Now that we are deep into the official Halloween season (which for me starts November 1st) I thought it would be interesting to take a look at 13 horror films that were based on comic books or graphic novels. These are not listed in any particular order of importance or quality and all of them are worth a watch and a read.
- The Crow (1994): In my opinion this was one of the best movies of all time and is one that I re-watch every so often. The story, the cinematography, and the acting all come together to really bring James O’ Barr’s story to live on the big screen. It was also tragically the last film of star Brandon Lee, son of Bruce Lee, who was killed onset. The sequels declined in quality as they went, but the original holds up today. There was also a television series, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, starring Mark Dacascos which ran one season and featured the original Eric Draven character.
- Spawn (1997): I thought Spawn was pretty entertaining. John Leguizamo as the Clown was a genius casting choice and overall it was a pretty good adaptation. It managed to pack a lot of material from the comics into the frame of a feature film without making it feel cluttered or rushed. I am very excited to see the reboot that is in the works. Jaime Foxx as Spawn has me intrigued as does knowing it will be written and directed by Spawn’s creator, Todd McFarlane.
- Ghost Rider (2007): I know there are people out there who are not a fan of the Ghost Rider films, but I am sooo not one of them. I have been a big Ghost Rider fan since I was a kid and the Johnny Blaze Ghost Rider will always be my favorite (close second by Danny Ketch). I also am a big Nicholas Cage fan and thought he did an amazing job as Johnny Blaze. I can’t be the only one who liked it, because it did get a sequel.
- Blade (1998): Passenger 57 vs Vampires. A great cast featuring Wesley Snipes vs Stephen Dorff with the fate of the world at stake. Two sequels were spawned as well as a live action series.
- 30 Days of Night (2007): A town in Alaska where the sun does not come out for 30 days becomes an all you can eat buffet for a group of vampires. There is a sequel, 30 Days of Night: Dark Days, but Josh Hartnett did not reprise his role as Sheriff Eben Oleson. The part was instead played by Stephen Huszar.
- From Hell (2001): In Victorian London, a clairvoyant police detective investigates the murders of notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper. Johnny Depp as Inspector Frederick Abberline and Heather Graham as Mary Kelly give great performances in this “what if?” scenario. The original story by Alan Moore is worth the time to curl up with and read.
- Constantine (2005): Not a bad adaptation of the character with Keanu Reeves playing John Constantine. However, Matt Ryan is by far my favorite Constantine and has played the character in a live action television series, an animated film, and will be recurring on the upcoming season of Legends of Tomorrow on the CW.
- Hellboy (2004): Ron Pearlman NAILED this role. If you are a fan of Hellboy then you have to check this film and it’s sequel out. They are fun action packed thrill rides. Guillermo del Toro does justice to Mike Mignola’s iconic comic work.
- Vampirella (1996): Talisa Soto stars as the title character from Drakulon who has been seeking revenge on the evil Vlad, played by Roger Daltry, for killing her father. She teams up with Adam, a descendant of Abraham Van Helsing, and his organization. It’s low budget and cheesy, but it’s fun.
- Swamp Thing (1982): A cheesey fun romp through the swamp. Both Swamp Thing and it’s sequel The Return of Swamp Thing are just fun movies. The effects may not be the best, but the film makes up for it with performances that make you believe the swamp has a guardian. The franchise also branched off into television with both a live action and (short lived) animated series.
- Man-Thing (2005): I know I said above that all the films in the list are worth a watch, despite being a little cheesy here and there, but this one was pretty bad. It was originally meant to be a direct to DVD release and later released as a SyFy channel movie (and we all know THAT is not a mark of quality). A large portion of the test audiences actually walked out on the film.
- Tales From the Crypt (1972): Much like the comics from which it was spawned the film has five stories all told by the Crypt Keeper. The film has five strangers find themselves in his crypt and told stories of how they would die. There is a bit of a twist at the end as the five strangers discover the truth behind their visit to the crypt.
- The Vault of Horror (1973): Pretty similar to Tales From the Crypt, which makes sense as both titles were published by EC Comics and had a very similar format. This film also features 5 tales of terror with a wraparound story involving five men who find themselves in a gentlemen’s club located in the basement of a building. After recounting their tales they are shown their fates.
Let me know your thoughts on these and any other horror films based on comics you can think of as there are several more, but 13 seemed like a good number all things considered.
Happy Halloween.
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