. The Monster is the reanimated parts of many dead men whose body is that of a killer and his hatred for being back alive is what drives him as he had a creator that turned on him from the start. His stitched up appearance and massive size strikes fear in the hearts of those who see him and this fear can lead them open to be attacked and killed. The Monster also has brute power and the strength of many men and can use his bare hands to choke, hit and rip the life out of a person as he has enough power to punch inside a person and remove organs. The Monster is also shockingly very smart and can use his twisted mind in order to set up his victims in multiple ways, from killing them to framing them for murder. He also can take way more damage than a normal person and can also survive in the extreme elements of nature, making him very hard to hurt. The weakness of The Monster is that his emotions are all over the place and this causes him to be sloppy at times as well as makes him lash out in anger before thinking about the action. He can be hurt like any living thing from fire to even some bullets can stop and kill him. While The Monster is not the most brutal or most efficient killer we have covered here, I would say that he is a very deadly one when pushed.

So as you can see, The Monster of Frankenstein is a dangerous reanimated thing that is filled with vengeance, revenge and a rage that makes him dangerous. But now we should take a few moments to talk about the film that spawned this version of The Monster! The film’s write up will be coming from our friends at IMDB, and then I will write a little about the film’s production and my thoughts on the film. So if you are ready, it looks like science is about to run amok.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)

“When the brilliant but unorthodox scientist Dr. Victor Frankenstein rejects the artificial man that he has created, the Creature escapes and later swears revenge.”

After the big success of 1992’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” an idea from Francis Ford Coppola would come to life as he wanted to bring the classic monsters back to the big screen and the second film selected was Frankenstein, but this time around Coppola would only act as a producer and actor Kenneth Branagh would not only direct the film but would also play Victor Frankenstein in it. The film would be released by TriStar Pictures who was happy with the success of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and greenlit this film pretty quickly and the script was written by Frank Darabont and Steph Lady and was given a budget of $45 million. When casting the film some very interesting choices was made with Robert De Niro playing Frankenstein’s Monster, Helena Bonham Carter as Elizabeth Frankenstein as well as such names as John Cleese, Ian Holm, Aidan Quinn and Richard Briers to name a few. And the score was done by Patrick Doyle who had worked on the music for films like “Needful Things” and “Carlito’s Way” and it was good and solid work. The film would be released in theaters on November 4, 1994 and would be meet with very mixed reviews as many felt that the film lacked scares and was a little all over the place when it came to the plot and being focused, but most critics and fans praised the acting of De Niro as the Monster. The film did $22,006,296.00 at the American box office and was ranked # 59 for the year and beat out films like New Nightmare, The Puppet Masters, Serial Mom, Ed Wood, Brainscan, Leprechaun 2 and Cronos. The film would be nominated for awards and would not win any and would even make many publications “Worst” list including Rolling Stone Magazine. But over the years and thanks to home media and streaming the film has found a cult following and is being looked back on with more fondness.

I was a big fan of Bram Stoker’s Dracula as I found it to be a very entertaining take on the classic Dracula tale and the effects are fantastic and it was oddly and yet perfectly cast and it was one of my favorite modern Horror Films that I had seen for many years. Now on the other hand, I was a little more mixed on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as I thought it was well cast and the look of The Monster was pretty solid, it just lacked the charm for me of the classic Universal Monster and Hammer Horror versions of the classic story as it played up on much of the story’s romance and less of the Horror, but when the Horror is showcased is when the film really shines. And I was really shocked on how violent the film was in spots and for many the highlight of the film was when The Monster removes the heart of Elizabeth as it was shocking and horrific. I also really do think that Robert De Niro as The Monster was a good choice as you could tell he put his heart into the roll and tried to bring out all the emotions the character went through in this tale. Plus casting one of Hollywood’s hidden beauties Helena Bonham Carter as Elizabeth also got my attention as a youngster as she for some reason has always reminded me of Elsa Lanchester who played The Bride in the Universal Monster film The Bride Of Frankenstein. Sadly due to my age and the small village I lived in not having a movie theater, I had to wait for the film to be released on home media before I could view it, and when the family finally rented it I found myself like it for the most part and also helped push me into having to find the Topps Comics as well as even had the Video Games for Sega Genesis among other items. Over all while this is not the best Frankenstein film made, I will say it’s a very entertaining one that should get more respect than it does in this modern age from Horror Fans.

One thing that I also have to point out about the film Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is that is sparked a good amount of merchandise for Horror Fans to collect that include not only the Topps Comic mini series but also the soundtrack, magazines, home media, a video game, novel, trading cards, model kit and even t-shirts. And when growing up I had the comics, home media, the video game and many of the magazines that covered the film mostly put out by Fangoria. And what is crazy is that when this film was released and the merchandise was coming out, I can remember that it did not have the buzz around it like Bram Storker’s Dracula did, but if you are a fan of this film make sure to track down and collect some of this cool stuff for your collection, especially the Comics and the Score Soundtrack CD as they are both great stuff.

