Inspired by Ed Justin’s poem of the same name, Pumpkinhead revolves around a literal demon of vengeance. In fact, the film’s original title was none other than Vengeance: The Demon. Eventually the title Pumpkinhead was chosen, giving the creature its name and immortalizing Justin’s poem as the calling card for one of horror’s most vicious and underrated monsters.
Of course, we’re here to discuss a variety of demons – not just the one. To completely have every demon in the Pumpkinhead universe explained, we’ll begin with the Pumpkinhead film franchise and later dissect the comics that were much more innovative and explored the franchise’s core concept by introducing so many more characters and demons to the plot. If fans have only stepped into the feature film side of things, they’ll be ecstatic to hear about the comics. For now, however, let’s dive into the films.
The Pumpkinhead movies comprise a relatively straight-forward series. This is likely because after the original movie, budgets fell, and the sequels couldn’t support much more than the titular man-in-a-suit monster. In fact, Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings was released straight-to-video in 1994. The film was largely unrelated to its predecessor, and as such, some fans even consider it a separate continuity. The next two films, Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes and Pumpkinhead: Blood Feud, debuted on the Sci-Fi Channel in 2006 and 2007, respectively. On the bright side, they were much more tied to the original film, and actor Lance Henriksen even reprised his role as Ed Harley having sold his soul and given his body to become Pumpkinhead’s next vessel.
For those unfamiliar with the original movie’s concept, Pumpkinhead is a demon that can be summoned by someone (or even multiple people) who want to seek vengeance. Those who summon Pumpkinhead will become spiritually tied to the monster, allowing Pumpkinhead to become immortal unless the person, or persons, who summoned the beast are killed. After the beast is destroyed, however, the person who sold their soul to summon Pumpkinhead must give up their body as the next vessel when someone else decides to seek revenge. It’s an interesting way of turning the titular monster into a physical metaphor for revenge’s never-ending cycle.
Outside of that, the movies are relatively light on introducing any other monsters, but there is one such addition in Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings. While the narrative is largely stand-alone, if fans do consider it canon, it can make sense. The film isn’t actually about the same Pumpkinhead from the original movie or whose lineage is continued in the Sci-Fi Channel sequels. Rather, Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings explores the deformed and orphaned offspring of Pumpkinhead named Tommy. The young child grows up in the woods where a woman – and witch – named Miss Osie takes care of him. She’s separate from the witch in the original film named Haggis, which can cause some confusion, but it seems as though there are several such witches later introduced in the related comic books.
As for Tommy, he is eventually murdered, with the rest of the story taking place decades later. Tommy is unknowingly resurrected by a group of teenagers who trespass onto Miss Osie’s property. Her house burns down, leaving her hospitalized, while Tommy takes the form of his father – Pumpkinhead – and seeks revenge for her while also killing those who murdered him as a child. Eventually Tommy’s Pumpkinhead form is killed in a fashion similar to when his mortal body died, and the movie comes to an end. It’s an interesting story even if it doesn’t really coincide with the original film all that much. If Tommy is the offspring of the original Pumpkinhead and a mortal woman, however, then that would probably make him a “Cambion” which is the offspring of a demon and a human.
The demons featured in the actual films end there. Similarly, the straight-forward lore of Pumpkinhead is followed very closely in the incomplete Pumpkinhead comic book series published by Dark Horse in 1993. Fortunately, the property was revived in 2018 by Dynamite Entertainment with a new Pumpkinhead limited series. The five issues that comprise the series are full of mind-blowing revelations including the presence of all-new demons for Pumpkinhead to go up against.
The run from Dynamite Entertainment finally establishes the lore behind Pumpkinhead and the meaning of the film’s original tagline: “For each of man’s evils, a special demon exists.” To coincide with Pumpkinhead, five new demons were created for the comic book run, all of which are guarded by their own witch. Haggis from the original movie appears and in her backstory it’s revealed that she chose to guard Pumpkinhead as a young girl. Her sisters are the other witches, almost all of whom were quite cruel to her, chose the other demons to protect and summon when called upon. This creates an interesting dynamic because most people are naturally going to summon Pumpkinhead for revenge than they are summoning a demon for pride or sloth.
