Editorials
15 Essential Horror Comic Book Adaptations!
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.
Editorials
Before ‘The Blair Witch Project’, ‘Alien Autopsy’ Showed How Real Found Footage Could Feel
The line separating artist from con man is a lot thinner than you might initially believe. While I think we can all agree that lying for the sake of profit is actively malicious behavior, isn’t it also true that the faux documentary aspect of The Blair Witch Project is half the reason why that film became such a cultural phenomenon? After all, if there’s one thing filmmakers have in common with stage magicians, it’s that misleading and misdirecting audiences is simply part of the job.
That’s why I’ve developed a habit of mostly ignoring the moral quandaries behind many of film and television’s biggest “hoaxes” in favor of appreciating the narrative elements that drive productions like Mermaids: The Body Found and even Animal Planet’s highly underrated The Cannibal in the Jungle. However, if there’s a definitive case of a highly publicized broadcast fooling the world into taking it seriously, it has to be Fox’s infamous 1995 TV special Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction.
It’s been over three decades since that eerie footage first haunted television screens right at the peak of the ’90s ufology craze, and in that time, the video has taken on a life of its own. From countless parodies and references in everything from The X-Files to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (as well as John Dower’s recently released tell-all documentary The Alien Autopsy Scandal, which I’d highly recommend to genre fans everywhere), there’s no denying the legacy of the Alien Autopsy video. However, I rarely see the tape discussed as what it truly is: a highly convincing found footage film directed by a passionate stage magician and brought to life by masterful practical effects work.
That’s why I’d like to invite readers to join me on a deep dive into one of the most infamous broadcasts of all time in an attempt to reevaluate the footage as a fascinating narrative experience rather than a complete hoax.
The TV Special That Convinced Millions It Was Real
Ray Santilli next to Extraterrestrial replica in ‘The Alien Autopsy Scandal’
For starters, regardless of whether or not you believe that there was in fact an extraterrestrial crash in Roswell during the summer of 1947 and that some form of autopsy was performed on the victims, the producers behind the black & white recordings, Ray Santilli and Gary Shoefield, insist that their video was a “restoration.” Though I’d argue that the proper word is “remake”of genuine footage that was too damaged to air on television. That’s why the duo went on to recruit filmmaker and eccentric magician Spyros Melaris and sculptor/monster designer John Humphreys to bring their version of the autopsy to life and sell it to the highest bidder.
This is where the story of the Alien Autopsy as a narrative experience really begins. Melaris claims that his approach to the faux recording consisted of striving for extreme period accuracy in both shooting equipment and setting while also planting subtle details that would initially seem like mistakes but could later be revealed to actually fit the time period. That being said, the filmmaker was under the impression that the short would be released for free as a PR stunt, with the team later producing and selling an informative documentary chronicling exactly how the footage was faked and commenting on how easy it is to manipulate public perception with a good old-fashioned magic trick.
This obviously isn’t how things went down, and that’s likely the reason why Melaris has since distanced himself from everyone else involved with the project. Yet, no amount of behind-the-scenes drama can undermine the genuine effort that went into making the short as impressive as it is. From the sourcing of real animal organs from a local butcher to make the organic part of the creature more lifelike to the highly detailed sculpt that made use of a hollowed-out underlayer that could be filled with fake blood and assorted viscera, there’s a reason why so many Hollywood specialists are still impressed with the artistry on display here.
Of course, the believability is only half the story, as I think that the best part of the autopsy is how Melaris builds on the existing tension by obscuring certain details and often embracing the chaos of what a real examination of extraterrestrial life could feel like. The camera often goes out of focus at just the right time to make certain effects hit even harder, and we can only speculate as to what the hazmat-suited doctors are gesticulating about during the operation. There’s a real air of mystery to the whole thing that almost makes it feel like a cosmically terrifying, cursed film containing forbidden knowledge that civilians were never meant to see.
So when Fox’s Fact or Fiction brings in the specialists to comment on the film and its otherworldly subject, it’s no surprise that we end up with one of the most memorable mockumentaries of all time – albeit one where the participants are unaware that the footage they’re commenting on is basically a large-scale practical joke. A joke that the network was obviously in on, as many participants claim that the TV special cut out significant portions where guests point out that they believe the footage to be an elaborate hoax.
The Lasting Impact of the Hoax Turned Cultural Event
Regardless, I remember going to bed terrified after watching reruns of the special and thinking about the respected pathologist who claimed that the body was almost certainly inhuman, with even effects maestro Stan Winston commenting on how difficult it would be to recreate some of these visuals through practical puppetry. That’s not even mentioning Jonathan Frakes’ dramatic hyping up of the disturbing imagery as if he was talking about the tape from The Ring, with his spooky demeanor here likely being responsible for his later role as the host of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction a few years later.
Personally, I’d argue that the Alien Autopsy phenomenon had just as much of an impact on me as a horror fan as The Blair Witch Project, a film that was almost certainly influenced by the success of this immensely popular hoax (to the point where they even produced their own TV special commenting on Heather’s found footage). Even if Fox didn’t intend to produce a narrative feature about the aftermath of the Roswell crash, the end product still holds up remarkably well as a highly entertaining mockumentary exploring the idea that we may not be alone in the universe.
While neither Santilli nor the rest of the production team has ever commented on this, I also think it’s very likely that the idea of a faux Alien Autopsy could have been influenced by Dean Alioto’s The McPherson Tape/UFO Abduction. I’ve already written about how this granddaddy of found footage was co-opted by rogue ufologists who began selling bootlegs of the tape at conventions as if it were real evidence of a close encounter, so it’s not that much of a stretch to imagine that Santilli and company could have heard about this phenomenon and been inspired to come up with their own highly profitable hoax.
At the end of the day, it’s unlikely that the Alien Autopsy film is recreating any real footage from Roswell, but I can still appreciate the short and the accompanying television event as a standalone horror story that still influences the way we see found footage to this very day.
After all, the possibility that something could be real is often much scarier than finding out for sure – and that’s why I think Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction is still worth revisiting three decades down the line.
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