So as you can see, when released Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein had the Hollywood hype train behind it and even got its fair share of cool merchandise to try feed the fans’ thirst for all things Frankenstein and his Monster, and even if the film did not live up to what it was expected to at the box office it really does have its own fanbase that really enjoys it. And to be honest I have been looking forward to doing this update for a few years now as it gave me an excuse to re-read these comics as well as watch the film again! Plus a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has been long overdue. So before we head to the lab to see what is on the slab, I should 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. So with that, it’s time to visit The Monster done 1994 style with a dash of Topps Comics.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein # 1 ***
Released in 1994 Cover Price $2.95 Topps Comics # 1 of 4

Captain Walton and his men are in a dangerous spot when they are in a winter storm up north trying to find a way to the North Pole, and when trying to break the ship free of the ice a shadow in the snow ends up killing all the sled dogs and they rescue Victor Frankenstein from the freezing weather. Once back on the ship Victor and Walton talk and Victor fills the Captain in on what he was hunting in this storm as well as his life. Victor grew up in a well to do and respected family who ended up taking in an orphaned girl named Elizabeth, who becomes the love of Victor’s life as the two have a very strong bond. But his life is changed when his mother dies while giving birth to his younger brother, and as he grows up his goal to be a scientist an a doctor who can defeat the secrets of death. Once in medical school, Victor meets a classmate Henry Clerval and they end up becoming the secret students of Professor Waldman and teacher who mixes new and old science and even has reanimated the arm of a chimpanzee. But while given the poor a vaccination for small pox Professor Waldman gets stabbed and killed by a crazed man, and this makes Victor double down of his idea of creating life so that people can life forever as death has cheated him out of another important person in his life. Victor steals the brain of Waldman, the body of his killer once he was hung and collected other body parts in order to create life, and after experimenting he has figured out the key to create. And the night of his experiment the village is about to go on lockdown due to an illness outbreak and he must run off both Elizabeth and Henry who beg him to leave, but this night Victor only has one goal and that to create life.

This is a really good adaptation comic and does a great job of both capturing the mood of the film as well as delivering an issue that gets the reader hooked. The story is simple and has Victor Frankenstein being rescued by a ship Captain and his doomed crew during a terrible winter storm at sea, and Victor ends up sharing his story of death and life with the Captain that ends with him doing his first experiment on trying to create a life. You have to feel for Victor Frankenstein as he was a young man who had it all growing up a good family, education, respect and even found the love of his life at a young age…but when people he cares about dies in his life it sets him down a path of science, medicine and alchemy all in order to stop death and create life. Elizabeth is a caring woman who wants what is best for Victor and as his dive into madness gets darker she still tries to stand by his side even when she is forced out of his lab. Henry Clerval who is a classmates who has some of the same ideas as Victor as well sees that his friend is going down a bad path that goes against the will of God, but he as well wants to watch out for his friend. And the Captain and crew of the ship sadly I feel are in the middle of a battle that they do not want to be around and that’s between a creator and his creation. The comic has some creepy moments and a little bit of blood and has that classic horror feel. The cover art for the issue I have is very eye catching and cool as it’s the Monster under a sheet, and has a classic painting feel about it. The interior artwork is done by Rafael Kayanan and is really great stuff and has that 90’s indie comic look as well to me has that Topps Comics look. A good start to this adaptation mini series and is a read that held up for me after all these years, lets see what issue two has in store for us.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein # 2 ***
Released in 1994 Cover Price $2.95 Topps Comics # 2 of 4

Victor Frankenstein is deep into his experiment and after using eels for electricity, the body inside comes alive and once out of his chamber it flings it’s self around and gets caught into cables as Victor watches on in fear and regrets that he gave this thing life and tried to play God, as it’s a grotesque looking monster. As Victor runs from his Monster he decides that he must kill it, and when he returns he finds it gone and swears that he is done with his experiments and The Monster itself. Time passes and The Monster is chased by people of the village as his appearance feeds their fears that he is the one spreading the plague, and this causes him to hide in the woods were he hides and helps and learns from a family that are not aware that he is lurking around. The family is thankful for his help but when they find out what he looks like they run him off with fire and once more he is alone and feared…and returns to his birthplace and finds the diary of Frankenstein and wants revenge on his creator. Meanwhile Victor meets back up with Henry and Elizabeth and wants to start his life over and leave the horror of his creation behind, but then he remembers his diary was left behind and if the Monster finds it his secret is out.

This second issue just like the first does a great job of bringing the film to comic, and captures the building dread and doom that the film delivered to viewers and even turns up the horror level slightly. This issue’s story has Victor Frankenstein both fearing and then hating his creation as he wants to kill it, but is to late to do so as The Monster escapes and finds that the world fears and hates him all over the way he looks…and the creation and the creator are on the path for a showdown as it’s clear they both despise one another. Victor in this issue is very sorrowful for what he has done as he knows now that creating life as a big mistake, and he tries to quickly move on with his life and forget the terror that he has unleashed on the masses. Henry and Elizabeth as always are by his side and try to encourage him to return home and take up just being a regular old doctor to help people. The Monster is very misunderstood and because he looks weird and disfigured he is blamed for the plague as well as mocked and hated by a family that he has been secretly helping through a harsh winter. Being shunned every place he goes you can see why The Monster hates his creator Victor as this life he did not want to have. And I have to say by this issue you have to kind of feel sorry for The Monster as he is really mistreated by everyone just cause the scars on his face, plus his own creator or father figure if you will, runs from him in fear as he hates what he created…must be a terrible feeling The Monster has. The cover for this version I have is eye catching an has The Monster standing with a home on fire behind him, and the interior art by Rafael Kayanan is great like before and the way he draws The Monster is awesome. Over all a relatively bloodless Horror Comic that is a fun read and thickens the plot of creator and creation. Also I feel this issue holds up and is a fun smooth read.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein # 3 ***
Released in 1994 Cover Price $2.95 Topps Comics # 3 of 4

