From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015)

Posted on August 14, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update. I am in the mood to talk about sharks, and not just any kind of sharks, ones that travel thanks to tornados and storms and act more aggressive than a hive full of killer bees! And of course I am talking about Sharknado, a film series that has lasted for years thanks to being made for TV films that have built up a huge cult following. Did you readers know that the third film in the series got a promo comic that had the Sharknado storm going through Riverdale and was released by Archie Comics? Well there is one released called “Archie vs. Sharknado # 1.” It was a very cool crossover that was made in order to help build excitement for the TV premiere of the third film in the series, and it worked as I can remember the buzz around the comic shop for this one. So if you are ready, let’s take a journey into the world of Sharknado and more importantly Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! as well make a pit stop in Riverdale. And for those keeping track, we are still in our countdown to Halloween 2025!

Let’s start this update off by looking at The Sharks that make up the Sharknado, who are the death dealers in this film and series. The sight of a shark is its first tool as many people who see one freak out and are filled with fear. The main way of killing for The Sharks comes from their razor sharp teeth that can shred human flesh, remove body parts and even can sometimes chomp down a human whole. Not to mention that their bites can also cause a person to bleed to death and at the least can cause severe crippling pain. The sharks also have a massive weight and when dropped from the sky by a Sharknado, they can smash a human body into a bloody paste. The Sharks are fast moving in the water, sky and space (yes, Outer Space) and seem to adapt to any location they are in when it comes to breathing. They travel in tornados and are dropped into cities when a massive storm rages, and the storm with the flash flooding, high winds and lightning helps add to The Sharks’ abilities to deal death, and they are also very aggressive and show some limited brains making them also a little more dangerous to humans. But while The Sharks are threatening and very deadly, they do have weaknesses and can be killed pretty easily as you can shoot them, stab them, blow them up, freeze them, run them over, chop them up and any other normal way of killing a living thing. They are a little slow on land and cannot move very fast at all once they are on solid land, making them easy to kill as they flail about. Also if you use the right explosives on the Sharknado itself, you can stop it and cause the Sharks to fall to the ground and be picked off by survivors. The Sharks also are blind with rage and the urge to eat and kill their victims also makes them sloppy and open to be killed before they can taste blood. But while they do have weaknesses, The Sharknados are very dangerous and can deal lots of pain and death when they appear.

Now that we have taken a look at The Sharknado and the killing power they pack, I think it is time that we take a look at the film that spawned this crossover promo comic that we will be reviewing and that’s “Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!” and like always we will be taking our film’s plot from our friends at IMDB and after that, I will write a little about the film’s production as well as my thoughts about the film. So if you are ready, grab and umbrella and maybe your chainsaw as I hear that the weatherman is calling for sharks!

Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015)

“A monstrous tornado unleashes ravenous sharks from Washington, D.C., all the way down to Orlando, Florida.”

The Sharknado series was gaining lots of steam and building cult status so of course the SyFy Channel wanted more so a third film was put into production shortly after the second film was completed, with the script being written by Thunder Levin and it being directed by Anthony C. Ferrante once more who had directed that past two films, and on a cool side note also played a zombie in the 1987 classic “The Video Dead”! The film was shot all over the place from Florida to Puerto Rico and of course was being done on a low budget as The Asylum and SyFy only wanted to put a little over $2million into it. Both Ian Ziering and Cassie Scerbo returned playing Fin Shepard and Nova Clarke, and like before the film was crammed pack full of cameos an guest stars in roles like Frankie Muniz, Bo Derek, Mark McGrath, Mark Cuban, David Hasselhoff, Michael Winslow, Chris Jericho, Lou Ferrigno, Lorenzo Lamas, Jerry Springer, Penn & Teller, George R.R. Martin, Kathie Lee Gifford, Maryse Ouellet, Josh Barnett, Chris Kirkpatrick, Maria Menounos among so many others. And also I should say Tara Reid also returned playing April Wexler. During the production it is said that the film came under a lawsuit attack by Donald Trump, who was upset when a part he was asked to play was recast, and keep in mind, this was when he was gearing up to run for President. The film would have its premiere on the SyFy Channel on July 22, 2015 and was meet with mostly negative reviews as both critics and fans started to think that the series was out of steam in this third flick. Other indie Horror Films released that year included Hell House LLC, Howl, Bone Tomahawk, Maggie, #HORROR, The Final Girls, Human Centipede 3, Headless, 3-Headed Shark Attack and Lavalantula that was a spin-off series of Sharknado.

