The Large Howl Of The Werewolf On Halloween Night

The moon is full in the sky, and the urge to roam the nearby dark woods takes hold because Rotten Ink has been cursed by a wolf…a Werewolf! Ever since I was a kid, werewolves have been my favorite classic monster and I could not get enough of them in movies, comics, TV, books and video games! I spent many nights pretending to be a werewolf as we would drive home from our grandparents’ house down country roads imagining myself running as fast as the car was moving stalking and hunting for prey. I was obsessed with watching werewolf films on TV with the 1941 Universal Monster classic The Wolf Man being one of my all time favorite films, and I could not get enough of films like An American Werewolf In London, The Howling, Curse Of The Werewolf and Legend Of The Werewolf to name a few. I was also very much into watching the old FOX and later USA show Werewolf! The first shot on video film I ever directed was Werewolf Of Ohio. Not to mention, I have lots of great memories of sitting in my room reading comics like Werewolf By Night, Howl and Werewolf At Large with the latter being the subject of this Halloween update! So dim the lights crack a window to let a cool breeze in and let’s take a creepy look at some spooky stuff!

In 1987 in San Mateo, California a rash of fires began being set by some one who was angry about new homes being built and wanted the land to be left alone. Messages like “No New Homes” and “ Neighbors Revolt” was left at the scene of the crimes painted on walls and for years the case went unsolved. The fire department knew that they had an arsonist on their hands but had no clues to who was guilty and why the picked the targets they did. But in 1990 a father and son had an issue with their truck of Highway 205 and pulled off the road miles away from San Mateo, as the father went to find a phone his son wondered around the side of the road and found an army jacket with heavy metal cassette tapes, a fake skull and a VHS tape all wrapped up inside it and decided to take the tape home to see what was on it. What they found on the tape was a house burning and an eerie voice bragging about setting it and comparing the fire to Hell and babbles like a generic comic book villain complete with an evil laugh! The father was so creeped out by the video that he turned it over to police and the tape floated from town to town until it finally landed at the police department of San Mateo were they were able to link the tape with one of the early arsonist house fires in 1987. On the tape the eerie voice says a name Omar and the police decided to ask the TV Show Unsolved Mysteries for help and they broadcast it on an episode and they where able to get a hit on a group of teenagers who the people of San Mateo are able to pen point as Omar! Omar claims he was not the one who set the fires and gives them the name and address of his friend who was the one that did this evil deed. The new main suspect’s own garage catches fires and after putting it out the cops and fire department are shocked to what they find as dead animal bodies are all around, large knives and even a Freddy Krueger mask and gloves litter the ground. The cops take the 18 year old into custody and while searching his house they found news paper clippings and VHS tapes of broadcasts of the fires as well as Heavy Metal posters and cassettes, items of devil worship and VHS tapes of the young man dressed as werewolves and vampires talking about killing and acting out violent acts on dummys dressed as people. Once all this was discovered the young man admitted to setting the fires as well as to doing sacrifices to Satan via animals, he was sentenced to a mental help facility to get psychological help and after this the fires stopped. I first seen this case on Unsolved Mysteries when I was a kid and the creepy over the top voice of the young man always stuck with me and over the years when it was solved and was shown on shows like Cold Case Files and Forensic Files and the video of him acting out on camera as monsters made me dub him the Werewolf Arsonist!

The odd thing when I was a kid I enjoyed comic books, horror films, video games, Horror Hosts and rock music and I can remember myself being blamed for slashing tires and setting a fire in a trash can at school! Now while I didn’t do any of those things it goes to show you that if your odd you do get blamed for things you didn’t do and this can cause people to act out and become what they are accused of. While these two young men acted out and did things they shouldn’t have like setting fires and killing animals, I turned my love for monsters and things considered weird into comics and shot on video movies and become a very creative person and I really wished these young guys would have done the same, who knows they could have made a low budget horror classic that all us fans would be talking about to this day if they could have taken that raw teen anger and angst energy and turned it into a creative drive. It would have been nice if their parents, friends and teachers could have seen the troubled path these guys were headed down and took the time to redirect that built up energy and anger into something way more positive for them as young youths looking for their place in the world. I am glad that over the years I have had the pleasure of being able to portray many characters in films from The Wolf Man in “Werewolf of Ohio” to a kickass homeless vet named The Beast in “Fun In The Old Town Tonight”, I have created comic characters like Mr. Emo, Benny The Squirrel and Robo-Raccoon and characters like Baron Von Porkchop, King Kryan and The Sadness in TV and Film. I am sure your wondering why I am talking about all this and what is the connection to the Werewolf Arson well its simple I could have easily headed down a bad path as by the time I was a mid teenager I had a chip on my shoulder and was looking for a reason to explode I was mad that I had to move away from my friends in Waynesville in the 9^th Grade, I was mad that my Mom was battling cancer and I was mad that most of my new teachers in Kettering were judgmental buttholes who treated me like trash cause I had long black hair an ear ring and wore metal and horror film shirts, I was mad they branded me a Satanist, Cultist and a Danger to others. But I didn’t go down that path because of people like my parents and my brother Bryan who stuck by me no matter how stubborn I got. Friends like Josh Weinberg, Matt Hoffman, Dave Wean, Rion Neeley, Linda Webb, Sarah Fix, Jason Gilmore, Andrea Seay, Patrick Neely, Mike Ritchie, Rick Martin, Andy Copp, Henrique Couto, Jason Young, Geoff Burkman, Chris Workman, Barry Hobart, Bob Hinton, Jeremy Hoyt and so many others who helped guide my mind away from anger and towards joy and friendship and were the gateway to new lasting friendships. The good teachers and Principles at Kettering like K.B. and Dr. Shangline who kept me focused in school and showed me how to redirect that anger into making art again. Kenny from K&L Video who would give me pep talks when he seen that at times I was in a foul mood. And I should even thank Horror Hosts Dr. Creep, A. Ghastlee Ghoul, Dr. Freak, The Creeper, Rhonda Shear and Joe Bob Briggs for given me an escape from reality when I needed it when their respected shows were on. I am thankful to all these people and many more for keeping me on track and making me a happy person like I am today with a great girlfriend, a fun job, a TV show, a owner of a Comic Company, making shot on video films again, working for one of the best indie wrestling federations around and enough creative energy to fill the galaxy! And Werewolf Arson where every you are I hope that you found great people to surround yourself with and are happy in life and found a creative outlet for all your ideas. Plus over the years I myself have played werewolves in many no budget films like The Wolfman in Werewolf of Ohio, Scars in one of the Bark At The Moon flicks as well as Emo in Wolf Hunter 2 and The Carrier in Wolf Hunter 3.

So lets get to some things that remind me of Halloween I need to share a memory of when I was in first grade and in my class was one of the best games ever, one that had all types of monsters on the cover like a werewolf and Dracula and was a game called Yipes! So on August 23, 2018 I decided to get some of my friends together to play a couple of games of Yipes! so after a long day at work we all meet up to get our classic board game on. The friends I had over for this spooky time was Natalie Claude, Jeremy Hoyt, Theresa Daniels, Josh Weinberg and my cousin Stephen Alexander all whom were playing this game for the first time! The first game was very fast paced and had all of us rushing to get to the lab in order to be the one who turned into the Monster and eat the other players. While it was a close race Jeremy ended up being the monster and ate Natalie, Josh and Theresa with Stephen and me being the only kids to escape! The second game was more intense as for the longest time Natalie and myself were the ones in the lead to become the Monster but sadly we both got knocked back to the start and the first to reach the lab again was Jeremy but so did Theresa who ended up becoming the Monster! And while we all tried to make it out alive….we did not as Theresa controlling the Monster ate us all! This is such a fun and easy to play game and was a blast to hang with friends and have a good flashback to my youth. So if you want a fun and easy spooky kids game to play this Halloween season and can find a copy of Yipes! for sale give it a shot as its one that might add some chills to your spooky holiday. Below is some pictures I took that day and I do want to say thanks to my friends for coming together and helping me relive my youth.