As Victor and Elizabeth are getting ready for their marriage the their family and friends arrive including William who is the younger brother of Victor, and while going to visit his friend he runs into The Monster and is later found dead an the killing is blamed on one of the families female friends who is hung by a mob of mad villagers. As Victor morns, he gets a quick visit from The Monster who tells him to meet him up on a mountain, Victor goes and brings guns as he was to kill his creation. And when Victor arrives he tires to shoot The Monster and fails and then is more shocked that The Monster can read and speak. The Monster says he is the one who killed William and by accident set up the young woman who was blamed, and what he wants his a female friend to love and that if Victor makes him one he will disappear forever from human eyes, Victor agrees to do so. Elizabeth is upset as Victor tells her that they must push off their wedding for a month as he must do something so that they will have peace for life, she is mad and threatens to leave for good. Victor gets the help of Henry and they set up the lab but things get out of hand when The Monster murders a woman and now Victor refuses to help and The Monster tells him he will strike on his wedding night. Time passes and Victor and Elizabeth are married and go on the run with Henry and other guards on the watch as they are told to kill the ungodly creature that is stalking the newly married couple. And as a storm blows in Victor an Elizabeth find shelter as all around them men watch out for a killer.

The third issue keeps the mood building and adds more horror as The Monster is not understanding how to keep his emotions in check. The plot of this issue has The Monster killing the younger brother of Victor as well as getting a Frankenstein family friend blame and killed for the killing and now is trying to force Victor into creating a female monster for him as a mate and threatens him that the urges to kill will get worse if he does not have someone he can love, and Victor tries but when The Monster kills an innocent woman he can not make a bride as The Monster is clearly evil…and now Victor might have doomed his new Bride as well as his family and The Monster is very mad and filled with rage. Victor Frankenstein in this issues faces more heart break over the deaths of some loved ones and must try and avoid loosing the love of his life as well as dodge the rage of the monster he created. And while Victor has done bad things including trying to play God he does not get behind murder for science. Elizabeth is very happy to be getting married to Victor but does not understand the horrors that he committed in his lab. Henry is loyal as ever to his friendship to Victor and his leading men to try and keep the couple safe during their wedding night. The Monster is very confused by his life as he cannot control his evil thoughts and yet also understands what love means and is an all he really wants is to have a Bride that he can run away with and be away from human eyes. The cover is great and showcases The Monster and like before the interior art by Rafael Kayanan is great stuff and captures the looks of the actors really well and I have to say I love the way he draws The Monster. Over all another solid issue that captures the film really well and also held up as a re-read after all these years for me. Let’s see how The Monster an Victor Frankenstein’s tale comes to an end with the next and final issue.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein # 4 ***
Released in 1995 Cover Price $2.95 Topps Comics # 4 of 4

Victor and Elizabeth are alone in the cabin and make love on their wedding night, meanwhile outside Henry and the men are keeping guard as the storm continues to pour down and The Monster watches and waits for his time to strike. And later The Monster distracts Victor, Henry and the men who rush off to try and find and end him, while The Monster kills a guard and then murders and takes the heart of Elizabeth just as Victor returns and cannot do anything to stop it. Victor then picks up the body of Elizabeth and rushes to his lab to bring her back to life, and after the experiment she returns to life confused and twisted in appearance. The Monster enters the lab and wants to make Elizabeth his new undead Bride and as Victor and his first creation argue over the love of Elizabeth she discovers that she is a created life and engulfs herself in flames to end her misery and this cause Victor and The Monster to fight and Victor gives chase. We then go back to the ship and Victor Frankenstein passes away from pneumonia and the Captain tells his men that once the ice breaks up they will continue their journey, when they hear a terrible sobbing sound coming from bellow and when they rush to the belly of the ship they find The Monster over the body of Victor as he is upset about the death of his creator. In the end the Captain and his men watch as The Monster pours fuel all over himself and the body of Victor and then he sets them both on fire ending the story of the Creator and his Creation.