The more organized mythos from this comic book series makes it easy to list each demon and what they represent. We’ll take a look at those characters while excluding Pumpkinhead who was already explained above and, fortunately, this comic book series is extremely faithful and accurate to the character’s lore as presented in the original film. Here’s the list of demons as summoned in the comic’s narrative:
Some of these creature designs feel more closely related to Winston’s design of Pumpkinhead than others, but they all shine on the page and no doubt would make for some great practical monsters if ever adapted to live-action. The demons are summoned in the story by the sisters of Haggis to kill Pumpkinhead. In their favor, they’re happy to do so, as the below quote from the comic confirms:
“Demons raised from sin! Kin, one and all! But not kin that loves each other,” confirms one of the sisters. “Yes! Yes! They can kill him! And what’s more, they want to kill him! Envy… That’s what drives them. They’re jealous of how often Vengeance is brought forth to roam the Earth.”
The explanation of their combined jealousy continues with a reference to their own lust:
“Lust. They feel it… A lust to unleash their hatefulness upon the world… But only their dear brother Vengeance is called upon so often.”
Fans may notice only five demons listed, and that’s because the sixth demon – representing Gluttony – is killed. A prequel story titled Gluttony reveals as much and gives a final explanation for the last of every demon in the Pumpkinhead universe. The story, further referring to the demon as “Excess,” tells a rather tragic narrative about the monster’s end. As it turns out, Haggis did have one sister that was kind to her, Mildred. Mildred was the keeper of this sixth demon until she scolded it for eating too much. She had hoped it would provide fatter hogs for the community. Her good intentions weren’t enough, however, and the demon ultimately killed her in response.
Haggis, being the keeper for the literal demon of Vengeance, used Pumpkinhead herself to kill Excess. The beast tried to eat Pumpkinhead when he was just barely summoned, but even that couldn’t stop our most beloved of the monsters. Pumpkinhead bursts through Excess’s stomach, killing him from the inside out. To continue her duty as Pumpkinhead’s keeper, Haggis offers Mildred’s corpse as sacrifice, leading her to become the next vessel for the demon and giving her more time to watch over the creature.
Now every demon in the Pumpkinhead universe has been explained. The other demons ultimately shared a similar fate, with Haggis killing her sisters who summoned them as a means to protect Pumpkinhead. Of course, those sins are never really gone, and it would be a great concept for a new movie to further explore every demon in the Pumpkinhead universe by utilizing these concepts. Whether or not that will happen remains to be seen, but one thing is certain – Pumpkinhead is the greatest of them all.
]]>The below guide breaks down how to read the Hellraiser comics in order – in all of their different canons and continuities. Various publishers have handled the Hellraiser license throughout the decades and the results often conflict with how fans now view Barker’s canon. Nevertheless, they also offer plenty of stories that are much more faithful to Barker’s original vision than most of the films that comprise the film franchise’s narrative (or lack thereof). Thus the following complete reading order for all Hellraiser comics should come in handy.
The initial Hellraiser comics were published in a series of twenty issues by Epic Comics from 1989 to 1992. It’s worth noting that despite the occasional contradiction when comparing with the film franchise, Hellraiser creator Clive Barker was still involved with the stories as a creative consultant. Epic Comics would continue to publish Hellraiser comics up until 1994. Some of these publications included crossovers with Clive Barker’s Nightbreed and the unrelated comic series Marshal Law.
Epic Comics absolutely got as much potential out of the license as possible for their Hellraiser comics. It’s worth mentioning that the miniseries Clive Barker’s Book of the Damned: A Hellraiser Companion isn’t a traditional comic series but more of an epistolary style of journal entries and scrapbook-adjacent artwork. They do a great job of fleshing out the lore, however, and still fit the style of beefy comic book that Epic Comics delivered for the rest of their Hellraiser runs. Things changed when BOOM! Studios took over the license for their own Hellraiser comics in 2011, however.
The new publisher abandoned the initial anthology style of its predecessors to launch a new line of Hellraiser comics. The initial run consisted of 20 issues that were collected in five volumes. This was followed by two additional miniseries, one of which lasted for four issues to be collected in one volume and another for twelve issues to be collected in three volumes. Finally, there was a return to form with a short-lived anthology miniseries of six issues that was never contained in any volume or trade paperback. It’s worth noting that the trade paperbacks include three additional issues not counted in the original twenty – Clive Barker’s Hellraiser Issue #0 – At the Tolling of a Bell, Clive Barker’s Hellraiser Annual 2012 #1, and Clive Barker’s Hellraiser Annual 2013 #1.
