From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: The House Of The Devil (1896)

Posted on July 14, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. As you can see, there is a chill in the air and that must mean that we find ourselves at another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update. This one will be about what is considered by many to be not only the first horror movie of all time but also the first vampire film, and I am of course talking about the 1896 short film The House Of The Devil that was directed by the amazing Georges Méliès, considered to be the godfather of cinema special effects and who brought his magic skills and creative mind to early cinema. In 2023 Blood Scream Comics released a comic book about House Of The Devil as part of their Silent Universe, and both the short film and the comic are the topic of this update. Like always, because of my connection to Blood Scream Comics, I will not be giving this comic a star rating, but I truly think House Of The Devil needs to get the Rotten Ink treatment. So if you are ready, let’s head to the House of the Devil and see if a demon or a vampire is who dwells within!

Let’s first take a look at the films villain, a vampire devil that is called Mephistopheles who has many ways to deal fright and death to humans. Mephistopheles dresses all in black and has what looks like a beard and goatee combo with a kind of a sinister appearance that makes those who see him feel very unsettled. He lives in a very big and gloomy castle that adds to his spooky appearance and his evil persona. His strange look and rundown castle strike fear in the hearts that set their eyes on them, and this can cause people to panic as well as die of fright. Mephistopheles is a vampire and a trickster who is a blood drinker and can use his fangs to drain the life out of his prey and also can use his dark magic tricks to deal fright as he can summon ghost, creatures, witches and skeletons to do his bidding. He can also cause madness in people that will cause them to even commit suicide, and he seems to truly enjoy toying with his victims. Mephistopheles also can change into a bat and can fly around his prey and attack if he chooses. Mephistopheles is also handy with a sword and can also use it in his magic when he summons his minions. While Mephistopheles is a very sneaky and tricky vampire, he does have weaknesses that can allow his human victims to fight back and escape. His first weakness is that he has clearly a sinister ego as he seems to take joy in messing with the minds of his targets and this ego makes him very cocky and can open him up for attacks and failure at his goal. His biggest weakness is seeing a crucifix as he is a vampire and this religious symbol sends him running in fear and allowing those who are armed with one to escape his grasp. While he does have some weaknesses, it is truly unknown if there is a way to kill Mephistopheles and this is what makes this devil vampire so deadly to mankind.

Now that we have taken a look at Mephistopheles and his evil ways, let’s now take a look at the classic silent horror film that he is from and that of course is House Of The Devil! Like always, I will be taking the film’s plot from our friends at IMDB and after I will be writing about the film’s production and then my thoughts about the film. So if you are ready, let’s take a look at the 1896 film that helped shape the world of horror films forever.

The House Of The Devil (1896)

“A bat flies into an ancient castle and transforms itself into Mephistopheles himself. Producing a cauldron, Mephistopheles conjures up a young girl and various supernatural creatures, one of which brandishes a crucifix in an effort to force the devil-vampire to vanish.”

Cinema was in its very early stages in 1896 and most “films” at the time were very short in run time and would feature basic stories or even just scenes of everyday things like workers leaving a factory or even silly comedy acts doing falls. But one French born director Georges Méliès wanted to make something very different as he would bring his magic and illusionist act to the screen and would wow moviegoers worldwide. During his early days in cinema, he made the three minute short film called “Le Manoir du Diable” or The House Of The Devil, a film that features a vampire devil like character called Mephistopheles who uses his dark magic to frighten two cavaliers and even creates witches, skeletons and an imp to do his bidding…and in the end of course it’s the power of the cross that saves the day. The film was shot at Méliès’ house outside near his garden with a painted backdrop used as the inside of the castle. When casting the film actress Jehanne d’Alcy is said to have played the beautiful woman that is created by Mephistopheles, and as for that character, two names are thought to have played that role with Jules-Eugene Legris being the one most think played the part while others saying that it was Méliès himself. Sadly no other actors have been credited to the film so who plays the remaining cast is unknown, and that is a shame as they deserve credit for being in an early, if not the first, horror film in cinema history. The film when released dazzled viewers and early critics, but sadly, like most silent cinema, it went missing for decades and was considered a lost film until 1988 when a copy was found in the New Zealand Film Archive, with many saying the last known print before this was sold at a junk shop in the 1940’s as well in New Zealand. While by today’s standards of what we see as horror, this film is not that scary but in 1896 I am sure while some were amused by the illusions they saw on the screen, some viewers were terrified, and I for one am glad a copy was found as this is a piece of horror history that everyone should see at least once.