The fourth and final issue of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is really great and captures the downbeat nature of the films final act. And again I have to praise Topps Comics as they proved that they really did understand the art of film adaptations. The story in this issue has Victor Frankenstein before dying sharing the last part of his story that has his wife dying, being brought back to life only for her to commit suicide and lastly is able to try and make it right with his creation. And of course in the end both creator and creation go up in flames and the life work of Frankenstein comes to an end, but their legacy would live on as The Captain and his men have heard the twisted tale as well as seen The Monster itself. Victor Frankenstein in this issue is fueled by hatred as his created Monster will not leave him along and takes the life of his true love Elizabeth and even rips her heart out in front for him showing that The Monster is very cold blooded and yet you also pick up that he is confused by his new life and is torn between good and evil. The Monster is also very much filled with rage and that causes him to lash out at his creator who turned his back on him instead of teaching him how to be a living person, instead he has to deal with all the emotions and not understand how to control them and that leads to why Elizabeth’s heart being removed from her body. The comic is pretty violent and filled with murder and death but does not have lots of blood, but still even without the red stuff it has some great spooky and gross moments that make it a great Horror Comic read. In fact the whole mini series was a great read and while some changes had to be made the film to comic presentation was well done and was a great tool to promote the film as well as give fans a little something special to collect and read. The cover for this issue is great and has the reanimated corpse of Elizabeth standing in her dress and we can see the scars on the back of her skull great image and well drawn and colored. The interior art by Rafael Kayanan is really good stuff and has been solid throughout the series, and I have to say I really like the way he draws The Monster as he even captures the look of Robert De Niro and well as the details of the character in the film. To sum it up, if you like the film make sure to read this comic mini series as it really good, and rereading this made me miss Topps Comics even more. Checkout the artwork below to see the style of Rafael used in this Horror Comic.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a film that helped keep Horror Films alive at the cinema in the early 90’s and to this day has built up a cult statues as fans have discovered the film again thanks to home media and streaming services and I truly think that it is a good film that just lacks a little of the charm of Bram Stoker’s Dracula as that film was a hard act to follow. The Frankenstein story has been done in all types of media over the years from stage plays to direct to video films and everything in-between and this 1994 big budget film version has made its mark on the work of Mary Shelley and that’s not a bad thing as this film did its best to pay respect to the novel that created it. Well with that I think that its time we end this update as we have more Countdown To Halloween 2023 and we will return to the world of Pro Wrestling for the next update and a Horror Themed terror of the squared circle called Yeti who was a short lived AAA Luchador! So until next time, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Movie of two and as always support your local Horror Host! See you next update as it will be a creepy masked Luchador of a spooky time!

Rotten Pixels 2

Posted on February 12, 2013 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back boils and ghouls as we continue my look at horror films that should be made into video games for PS3, Xbox 360 and even the WII. Yeah, I know that the next gen systems are coming very soon, but these titles could carry over onto, say, a PS4. Working at a second hand video game store has given me the chance to buy and play many different systems, and one that I have found to be a fun 8-bit experience that has many horror themed games is the Commodore 64 (C64). While mostly known for being a computer and really is nothing more then a keyboard that you buy floppy disk and datasette drives for, it’s a surprise in the gaming department. This system has games based on the films Friday The 13^th, A Nightmare of Elm Street, Psycho, Nightbreed, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Evil Dead and even cartoon vampire duck Count Duckula! It also had games based on Dracula, ghosts, Frankenstein, Bigfoot and Werewolves, not to mention horror hostess Elvira Mistress of the Dark had two games based around her. While the NES also had games based on Friday and Nightmare, the C64 versions are way different giving gamers a little more to play, and best of all the controls for this gaming computer are just like the Atari 2600 joystick. In fact you can plug in and use a 2600 joystick. The wonders of classic gaming is something I hold near and dear. If you would like to read up on some of my thoughts on these video games, you should read my reviews over at www.bloodlinevideo.com for both games and movies.

So without me blabbing on some more about my love of survival horror games, classic gaming and my website, let’s just get right into the list starting with number 10.

# 10.) The Wolf Man

Larry Talbot is a man who comes from a well to do family. When returning home, he falls in love with a shopkeeper’s daughter who is set to be married. Larry charms the young woman and gets her to go out with him to a local gypsy carnival of sorts. While out on this date, he is attacked by a werewolf who passes the full moon curse onto him. Larry struggles with his new curse, and the fact he is responsible for the deaths of many locals. This causes him to have a death wish and by the end of the original film, he meets his end by a silver cane wielded by the woman he loves. But you can’t keep a good monster down as Larry would return in many more films trying to find a way to be cured and also doing battles with Frankenstein’s Monster, crazy scientists, Count Dracula and even Bud Abbot and Lou Costello. Like the Phantom of the Opera, this is a perfect game for a company like TellTale Games to snatch up and turn into a solid, fun point and click spooky horror adventure. Imagine playing as Larry Talbot during the day trying to right the wrongs you have done the night before during the full moon as The Wolf Man! The ultimate goal is to find a cure or even find peace in death; all these decisions would be up to you the player and your actions would determine what course the game would take. Lon Chaney Jr. who played The Wolf Man’s son Ron Chaney should also do a voice in this game, adding to the over all feel. I for one would flip out for a game like this and would support a whole line based on Universal Monster Movies! And really this is one of my top five favorite movies of all time, and while the sequels don’t have as much impact as the first, they also are amazing watches during the cold month of October.