The entire BOOM! Studios run is extremely faithful to the lore established in the original two Hellraiser movies, Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II, which makes the overall series some of the most important additions to the franchise. However, they weren’t the last, as Clive Barker’s own graphic novel imprint Seraphim Incorporated took on the brand next in 2017. Two graphic novels were released containing a variety of Hellraiser stories in anthology format.
The Hellraiser franchise has since returned to literary form with books in addition to new movies and even a full-fledged video game. It’s incredible to see how well Clive Barker’s mythos holds up against different mediums even when so much time has passed. Likewise, the Hellraiser comics both old and new have aged like fine wine for collectors. Whether you want pulpy anthology stories or a proper follow-up to the franchise’s original two movies, the Hellraiser comics from Epic Comics, BOOM! Studios, and Clive Barker’s own Seraphim Incorporated have you covered. If you’d like to dive into another comic book franchise, check out our guide for the Puppet Master comics based on the horror film series of the same name.
]]>Nightbreed is an interesting beast that is quite unlike anything else out there. While there have been other stories portraying monsters as misunderstood outcasts, some of which have started their own societies, Nightbreed offers a rich mythos that never quite received the exploration it deserved. Unlike Hellraiser, which spawned a long-running (albeit divisive) franchise, Nightbreed has been rather neglected. The core story of the film revolves around Aaron Boone who stumbles across an abandoned cemetery by the name of Midian. It just so happens that Midian is also an underground community of monsters and outcasts and, to make matters worse, Boone is being stalked by his homicidal doctor played in the film by Canadian horror director David Cronenberg.
Obviously that’s a lot of story to fit into the film’s theatrical runtime of 102 minutes. In fact, Nightbreed was famously cut to shreds in the editing room, with a Director’s Cut now existing at 120 minutes and an even longer “Cabal Cut” at 145 minutes. What’s interesting about the first few issues of the original Nightbreed comics is that they adapt Barker’s original script much closer than the live-action film. After these initial four issues, publisher Epic Comics continued the run with a whopping twenty-five issues in total. These issues were often broken into arcs – including a crossover with another Clive Barker creation: Rawhead Rex. Additionally, Epic Comics published a separate crossover miniseries with the Hellraiser franchise as well as a Nightbreed vignette for their anthology volume Epic Book Two. Below is the full list of the run of Nightbreed comics from Epic Comics which ran from 1990 to 1992:
As Nightbreed found new popularity in the 2000s, the release of the Nightbreed Director’s Cut brought interest to an all-time high, and a new series of Nightbreed comics was licensed by BOOM! Studios from 2014 to 2015. The publisher released a miniseries follow-up to the Nightbreed Director’s Cut which ran for twelve issues and ignored the previous series to act as a more faithful continuation of Barker’s film. These were later collected in a total of three volumes.
Of course, even with as many stories as these, the Nightbreed comics only scratch the surface of the franchise’s true potential. Fortunately, for those who are craving more stories from the world of Midian, these comics are here to satisfy. The stories of Boone, Dr. Decker, and many other beloved characters from the movie are all continued to some degree. And with the occasional crossovers from the Epic Comics run, it proves just how cohesive and large Clive Barker’s literary world really can be, especially with Rawhead Rex and Hellraiser fitting nicely within the lore of Nightbreed.
As we wait for whatever iteration the franchise takes on next, these Nightbreed comics are sure to hold fans over. And hopefully there will still be plenty of other Nightbreed comics in the future to further tell the story of Midian and the monsters living just beneath the surface. If you enjoyed this guide, be sure to check out other comic book guides from Brain Mutant including our look at the Fright Night franchise.
]]>Fright Night began life as a simple vampire horror comedy in 1985. The film was a great success, with a sequel titled Fright Night Part 2 following soon after in 1988. Though it didn’t receive the same acclaim as its predecessor, Fright Night remained a huge brand, spawning the initial run of comics from NOW Comics between 1988 and 1993. After the film franchise was revived with 2011’s Fright Night and 2013’s Fright Night 2: New Blood, other comics were released, all of which include the involvement of Fright Night creator Tom Holland.