The Sharknado films are something I never fully understood when they started as they were so poorly done and the digital effects were so bad that at times it was hard to try and look past them as both the sharks and the storms were laughable and because they looked so bad it would take me many years before I would watch them. Plus the cult fandom for them slightly annoyed me as viewers would flock to watch films like this, but I feel over look the horror comedy film works of talented directors like Chris Seaver and David “The Rock” Nelson. But when I finally did watch them, I learned to understand what they are and that’s a super over the top action horror film series that is in on the joke, and they cram in cameos from celebrities as well as at times uses some decent practical effects. The plots are filled with holes and part three is really bad for holes, but I do get these films’ appeal now as they are so bad they are entertaining. Plus seeing all the Pro Wrestlers and aged TV actors who have parts in these films is fun, and I am not ashamed to say I have always been a fan of Tara Reid since I first saw her in the 1999 film American Pie, and I think she is just as lovely as she gets older and to be honest next to the cheesy cameos is the only reason I watched all the films in this series as her character April Wexler gets more over the top throughout the series and Tara Reid just rolls with the punches and looks beautiful doing so. And something else I have to say is I can remember friends of mine having parties at their houses when the new film would be released and it was a big deal for them to have Sharknado parties! Over time and the lack of any new sequels Sharknado is losing steam when it comes to being chatted about in the Horror world, but it will forever have a massive cult following complete with having Halloween Costumes that turn you into a Sharknado.

Now that we have talked about Sharknado and the way it kills as well as the third film in the series, it is now time that we take a look at the comic crossover that the world always wanted and that’s The Archie Universe mixing with the Sharknado Universe to deliver a strange Horror Comic that no one ever thought they would truly see. This really does give me joy as what a strange crossover to promote a cheese Indie Horror Film Series. I would like to thank Lone Star Comics for having this comic in stock and making this update possible. I would also like to remind you that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So if you are ready, grab an umbrella as I heard its going to be raining sharks this evening!

Archie vs. Sharknado # 1 ***
Released in 2015 Cover Price $4.99 Archie Comics # 1 of 1

Betty and Veronica and in Washington D.C with Hiram P. Lodge the rich father of Veronica as he is there to talk politics over the Sharknado storms! As Betty and Veronica tour the capital the visit all the monuments with the final one being the Washington Monument, but soon find themselves trapped inside as a Sharknado has arrived and during this storm Mr. Lodge is killed by the sharks and this causes Betty and Veronica to escape the wrath of the storm and kill as many sharks as they can, and know that they must warn Riverdale as it’s the night of the big dance and who knows how many lives will be lost and who Archie will take to the dance now that they are both stuck in D.C. Meanwhile back in Riverdale Archie is at the beach with his friend Jughead when they get invited to a yacht party by Cheryl Blossom, and while they are having fun and swimming in the ocean they are all attacked by sharks as the Sharknado is near and as panic runs crazy many of his classmates are being attacked and eaten! Meanwhile Betty and Veronica are on a motorcycle heading towards Riverdale when they find a crashed helicopter and decide to fix it up to head home and save their friends. Meanwhile back in Riverdale Sabrina The Teenage Witch and her cat Salem are the lifeguards at the beach and as they try to use magic to save they day, they are eaten by the sharks…and this leaves Archie to be the hero of the day. As the yacht sinks Archie is able to get the boat Sabrina was driving and save many of his friends including Jughead, Moose and Cheryl and they rush to the school to warn the others, all the while Betty and Veronica have fixed the helicopter and are heading toward Riverdale High School as well. Meanwhile at the school the teachers are shocked as hardly no one is attending and the band Josie And The Pussycats are playing, but things get bloody as Archie and the others arrive at the school and so does the Sharknado and the sharks go on the attack killing many and being killed themselves. And during this fight Betty and Veronica crash in and help kill the sharks as well. Archie comes up with an idea to make a bomb and toss it into the eye of the Sharknado to bring it down, and after they are armed with chainsaws thanks to the schools janitor they set out to fight the sharks. One ends up eating Cheryl, who has the bomb, and Archie has to cut the shark in two to save her and using team work they get the bomb in the right spot and when it explodes it brings an end to the Sharknado and the town of Riverdale is safe!