While a company has made a free to play internet MMO of The Universal Monsters, the Wolf Man has had some what of a presence in the world of video games. In 1988, a text based game was released for the Commodore 64 and while the name of the game is WolfMan, it’s not a Universal sponsored product and in no way ties into the Larry Talbot myth, but sure did try and cash in on it. The only other game I can think of is a Handheld game made by Tiger sometime in the mid to late 90’s. While the moon still gets full and the game systems around the world fire up, maybe one day we will all be able to howl with fear and play a true console game based on this iconic character.

# 9.) Pumpkinhead

When you have felt that you have been wronged and what has happened is truly something you want unforgiven revenge for, there is an old witch that lives in a rundown cabin in the woods that can help, but her help comes with a price as Ed Harley found out when a group of city teens accidentally kill his son with a dirt bike. The revenge is a demon called Pumpkinhead who will murder all those who are on your hit list, and the price is your soul! Now imagine a game developer like Rock Steady getting to work on a game like this, and how epic and scary and deep the plot would be. I see this as a game that you play as two characters, one being the poor fool who summoned Pumkinhead and the other being one of the poor saps he’s after. In the end you must choose who is right in this situation and and this will effect the outcome of the game. All the while during this plot you are running for your life away from the revenge demon and watching as your friends are being brutally killed. Plus for the fun of it, you can add in the spirits of those who summoned this monster in the past to haunt and warn the player of the dangers, giving the game the freedom to tie it into the film series and a way to have Lance Hendricson (Ed Harley) in it. To me once again this movie has all the right tools to become a video game series if done right.

Pumpkinhead has had one shot at the video game market when the second film “Pumpkinhead 2: Blood Wings” was released in 1994, and it got the PC Game treatment with a game called “Bloodwings: Pumpkinhead’s Revenge” a year later. The game is a first person shooter that used clips from the film and was looked at as a rushed mess with no direction and no real scary moments by almost all gamers. But with this bomb of a game way in our past, I truly think Pumpkinhead should rise once more and show us all just how scary he can be!

# 8.) Return of the Living Dead

Two medical supply workers accidentally open a military drum filled with a toxin that turns the dead into brain eating zombies. A group of punk rock teens, a mortician, the two workers (who are now very ill) and the medical supply warehouse boss must fight to stay alive as the dead just keep on coming up from the nearby cemetery. Zombie video games are super popular, and while some would say they are flooding the market, they are still selling well and gamers seem to not get enough of the gut munchers. That’s why taking something like Return of the Living Dead and turning it into a gaming franchise is a no brainer. This could easily become a series of games that could give House of the Dead, Dead Island and even Resident Evil a run for their money by adding in the punk rock feel of the films and score music lifted straight from the movie. Imagine this as the plot of a Return of the Living Dead game that plays like a updated version of Resident Evil in which you play as a punk rocker teen who alongside friends have been caught in the acid rain. You see, you are friends of the punk rockers from the first film and must fight to stay alive using what ever you can find to fight off the undead. The game could be multiplayer so friends can join in the game of survival. Add in cameos from characters from the first film and of course have the famous Tar Man Zombie be a boss fight, and you have the making of a great classic movie tie in game. This could then lead into games that tie in the second film and then onto the third and so on, even though parts 4 and 5 are terrible. Game companies that I would love to see tackle this game include Rock Star, Capcom, Konami and WB Games. Only time will tell if some game company decides to take the chance on this amazing IP.

# 7.) Creature From The Black Lagoon

The Creature is considered by many as Universal’s last great horror monster icon and has three solid films behind him making the video game world a perfect outlet to continue his legacy. A group of scientist go to the lagoons of the Amazon rain forest and come across a human like fish man dubbed “The Gill-Man” who has taken a liking to the female of the team. When he kidnaps her, it’s up to the crew to get her back but not before our fiendish fish man kills as few humans off. The creature in his film appearances has also been captured and put on display at an aquarium and last time we saw him, he had been turned more human like, wanted to set lots of fires and is believed to have drowned after his escape. This is where our game should begin and would show that the Creature has survived and in fact has hid out and healed to become his former scaly self. The game would have a family lost on a fishing trip in the back waters of the Evergreens in Florida. To the families, surprise they have also caught the eyes of Gill-Man who has set his eyes on their college aged daughter. As the father, you must survive the horrors of the swamp and the terrors of the Creature in order to get your daughter back. This one again would and should be made by TellTale Games and showcase the Universal Monster in a great episodic survival horror adventure. I also feel that the character and his whole story could make for a very solid and fun game that would sure to please classic horror flick fans, kids and even most survival horror fans. This is another game I would order the moment it was announced! And with a re-make of the film in the works, we might just get this!

The Gill-Man has made it to the video arcades back in 1993 when Bally made a pinball machine based on the Creature From The Black Lagoon that was complete with a hologram creature that would appear in the game’s lagoon. This is one of my favorite pinball machines, and I can remember going to a local arcade called “Krazy Kats” and playing this machine a lot in my youth. This is truly a retro machine that I would love to own and put into my place of work to let a whole new generation enjoy. If you get the chance you should check it out and give it a play. It combines a classic Universal Monster, Drive-In Theater and Pinball, what more could a horror kid ask for.