In 2014 in Brazil, a werewolf was on the loose and attacked locals and even was caught on camera lurking around some ones backyard! The video sparked mixed reactions as many people think that its nothing more than a man in a costume walking on all fours while others think it’s the real deal and shows a real werewolf on the loose. And weird enough Brazil over the years seems to be a hot bed for werewolf sightings and this leaves the world wondering if werewolves are real! Lets look at this sighting as a real werewolf spotting and it makes you wonder just why would it be looking around a backyard and why didn’t it attack the owners of the house if it was looking for food or a kill? I think it could be the fact maybe the werewolf was in fact maybe a neighbor and when they transformed they cut across the backyard to head to woods near by…or maybe the werewolf was scoping out that house to see if their was an easy way in to get a quick meal. Now lets look at this as a hoax and why someone would do this, and this is a easy one in this day and age of the internet lots of people are looking for fame and what better way to get attention than to show the world video of a real life werewolf that is just prowling around your backyard late at night. Plus imagine the news coverage that he could get that could sweep across the nation…in other words if a hoax this would have been done for fame and money. Now for my two cents on the Werewolf Of Brazil on if I feel it’s real or fake…and I hate to say I think the footage is fake as the movement of the werewolf seems like a guy in a suit who has watched one to many Horror Movies and thinks jerking his head around equals scary. Do werewolves walk among us, I can not say but one thing is for sure if they do none of us want to run into one as things would go bad very quickly.

While I know this is not Halloween themed I still would like to take a few moments to talk about Iggy Azalea’s newest released “In My Defense” that was released on August 2, 2019 and is here major full album return to the rap game. As I am sure you readers know I am a fan of Iggy and her style of rapping and enjoy her music videos that often take it a humor or overly sexual tone. So after a wait the CD was release and I would like to share my thoughts of the release with you all real quick. I first want to say that I really enjoyed this release from Iggy as this shows that she really is the queen of the rap game…well at least for me! I also want to say that In My Defense is the perfect soundtrack to any and all strip clubs and most nightclubs. I listened to this CD in my car while driving around and I must say that I enjoyed almost every track on it with my favorites being “Started”, “Sally Walker” and “Freak Of The Week”…but I should also say I really dig “Just Wanna” as the track is sexually charged and is just pure Iggy style. Don’t want to spend to much time talking about In My Defense as it’s not very spooky nor fit for Halloween…so to sum it up this is a great release and if you like Iggy’s music from the past give this one a listen. I for one am looking forward to the next Iggy release, as I am sure it will be fantastic like this release.

So I turned 40 years old this year and decided to hold another Horror Movie Marathon to celebrate this time of my life! So we loaded up on some snack food, drinks and some good meals that included Little Caesars Bacon Wrap Pizza, chicken and breakfast casserole and geared up for a good time hanging with my lady Juliet and watching some amazing horrors that these films had to offer. I started out with a pre-show that was on September 7, 2019 starting at 3pm and kicked off with the 1940 Sci-Fi Horror Comedy “The Invisible Woman” that is about a young model that volunteers to be turned invisible who ends up helping a playboy and a scientist against mobsters. Up next was “Dr. Renault’s Secret” a classic black and white Horror Chiller about a strange servant for a Dr. who acts very animal like and protective over the Dr.’s niece. Third up was “Mad Butcher” about a crazed pork butcher who uses human meat for his sausages! The cult classic “I Dismember Mama” was next and is about a crazed young man with mommy issues and his hatred for women and love for the young. “The Love Butcher” was on tap next about a man whose inner struggle has him dealing with rude and crude women he deems unworthy. Short werewolf film “Howl” was next and has a young lady fighting for her life against a werewolf. And to end the pre-show was “Giant Monster Playset” about a kid’s new toy that comes alive and smashes its way through town. What a fun pre-show this was and a selection of some pretty good and different films. Before I get too much into our top and worst picks I would like to say that Caleb from The Love Butcher had the most kills for the night with six kills!

Now for my Golden Turkey I picked “I Dismember Mama” a film that was a major letdown for me as I can remember seeing it on the shelves at video stores and just now I finally was able to watch it and I was underwhelmed, some creepy moments but over all very blah. Juliet picked “Howl” as she liked it and gives them props for trying, it just did nothing for her. My Top Three films of the night goes as follows #1 goes to Dr. Renault’s Secret a fun classic Horror Chiller that was well acted and holds a real early horror charm. My # 2 was The Invisible Woman as I am a sucker for Universal Monster movies even if the Horror is played way down and its more of a goofy comedy, I still enjoyed it. And my # 3 was Giant Monster Playset a cool 10min short film that brings elements of Kaiju and Alien Invasion together for a good time! Juliet’s went as follows #1 Giant Monster Playset, # 2 The Love Butcher and # 3 was Mad Butcher!

My Birthday Horror Movie Marathon Bash started at 7am on September 8, 2019 and I kicked off the morning right with the Universal Monster classic “The Invisible Man Returns” a film that stars Vincent Price and is about a man framed for a murder who must turn invisible to escape jail and find who really did it before he looses his mind. Next was another Universal Horror “The Black Cat” from 1941 starring Bela Lugosi that is about a family who are trapped in their house during a rain storm and some one is killing people off. Third fright flick of the day was “The Vineyard” about a wine maker who uses human blood to stay young forever whose victims become zombies. Shot on video film “Metal Noir” was next that featured a Dark Metal God tormenting a woman in her new house. “Slice” a film about masked killer murdering attractive young ladies was next up. We then watched “Curse Of The Undead” a 1950’s Western/Horror film about a vampire! ScreamTeam Releasing Horror Comedy flick “Dude Bro Party Massacre III” was next and was about frat boys going up against a female masked killer called MotherFace! Indie slasher film “Curse Of The Slasher Nurse” was next, but sadly we had issues with the DVD and did not get to watch it. Sleazy Horror Thriller “Night Killer” about a masking wearing claw using lady-killer was the next horrors on the TV Screen. The next movie was a recent release and mixed a kid show with horror and was “Banana Splits” about kid show characters on a killing rampage on the studio lot. “Critters Attack” the 5^th film in the series has those killer aliens attacking a young woman and the kids she is babysitting. And the final spooky film of the night was the 1946 shocker “The Flying Serpent” about an Aztec lizard bird that kills all those who get too close to ancient treasure.