This is such a great and cheesy crossover that just works so well as having Sharknados touchdown in Riverdale is a very cool idea and the concepts of the likes of Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead killing sharks is pure comic book crossover magic. Who would also ever think that we would get a comic where Reggie, Sabrina, Mr. Lodge and so many other characters from the Archie Comic Book universe would be brutally killed by sharks as I have to say I was very shocked about the amount of blood used in the comic as characters get ripped apart and body parts go flying, plus even the sharks deaths are pretty bloody! Now that I am thinking about it I would say this comic is way bloodier and gory than the film series it’s based on. The Horror elements of the comic of course come from the sharks that are chomping on human flesh and because it’s Archie Comics, the humor comes from the character like Jughead who bites one of the sharks and also loses his crown to one that he goes on a small quest to get back. The comic also has lots of inside jokes towards other Horror Films like Jaws and Evil Dead, and they even poke fun at the fact Tara Reid played Melody Valentine, the drummer for Josie And The Pussycats, who plays April Wexler in the Sharknado films. For me reading this I have to say that the real heroes of the story are Betty and Veronica who kill more sharks and do more over all to stop the Sharknado, but of course Archie in the end seems to get most of the credit for being the hero. The most shocking death in this comic is that of Sabrina The Teenage Witch as she does not even get a chance to use her magic before she is ripped apart by sharks as her friends watch on in horror. Who ever came up with this idea was very wise as this was a cool way to promote the third film in the Sharknado series as I can remember this comic getting some press when it was released and even Horror News sites talked about it. The cover I have is very cool and captures the spooky elements of the crossover as it has Archie fighting off sharks in a flooded street, and the interior artwork by Dan Parent is great as its that cartoony look but in panels done very bloody. Over all this is a really cool one-shot issue that did its job of promoting the film and entertaining the reader. Check out the artwork below to see the style of Parent used as well as some of the panels that captured the mayhem.

Archie vs. Sharknado is a great colorful, funny and bloody Horror Comic that should be remembered as I think it’s truly a must read crossover comic that deserves to be praised for all its weirdness. And in fact all the strange Archie crossover comics should be remembered and if you readers have not checked them ou,t you should as Archie has also met The Predator, The Punisher and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, to name a few. But with that I think it’s time we leave the world of Sharknado and even Archie Comics behind as our next update will keep us into the world of Horror Films as our countdown to Halloween 2025 continues as we take a look at the 1989 released vampire film To Die For. So until next time, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update as we spend some time with Vlad as he looks for a new home in L.A.

Horror Host Icon: Sir Graves Ghastly

Posted on April 25, 2015 by bloodlinematt

It’s 1967 in Detroit. It’s Saturday, and the time is 11:30am. You rush home from playing with friends to turn to channel WJBK TV2 because your favorite Horror Host is about to show a spooky or cheesy horror film and you can’t wait. That host is Sir Graves Ghastly, and this scenario was real life for many kids and adults who grew up watching Sir Graves. This update to Rotten Ink will be all about Sir Graves Ghastly, a host that also spread his hosting humor from Detroit to Cleveland, Ohio as well as Washington D.C.! So wear some garlic and bring a cross because we are going to be looking at the vampire of goofy fright as Rotten Ink is proud to bring you Horror Host Icon: Sir Graves Ghastly.

For those of you who don’t know who Sir Graves Ghastly is, I must first say shame on you. Second, he is a fun loving vampire who, while a blood drinker, was an over all nice undead being who had a deep voice and an iconic laugh that went like this “Nyaaa-aaaaaah”! He would start and end his show in a coffin and would be joined by all types of wacky characters with the upside down singing mouth on the moon, aka The Glob, being his most popular. Sir Graves Ghastly’s back story is that he came from an Italian family who moved to England during the time when the Romans controlled it. While there, Graves got into an argument with The Queen who had him hung in the Tower of London, and when this didn’t work he returned as the tongue in cheek vampire we all love! Many Horror Hosts have also been inspired by Sir Graves like fellow vampire Dr. Pureblood of Tales Of The Graveyard Shift from Tennessee. Sir Graves’s impact on television in the Detroit area can still be felt to this day as many people were influenced by and idolized the funny vampire. Sir Graves’ appearance always had him in a long black cape, gloves and a black suit. His hair was always slicked back with a Superman curl in the front; he also rocked a goatee and a curled mustache. While Sir Grave has been off the air for many years now, nothing can take away his impact to the world of Horror Hosting.