# 6.) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Leatherface alongside his brothers W.E, Choptop and Hitchhiker Sawyer with their ancient Grandpa are a sick family that come from the slaughterhouse industry who are way to much into the meat business as they kill humans and use them for dinner. W.E is the brains of the family and not only does he run a small gas station, he also travels around selling the human meat products to hungry football fans. Leatherface is the dumb brute who acts as the butcher, Chop Top is a vet with a metal plate in his head who is as blood thirsty as a psycho gets as the Hitchhiker is just bat shit crazy. Many have died and only few have survived. Now imagine a game where you must survive the Sawyer family’s attack as you are alone and stranded by their infamous farmhouse. The plot would have you, a young man driving through Texas to get to Mexico to meet up with friends on vacation when you have an accident that leaves your car totaled and your spirt low. Things get worse when Leatherface comes calling, and you must run and fight for your life. I see this playing like Clock Tower 3 but with more of a chance to fight back. Another feature would be if Leatherface hits you with his chainsaw your injury stays with you through out the game. So say he cuts one of your hands off, you are stuck with no hand for the rest of the game. Throw in some other characters for kills and you have yourself a video game bloodbath waiting to happen. The game would be filled with strong violence and be set in the late 70’s or early 80’s making room for follow up games. Not to mention this game could go many different routes, it could follow the 1974 series that had 4 films or even the 2003 reboot series that had 2 films. This is just a rough idea for this game and with more sequels to this franchise in the works, it only makes sense that it should get the game treatment. Companies who should make this game include Konami, THQ, Activision and WB Games. Only time will tell if a game company ever will gas up the old chainsaw again and give us survival horror fans a real classic Texas treat.

Sadly Leatherface has made it to home consoles thanks to Wizard Video Games. In 1982 they brought a pixelated mess of a game to Atari 2600 that had you playing as Leatherface chasing girls down in a field and cutting them up with his chainsaw. The goal is to kill as many girls as you can before the gas that powers your saw runs out. When your turn’s over, a woman runs up and kicks you in the butt! What a shameful only game for a horror icon to have.

# 5.) Friday The 13^th

Camp Crystal Lake has a death curse surrounding it that took hold when a young deformed boy named Jason Voorhees was thought to have drowned in the lake and a pair of counselors were murdered. Jason’s mother Pamela went crazy and killed some teens that were there to reopen the site many years later, and she met her end when she was beheaded by one of her would-be victims. But to everyone’s displeasure Jason didn’t drown, and now is an unstoppable killer who hacks and slashes his way to avenge his mother’s death and to keep all away from his home. Jason has had 11 films that followed each other and a 2009 remake of the original. This lends itself to be made into a video game for this generation’s systems, and in fact lots of fans of both the films and video games have been waiting for some company to be a hero and make one. This one could take three routes and give the player the choice of playing as a camper who has become the target of Jason, play as Tommy Jarvis who has battled Jason in a total of three films or as Jason himself giving the game replay value. All three would tie in at the end giving the game a closing. The camper story line would have you trying to get teens out of the camp before they become worm food thanks to Jason’s weapons of death. Along the way, you must battle the wilds and traps the killer has set, not to mention a copycat killer who is also lurking in the woods. Tommy’s story line would have you tracking down Jason and coming across the government who is there to take Jason away as if he is some sort of super solider weapon. This gives you plenty of action as you must fight them off while Jason is attacking. And Jason’s story would simply be kill. Kill all the teens, kills the agents, kill Tommy, Kill the camper and kill the fake you! In the end it all comes together for an epic end battle. Again, this is just an idea, and I am sure game makers could make an idea that is way better and give us all a good scary gore filled game. Companies that should tackle this one would be WB Games, RockStar, Konami or Capcom. It’s a shame that we have not gotten this game yet, and I hope one day a game company will listen to what the fans want.

To be fair, Friday The 13^th has made it to home consoles twice, but both game are considered bad. The first is for the Commodore 64 made by Domark and came out in 1985. It has Jason almost being a bodysnatcher who is hiding in the body of a fellow person, and you must find out by clues who it is and kill the one you think is the killer. Then in 1989, LJN made a game for the NES that had you playing as camp counselors trying to save kids from a rampaging Jason who would just appear and attack the kids in cabins and you on paths. While the Commodore 64 version is kind of lame and lackluster, the Nes one, while a bad game, is super fun and I kind of enjoy it. Not to mention a few Homebrew games have been made for the Atari 2600 by Salem Frost Games based on parts 2 and 3. With many years removed from these titles, one would hope the hockey mask killer will return to stalk home consoles soon.