As you readers know, I am a very big fan of silent horror cinema as there is something very spooky and amazing about these films as they bring the scares to the viewers with expressions and atmosphere and this gives them a very unsettling feel when watching them. One has to give the film The House Of The Devil and its director Georges Méliès lots of credit as from all accounts the horror genre of films started here with them and even vampire cinema is said to have started here making this film one of the most important films in this genre. The film has been reviewed and debated about for decades as the film plays very heavy on the magic and illusion aspects of the main baddie Mephistopheles who seems more content tricking and messing with the two cavaliers that make the mistake of entering his castle then killing them. And because Mephistopheles turns into a bat twice and is afraid of the cross in this short film, people think that it is the earliest vampire film, and I feel that this is very much the case as I think Mephistopheles is a trickster vampire who also has the powers of black magic at his twisted finger tips. The one part of the debut that really annoys me is when people try to downplay the horror of the film as they claim it was played more for laughs and such, and to that I say what do modern “critics” really know about 1896 moviegoers as I am sure there were people in the audience that were scared of the supernatural creatures and elements of the film. I mean look at the creepy little Imp guy and the spooky specters. Georges Méliès really was a pioneer of early horror, fantasy and sci-fi cinema and was one of the masters of early special effects and film tricks. This film can be found on YouTube. To sum it up ,I have lots of respect for this film and cannot stress enough just how important silent horror cinema is to the genre.

As you can see, The House Of The Devil is a very important film and its main villain Mephistopheles is truly important to the vampire culture in cinema as he is the one who started it all. And now that we have taken a look at both, I think it is now time that we move onto the review part of this update. Like I have stated, I will not be giving this comic a star rating as I work for Blood Scream Comics and even wrote the story adaptation and some of the dialogue for this comic book, so yeah it would be silly for me to grade my own work. I would first like to thank Blood Scream Comics as well as artist Jeff Potter for making this update possible and help creating this comic version of the classic film. I would also like to thank everyone who has read this comic as it was such a fun one to work on and to bring all these character to life once more in a modern age with a Blood Scream Comics Silent Universe twist! So if you are ready, I am ready to enter The House Of The Devil!

The House Of The Devil 1896 # 1
Released in 2023 Cover Price $1.99 Blood Scream # 1 of 1

Leon and Victor are two cavaliers that are caught out in a nasty thunderstorm and head to a crumbling castle that the townspeople claim is haunted, but inside the owner Mephistopheles is bored and decides to use his dark magic and a cauldron to create a woman to become one of his brides. He also has the help of a very mean hairy Imp. As Leon and Victor enter the castle to escape the storm, things start to go wrong for the two heroes as the Imp attacks and jabs Leon in the back with his pitchfork and causes him to run away deeper in the castle in fear, as Victor goes after the Imp only for the evil character to disappear. As Victor sits down for a moment to process what has just taken place, a Skeleton armed with a sword appears and attacks. Victor is able to take the head of the skeleton with his own sword as a giant bat now appears and turns into Mephistopheles who uses his four ghostly ghastly female witches to scratch the face of the cavalier before introducing him to his new lovely bride showing that his castle is filled with pain and pleasure…and lies as he forces Victor to dance with his bride who goes from beautiful to ugly on his words. Meanwhile Leon is lost in the castle and is hurt and scared, and when he is not looking, the Imp with a knife appears and removes both of the scared man’s eyes, who then stumbles around in darkness and falls over the balcony and breaks his neck as Victor watches on unable to help! Mephistopheles then shows Victor that he is a vampire and goes for the attack, but thanks to Victor’s cross necklace he is able to burn the vampires forehead that causes the blood drinker to run away and allows Victor to as well flee back into the stormy night away from the castle. Later Mephistopheles is surrounded by his servants and is filled with anger because of the pain, and soon finds that the vampire Count Orlok is in the castle and finds him to be a disappointment, and this puts the two vampires at odds.