The first run from NOW Comics consisted of 22 separate issues. The first two issues of Fright Night are a direct adaptation of the original 1985 movie. After that, issues begin taking the form of a direct sequel, with the continued adventures of Charley Brewster and Peter Vincent leading them into an array of different monsters including other vampires, demons, and even space aliens. While it often went off-the-rails, NOW Comics’ Fright Night series also occasionally found itself building a cohesive overarching story, one which included the return of Evil Ed and even the resurrection of Jerry Dandrige.
Evil Ed’s involvement is notable as he was teased to have survived by the end of the original film, though he was absent from the feature film follow-up as actor Stephen Geoffreys chose to star in 976-EVIL instead. Fans who wanted to see the character return, then, had only the Fright Night comics to see his survival. Likewise, by the end of the run, Jerry Dandrige was revived not unlike Christopher Lee’s Dracula who continually found new ways to cheat death throughout Hammer’s classic film series. In fact, Hammer’s Dracula series was always a big influence on Fright Night, and the comics had more than a few gags to pay tribute to them. Unfortunately, the series was prematurely canceled, leaving fans with several major cliffhangers.
In addition to the original run of 22 issues, NOW Comics reprinted three previously-published issues as 3-D Specials, while a fourth special titled Fright Night 3-D Halloween Annual featured a previously-unpublished issue titled “Nightmares.” Unfortunately, it did not conclude the story arc of the original 22 issues, as it was not intended as a proper ending. NOW Comics also published a separate comic book adaptation of Fright Night: Part 2 (stylized as Fright Night Part II for the comic) to fully flesh out its license.
NOW Comics had a rather successful run for a few years. Unfortunately, their ownership of the license came to an end before they could give Fright Night a proper conclusion. It wasn’t until Tom Holland reacquired ownership of his original Fright Night screenplay that new comics were released. This began with a one-off comic book in 2018 intended as a test for a potential new comic series directly from Tom Holland’s Terror Time webstore. As the title suggests, The Peter Vincent Chronicles revolves around titular vampire hunter and television host Peter Vincent shortly after the events of the original film. Similar to the NOW Comics series, it brought back Evil Ed, which was also the case for the Fright Night series that followed.
While the test didn’t result in an ongoing series based on The Peter Vincent Chronicles, it seemed to keep Tom Holland eager to try again with the property, as a more successful run titled Tom Holland’s Fright Night was released under American Mythology. The newest run took a similar direction by following the adventures of Charley and Peter Vincent alongside Charley’s girlfriend Amy shortly after the events of the original movie. Likewise, Evil Ed makes yet another return, and Jerry Dandrige is once again resurrected towards the end of the series. To coincide with this run, American Mythology also released a one-off issue for a spin-off series titled Tom Holland’s Fright Night: Evil Ed Rising.
It’s currently unknown what plans, if any, are currently in place to further continue the Fright Night comics brand. If the dozens of existing Fright Night comics are any indication, however, then we’ll probably see another run sooner or later. For now, Tom Holland is actively keeping the brand alive with other avenues, including a new series of books. It’s nice to see a franchise that was only intended as a one-off vampire story has found so much longevity. The characters brilliantly written by Tom Holland have all proven to succeed in the world of comics as well as they do on the silver screen.
]]>In a way, the variety of Puppet Master comics is quite fitting, as they mirror the vast sequels, prequels, and midquels that comprise the Puppet Master film franchise. In order to break down these comics and how they fit in with the films, however, we’ll be separating runs into different sections. This way fans can dive into each individual run of Puppet Master while following along in a cohesive and exciting manner.
The first run of Puppet Master comics were published by Eternity Comics in 1991. This publisher had an early deal with Full Moon to produce comics based on their films. Because Full Moon movies themselves were inspired by the likes of classic Marvel Comics, it was a great brand deal ahead of its time, and led to series based on Subspecies, Trancers, and Demonic Toys in addition to Puppet Master. Naturally, Puppet Master was its most successful collaboration, and there were two limited series released.