# 4.) A Nightmare on Elm Street

Freddy Krueger is a razor clawed glove wearing, child killing, dream stalking bastard son of a 1000 maniacs who has tormented and killed many teens. Freddy when human was killed by vigilantes for crimes against children and during this he was burned alive and making his spirit haunt and kill the children of those who killed him, making the youths pay for the sins of their parents. Many have tried to stop Freddy and all mostly have lost their lives. The only one who has been able to beat him twice and live is Alice, a young woman who can bring people into her dreams and take the powers of friends who have passed. Now think about this, Freddy has a total of 8 films and 1 remake he has appeared in, and is one of the most well known horror icons of the slasher years. Now imagine a game where you must fight Freddy in our world and in the dream world and how mant crazy levels could be made, not to mention places from the films like the junkyard, high school and Nancy’s house all thrown in for a nice touch. I see you playing as a young woman who has lost most of her friends to Freddy Kruger while they sleep one night. When he comes for you, it’s discovered that you have the power to fight him off, and now the war is own as Freddy uses your friends and fears as pawns in order to break you down and steal your soul. This is a film that lends itself to being a very visual game and the possibilities of levels and bad guys are endless, not to mention Freddy can take on many different forms. It makes no sense why WB Games, whose parent company owns the rights to Freddy, would not make a game based on the burnt dream slasher. Here’s hoping that WB finally opens their eyes and sees that this film series would make a perfect game series and that fans would love to step into a nightmare and battle Freddy. And of course Robert England would have to voice Freddy ’cause no one else should!

Freddy Kruger is no stranger to the video game world and has made a few appearances in some such as 1989’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street” by Monarch for the Commodore 64 that has characters from the third film and has you trying to save Joey from his evil clutches. A year later, LJN released a game of the same title that was a 4 player side scroller that had you fighting monsters and Freddy in order to gather Kruger’s bones to burn them and put him to rest. In 1994 a pinball machine based around Freddy was released to arcades. Then in 2011, Freddy Kruger based on the remake look was a downloadable fighter for the newest Mortal Kombat game. So as you can see, Freddy is ready for an all new full game!

# 3.) Frankenstein

Henry Frankenstein and his assistant Fritz have built a “man” that is looked at as a monster who has super human strength, fears fire and has the hatred of all the villagers coming down on his patched together body. Henry at first stands by his creation but quickly turns when the monster gets loose and goes on a rampage. The Monster in this film series has been burned, blown up, sank in quicksand, fought the Wolf Man, had his brain switched, fallen in hot molten sulfur, been frozen and even had a Bride who wanted nothing to do with him! The Frankenstein Monster is the first classic horror monster to have a long running series that totals 8 films, and this is something Universal should be very proud of. Once more this is a great chance to get sequels made for these classic films in the way of a video game, and once more TellTale Games should be the ones to tackle it. In fact this is a game that I would love to make and have spoken to a few people about maybe getting this ball rolling on getting one made. So if anyone at TellTale is reading this, contact me! The beauty of these classic monster games is that you can make the ratings E or T and make them scary and fun for all ages. Plus the Universal Frankenstein lore is so rich and has so many amazing characters that a company could turn out a few games based on this IP. Imagine a game where the player is in control of both Dr. Frankenstein and his Monster and some other familiar faces show up like the Bride and Ygor. The plot I have in mind would be an epic spooky tale that would sure to please gaming and film fans!

Frankenstein’s Monster sure is not a stranger to the video game world, and his image has been used in many games from NES’s “Castlevania” to Atari 2600’s “Frankenstein’s Monster” but very few have been based on the Universal Monster license. Once more a quick cash-in text-based game for the Commodore 64 called “Frankenstein” was released by CRL in 1987, but once more had no real ties to the Universal film. Some time in the 90’s Tiger Electronics released a handheld game based around The Monster, and in 1998 Williams released a pinball game called “Monster Bash” to arcades that featured all of the Universal Monsters in a rock band. In 2012 a free to play online MMO called “Universal Monsters Online” was released, and while a cool concept, the character designs are generic. So here is hoping that some stormy night lightning strikes, and Frankenstein’s Monster comes alive on our PS3 systems.

# 2.) Hellraiser

A puzzle box holds the secrets of both pleasure and pain but knowing this information comes with a terrible price if you solve the box’s riddle: the cenobites! Led by Pinhead, the cenobites will torture and kill you and damn your soul to a hell like limbo where you will forever face your own private hell. The cenobites’ world is a giant maze, and their god is Leviathan. Only one man has ever escaped them and that was Frank Cotton who in turn brought this nightmare onto his brother’s family, specifically his niece Kristy who in turn is the first human to defeat the cenobites. Like A Nightmare on Elm Street, this is a perfect fit for the video game world and has so many characters and possibilities that could make this game a creepy experience. Even though, I am not a full fan of this genre this would be a cool first person shooter and could tap into the creepy atmosphere of the maze-like Hell and deliver scares like the F.E.A.R. series or even Doom 3. The plot could have you opening the box by mistake and being sent to Hell. You must use the Puzzle box to fight off Cenobites and other worldly creatures in order to get back to life as you once knew it. Pinhead would be the final boss, and it would be cool if through out the game he taunts and sets you up making you think you have won at many different moments. This could also be made into an amazing third person game and take all the great elements that make a game like Silent Hill work and add them into a game were you must travel to the Cenobites world in order to save your loved one from the hell they have made for themselves as they were dumb enough to open the box. Imagine creeping around the maze like world and running into Chatter. Once you save them and return to our world that game doesn’t end and Pinhead and his crew come to claim whats theirs in what could be an epic final boss battle in a game! The game makers should allow Clive Barker, the master mind behind this story, to write the script and of course have Doug Bradley voice Pinhead. It should include all the classic Cenobites from the first two films (Female, Chatter and Butterball). Hellraiser has a total of 8 sequels and a remake is being planed showing this series does have a good following even if some of the sequels were direct to DVD stinkers. With the Weinstein Company opening TWC Games in 2011 this game could one day become a reality and while I don’t think it will make it for the PS3 life cycle I do have faith that the PS4 will. They make the game, and we would play!