The House Of The Devil 1896 was a very fun comic to write and it was lots of fun to bring gore and blood to this world that Georges Méliès created. It was a great experience to bring out the sinister side of the demonic vampire Mephistopheles in the pages of this comic alongside Potter, and that is the thing with Mephistopheles is he really just a trickster vampire? Or his he a demonic vampire with black magic powers? The plot is very classic horror as two cavaliers are stuck out in a nasty thunderstorm and find shelter in a haunted castle only to be attacked by the owner and the evil spirits that dwell inside its stone walls. Victor is the cavalier who stands up to these horrors and does not fall victim as he is able to escape the castle as well as hurt the evil inside the walls with his crucifix, while poor Leon is struck with fear and has his eyes removed before falling out a window and having his neck snapped! Besides Mephistopheles the vampire who likes to mess with the minds of his human prey before he kills them, there are many other evil spirits in this castle that include the Imp who with his pitchfork and knife has a thirst to spill blood, the Bride whose beauty draws you in and puts you under a spell, the skeleton warrior who is skilled with a sword, the four witches whose ghastly appearance alone can stop a mans’ heart and The Knight who sadly does not get to show off his means of death and fright in this issue. As for the horror of the comic, we tried to bring it with atmosphere from the spooky castle to the storm outside; we wanted to truly have the brooding dark feel. And of course we also had all the creepy castle dwellers and the blood kills to bring the chills as well. The interior art by Jeff Potter is amazing and his style is so good. I am shocked that he over the years never got hired by the likes of Marvel and DC as I think he truly is that good. The cover is super eye catching with the art being done by Potter and the coloring by Jason Gilmore just making it pop with almost an eerie glow. I also want to say on a side note for Free Comic Book Day 2023 a limited amount of copies were given away at the heavy metal record store Catacomb in Kettering, Ohio, and this comic and that shop go so well together! Over all I hope that we did the film justice and added enough horror elements to the story to bring a fright and a spooktacular read to all the readers who are brave enough to give it a go. Oh and just wait, I do not think that the bad blood between Mephistopheles and Count Orlok is over! Checkout the artwork below to see the style that Potter used in this House Of The Devil comic.

This was a true honor to bring into the world of comics as House Of The Devil is considered the first horror film, and on top of that director Georges Méliès was a true visionary who understood the true meaning of entertainment. I am sure many purists are a little taken aback by the more bloody elements of the comic, but we just wanted to add our own little touch to this wickedly delightful story. And like always I do want to thank Jeff Potter and Jason Gilmore for helping bring this comic to life and of course I want to thank everyone who read the comic and or read this blog update. But I think that it is time that we leave Blood Scream Comics Silent Universe behind and head to the world of indie horror as we take a look at another vampire, this time a female one by the name of Jezebeth! So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a silent horror film or two and as always support your local horror host. See you next time for another bloody good time!

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Nightwing (1979)

Posted on October 31, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink, and Happy Halloween! For this update, we are heading to the desert of New Mexico and will have to be on the watch out for a pack of wild killer bats as we have a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update about a 1979 Horror Film that got a Fotonovel as well as tanked at the America box office. I am of course talking about Nightwing! This spooky nature Horror flick was slated to be a massive hit but after failing to bring in moviegoers turned into an almost forgotten dud. But here at Rotten Ink we are going to give Nightwing some respect and showcase that even films that are not solid gold should and could have gotten the comic book treatment. So let’s keep our eyes on the sky and head into the desert and look at those killer bats that make up Nightwing.

The Vampire Bats are the death dealers to humans in Nightwing, and these flying creatures have many ways to end lives, so let’s take a look at their methods of killing. The bats’ main source of dealing damage is their razor sharp teeth that can puncture skin and leave bite marks that can make the victim lose blood as they go down to the bone, causing pain and could lead to death. They can fly and are super fast as they catch up to a running human with ease. They can also use sonar hearing to pinpoint the location of their intended victim, and because of this sonar, they can even see in the dark. They drain and drink the blood of their victims and could even spread sickness like the plague that kills humans very painfully. They also attack in massive packs and swarm their victims and keep on biting and causing the human targets to panic and lead to accidents as fear takes over. But while these Vampire Bats are very dangerous, they can be killed easily as they are just living creatures, so you can smash them, burn them, shoot them, stab them, gas them, poison them and any other way you could kill a living animal. Also noises and frequencies can throw off their sonar and cause them to be confused. While they might not be the most deadly or vicious killers we have covered on a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update, one thing is for sure they are mean cold blooded killers that attack in packs and spread sickness and death.