The first of these series, titled Puppet Master, is a four-issue miniseries that acts as a prequel and sequel to the opening flashback of the original Puppet Master movie. Many elements were later used as the basis for Puppet Master III: Toulon’s Revenge, the franchise’s first prequel and one of its most beloved installments. However, there are quite a few differences with the comics, and these stories have continued to become retconned by the release of additional films including Puppet Master: Axis of Evil.
The second series contains even more inconsistencies by taking place directly after the events of the original movie’s main story. Funnily enough, it does explain the animation of Leroy, the taxidermy dog that Megan seems to have given life during the original movie’s final moments. The comic reveals that none other than Neil Gallagher’s soul had been placed into the dog. This too, however, has been retconned by more recent comic runs – so the Eternity Comics era should be considered a separate continuity of Puppet Master comics and canon altogether.
It took several decades until Action Lab Comics licensed the Puppet Master IP for a new run of comics in 2015. Similar to Eternity Comics, they adapted a number of different Full Moon properties, though with Puppet Master they had much more material to utilize. By this time, the franchise consisted of ten movies under Full Moon’s canon and eleven overall. With sequels, prequels, and midquels, it gave fans a complex canon to follow with plenty of inconsistencies as well as abandoned characters and storylines. Fortunately, Action Labs made the best of this messy canon, and used their comics to address these plot holes or incomplete stories while reintroducing the puppets and giving them an all-new fleshed out tale of terror. In addition to the main ongoing Puppet Master series, Action Labs published two one-shot Halloween specials that act as bookends to the original 1989 Puppet Master movie, giving fans some answers regarding some of the franchise’s longest-standing questions. Below you’ll find a guide with all of these Puppet Master comics from Action Lab Comics in chronological order.
Outside of the two Halloween specials, the Action Lab Comics run of Puppet Master was divided into different story arcs for a total of 23 issues. Each of these story arcs have been published for a total of six volumes except for Retro Now. Unfortunately, the Retro Now arc was never properly completed. The publisher was at risk of losing the license without properly concluding the run, so rather than finish Retro Now, they chose to briefly address it and produce their intended finale under the Curtain Call arc. Outside of that cliffhanger, however, they created a rather comprehensive comic book series that tied up most of the franchise’s loose ends up to that point. The only other axed concept is that the second Halloween special nearly featured an ending with the puppets being sent to Dr. Magrew, the antagonist of the franchise’s sixth installment Curse of the Puppet Master, which would have confirmed its chronological place between Puppet Master and Puppet Master II. In every other regard, however, the Action Lab Comics run of Puppet Master is perhaps the franchise’s greatest story yet. And, for the most part, it seems to still be considered canon to the main film series.
A final one-shot comic, Blade: The Iron Cross, was published in-house by Full Moon’s own comic book label, Full Moon Comix, in 2019. It was produced as a tie-in for Blade: The Iron Cross and takes place directly after the events of Puppet Master III: Toulon’s Revenge while setting the stage for Blade’s titular solo movie. Shawn Gabborin, who wrote the Action Lab Comics run, was also brought on to write Blade: The Iron Cross although it doesn’t feature any narrative ties to the previous series. A year prior in 2018, Full Moon’s comic label also produced the six-issue miniseries Dollman Kills the Full Moon Universe which featured a few quick appearances from Andre Toulon’s Puppets. Though this is likely considered its own separate continuity much like the Eternity Comics run and shouldn’t be considered a flagship Puppet Master comic as the characters are relegated to quick crossover appearances.
The Puppet Master franchise remains Full Moon’s most immortal property both on the screen and in the world of comics. It’s likely only a matter of time before Toulon’s iconic puppets make their way to the comic book page again, especially with Full Moon’s plans to continue the feature film series. In the meantime, however, fans have been left with plenty of great stories to choose from; especially the Action Lab Comics run which is considered by fans to be one of the greatest iterations for Puppet Master comics – and the franchise in general – to date.
]]>The 1981 classic concludes with Marsha watching the television broadcast where the film’s protagonist, Karen White played by Dee Wallace Stone, is transformed into a werewolf herself before being killed on live TV. It’s a powerful ending that leaves viewers with the notion that the evil is not gone. Because not only does Marsha survive, but the viewers of Karen’s television broadcast are unconvinced that she’s really a werewolf, allowing Marsha to continue living her life in the shadows.