Hellraiser is no stranger to the video game world but almost seems to be a cursed IP with games based around it never seeming to see the light of day. In 1990 Color Dreams (a unlicensed game maker) attempted to make a Hellraiser game for the NES, it was set to be you in a maze fighting monsters but sadly the plug was pulled when they realized Nintendo was on a rampage, running these rogue game companies out of store shelves and that the cost to make this game was becoming to high. You see, they designed a better cart with better chips to make the game bigger and better. Even Color Dreams PC version was ditched and ended up at the pixel graveyard. Also sometime in the 90’s, a rumor was going around that Konami, the fine folks who brought us Metal Gear, Silent Hill, Castlevania and Saw, were developing a game for the original Sony Playstation, Once more cost kept this game from seeing the light of a TV Screen. This game would have had you collecting charms from Cenobites. And then in 1996 Magnet Interactive was working on a game called Hellraiser: Virtual Hell that was a first person shooter that had the player solving puzzles and fighting off cenobites and other creatures. Doug Bradley was in this game as they filmed him for cut scenes during breaks of filming Hellraiser: Bloodlines. This game was scraped due to a terrible game engine and the lack of faith and effort given to the project from the company. The only game that did make it somewhat to home consoles is a home brew Atari 2600 game called Helloween that combines Hellraiser and Halloween,and is really more of a Pitfall clone. So sadly there were many games planned, and none of the official ones ended up in gamers’ hands. So here is hoping a company will come through and make a scary, chilling and gross game based around Pinhead.

So here we are at the # 1 spot, and I have chosen everything from silent horror icons, Universal Classics to slashers and zombies and each of these I truly think would make amazing games. That’s the one thing about video games nowadays, they seem to not want to take a chance and they only seem to want to stick with things that have been done and rehash sequels and recycle the game over and over. I mean do we really need a new Call of Duty or Madden every year? But with this said let’s go onto the # 1 Horror Film that I think should be made into a video game.

# 1.) Halloween

Michael Myers killed his older sister at a young age and had spent most of his youth in a mental asylum where he shut down and never spoke. His doctor, Sam Loomis, sees that the young man no longer has emotions and had turned into a nothing more than a ticking time bomb. Many years pass and now an adult Myers has escaped and is on a murderous path toward his hometown of Handenfield, Illinois targeting teen girls and more importantly his baby sister who was adopted. Michael Myers has returned in 6 sequels and has had a remake that also spawned a sequel and is one of the most popular slasher icons of the silver screen. While at first he was just a sick and twisted human, he later became a undying killing machine. This film is perfect for a video game and has so many great levels and backgrounds that can be used from the mental asylum to the run down Myers house, each spooky in their own way. Imagine playing a level in the basement of the Myers house and all you have is a flashlight and that white mask of Michael comes popping out of the darkness, you know you would scream. When I was a teenager I even wrote a Halloween game that I wanted to make for the Sony Playstation with the help of Konami. The idea I had then I think still works now as you play as Dr. Loomis who must stop Michael Myers’ rampage that has him targeting a young woman once more on Halloween night. It would take you all over the town and famous sites like the Myers home, the asylum and the high school. The goal is to set traps and fend Michael off until you can get the girl to safety and if she dies, the game is over. This was just the old idea of a teenage boy; imagine the epic game we could get if Capcom, RockStar or even TellTale put some AAA game writers on it. This is a game I truly hope makes it into my game library so that I can enjoy the chills late night in the TV’s glow.

Wizard Video struck again in 1983 when they released Halloween for the Atari 2600 and had gamers play as a babysitter of tons of kids in a huge house. You must guide the kids away from Michael Myers. The film’s theme plays in 8-bit glory every time Michael shows up. Halloween had to have been the most bloody and violent game released at the time and depicts decapitations and murder of young children both complete with pixelated blood. But much like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the game was a bomb and was not showcased at retail stores causing poor sales. And for years gamers have asked for a new game based on this series that has yet to be made. With TWC Games still open, one could only hope that we will get one in the future. And I should say that while the Atari 2600 game was by no means great, I still have a blast playing it.

So there you have it, 21 horror films that I think should be made into a video game for current generation home consoles. Survival Horror and and plain horror themed games have been a staple in the industry, and while I feel they don’t get the push and quantity they deserve on home console, it seems the PC Gaming world gets plenty. One of the best ones has to be the free to play slasher fighting game called Terrordrome. Imagine a game that allows you to fight as Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers or Freddy Kruger and beat up the likes of Candyman, Manaic Cop or Ash! Sadly this game came under attack from companies like Warner Brothers and now it’s in limbo.

Survial Horror will forever live on, and I hope someone in the gaming industry is reading this and takes a chance on one of these IPs so that the fans are finally able to play the blood chilling horror game of one of our favorite horror icons. Next update we go back to the world of comics as we take a look at Marvels Saga of Crystar series.