This was such a blast and was a fun way to spend my 40^th Birthday, as the food was good, the company was great and the films fun and scary! So my Golden Turkey of the main show went to Black Cat, and it breaks my heart to put a Universal Horror film as the turkey but I had to as the terrible humor through out the film ruined the scary nature. Juliet picked Metal Noir as she found it charming and also slightly boring. Now for my Top Three Films I decided that Juliet and I could add a 4^th for my 40^th so this one became our Top 4! My # 1 was Banana Splits as I was surprised on just how fun and bloody the film was and the evil robotic Splits were fantastic. My # 2 was Dude Bro Party Massacre III a Horror Comedy that worked as it was funny and very bloody with a cool killer with MotherFace. Coming in at # 3 for me was Invisible Man Returns as this direct sequel to the classic Invisible Man was pure Universal Monster gold. And finally my # 4 I would give to Critters Attack as I found it to be a great welcoming back to those little space fur balls! And I must also note that Night Killer almost made it as my # 4. Juliet’s top list went as follows # 1 Banana Splits, # 2 Dude Bro Party Massacre III, # 3 Critters Attack and finally # 4 Night Killer and she wanted me to say Black Cat almost made her Top 4 list. What a fun evening and I very much am looking forward to my next Horror Movie Marathon.

And now its time for the Golden Chainsaw Award this group of killers made the event more gruesome and they had the highest body count going well over 15 kills and this killer group is The Banana Splits! My favorite kill is when they rip a man apart and his bloody limbless torso hits the ground hard. So here is to you Banana Splits my your bloody rampage return for a sequel that I hope gets made.

Before we get to the comic reviews of Werewolf At Large by Eternity Comics I want to take a moment to say that when promoting this comic, they did it right as I find the ad that was placed in comics to be very cool and eye catching and would have made this monster kid and horror comic reader very hyped to track down issues when released. Nowadays I think many comic companies have dropped the ball when it comes to making ads for upcoming titles as Marvel, DC, Image and even Dark Horse I feel could do a better job as they just do not have flashy ads in my eyes. Companies like Eibon Press and Rough House Publishing in my opinion are doing it right as when they have future releases coming out, the ads are very eye catching and show care and respect for the title being showcased. Check out one of the Werewolf At Large ads below.

So with it being Halloween, with a chill in the air and all the ghost & goblins roaming the streets looking for treats or tricks, I think it’s time we dive into the comic series of Werewolf At Large, a weird hybrid of Horror and Superhero comics that is clearly inspired by Marvel’s Werewolf By Night. I want to thank Bookie Parlor and Mavericks Cards And Comics for introducing me to this series all those many years ago, and I want to thank Bell, Book And Comic and Lone Star Comics for having these in stock so I could get them back and make this update possible. So if you are ready to howl at this Halloween moon, let’s take a look at this Werewolf who is at large!

Werewolf At Large # 1  **1/2
Released in 1989     Cover Price $2.25    Eternity Comics     #1 of 3

A young girl has been kidnapped and her abductor is a crazed man with a gun who is keeping the youngster at his home that is in the middle of the woods, but lucky for her a werewolf appears and takes out the sicko and saves her and takes her back home. Meanwhile a satanic cult called The Demon Horde has turned on one of their own for being a snitch and talking to a news reporter and after killing him they set their sights on her. While in town that same reporter named Casey Casternak is working another story about an agency that helps people, and while there she meets Martin Cross a worker who helps people in need. After leaving the agency Casey is attacked by some of the Devil Cult thugs and is saved by the werewolf! As Casey runs away she runs into Martin Cross who takes her to a safe home that is his Grandma’s house who is named Marta Monrovch a woman is very much into helping charities. Once inside Casey tells Marta and Martin about the story she is working on and what has made her a target of The Demon Horde and that her informant has been murdered as seen in the paper, and worse Casey lets them know that the story was being cancelled by the paper so the man died for no reason. Betsy O’Donnell who has pushed the group to do human sacrifices runs the cult and is pure evil. When Marta explains to Casey that the werewolf she seen was in fact Martin and that she is a psychic who can see things, the young reporter runs from the house and is quickly kidnapped by the cult who take her to a room and she is selected to be killed by Betsy who transforms into a demon named Asomodeus King of Demons!

Werewolf At Large issue one is just as I remember it as a kid, as I both enjoy it and also disappointed in it all at the same time! I will get into what I mean by that statement right after I talk about the plot that has a satanic cult targeting a female news reporter for digging to deep into their doings as all the while a werewolf is running the streets and is saving the day for people in need. Now what is cool about this comic and the world this issue is building is that Martin Cross the Werewolf is a good guy, an avenger much like Jack Russell from Marvel Comics Werewolf By Night and even Eric Cord from the TV Show Werewolf and that adds a real classic feel. I also dig the fact that our main bad guys are called The Demon Horde who are a satanic cult that is made up of collage kids. But while I do like the idea of a good werewolf I also feel that this also weakens the series as for a Horror Comic this is bloodless and has no chilling moments and I dislike that the werewolf don’t kill and only beats people up and has 100% control over his beast side. Martin Cross as both man and werewolf just kind of lurks around and watches to see when he is needed, while not a stand out character he for sure is one that has room to grow. Marta Monrovch is a woman who not only has money but also has the ability to see visions that can be very helpful in her plane to help save the innocent, pretty cool character and one that could fit fight in place with Marvel Comics Doctor Strange. Betsy and The Demon Horde are pretty bloodthirsty and have no issues with killing and bringing evil out into the world. As I have stated before this issue is pretty much bloodless but does have a murder depicted and the issue brings no scares as the werewolf is clearly in control and don’t want to kill. The cover is pretty great and does kind of warn the readers that this is not a full fledge werewolf Horror Comic, but is very eye catching. The interior art is done by John Ross and is very cool and is top notch Indie Horror stuff! Over this issue was a fun read and while Horror Comic fans might be disappointed fans of Marvel Horror might really enjoy it. So let’s see how issue two stands up to my childhood memories.

Werewolf At Large # 2  **1/2
Released in 1989     Cover Price $2.25    Eternity Comics     #2 of 3

The werewolf tracks down the Demon Horde and right before Asomodeus can take the life of Casey he attacks the demon and is able to would it by using a cross, but he as well is injured by silver daggers as he tells Casey to get back to Marta’s house. As Casey runs for her life members of the cult with knives in hand give chase, but lucky for her one by one they fail with the last one being hit by a taxi cab letting Casey make it safely to Marta’s house. Meanwhile the werewolf is not doing so well as Asomodeus has the upper hand and even removes the beast from the host and the werewolf has a blood thirst that Martin can supply. As the werewolf is about to attack Martin takes control and merges with the werewolf once more and attacks Asomodeus over powering the demon and killing its host Betsy with a neck break. Martin once transformed again grabs his cloths and the cross he used on the demon and heads back to his home where he and his mother Marta talk to Casey about joining them on their quest to save the innocent, she accepts and as she and Martin have some coco in the kitchen Marta’s uses the cross to truly send the spirit of Asomodeus back to hell as it tried once more to get revenge in the body of Betsy that was rotting away.