So as you can see, these bats are deadly and are thirsty to murder. Now let’s take a look at the film these little night creatures are from. The film’s write up will be taking from our pals at IMDB and after that I will write about the film’s production as well as my thoughts on the film. So if you are ready, let’s chat about the 1979 fright film Nightwing.

Nightwing (1979)

“A colony of vampire bats terrorize a small Indian community in New Mexico. Standard “Nature goes berserk” plot takes a twist toward the end when supernatural forces are discovered working through the bats.”

Jaws was one of the biggest Horror Movies of the 1970’s, and when it was unleashed on movie goers in 1975, many other filmmakers and writers rushed to cash in on the Nature Run Amok film craze as theaters and drive-ins were flooded with films like Grizzly (1976), King Kong (1976), Orca (1977) and Piranha (1978) to name a few. In 1977, a novel called Nightwing was written by Martin Cruz Smith about killer bats, and in 1979 the novel was turned into a feature film! Martin Ransohoff would produce the film and the team of Martin Cruz Smith, Bud Shrake and Steve Shagan wrote the movie script, and they thought that they could have the next mega summer movie hit on their hands. Columbia Pictures would come on board to distribute the film and Arthur Hiller would direct. He was known for films like The Out-Of-Towners (1970), Silver Streak (1976) and W.C. Fields And Me (1976) and was not known for directing Horror at all. The film was shot in New Mexico and special effects artist Carlo Rambaldi would do the bats for the film, and he had made a name for himself on the films King Kong and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. Actors brought into the cast was Nick Mancuso, David Warner, Ben Piazza, Stephen Macht and George Clutesi and the score was done by Henry Mancini who is known for his work on the Friday The 13^th film series and other music from Kenny Rogers and Crystal Gayle was used in the film. The film would be released in theaters on June 22, 1979 and was such a bomb at the box office that it was taken off screens really fast after its release the film was panned by critics and fans alike. The film in 1979 was released with other Horror Movies like Zombi 2, Alien, Amityville Horror, Phantasm, Tourist Trap, Driller Killer, When A Stranger Calls, Dracula, Savage Weekend, The Brood, Prophecy and many more, and I think that’s why it was lost in the shuffle as 79 was a good year from Horror Flicks! But in more recent times the film is starting to gain a cult following thanks the it getting a DVD and Blu-Ray release allowing fans to rediscover it.

Nightwing is one of those movies I remember watching when I was a kid but over the years had forgotten all about it. I am sure I saw the film on TBS or USA when I first seen it and was always into the Nature Runs Amok Horror Films from that time. The thing about Nightwing is that because it failed so bad at the box office as well as did not get much fanfare when released on home media is just kind of slipped through the cracks for many, I mean most of my friends who are pretty big fans of Horror Films have never even heard of this film showing that over the decades Columbia Pictures has done a really bad job of promoting and getting this film seen by fans of the genre. Bats have always been a symbol for fear in American as they are used in Halloween decorations, horror themed video games as enemies, have been the subject of other spooky films, and are always a symbol of the vampire. That is why it’s shocking that in the 70’s a film like this would bomb at the box office as moviegoers seemed to love the Horror Genre at this time and films based with animals as the killers were all the rage, but then again, this could have lead to this film failing as the market was flooded with these films and it could have been lost in the shuffle or just viewers had fatigue over these films and had enough. And the thing that they did with Nightwing to try and keep it different is add a layer of supernatural horror to the mix and you have to respect that they tried to make it standout from the pack. While Nightwing is not a household name for 99% of fans, those Horror fans that dig deep into the well and love classic Nature Runs Amok fright flicks they know the cheesy delight that is this film. And I watched this film again after not seeing it for decades and I have to say I really enjoyed it, as I liked the characters, the vampire bats and the effects are super silly and yet charming and the score is really great work from Henry Mancini and I made sure to order the score CD that same day.

So now that we have taken a few moments to talk about the film as well as the killer bats in the film, I think that it’s our time to take a look at this photo comic novel based on it. I have to say that I do wish that more companies would take the time to make comics based on Horror Movies and while I would prefer ones that are drawn, even photo comics would do and if you are a Horror moviemaker please get in contact with a comic artist and get a comic made based on your fright flick. And with that I want to thank LaCreeperieBookshop on Etsy for having this Fotonovel in stock and making this update possible. I want to also 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 if you are ready, grab a fly swatter as this is bat country and we are taking a walk through it.