Of course, the Howling film franchise takes a wild turn after this original installment. Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf is the only film to follow the events of the original. Though it also features a different cast and crew, with only one returning character. Interestingly, there were plans for Elisabeth Brooks to return as Marsha for the sequel, but things didn’t work out. Reports cite possible health issues and a refusal to do full-frontal nudity as Brooks’ reasons for not returning. As such, the new character Mariana was introduced with some notable similarities to Marsha.
Regarding the original film and its story, however, what happened to Marsha Quist? Fortunately, there is an answer, though it wasn’t until 2017 that fans learned what really happened. This answer came in the form of the limited comic book series The Howling: Revenge of the Werewolf Queen. The comic’s story takes place just weeks after The Howling with Chris Halloran attempting to prove the existence of werewolves after Karen’s death while Marsha begins plotting revenge for the death of her brothers and the Colony.
The story even goes a step further. Marsha Quist doesn’t simply want to kill Chris or those tied to him and the destruction of the Colony. Rather, Marsha begins a plot for werewolves to take over the food chain, allowing them to rule the planet. It’s an ambitious goal but one that suits her character’s ambitions in the original movie. After all, she never agreed with Dr. Waggner’s beliefs that werewolves should try to live alongside humans or in secret.
The Howling: Revenge of the Werewolf Queen eventually culminates in an epic battle between humans and werewolves. Marsha naturally leads the side of the werewolves, with some impressively gory and disastrous results, and fans might even get to see the return of a few other characters thought to be dead. For fans that can track down the out-of-print comic, it’s definitely worth a read, especially if you wanted a true direct sequel to Joe Dante‘s The Howling.
Sadly, Elisabeth Brooks passed away in 1997 after a battle with brain cancer. She was only 46-years-old, and while she didn’t get to see how much of a legacy The Howling would continue to have even to this day, fans will forever remember her contributions to the genre and one of the greatest werewolf movies ever made. It’s nice to know that even without Brooks, her character Marsha Quist remains popular and even supported her own comic book spin-off series. Hopefully one day we can not only get another chapter in the Howling franchise – but one that also has the foresight to pay tribute to Brooks and her role as Marsha Quist, one of the greatest werewolf villains in cinema history.
]]>Of course, fans have struggled to understand what exactly that future is. Aside from a soft announcement, there are no actual plans for a new movie, and the only other new project we know about is Crystal Lake. For those unaware, Crystal Lake is a new television series produced by A24 for a release on Peacock. Fortunately, the Jason Universe label is also involved, which should grant Crystal Lake the use of any elements from the franchise. Though its purpose is mostly to act as a prequel to the original 1980 film, so how much of it resembles the later films with an adult Jason Voorhees remains to be seen.
The initial press release from IGN confirmed that Victor Miller and Marc Toberoff came to terms with Horror, Inc. president Robert Barsamian to run the Jason Universe label. This brought together both sides that previously fought over the legal rights to the franchise’s first installment. Now that there were no more legal fights in the way, they were able to put their pieces together to rebuild the Friday the 13th franchise. Though that leaves a few major questions left to be answered.
Fans may be wondering why the Friday the 13th name is no longer being used for these new projects and any new merchandise. Interestingly, New Line Cinema – owned by Warner Bros. – still has the trademarks to the Friday the 13th title for films and merchandise. For legal reasons, then, it makes sense that Jason Universe would be the new title as a way to protect Victor Miller, Marc Toberoff, and Horror, Inc. from any future legal debacles. And, if they ever make a deal with New Line Cinema for a future collaboration, they would once again be able to use the Friday the 13th name.
In the meantime, however, they seem to be exercising their rights to the original film’s screenplay and the rest of the franchise’s characters to tread new ground and make new deals. Universal’s streaming service Peacock will be the new home for Crystal Lake, while A24 is producing the series. On the movie front, there have been rumors that Blumhouse is tied to a potential new feature film. Ultimately, it shows that the Jason Universe brand is hopeful to bring plenty of new blood into the franchise’s fore.
To summarize having the Jason Universe explained, the Jason Universe is the culmination of Victor Miller who owns the rights to the original 1980 screenplay and his lawyer Marc Toberoff alongside Horror, Inc. who own everything else. The lack of the Friday the 13th title is due to New Line Cinema’s ownership of the trademark. Outside of that, they’re making deals with numerous new parties to keep the franchise moving forward into the future. And, if the opportunity arises, we may once again see the Friday the 13th title return with a new feature film.