In this second issue the story has Martin as the werewolf trying his best to kill the evil demon that has spread its hateful message to its followers and is trying to also rid the world of anyone that will expose its plans, and while this is going on poor journalist Casey is being hunted by the cultist who have the orders of killing her and sending her soul straight to the devil! The stakes in this one seem very high as the odds are against both the werewolf and Casey, but with some luck and inner power they both pull through their battles and end the Demon Horde Cult. Marta Monrovch is the clear brains of this paranormal team as she can use her visions to help plan rescues and has the knowledge and guts to tackle some very evil beings. Martin aka The Werewolf is the muscle of the group as his raw beast power makes him be able to stand toe to tow with any human and clearly most demons! Casey Casternak is a good reporter who digs deep into the stories she is given and clearly is a survivor as she fights for her life when its in danger, plus she makes a great new addition to the team! Plus I love that Marta lives in a big house with her grandson Martin and now Casey. I just really like the idea of theme three in the house doing research on missing persons, unsolved crimes and unnatural beings! The Demon Horde is no more and their members that are just a bunch of collage-aged punks got out smarted and out classed by our heroes. Asomodeus King of Demons is one bad creature of darkness that almost is able to pull off the sacrifice and controlling of the werewolf, and even when defeated Asomodeus tries to drag it’s dying body to get revenge! This issue is filled with elements of horror, action and fantasy and is well done even if there is no blood nor gore and the scares are very limited. The cover of this issue is great and very eye catching, the interior art is once more done by John Ross and is well done. Oh I should note one thing about this series is sometimes the time lapse between panels is a little awkward and come off slightly disjointed. This second issue just like the first held up and is just as I remembered, so lets see if the third one still has the charm.

Werewolf At Large # 2  **1/2
Released in 1989     Cover Price $2.25    Eternity Comics     #3 of 3

The Werewolf is roaming around in the woods loving the fact he is a beast and yet his human side Martin is in control and mixed with feelings for his new housemate Casey. Once Martin heads home he over hears Casey talking on the phone about a man named Reed and also how its been living with Marta and Martin. Meanwhile outside the house Reed along with Conibear The Huntsman are watching and have a plan to kidnap and brainwash Casey who Reed says is his wife. Martin and Casey go and run an errand together on the orders of Marta and while out Casey is kidnapped and Martin is injured trying to save her that leaves him with a broken arm. As Casey is dragged to a cabin in the woods Martin goes back home and has his grandmother use her powers to find the whereabouts of Casey and once they find it he is off and transforms into his werewolf self once in the woods. While inside the cabin Casey tries her best to tell The Huntsman that she is in fact not the wife of Reed and she only went on one date with him and he became obsessed with her, but this does not seem to phase the crazed Huntsman who just admits he will break her will and that the truth does not matter. The werewolf shows up to the cabin and after out smarting the Huntsman he is able to save Casey, beat up the Huntsman and drives Reed crazy with fear. Turning back human Martin and Casey go home and so ends the Werewolf At Large series.

This series clearly while entertaining really was lost in what direction it really wanted to go in as it clearly was meant to be a full fledge Horror Comic and by publish time it was more of a superhero title, and while fun I do really think that this brand confusion is what lead to the series having a very short run. This final issue’s plot has The Werewolf coming to the conclusion he is getting a crush on his new co-worker and roommate Casey and must travel to a cabin in the woods to save her from a crazed ex and his hired gun. Casey in this issue is really liking her new job helping Marta and yet still feels a cold vibe from Martin who she thinks don’t like her. She is such a strong character and even when kidnapped she tries her best to talk reason to her captures and even saves their lives when the Werewolf comes calling. Casey is a pretty good character and she had lots of growth that could have happened if the series would have continued. Marta Monrovch is a woman who loves her community as well as the arts and she is very special as she has the ability to have visions that can help find the missing and injured. Pretty cool character and she has a really low key Master Of The Mystic Arts feel to her. Martin aka The Werewolf is a true hero who through out this series tries to save innocent people and will put himself in harms way to do so. While Martin clearly likes being a werewolf he also does not like knowing that people have seen him transform and that’s some of his oddness with Casey. It’s also clear that at times Martin would love to go full Werewolf but his human side stays in control. Reed is a creep who went on one date with Casey and now thinks she is his property and Conibear The Huntsman was a one time loser who now thinks he is a gun for hire and has respect of people. Over all this series was good reads and held up for me on what I read as a youngster and I do find it a shame that it only lasted three issues as I feel the characters had way more adventures and scumbags to bring down. I would have loved to seen this series dive more into the world of Devil Worship and add in such creatures as vampires or even voodoo cults into the weird mix. The cover for this third and final issue is well done like the others and is super eye catching for Horror Comic readers. The interior artwork is once more done by John Ross and is pretty good and holds a really late 80’s and early 90’s indie comic look. While Werewolf At Large is not a full fledge Horror Comic, it has enough of the elements that will make readers enjoy its story and hero Martin The Werewolf. Check out the art below to see the style of John Ross and to see what The Werewolf looks like.

I hope you enjoyed this look at Werewolf At Large and that you have had a great Halloween this year. If you are like me, Halloween is the true kick off for all the great holidays that are coming in the next few months like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. I also want to say thank you for spending a part of your Halloween with me here at Rotten Ink and I hope this update added to your spooky day. I also hope it helped sharpened your senses to beware of the full moon as, who knows, there could be werewolves among us! For our next update, we are leaving the world of Horror Comics behind and will be taking a look at another TMNT knockoff comic team called the Cold Blood Chameleon Commandos, yep this is going to be a fun one. So until next time, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next time for a rocking chameleon good time.

SAW Your Way Into This Halloween!

A cold chill is in the air, and the ghouls and ghosts are roaming the streets looking for free candy.  That must mean it’s Halloween, and with this day also comes the spooky holiday update to Rotten Ink! This year we will be playing a game with Jigsaw as we take a look at the IDW comic for SAW and do so to honor the fact Lionsgate has allowed this horror series to come back to cinemas this year and reclaim the Halloween season with Jigsaw, the 8^th film in the series that was released on October 27, 2017! So besides taking a look at the Saw franchise we will also be looking at a strange weird life happing in Ohio, a Horror Movie Marathon, a Creepypasta, 5 Questions with a Horror Host and a real life ghost hunt that I went on for this update. That’s the thing I love about this time of the year, something just seems to be in the air, and it makes me crave watching horror films, playing horror video games and reading horror comics even more than normal. So as I sit here for the first time in my new house that I am calling Blood Scream Comics Manor for Halloween, it’s time to get down and scary as we dive into the world of SAW.

Let’s start this Halloween update off with a Creepypasta I like that’s called “Candle Cove.” It’s about a kids’ TV show that warped and frightened kids who watched it… that is, if it even ever aired! The story goes that in the early 1970’s a weird kids’ show would air at 4:00pm on a local TV station that has seemed to be forgotten. In modern times on a website called NetNostalgia Forum, a group started a post to talk about it and share memories of the plots and characters. The show was said to be about a young girl named Janice who in her mind was friends with pirates.  They would go on odd adventures and even had to dodge a character called Skin-Taker, a skeleton pirate who wore the skin of children! They start to creep themselves out even more as they remember episodes that just was a female screaming in pain and later they even find out that the station they watched was nothing more than static! The theories of this show ran wild as people think it was supernatural while others thought it was made by the government to mess with the youth. The show was not animated and was said to be puppets and each had their own charm and sinister side and those who claimed to watch it seem to remember the characters in great detail. The mystery of this kids show is that there are zero official sources that say that it was real and on any TV station in the 70’s plus the mystery is why adults didn’t see the show when on and only saw static on the screen! Plus why were some of the characters super scary including one who skinned kids! So is this show real…well yes and no.  Recently the SYFY Channel did a TV show based on this story while all other accounts point that the old show never did air and was just a story written to try and spook people on the internet. But while this might not be a super bone chilling Creepypasta, it does make you wonder how many shows you watched as a youngster were real and what was in your mind. I am sure we all have shows we remember that we cannot place a name to and only limited amount of friends remember….was that show of your past fact or fiction?

