Category: Movies

Brad Gullickson and Film School Rejects present The 10 Best Comic Book Horror Movies.  (Sadly the original post is no longer available.) Using just Gullickson’s list, here are his comments (and mine) for my top three:

30 Days of Night (2007)
Most vampire movies leave me cold, so color me surprised to find one of my favorites set in the freezing wasteland of Alaska’s eternal night. In addition to a brilliant premise — a tribe of vamps arriving in Barrow, AK just as the town settles into month-long seasonal darkness — the film delivers with some truly brutal and terrifically designed creatures and kills, engaging characters, and memorable cinematography. It’s a tight, visceral horror film that breathes life into the undead the same way 28 Days Later did with “zombies,” and it ends with a legitimately touching emotional beat. Now where’s my goddamn sequel?! (he said, knowing full well a lesser follow-up came and went in 2010). – Rob Hunter

Craig: I was a big fan of Steve Niles work, so his (and Ben Templesmith’s) 30 Days of Night comic series set the bar pretty high.  I loved the concept of an isolated city in Alaska about to go through its annual 30 days of night.  Of course vampires would want to go there.  And they do, with the intent to wipe out the town during a month of excessive feasting.  Just writing about this movie makes me want to view it again.

The Crow (1994)
From page to screen, the legacy of The Crow is synonymous with tragedy. The original graphic novel was created as a form of catharsis for writer James O’Barr after his girlfriend was taken too soon because of a drunk driver. Of course, most of you will know the story of Brandon Lee’s freak death while filming a shootout scene cpurtesy of a real bullet among the blanks. As a result, there’s an air of melancholy to The Crow that few other movies have captured. At the same time, it’s also a highly stylish and entertaining actioner with a rocking soundtrack befitting of the dark gods. The sequels all suck, but the first movie is a bona fide masterpiece of supernatural vigilante storytelling. – Kieran Fisher

Craig:  Like 30 Days of Night, I was familiar with James O’Barr’s The Crow from it’s first published appearance in Caliber comics.  The movie did a great job of adapting the comics and staying true to O’Barr’s vision.  Brandon Lee (Bruce Lee’s son, who died during filming) was a bonus.

Blade II (2002)

I love Wesley Snipes, and I adore the joyful bravado that he injects into his Daywalker. He may pretend he’s brooding, but that’s a cat who (internally) whistles while he works. Slaying vampires has never been more satisfying. But – look. This is not just a Blade film. Guillermo del Toro came off Mimic and The Devil’s Backbone and threw his entire geeky consciousness into Blade II. Each frame is packed with references to Hellboy, Watchmen, The Searchers, Vampire Hunter D, Predator, Nosferatu, etc. For as suave and cool as the vampires were in the original film, del Toro comes at his Reapers with a Richard Matheson “I Am Legend” mentality. These are not pretty creatures that sip blood to the tunes of the children of the night. These are savage animals that threaten to devour the world, and force night and day walkers to unite in a Dirty Dozen team-up. The climax amounts to a vicious series of showdowns between hero and monster: the traitor, the goon, the count, and finally, the beast. After all is said and done, you may even find yourself getting misty over the tragedy of it all. – Brad Gullickson

Craig: I never read comics featuring Blade.  I didn’t care for the original Blade movie at all.  I thought Wesley Snipes was perfect as Blade and as a fan of Guillermo del Toro, willing to give Blade II a chance.  I am so glad I did, because I loved it.  How could you not love Blade going up against the King of all Vampires?  Blade II is going to get another viewing from me soon.

This is one of four Universal Monsters trading cards drawn by Mike Mignola and posted by Cool Comic Art.  You can see the one above as well as the other 3 Mignola Universal Monsters cards here.