If the box office numbers are any indication, fans are pretty much guaranteed to show up for horror movies or comic book movies. Unsurprisingly, this means there’s been an upswing in horror comic book movies, both on the big screen and small. From Brightburn to Hellboy, or the canceled too soon Swamp Thing and AMC’s NOS4A2, we’re in the midst of a horror comic adaptation boom that isn’t slowing down any time soon.  Though it’s shaping up to be a current trend, horror comic book film adaptations have been around for a long time. Thus, we look back at the most essential feature-length adaptations of horror comics.

Tales from the Crypt

This 1972 Amicus Productions anthology featured five tales of terror based on stories from EC Comics, and the wraparound connected them with an ominous Crypt Keeper. Though unconnected, this spooky anthology was the precursor to the popular HBO series of the same name with a much funnier and more macabre version of the Crypt Keeper. Look for notable story, “…And All Through the House” to kick off the grisly proceedings. It doesn’t get much more essential than this film for horror comic adaptations.

Akira

Based on a 1982 manga, Akira isn’t technically horror. But this anime sure makes a strong case that underneath that cyberpunk exterior, it really is, especially thanks to the body horror insanity in the third act. That’s really only the scratching the surface of the hyperviolent story, which sees a biker gang member rendered a psychic psychopath thanks to a military experiment. Psychokinetic powers that corrupts to the core, betrayal, action, and have I mentioned body horror? A live-action adaptation has been rumored to be in the works for years. Until then, there’s always this classic anima and the manga on which it’s based.

Hardware

Surprise, a controversial choice. This underrated gem by the enigmatic Richard Stanley is a stylized sci-fi thriller that turns into a brutal slasher when a homicidal cyborg repairs itself and goes on a bloody rampage. It also happens to be based on a 2000 AD comic short, “SHOK!”. Unauthorized, that is. Fleetway Comics successfully sued for plagiarism, and full credit was added into subsequent releases. Controversial adaptation origins aside, Hardware is one intense thriller worth watching.

Cemetery Man

Comics and novel author Tiziano Sclavi is the mind behind popular horror comic series Dylan Dog, but its film adaptation doesn’t quite capture what makes the series so great. But the film adaptation of his Cemetery Man, aka Dellamorte Dellamore is. Though Rupert Everett stars Francesco Dellamorte, there’s an uncanny likeness to Dylan Dog as well. This quirky zombie film follows Fransceco, a caretaker of a cemetery, as he and his assistant Gnaghi take care of the dead when they return as zombies.  Strange, dreamlike, and extremely funny, Cemetery Man is the perfect antidote to more traditional zomcoms.

My Friend Dahmer

Based on the graphic novel by John Backderf about his friendship with Jeffrey Dahmer during his teenage years, My Friend Dahmer is more biopic than outright horror. That doesn’t make it any less unnerving, though. Starring Hereditary’s Alex Wolff as Backderf and Chilling Adventure of Sabrina’s Ross Lynch as Dahmer, the film follows their friendship, Dahmer’s troubled homelife, and the events leading up to his notorious serial killing spree.

Ichi the Killer

Director Takashi Miike’s notoriously gory and violent movie sets a sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer on a collision course with a repressed and psychotic killer, and devastating levels of pain ensue. This graphic movie happens to be based on a manga series of the same name. While Yakuza versus bizarre and unstable assassin doesn’t sound like a horror movie on paper, Miike makes sure that only fans of genre or extreme cinema will be on board with this one.

Constantine

Maligned by critics and DC Hellblazer comics purists upon initial release, Constantine didn’t get a fair shake. Sure, Keanu Reeves’ occult detective John Constantine doesn’t look much like his comic counterpart, but he made for a great introduction into the strange world where God and Lucifer are waging war, and angel and demon half-breeds roam free. We’ve received a short-lived TV series since, and rumors have perpetuated on the possibility of a sequel. Even still, this comic book adaptation proves that we live in a world where we don’t have to choose one over the other; we can enjoy both.