Back in the 1920’s, a man walked to the town of Sabina, Ohio in hopes to find work and start a new life.  During his journey, he passed away of natural causes on 3C highway near Borum Road.  On June 6, 1929, his body was found and he had no ID and only thing that was found in his pocket was a slip of paper with the address 1118 Yale Ave. on it and this did not turn up anything as the address was a vacant lot! The person living nearest to the lot was named Eugene Johnson, and this man’s first name was also given to the body of the unknown man who was believed to be of the age of 50-80 years old. The local undertaker ended up embalming the body of Eugene and waited to bury him just in case a relative could come and claim him and they could find out his real name. For decades no one every claimed the body and so Eugene became a tourist attraction and his body was on display at the funeral home’s small back shack for those who wanted to see a body. Eugene The Mummy became a local celebrity and a fixture in this small town, with his fame also came pranks and thefts as high school kids as well as  college students would steal the body and take him on joyrides and leave him in weird and wild places. Each time he was taken, his body was recovered by the local police and returned to the funeral home. But finally in 1964, after many years of being on display and loved by the community, the body of Eugene The Mummy was laid to rest in the town’s cemetery after the pranks became too disrespectful and they decided it was time to let him rest peacefully. So if your ever in Sabina, Ohio make sure to stop by the cemetery and pay your respects to Eugene, a man who found fame in death and sadly never did get his real story told. So that was another Strange Ohio Tale that showcases why my home state is a weird one.

For Horror Hosts, Halloween time is like Christmas as they fill the local airwaves with their specials as well as air on any number of online stations. And for this year I chose to interivew the iconic legendary St. Louis, Missouri Horror Host Baron Von Crypt who scared late night monster kids from 1970-1971 with his show! The good Baron Von Crypt is a vampire who built himself a very loyal and rabid fan base that even got him into the Horror Host Hall Of Fame! Baron Von Porkchop and myself were very lucky to have gotten to meet Baron Von Crypt at Horrorhound, and now it’s my honor to present to you my readers on this Halloween update, “5 Questions With” Baron Von Crypt!

Matt: So Baron Von Crypt, tell us about your classic Horror Host show…

Baron: The show aired on KDNL-TV, Channel 30, a new UHF station which began broadcasting in June of 1969 in St. Louis. In early 1970, the production manager and I created a live host to try to generate buzz around and audience for classic horror films of the 1930s, 40s and 50s, like Frankenstein, Dracula, The Invisible Man, The Mummy, The Wolfman, etc. We created a vampire character called Baron Von Crypt and also a sidekick for him called Igor (of course). We had a castle dungeon set and a casket from which the Baron arose each Saturday night at 10pm to introduce the movie. The Baron would interact with his disrespectful sidekick Igor who was always an off camera voice. We tried to do things that were new and different visually … special effects that were leading edge at the time, but nothing like the special effects of today. We just wanted to have fun. The objective was to increase the audience ratings for Channel 30 – which we did!. I wrote and performed in all the sketches as Baron Von Crypt and I also voiced the off-camera voice of Igor. During the roughly 1 ½ years the show ran, I also made a live appearance for an advertiser at the Midwest Camper and Boat Show. It was an absolute blast!

Matt: What Horror Hosts of the past influenced you as a host?

Baron: There weren’t a lot of horror hosts around in 1970 and my inspiration for the character of Von Crypt was really Bela Lugosi, the original Dracula on screen. I basically created a parody of his performance and poked fun at the whole horror genre with wacky humor, silly visuals and inane banter with my sidekick, Igor.

Matt: So being a vampire and all, do you ever get urges to drink the blood of your fans?

Baron: I never did drink the blood of my fans and since I long ago retired as The Baron, I only have vague urges. I do, however, have a strange affinity for Bloody Mary’s which I enjoy whenever I can.

Matt: You have been to a Horrorhound Convention and during this event, what celebrity were you most happy to meet? As well as what other Horror Host?

Baron: My son’s family, including my 11-year old granddaughter, who attended the event as well, are great fans of The Walking Dead and were thrilled to be able to see some of those stars up close and personal. I really enjoyed meeting the many current horror hosts such as The Bone Jangler.

Matt: You being a Vampire and all who is your favorite actor to ever play Count Dracula in film?

Baron: Clearly my favorite actor to play the part of Count Dracula is Bela Lugosi … the originator of the role and my inspiration for Baron Von Crypt.

 Matt: Any final words for my readers?

Baron: Just to share one of my favorite poems written by Baron Von Crypt:

 A birdie with a yellow bill Hopped upon my windowsill.

He broke the glass with his peck, peck, peck, And a large sharp piece just slashed his neck!

 You gotta admit that is pretty good stiff!

Great poem indeed! That Baron Von Crypt is a class act, and I for one would love to see him return to the world of Horror Hosting with new episodes that would air on say…The Monster Channel…hint, hint guys! I am also proud to say that in the world of Sparkle Comics, you just might see Baron Von Crypt soon in some pages of one of our ongoing comic series. I want to thank Baron Von Crypt for taking time to answer our questions, and I suggest you guys check out his official Facebook page for more info on this classic iconic host. Also thanks Timexx Seabaugh for not only help setting up this interview but also helping bring Baron back to the spotlight. Check out these pictures below of the one and only Baron Von Crypt.

For my birthday Juliet and I had a Horror Movie Marathon that not only had a Pre-Show but also had an After Party! The pre-show took place on September 4, 2017 that also happened to be labor day, and lucky for me, we closed early at work so I was able to get home a little after 4:00pm. We started our Pre-Show at 5:00pm, and the first film of the evening was “Camp Blood 4” that followed a young woman and her friends camping out the night before a big concert and being stalked and killed by a clown masked killer. The second fright flick of the night was “Cannibal Claus” about a fired store Santa who decides to get revenge and kills and eats people that are mostly hot naked chicks! The third film of the night was the 1987 shot on video film “Death Nurse” that is about a brother and sister who run a private clinic and kill their patients to collect the money from their deaths and care. And the final film of the night was the creature feature “In The Devil’s Courthouse” that has a young woman and her brother with friends fight for their lives against evil primates who kill in brutal ways. For dinner we decided to have pork chops and baked potatoes, and we both enjoyed the night of spooky horror! We both agreed that the Golden Turkey of the night was Camp Blood 4 as sadly this sequel was made up mostly of flashbacks of part 3 as well as montages of weird things like girls shopping at a second hand media store and putting on makeup.  Plus it ends super quickly, with a “watch part 5” ending. The pluses for the film were the soundtrack was great, the ladies were all attractive and it was cool to at least see a new Camp Blood film. My best film of the night was hard to pick as I enjoyed both Death Nurse and In The Devil’s Courthouse as I found them both to be solid shot on video films from two different eras of independent horror filmmaking, but in the end I would have to say that In The Devil’s Courthouse won out as I found that it was lots of fun with a great set of woods and hills that gave it a creepy atmosphere, the characters were likable for the most part, the gore effects worked and were pretty well done and the really had me with killer monkeys! Plus you can’t go wrong looking at actress Ashley Marie Nelson for 85 minutes. Juliet’s top pick of the night was Death Nurse as she found it to be a great example of the early roots of shot on video horror films. This first night was lots of fun and made me even more hyped to watch the films of the main attraction the next day. So with the end of the movies came winding down for the night and getting some good old sleep.