In the meantime, we will be getting Crystal Lake, which looks like a promising start to the franchise’s new era not unlike Sleepaway Camp. Stay tuned for more updates regarding the Friday the 13th franchise, the Jason Universe label, and the production of Crystal Lake as we have them.
]]>The journey between Phantasm and Phantasm: Ravager was a wild one, with numerous projects falling apart before they had the opportunity to get off the ground. Still, though, Coscarelli and his team persevered and still managed to gift horror fans with a total of five out-of-this-world installments that beautifully blend horror, sci-fi, and comedy with a surprising amount of drama.
The key element that makes Phantasm work so well is that they feature a recurring group of characters beginning with Mike Pearson, his older brother Jody, and their friend Reggie. Now fans can view the timeline below to see how to watch the Phantasm movies in order:
Fortunately, the release order is also the chronological order for this series. Newcomers watching the Phantasm movies in order will already have quite the surreal viewing ahead of them – so that does make things easier. It is worth noting that Phantasm IV: Oblivion does have some prequel elements, as fans will get to see the mysterious origins of Angus Scrimm’s antagonist character The Tall Man. There were also quite a few years between most installments in the series. This can create some jarring narrative choices, but given the surreal nature of the films, the time gaps don’t conflict too much with the overall story. They do a good job at keeping everything tied together unlike Sleepaway Camp and other long-running horror franchises.
Fans should know, however, that A. Michael Baldwin did not return for Phantasm II. The film jumps forward in time and replaces Baldwin with James LeGros. While fans could accept that LeGros is simply how Mike looks as an adult, Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead brought back A. Michael Baldwin who proceeded to play the role in all of its sequels. Other cast members, including Reggie Bannister as Reggie and Bill Thornbury as Jody, continue to reprise their roles throughout the series.
One downside is that Coscarelli rarely had the opportunity to create the sequels he wanted to give to fans. For example, there were plans for a much bigger fourth film, but Phantasm IV: Oblivion had to be made instead due to a lack of funds. Coscarelli hoped that it would be enough to get a bigger fifth film greenlit instead, but that never happened either, and fans suspected a fifth film would never get off the ground at all. Fortunately, digital technology advanced and made new Phantasm stories possible, so Coscarelli paired up with David Hartman to do a Phantasm web series. Ultimately they decided to cut the footage into a feature film instead, and thus Phantasm: Ravager was created.
Sadly, the death of Angus Scrimm just prior to the release of Phantasm: Ravager seems to have made any future films unlikely if not impossible altogether. Coscarelli has made efforts to keep the franchise alive with a new literary addition instead. His book PHICTION: Tales from the World of Phantasm provides a series of short stories set all throughout the franchise’s chronology. With literary prequels, midquels, and sequels revolving around the franchise’s biggest characters and even those that were only on screen in minor parts, the collection has become a crown jewel for Phantasm fans. If watching the Phantasm movies in order isn’t enough, then PHICTION: Tales from the World of Phantasm will definitely be the perfect follow-up to any marathon. If you enjoyed this guide, check out our viewing order for The Howling and its sequels.
]]>IllFonic developed the new video game which is being published by Gun Interactive. In an exciting twist, however, the new video game will include both multiplayer and single player modes. The newly-shared trailer details how the game’s multiplayer setup will play out, with players operating either as Michael Myers or a group of playable civilians. The map itself features NPC characters that dictate the different objectives for either side.
As shared via Bloody-Disgusting, IllFonic CCO Jared Gerritzen issued the following statement regarding their plans for the upcoming video game:
“Our goal is to push the horror experience to the next level with single and multiplayer modes so players can get the most out of the game,” shared Gerritzen. “Whether they become the boogeyman or fight to protect Michael Myers’ victims, Halloween promises an unforgettable battle of fear and survival.”
Here’s the official Halloween gameplay trailer:
As revealed in the Halloween gameplay trailer, the new Halloween game will use Unreal Engine 5 to not only create the characters including the recreation of slasher villain Michael Myers as he once appeared in 1978, but the developers painstakingly recreated the aesthetic of a 1978-era Haddonfield, Illinois. The iconic location has been a trademark setting for the franchise and to see it paired with aesthetics of the time period really emphasize how this feels like John Carpenter’s Halloween. For example, fans won’t have to worry about it feeling like The Devil’s Rejects director Rob Zombie’s rendition of Halloween. Of course, we’ll have to wait until the game is fully released to see just how well they’ve recreated these elements for players to enjoy.