Hellboy

In keeping with the theme that sometimes our favorite comic book adaptations borrow very loosely from their source, Guillermo del Toro’s take on Mike Mignola’s brooding gothic world is drastically different in tone. This Hellboy, played by fan favorite Ron Perlman, is all heart and lovesick teen, and it works. Del Toro’s iteration spawned a sequel and two animated films before Mignola received another crack at an adaptation that would more closely align with his vision. So, we have a lot of different options when it comes to getting acquainted with the big red demon.

Swamp Thing

This 1982 adaptation of the Vertigo/DC Comics character of the same name hasn’t aged as well, at least not when compared to modern superhero fare. Nor is it as overtly horror driven as the new series. But it is directed by a horror master, Wes Craven. It also features genre vet Ray Wise as the human form of Alec Holland, the scientist transformed into the monstrous Swamp Thing post incident when an evil group of paramilitary agents attack his lab. Of course, the best reason to tune in to this adaptation is Adrienne Barbeau as love interest Alice Cable- a variation of comic character Matt Cable.

The Guyver

What happens when Brian Yuzna produces an adaptation of a manga series, with special effects artists Screaming Mad George and Steve Wang serving as co-directors? You get a super fun creature feature. Even cooler is that it features Mark Hamill in a prominent role. As for plot, it’s simple; an alien device merges with an unsuspecting human, turning him into a monster fighting cyborg superhero. It’s pure camp, but it’s extremely entertaining camp with great creature effects.

Uzumaki

Junji Ito’s illustration style is as bizarre and nightmarish as his accompanying stories, which makes any adaptation a tricky, rare bird. Uzumaki is a pretty strong attempt at capturing the weirdness of Ito’s manga. The story is simple; a small town becomes obsessed and infected with spirals. That’s right. Spirals. It’s surprisingly effective and creepy. That obsession spreads like a virus, and leads to some pretty grisly demises.

The Crow

Based on the 1989 comic book, this gothic tale follows musician Eric Draven who’s resurrected with the power of the crow, post violent death, to enact revenge on those who murdered him and his fiancée. A visual feast and a gritty story that made Batman look like a trip to Disneyland, The Crow wound up being a sleeper hit upon initial release in 1994. It inspired three sequels and a TV series, though none could quite capture the tone, style, and immeasurably great cast of this film, led by Brandan Lee.

30 Days of Night

Directed by David Slade, this adaptation of the comic book miniseries of the same name brought vampires back to their monstrous roots. When the small Alaskan town of Barrow plunges into a month-long period of polar night, a savage band of vampires converge for an all-you-can-eat human buffet. It’s a ruthless slaughter that paints the snow red. Until the town survivors band together and attempt to fight off their inhuman attackers. It’s a high-octane thrill ride that isn’t afraid to get as dark as the town of Barrow.

Spawn

Todd McFarlane’s popular comic series received its feature length adaptation in 1997, with Michael Jai White starring as the eponymous elite mercenary murdered and then resurrected to be an unwitting solder for Hell.  A visual spectacle and hyper-violent, but the true scene-stealer of the film was John Leguizamo’s take on the demonic Violator, Spawn’s guide from Hell hiding behind a twisted clown-like façade. Sequels and remake rumors have been lurking ever since, but at least we have this late ‘90s feature and the comic series to lean on while we wait.

Blade

If ever there was the perfect merging of superhero and horror, Blade is the poster child. Based on the Marvel comic series of the same name, this action horror film stars Wesley Snipes as the titular character, a half-vampire half-mortal man determined to wipe every last vampire off the face of the Earth. His primary enemy is Deacon Frost, an ambitious vampire out to resurrect the vampire blood god for power. All of the action of a superhero flick, but with all the blood, creatures, and mythology of a horror flick. And with an atypical hero. No surprise that it earned two sequels.