The next day we started our marathon at 7:00am, and nice enough the house was filled with a chill as we started the first movie “Devil Bat’s Daughter” about the daughter of a famed “killer” who made huge bats and her battle to deal with his legacy. The next film was “Camp Blood 5” and has the surviving young woman and her friends going back to the woods this time to get revenge on the killer. The third film was “The Night Shift” that follows a security guard watching a mansion that has a cult of demons in it. The next flick was “Evil Bong: 666” that has Eve teaming up with the survivors of the past films and doing battle with the Devil of Sexy Hell! The Jess Franco zombie film “Oasis Of The Zombies” was our fifth film and was about Nazi Zombies killing off people who try and find their hidden treasure. “The Haunting Of Morella” was next and follows a young woman whose mother was a witch and killed and now she wants to come back to life by taking over her daughters! The 1992 shot on video film “Dark Harvest” was the next fright flick and has a group of hikers fighting for their lives against killer scarecrows. The Henrique Couto film “Amityville: No Escape” about a group of filmmakers trying to document fear was then selected to try and bring the fights. The anti drug film “Hellmaster” was next and followed a group at a college kids trying to survive an attack by drug fueled human monsters. “The Wicked One” was film # 10 and is about a brutal killer called The Wicked One who attacks and kills a group of friends on a vacation at a family farmhouse. The no budget slasher film “Dark Shade Creek” was next and has masked killer Cyrus hacking up some goofy friends who make the mistake of entering his woods. The supernatural slasher film “The Windmill Massacre” was on deck next and follows a group of strangers on a tour bus ride through Holland who become the target of a burnt up monster killer! The final film of the night was the 1991 shot on video film “Hauntedween” and has a frat house being targeted by a crazed masked killer who loves haunted houses. All through the horrors of the small screen Juliet and I had cookies, Zapps potato chips, breakfast casserole, corn on the cob and flat buffalo style chicken to munch on, and man did we eat well! The golden turkey film of the night was Camp Blood 5 as both Juliet and I picked it due to it once more being mostly flashbacks and having very little of a storyline. My top three fright flicks of the day was the following # 1.) The Windmill Massacre, a really good slasher film that had a cool and interesting brutal supernatural killer as well as felt like a reimagine of the wrap around story to the original 70’s Tales From The Crypt movie. # 2.) was The Wicked One, a great slasher film with a cool killer, solid acting, likable characters and a plot that will remind you of Halloween in ways. And my # 3.) was Hauntedween, a classic cheesy shot on video film from the early 90s that had everything a maker and fan of these style films would enjoy. I want to also say that Devil Bat’s Daughter and Hellmaster both almost made my # 3 spot! Juliet’s top three films of the night were the following # 1.) The Windmill Massacre…#2.) Hellmaster and # 3.) The Wicked One! After the last film ended we chatted about the day’s movies and later went to bed in order to start the after party the next day.

Bright and early on September 6 we started the after party at 8:50am and started off with “Camp Blood 666” this time around a satanic cult brings the killer back from the grave and he starts up his killing ways once again. The second film was the 90’s shot on video film “Jungle Trap” that follows a group traveling to the rainforest and finding themselves targets of native ghosts! “Monstrosity” was our third film and this Andy Milligan film was about a group of friends making a Golem to fight crime on the streets of California. The final film of the day was the gross out flick “Night Of Something Strange” about a STD that turns people into sex crazed zombies who want to have sex and kill! It was a great after party and the films were lots of fun and this time around Juliet and I had different Golden Turkeys as she picked Night Of Something Strange as she is bored like I am with gross humor horror films being made just for shock value. Mine I would have to say was Monstrosity as while I enjoyed it and found its dark humor to work really well and the characters likeable it just kind of felt like a mess and was a little to long. Juliet however picked Monstrosity as her top film as she found it to be silly and lots of fun.  She has really become a fan of Andy Milligan’s films. I would say my favorite film of the day was Camp Blood 666 as I found it to be just like the first two camp cult classic films in the series plus it had Tina Krause in a cameo! So what a great three days to spend with my lady watching Horror Films for one of my favorite things to do and that’s a Marathon.

As most of you long time readers know, in 2016 my friend Jason Young and I opened a independent comic company alongside many of our friends who are artists, writers and creators and we have released some great all ages books like Shocking Macabre Theater # 1 that features Dayton, Ohio Horror Hosts Dr. Creep, A. Ghastlee Ghoul and Baron Von Porkchop sharing spooky tales. And we also released two comics based on knock off toys of the 80’s with Defenders Of The Planets # 1 and Adventure Man # 1! And finally a comic has been made about the Independent B Movie character The Wolf Hunter who got a first issue and brought the classic shot on video character back to life. But in 2017 something really cool happened as we also opened a branch of Sparkle called Blood Scream Comics that was a way to showcase more extreme horror, underground and adult comics! I have always loved Horror Comics, and these comics are issues I am super hyped to create with my friends to entertain the readers. Check out our cool logo below!

We released several Blood Scream Comics this year with our first 3 being based on the shot on video films of Bloodline Video and Independent B Movie and they are Farmer Joe # 0, Scars # 0 and The Sadness # 0, all being 12 page comics that allow the readers to vote on what character they would like to see get a full issue # 1 in 2019! So far the amount of votes we have gotten has been great and the race to get a first issue is very close with all the characters getting respect. We then released a comic adaptation of the cult classic film Don’t Look In The Basement that scared and shocked readers with its amazing art and creepy breakdown of the film. And just this month we unleashed on the comic reading world a really spooky comic called Screaming Skull: 1888 that is a really cool reimagining of the 1958 fright flick The Screaming Skull! And this is just the start as besides all the comics that we do that are for all ages we have so many amazing Horror Comics coming your way readers! So I want to also think my Sparkle Comic family all who believe in the company motto “Comics Made By Friends For Fans”, this update is for you Jason Young, Jeff Potter, Damien Brunk, Jason Gilmore, Theresa Lopez, Marc Gras Cots, Scott Scarborough, Juliet Fromholt, Jeremy Hoyt and Stephen Alexander all of whom have made some amazing comics this year that have entertained the comic reading world. Check out the covers below for the current release of Blood Scream Comics and make sure to check out or official website at www.bloodscreamcomics.com for ways to not only order the comics but get info on upcoming comics.

On September 9, 2017 Blood Scream Comic teamed up with Horrorama Dayton at the Danbarry Huber Heights and brought moviegoers the Indie Horror Showcase! This first time event was lots of fun to do and was a great way to not only expose horror movie fans to some of these cool independent horror films but also the comics of Blood Scream and Sparkle Comics as we sold copies of our comics at the Movie Theater. The event started at 6:00pm for the preshow that played trailers for indie horror films and we screened “The Wolf Hunter” the Independent B Movie SOV film directed by Matt Hoffman as well as the zombie short film “Outpost 31” by Dustin Austen. The main show started a little after 7 with the first film being the slasher film “Babysitter Massacre” directed by Henrique Couto, and it was followed by “The Barn” the super cool 80’s throwback monster film directed by Justin M. Seaman. The next film on the playlist was the demon film “Redsin Tower” by Fred Vogel, and we ended the night with the George Romero zombie classic “Night Of The Living Dead”! In between the films we played trailers, music scores and short films and the event seemed to really entertain those who were looking for a good time of seeing great films on the silver screen. It was really amazing seeing The Wolf Hunter playing on the big screen and hearing the crowd have a good time with this shot on video cheesy rubber face werewolf flick. I hope to do another Indie Horror Showcase next year in September as I love bringing the world Horror Comics and indie horror movies and I think they both go hand and hand. I also ran the booth upstairs and had a great time watching the films from the projection booth. Check out the pictures below to see what you missed if you did not attend. And yep we did do a normal Horrorama this year on October 14^th and it had the theme Revenge Of The 80’s and showcased some amazing films from that decade like Nightmare City and The Gate to name a few.