Sir Graves Ghastly was played by Lawson J. Deming, who was born in Cleveland Ohio on April 23 1913 and got his first big break in media via the radio as a freelance worker and eventually an announcer for a Florida station. Radio was a great gig, but in the late 1940’s TV caught his eye. Upon returning to Cleveland, he began working for an NBC station and hosted a movie show called “One O’Clock Playhouse” all the way until 1956. By the early 60’s he also took work as a puppeteer and voice actor for a local Cleveland kids show called “Woodrow The Woodsman” as he lent his voice to many of the animal puppets as Lawson had mastered 27 dialects thanks to his radio work. When the NBC Cleveland station did away with locally made kids’ shows in 1965, WJBK TV2 in Detroit picked up Woodrow The Woodsman in 1966 and also offered Lawson a time slot to become a Horror Host, filling the time that super iconic horror host Morgus The Magnificent use to air at on Saturday afternoons. This was the birth of what was originally called “Sir Graves Big Show,” and Lawson and his wife came up with the goofy vampire character Sir Graves Ghastly to be the show’s main host. The show took off, and Sir Graves became a well loved Host and lasted for 15 seasons as well as several specials including Halloween ones. Detroit’s TV watching public seemed to be drawn to the silly vampire and his odd sidekicks, and Sir Graves became popular not just with kids but also adults who enjoyed his humor. Also during this time in the 70’s Lawson offered the show idea to Cleveland and Washington D.C. and changed the character’s name to Count Alu Card, and while they picked it up, the show didn’t capture the magic it did in Detroit and was dropped. In 1983 TV had changed, and college football games were starting to air on Saturdays. This marked the end of Sir Graves Ghastly, who was cancelled officially in 1983 but had been put on hiatus in late 1982. After the show ended, Lawson went back to doing voice work for a few years until he retired from show business and moved near the Styx River in Medina Ohio. In 1989, he returned to TV to do an interview for a Detroit morning talk show called “ Kelly & Company” where he was able to speak about his long career as a Horror Host. Sadly in 2007, the world lost Lawson J. Deming at the age of 94, but while he is gone, his work as Sir Graves Ghastly lives on in the hearts of those who watched him and fans of Horror Hosting. In 2011 Sir Graves Ghastly joined the first class inducted into the Horror Host Hall Of Fame forever honoring his legacy as a Horror Host.

So when you look at the moon, what do you see? Well those who watched Sir Graves Ghastly saw The Glob, a face on the moon who loved to lip synch to silly songs like “King Kong Stomp” and “ I Want To Bite Your Hand” with style and cheeseball grace. Sir Graves had many sidekicks like his maid and somewhat girlfriend Tilly Trollhouse, the gravedigger and caretaker Reel McCoy among others but none were as popular as The Glob! I am sure you’re wondering who played The Glob, well let me tell you, it was Lawson J. Deming who would lay flat and tilt his head back and paint eyes and a nose on his chin and would lip synch the songs as the blood would rush to his head…now that’s a man who loved the art of Horror Hosting! In fact I should say that Deming played most of the characters in the show, even Tilly as he would dress in drag to play the part. So here is to you, The Glob and other sidekick characters!

I had always heard the name Sir Graves Ghastly when talking to fellow Horror Host fans and even hosts that I have been friends with for years, but besides small clips on Youtube, I couldn’t seem to find any full broadcast shows to learn more about him. I really learned a lot about the character thanks to the documentaries American Scary and Virginia Creepers. I don’t know about you, but I really enjoy learning all I can about Horror Hosts and enjoy hearing stories from fans about growing up watching their home town host or even their favorite syndicated one. So I am going to have a friend of mine tell you a little about growing up watching Sir Graves Ghastly!

As as I mentioned above, Horror Host friend of mine Dr. Pureblood was inspired by Sir Graves Ghastly, and he was nice enough to write a little something about him so enjoy.

“I grew up in Monroe, Mich. And no matter what I was doing Sat I made sure when it was time for Sir Graves to come on CH 2 I was glued to the TV set for 2hrs. I remember getting upset every time Sir Graves was not on Sat for some dumb baseball game. When I created my host character he is based about 95% on Sir Graves. A original die hard fan that grew up watching him can see the similar stuff during the show. I wanted to keep the same spirit of Sir Graves showing movies for kids 9 months to 99yrs old. And kind of show a little of Sir Graves to the generation that missed out on seeing him. Yes Sir Graves influenced me as a child. So when I got the chance to be a host I wanted to pay back what he gave to me in the same way. My most prized part of my Sir Graves collection is 2 autograph pictures from him. Plus I still have the special CH2 Sir Graves presents KING KONG iron on transfer, that was only a mail in giveaway, still in the original CH2 envelope. If I only knew the TV station didn’t save any of his shows I would of hooked up a vcr and recorded every show.”

Thanks, Dr. Pureblood, for sharing your story about growing up and trying to never miss an episode of Sir Graves. I agree with you, I should have taped every Commander USA episode when I was a kid! That’s one of the sad things that we host fans always have to face is the fact many of our favorite hosts episodes are missing and were taped over or thrown away by the stations that aired them. But I always have faith that many of these Horror Hosts who have shows M.I.A. will be found on 2” Quad Tapes, Beta or even VHS and guys like The Northeast Video Hunter are proof that they can be found as he has unearthed Fort Wayne Indiana’s own The Shroud of Nightmare Theatre hosting the Universal Monster film The Deadly Mantis! So here is to hoping that more episodes of Sir Graves Ghastly will see the light of day and land in the hands of fans.