For those hoping that they’d be able to play the new Halloween game this year, fans might have to wait a little longer than expected. In fact, the new game has been announced to be a year away with its release coming next September in 2026. It’s definitely disappointing to see that the game’s release is so far away, but hopefully this gameplay trailer will be enough to hold fans over for the time being. Additionally, it’ll be exciting to see more glimpses at the title in the following months, so stay tuned to Brain Mutant for more news on that front as we have it.
The game’s release date has been confirmed with the following clever throwback to the original film’s iconic tagline:
Asymmetrical horror comes home to Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store on September 8, 2026.
In addition to the new Halloween game, there are other projects in the works for the Halloween film franchise. Details have been scarce at this time, but it was most recently confirmed that a Halloween television series was in the works. The series is expected to be unrelated to the recent Blumhouse trilogy that consists of Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2021), and Halloween Ends (2022). We also know that Miramax will be the studio behind the series after winning the television rights in a bidding war – which could indicate ties to new feature films. Of course, only time will tell what happens, especially with the unpredictable nature this franchise has proven to have. At least with this new Halloween gameplay trailer we know there will be a new Halloween game to keep fans occupied by this time next year. And if you’re interested in new slasher movies – a new Sleepaway Camp movie is on the way.
]]>The original film takes audiences to Kingston Falls, a snowy small town modeled after Bedford Falls from 1946’s It’s a Wonderful Life. It offers a nice contrast when the catastrophic gremlins begin their reign of terror and turn the otherwise cheery Christmas movie into a horror film. The gremlins build their numbers, in fact, by coming into contact with water throughout the movie. When traveling through the snow, which there’s plenty of in Kingston Falls, nothing seems to happen. It’s something that’s left fans scratching their heads for decades – though there is an official reason given for why gremlins don’t multiply in snow if you look hard enough.
Fans have speculated for years why snow wouldn’t have the same effect as water. As it turns out, the answer is in the Gremlins novelization from author George Gipe. While searching for Stripe after he escapes into the night, Billy Peltzer first theorizes why snow doesn’t have the same effect as water while speaking with Gizmo. Here’s what he stated:
“‘Giz, I just thought of something,’ Billy said. ‘Water makes you guys reproduce, right? And snow is just frozen water. But snow must not have had any effect on Stripe. Otherwise, this whole area would be crawling with those things. What are they called, anyway? They’re sure not Mogwai. They’re more like those things Mr. Futterman told me about. What did he call them? Grebblies? Gremlins? Yeah, that’s it. And to think, I thought he was crazy. Anyway, for water to make you reproduce it must have to be a warmer temperature. Stripe won’t find any water outside like that, so luck is with us.'”
The dialogue comes while Billy determines where Stripe could be headed. He eventually comes to the conclusion that Stripe has made his way to the YMCA, though there’s some additional theorizing about snow and why it doesn’t effect the gremlins:
“‘Outside, it’s dark and he’s free to move about as he pleases, but apparently the snow is too cold to use for reproduction,’ Billy reasoned. ‘Inside, there’s the thing he’s probably looking for – warmer water.'”
It’s certainly a wordy exposition that wouldn’t have worked as well in the movie. It does explain not only why gremlins don’t multiply in snow, but why Billy knew where Stripe was headed. Unfortunately, it’s a piece of obscure dialogue from an even more obscure book, so most modern fans are unaware of its existence. It’s nice to know that in some iteration of the film, however, the characters do acknowledge some of the inconsistencies that fans have been debating and discussing for decades. Gremlins is simply one of those movies that remains timeless – not unlike many of director Joe Dante’s other works including The Howling.
Now that fans know why gremlins don’t multiply in snow, however, there are still plenty of other discussions to be had. As such, fans can stay tuned to Brain Mutant for more Gremlins content as we have it. In the meantime, revisit our timeline for the Gremlins franchise, or try out another mini monster series like Critters. There’s always plenty of new material to uncover.
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