Sadly over the centuries the world of cinema has lost many films and by lost I mean they are no longer around and we all have a very small amount of hope of ever finding a copies of them. Many amazing films have been lost like many of the Fatty Arbuckle comedies and even a Paul Naschy werewolf film called “The Nights of The Wolf Man” that was possibly never finished that filmed in France. The holy grail of lost Horror Films hands down is the 1927 film “London After Midnight” that was directed by Todd Browning and started Lon Chaney Sr. as The Man In The Beaver Hat, but while I 100% would love for someone to find both London After Midnight and The Nights Of The Wolf Man, another film that I hope is found someday is a 1921 silent Hungarian film called “Dracula’s Death” that’s right a Dracula film that was released a year before the 1922 classic silent film “Nosferatu”! This lost vampire film was directed by Karoly Lajthay and this was his only film as director as he went on to be an actor in many Hungarian films. The film’s plot is about a woman who visits a mental asylum and meets an inmate to claims to be Count Dracula and after this meeting she is plagued with horrible visions and must figure out if this inmate is who he claims to be! The inmate or should we say Count Dracula was played by Erik Vanko who had a pretty long acting career and has the honor of being the first actor to ever play Dracula! I hope some day that this film as well as the many others is found in a vault, basement or in a private collection and becomes available for the world to see again just like Edison’s Frankenstein. Below are some stills and the poster for Dracula’s Death and you can take a look and see what you think this film would have been like.

On October 2, 2017 Juliet and I made our way back to Evans City Cemetery to celebrate the Halloween season right! On this day after getting some coffee from Mars Brew House, we headed to the cemetery and the drive was amazing as the weather outside was in the mid 70s and Juliet and I chatted about Lost Films as well as Sparkle Comics and all the cool comics we have in the works. Once arriving at the cemetery we took a drive through it and going around the second time we stopped and got out and walked around. This cemetery is a great place for creative people in the horror world to visit as it seems to help get the creative juices flowing, plus it’s a great place to sit back and think about the legacy that George A. Romero left behind. After spending around 45 minutes chatting and soaking in the beautiful weather we left the cemetery behind to return again next year for Monsterbash 2018! Below is a picture I snapped while there on this fun day.

One thing that I look forward to doing every Halloween season is the Alpha Rhythms Halloween Special for WYSO that is nothing but 3 hours of horror movie score music! My gal Juliet does the talking, and I do the board and select the spooky sounds that will haunt your evening. This show always is something special for me to do and with Baron Von Porkchop taking a long vacation, this is the one Halloween Special that I can count on to create every year. I choose from many different artist like Goblin, Richard Band, Danny Elfman and Fabio Frizzi and pic icon scores from such films as Bride Of Frankenstein, Halloween, Psycho and Phantasm and try my best to pick the songs that will not only chill your bones but will also make you remember the first time you watched these horror films at the theater, on VHS or even via streaming. The Alpha Rhythms Halloween Special every year is the Sunday before Halloween and starts at 8pm and runs until 11pm and can be heard locally on 91.3 FM or anywhere via their website stream at www.wyso.org! Below is a sneak peek at behind the scenes of me programing this year’s Halloween Special that aired on October 29^th and if you tuned in, I want to say thank and I hope I made your night a little scary.

What is a Halloween update without a little ghost hunting adventure alongside my good pal Josh Weinberg! The big issue this year of picking a location was that over the years we have done so many of them and have debunked or even scared spooked ourselves with strange people and noises while at them. So after some time of chatting and trying to figure it out we decided on a rematch against Hyde Road’s Bridge in Yellow Springs as last time around we got ran off by the weirdo in his SUV who for some reason was hiding out in the woods and thought it would be a good idea to chase us and try and trap us on the bridge. We decided to go on October 25^th and once more we had to kill some time so we had a little dinner and hung out at WYSO in Yellow Springs. For those who don’t remember the legend of the bridge and its ghost, here is the rundown again. The legend goes that a mother killed her baby and herself on the bridge at midnight, and if you park your car footprints can be found on your hood from the ghost mother trying to get in! So Josh and I drove around the bridge once and this time around no weird SUV was parked near the woods so we were able to get onto the bridge at 11:59pm and at Midnight we turned off the headlights and killed the cars engine and waited and the bridge was super quiet…and at 12:01am we turned back on the headlights and the engine and got out of the car and to no surprise we did not see no foot prints, hand prints, ghosts or ghouls and we can finally say that the bridge of Hyde Road just is not haunted by a ghost but might be patrolled by a wacko in his car! Below is a picture that I took after we turned the lights back on and shows that we were center in the bridge…shame that this one was a dud as it would have been cool to have a cool ghost hang out in Yellow Springs.

So we have chatted about lots of great spooky stuff up to this point and even had a rematch against Hyde Road and its cursed bridge. But now it’s time for us to play a game and take a look at Saw, the original movie that not only sparked a ton of sequels but also the IDW comic we are covering for this Halloween update. So lets make the right choice and play by Jigsaws rules! I also want to say that I am taking the write up from IMDB and I will also chat a little about the first film’s production and my first thoughts of seeing it as well as its legacy.

SAW (2004)

“Waking up in a undisclosed location in a unknown room two men, Adam and Gordon are trapped into a single room with a dead body. Given random tools with riddles hidden around the room. Wondering who could have done this there are clues to who might of done it; the jigsaw killer. The question is not just who but why would a serial killer leave two men in a room. Both Adam and Gordon hiding secrets they must trust and work together to get out or die…can they survive jigsaws game or die trying?”

Australians James Wan and Leigh Whannell wanted to team up and make a film on a modest budget after being inspired by The Blair Witch Project, and they came up with an idea that involved two men stuck in a elevator and being filmed on security cameras, and it later morphed into an idea of two men chained in a bathroom with a dead body between them. After the talk the name SAW was written down and became the title of the film they began to work on writing and building. During the development Leigh Whannell was having some medical issues and came up with the idea of the killer of their film known as Jigsaw being ill and having a short time to live and setting people up to feel what he does and to not take life for granted. Funding came next and to start they only had about $30,000.00 for a budget, so they made a short film to showcase the bear trap scene and was lucky enough to find Twisted Pictures who enjoyed the what they saw and invested more money into the film. Next came casting and now with a bigger budget they brought in names like Danny Glover, Cary Elwes, Shawnee Smith and Tobin Bell was hired the play John “Jigsaw” Kramer! The film started filming and once finished the film’s score music was composed by Charlie Clouser.  Lionsgate stepped in to distribute the film worldwide, and the film became a surprise hit! Saw was the # 57 of the year and beat out such other horror and cult films as “The Phantom Of The Opera”, “Resident Evil: Apocalypse”, “Secret Window”, “Exorcist: The Beginning”, “Open Water”, “Anacondas: The Hunt For The Blood Orchid”, “Darkness”, “Shaun Of The Dead” and “Seed Of Chucky”! The film did great for Lions Gate as the film had a budget of only $1.2 Million and brought in a total of $55,185,045.00 at the box office here in America. While it has been dubbed “Torture Porn” the SAW series of films are really Horror/Thrillers that once you get past the mass amounts of blood and gore has a message.