Nightwing # 1 **1/2
Released in 1979 Cover Price $2.75 Fotonovel # 1 of 1

Early in the morning Abner, a tribe’s priest calls out for help to protect his people, and he tells deputy Youngman Duran that the old ways need to rise and that people need to die in order to protect them, and because Abner raised Duran like a son he ignores it. Later on a Hopi Indian reservation in New Mexico, a horse is found with bite marks all over its body and the deputy Youngman Duran is called in but quickly leaves when tribal councilman Walker Chee shows up and takes over the investigation with the none tribal law. Duran’s girlfriend is Anne Dillon who works what she can medicine and she might be leaving town to learn more and this stresses Duran who truly loves her. More animals turn up dead and they have the same bites and worse Anne is taking a Missionary Group out into the desert and are going to a rain dance that is happening soon. While Adner is found dead and has the same bite marks, and when buried by Duran he witnesses the body bleeding and later it even goes missing from its grave. And he also meets Phillip Payne, a man whose whole mission is to kill vampire bats as the alerts the deputy that they are what is causing the deaths. Meanwhile Walker Chee and some tycoons want to start drilling for oil and gas on the sacred mountains, even after Payne warns them that the bats are spreading a deadly plague in their bites and Duran wants nothing to do with it and is not told of the danger of the bats by Chee. Anne’s group she is leading is attacked by the bats and three of the members die and one dies later from the bites as Anne is stuck out in the desert during a heat wave, and the tribe council are the ones who dug up Abner and they all pass away from being near the body that had the plague do to the bat bites and are found by Duran who is at odds with Chee over his handling of this situation and his pure goal of getting the gas. In the end Duran finds Payne and the two save Anne and then the three end up stopping the vampire bats in their cave by setting the oil on fire and burning them alive and stopping the drilling as this fire will forever burn.

This is a pretty fun photo comic novel that captures the slow burn pace of the film and delivers the chills of the Vampire Bat attacks and the lore of the Native America legends that fuel the subplot of the story of if Adner has cursed the tribe and mankind and brought the plague and bats that is killing the tribe as well as the animals. Our hero is deputy Youngman Duran a man who is the law and walks a line between modern beliefs as well as that of the old, he even uses the datura root to see into the spirit world and does a ceremony to close a circle around a painting that ends up setting the fire that kills off the bats as well as saves the land from oil drilling. Anne Dillon is a good woman who has a big heart and who loves her boyfriend Duran but also wants to learn medicine more in order to help the tribe, she also does what she can to save lives and even stands with her man in the end against a cave full of blood thirsty plague caring bats. Phillip Payne is a strange man but is also a good man as his goal is to kill all Vampire Bat clan he can as he knows the death and danger they bring, and he as well is a hero who does what he must in order to save lives. Councilman Walker Chee is a man who is more worried about money and power and does not do the right thing when it comes to these Vampire Bat attack and deaths, and this shows that he is driven by greed but hides behind the word that he is doing this to better the tribe. The Vampire Bats are vicious and attack in packs and bite and spread their disease like crazy, and they attack man, woman, child and beast and there is hundreds of them! The story is slow paced and for those looking for lots of Vampire Bat attacks you do not get a lot just like in the movie you get a small amount as the story is more of a character driven movie and is about our main leads and how they all interact with one another during this emergency and matter of life and death. The photo comic novel is pretty much bloodless and the Horror moments come with the attack as well as the shocking deaths of those attacked and infected. This also does a good job of capturing the film on the pages and the cover does not scream Horror at all, but it is still really cool. Check out the photo below to see the style of this novel, and to sum it up if you like the film you should also enjoy this Photo Comic based on it.

Nightwing is one of those forgotten gems of Horror from the late 70’s, and I feel it is overlooked by many do to the fact that it is a very slow moving film and the effects are very dated and cheesy even for that time in cinema. But I do find that it was well acted and the idea of plague spreading Vampire Bats seems fitting for these modern times in the world. And while Photo Comics are not for everyone, I really am starting to warm up to them and have enjoyed reviewing many on this blog and make sure to check out my update for “Love At First Bite,” another Fotonovel release. Well as you can see, we made it out of this bat attack and will be leaving them behind as our next update will take us to the world of Horror Hosts as we spend some time with NJ host Angus! So once more Happy Halloween and make sure to read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Film or two and as always support your local Horror Host! Oh and also watch out for crazed bats as who knows what they are up to this spooky night!