One thing that I find interesting is the fact Sir Graves changed his name to Count Alu Card and went to different markets with his show. It’s clear as day he had to change the name because his parent station owned the trademark or so he thought. And since Sir Graves did this, it makes me wonder how many other horror hosts have changed their name and character. Off the top of my head I can think of Count Shockula who became Dr. Paul Bearer…but I know several others have. So if you’re a fan of Horror Hosts and know a Host who has changed their name and character post it in the comments below.

Update: According to Sir Graves fan and Horror Host Lon Madnite, he can remember both Sir Graves Ghastly and Count Alu Card being on in Cleveland at the same time and that the two hosts while played by the same person had a sort of feud with each other! I could only imagine how magical that must have been for viewers watching the two vampires take tiny pot shots at each other, and then it makes you wonder if sides were chosen and if some kids didn’t watch one show cause of the rivalry? But thanks Lon for bringing this cool tidbit to my attention.

So we are at the point where I cover the episodes I have of the Host, and while I do have two “episodes” of Sir Graves Ghastly, I hate to say they both are very poorly put together fan reproductions that cut in the lip synching segments from the show’s original airings and this footage of the singing is all of the original material that is known to exist right now from Sir Graves Ghastly’s show run. So let’s get ready to hang out with Sir Graves and all his zany friends!

Sir Graves Big Show: Human Monster
Starring – Bela Lugosi & Greta Gynt Not Rated 1939

Host: Sir Graves opens the show by coming out of his trademark coffin and ushers us into the film. We are then treated to some of the lip-synching numbers by the likes of Tilly Trollhouse and other Sir Graves sidekick characters. We also get Sir Graves performing a coffin trick. We are even treated to the song “My Old Flame” done by a floating head.

Movie: A series of strange deaths takes place in London. All are accidents but the victims are single men with no family and they all have a link to a life insurance company run by the mysterious Dr. Orloff.

Sir Graves Big Show: The Return Of The Vampire
Starring – Bela Lugosi & Matt Willis Not Rated 1944

Host: Sir Graves comes from his coffin, welcomes us to the show and ushers us into the tale of terror! We start off with two little guys singing a song about hillbillies. Then Sir Graves joins in and lip synchs a silly song, The Glob sings about King Kong! Puppet Skeletons dance to classical music. Then Sir Graves once more comes in and swoons the viewers with another lip synched creepy classic song and ends the episode.

Movie: In 1918, an English family are terrorized by a vampire, until they learn how to deal with it. They think their troubles are over, but German bombs in WWII free the monster. He reclaims the soul of his wolfman ex-servant, and assuming the identity of a scientist who has just escaped from a concentration camp, he starts out on a plan to get revenge upon the family.

Sir Graves Big Show: Shock
Starring – Vincent Price & Lynn Bari Not Rated 1946

Host: Sir Graves comes from his coffin, welcomes us to the show and ushers us into the tale of terror! What follows is Tilly Trollhouse sings a love song to us as well as tells us a story about three bats, and a few more silly songs one, even having to do with Dracula! Sir Graves joins in the music fun and plays a musical coffin trick and later The Glob sings about King Kong! Puppet Skeletons dance to classical music and throw in a few more tiny lip synch music numbers and you have this fan reproduction.

Movie: A psychologically distraught woman is committed to a private sanitarium by the man whom she witnessed commit a murder.

It’s sad these very poor fan reproductions are all that is available for fans at this time. If you have any complete broadcast episodes of Sir Graves, please contact me! Sir Graves Ghastly is a legend in the world of Horror Hosting and his silly antics meant so much to so many people and have helped inspire people to become horror hosts themselves as well as inspired the young and young at heart to enjoy a cheesy horror flick every week. This update is dedicated to Sir Graves and all his fans out in the world who remember the impact he had on TV airwaves all those years back. I also want to thank Dr. Pureblood again for sharing his memories with us as well as my brother Bryan and Stumpy Discs for hooking me up with the fan reproduction episodes. In closing I must say Sir Graves Ghastly is one vampire who truly deserves to be called a Horror Host Icon. Our next update is about another type of icon but not in the Horror Host world rather that of the cartoon world as we take a look at the rascally rabbit Bug Bunny and some Whitman comics I have starring him. So until next time, support your local Horror Host and read a comic or three!