I first saw SAW on home video when it came out on DVD and watched it with my then girlfriend Jennifer, and I can remember we both were glued to it, as I really enjoyed the twist and turns of the story! The funny thing about it was during this time I remember that my friends all who were into horror films really enjoying this flick and Jigsaw was the new “it” killer in horror films as Pigmasks and robes for a few years was staples at Halloween parties. But some were along the way mainstream media and none horror fans started a campaign that films like SAW were nothing more that torture porn set to turn on sickos…yeah this worked as well as many people turned on the series and the box office dollars became less and less for Lionsgate and with that came the end of the series for awhile in 2010 and not until this year (2017) has another been made. Say what you will about SAW, but it’s a solid film that spawned some good sequels that grossed out and freaked out movie goers for many years and was for the longest time the series that kept Horror in the theaters for Halloween! So if you have not see this film, do yourself a favor and check it out! Oh I also want to say that actor Cary Elwes in the films he is in for this series is laughably bad most the time.

John Kramer is the man who goes by Jigsaw, and we are going to be taking a quick look at this man who is the backbone of this long running film series. Jigsaw is the mastermind killer who never himself kills his victims, as they are responsible for their own deaths as well as those who are connected to them.  You see Jigsaw along with his helpers select a person they think is taking advantage of being alive and sets them up to play a twisted game of life and death by using traps and puzzles that lead to murder, self mutilation and sometimes salvation. John Kramer started his quest to teach his twisted life lessons after he himself was diagnosed with cancer and after treatments failed to work and his insurance company refused to pay for other forums of treatment he set his goal in life to teach those he feels abuse their lives a message in pain and sorrow all the while showing them what it means to have life. John in his torturous/teaching ways is always joined by apprentices as well as a creepy tricycle-riding puppet named Billy all who help set up and captures the players for what he calls a “game”. I will not say who is helpers are as they would be spoilers for those of you who have not watched the series yet or are not caught up. Jigsaw uses traps that result in death or mutilation as his way to get to his victims, also have to say that sometimes his apprentices are more brutal and kill in cold blood or even set up traps that can not be beat! Jigsaw is also very smart and uses words and puzzles in order to also strike fear into the hearts of those who have became his target. This next part does have spoilers, so you have been warned! But the weakness of Jigsaw is the fact he is a normal human who is dying from cancer and became weaker and weaker through out the series up until his death, but while he has been gone for some time his message and traps live on. While not a supernatural unstoppable killer John “Jigsaw” Kramer is still a very scary person who feels he is right in what he is doing, and that’s why I would say Jigsaw is a very dangerous man with dangerous followers who all have a twisted yet strong message of life.

I guess I should take a few moments and talk about the fact SAW was so popular that it sparked lots of merchandise over the years like all good Horror Film franchises before it and after it. Besides the IDW comic we are covering in this update, Jigsaw and his apprentice have graced the likes of t-shirts, posters, magazines, fan art and action figures & dolls. The film series scores have been released on CD and yep I have played music from it on Alpha Rhythms during the Halloween season. Two video games were made based on SAW that were released on PS3 and Xbox 360 and released by Konami. So as you can see, this film series has left its mark on the world of Horror and delivered lots of great items for fans to collect.

So we took a look at the original film as well as Jigsaw, the killer from the film series, and now its time to dive deep into the world of Horror Comics and take a look at the IDW Comic book of SAW! This comic was a one shot release and proves that IDW is a great company who from time to time does some fantastic work in Horror and release comics based on cult and popular films. I want to thank an Amazon seller for having this comic is stock and making this update possible and wait what’s this a tape recorder, let’s see what’s on it! “Matt Let’s Play A Game…You Have Spent Your Life Watching Horror Films And Reading Comic Books. Now It’s Halloween 2017 And You Once More Have Found A Horror Comic To Review….And I Wanted To Remind Your Readers That You Grade These On A Star Scale of 1 to 4 And You Are Looking For How Well The Comic Stays To The Source Material, Its Entertainment Value And Its Art And Story…Good Luck.” So looks like with that we are read to take a look at SAW: Rebirth from IDW Comics on this extra spooky update!

SAW: Rebirth # 1  **1/2
Released in 2005     Cover Price $3.99     IDW       # 1 of 1

John Kramer is a man who is working a dead end job, he is just going through the motions and not putting any effort into advancement in the company. His boss Paul is a guy who has good pay, a family to go home to while John and his girlfriend Jill have just called it over as he would not marry her and start their own family and worse while others around him seem to have it all he is now coming home from work and getting sick every night. John decides to go to the hospital and has some tests done and soon finds that he has cancer and it cannot be cured and his life is sadly coming to an end! While in the hospital he meets Zep an orderly who spends time chatting with him filling him in on the Doctors dirty secrets as well as patients who have came in like Amanda a pretty young woman who overdosed on heroin as well as is boss Paul who tried to kill himself. John leaves the hospital and changes what’s left of his life around and shaves his head and starts to work on his mission and traps to carry it out.

This is a very slow paced and character background driven Horror Comic that does not deliver on any scares nor does it even have any gore or violence with the only blood being shown is on a bandage via an attempted suicide, but while this might sound like a dull comic I ashore you fans of SAW will enjoy it! The plot is simple John Kramer is a man on borrowed time as he has cancer and while waiting for death he comes up with an idea to teach those he feels is wasting their life to be thankful for it. The main character is John Kramer who is a man who just is living his life with no goals and when his life is on a time limit a switch goes off in his brain that makes him turn a little dark and twisted in the mind and he becomes Jigsaw a man who will torture and kill to get across a message or to teach a lesson. The rest of the characters are background players and one cool cameo is from Amanda who overdosed in this issue and who becomes a major player in the series of films that followed this comic. Besides this comic lacking in blood and scares the major flaw of the comic is off from the sequels as this comic act as if John is not married when we in the series find out he indeed is and was happily married. But I think that this part is wrong as this was released after the original film and before the second film even hit theaters. The cover is pretty eye catching as it’s just the poster with some minor changes to it, the interior art is good and while not my favorite style of art for a horror comic, artist Renato Guedes does a good job and John Kramer looks like actor Tobin Bell. Over all this is a good Horror Comic that plays more on the downbeat life of our villain and is a great read for fans of the SAW movie series, but I think normal Horror Comic readers will not be that impressed or entertained by this comic so I think they should skip it! Check out the cool artwork below to see what the art looks like in this comic, and oh yeah IDW should have made a few more issues in this series and should do more comics based on Horror Films soon!

So I hope you had a great Halloween and hope you enjoyed our look at SAW in the world of comics as well as all the other spooky stuff I chatted about. And want to thank you all again for spending a little of your Trick Or Treating time with me.  For our next update, we are starting our countdown to Thanksgiving, and we will be taking a look at a Superhero named Drastik who sadly has long been forgotten by the comic book reading masses! So enjoy what’s left of Halloween 2017 and make sure to visit your local theater and see Jigsaw the 8^th film in the SAW series and until next time read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host! Remember to be back here next update so we can all learn about Drastik!