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Horror is one of the many genres that audiences love to digest. It's particularly prominent in cinema and on television, with horror movies and TV shows enjoying a lot of success over the past few decades. In fact, I recently put together a list recommending some horror movies and TV shows based on comic books.

But there are also plenty of horror comic books, too. With that in mind, I'd now like to focus on the comics that inspired many of the movies and shows from the previous list. So, without further adieu, here's some horror comic book recommendations for spooky season.

A note that this list is in no particular order!

Swamp Thing (Various)

The muck encrusted mockery of man, the Avatar of the Green, The Swamp Thing! Swamp Thing has had a great amount of runs in his decades long history, with his initial run and introduction from...

Warning: may contain spoilers for Blade #1!

Blade enters his new R-rated era by forging his bloodiest weapon to date. In the wake of the recently concluded Blood Hunt, Blade has retreated to an island to reassess his life. However, it is not long before Blade begins creating a new weapon, one by which he will unleash his pent-up fury. Bloodshed is coming to the Marvel Universe, as seen in a preview for Blade #1.

Blade first appeared in Tomb of Dracula #10, created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan.

Blade #1 is written by Bryan Hill and drawn by C.F. Villa. On the island of Lupui, in Southeast Asia, Blade lives a simple life. He ekes out a living hunting and fishing, but deep down he is still troubled by his possession by Varnae during Blood Hunt. Blade travels into a nearby village, purchasing some steel. Blade begins melting the steel, ready to forge a new weapon.

Marvel's weirdest vampire story involved alien criminals resembling giant bats facing the android Human Torch. The Comics Code Authority banned vampires in comics for nearly 20 years after the story's publication. "Vampire Tale" was a unique and science fiction-oriented vampire story that Marvel has chosen to ignore and forget.

70 years ago, Marvel published its weirdest vampire story everand they would love you to forget about it. Vampires have been a consistent part of the Marvel Universe since 1972s Tomb of Dracula #1, and just made their presence felt in Blood Hunt. Yet in 1954s The Human Torch #37, Marvel told a much different kind of vampire story with a weird, science fiction-oriented premise.

Vampire Tale, drawn by Dick Ayers, appeared in The Human Torch #37. It opens with the original, android Human Torch and his sidekick Toro investigating vampire attacks.

Meanwhile, a mysterious object is approaching Earth and will land at the exact spot...

The fact that there was going to be a Blade reboot as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe came as a huge surprise when the announcement was made at the San Diego Comic-Con back in July of 2019 – but all these years later, we’re still waiting on the film to make its way into production. In fact, with Bob Iger recently announcing that the studio was cutting back (even more) on Marvel stuff, Blade’s future seems in limbo. So, here’s Everything We Know About Blade.

Mahershala Ali

The Blade character was previously played by Wesley Snipes in three feature films and by Sticky Fingaz in a short-lived television series. This time around, he’s going to be played by Mahershala Ali, who was already attached to the project when it was announced in 2019… and while there was no indication online that Ali has been interested in playing Blade,...

Warning! Massive spoilers ahead for Blood Hunt #1!!

Blade is the shocking leader of an organized vampire attack on Marvel's heroes in Blood Hunt #1. Blade's new vampire powers, including turning into mist, challenge his traditional vampire-hunting mission. Blade's dark turn raises questions and sets the stage for a vampire-filled event with the element of surprise.

Marvel has revealed the mysterious figure behind the vampire uprising in the new ultra-violent crossover event Blood Hunt, and its definitely not who readers would expect. The opening salvo of the vampire war on the Marvel Universe sees the sun being blotted out and Marvels heroes being defeated by the superhuman vampire team Bloodcoven. As Doctor Strange and Clea try to discover a way to magically stop the violence, they are shocked to discover the vampires leader: Blade.

Blood Hunt #1 by Jed MacKay, Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia and VCs Cory Petit opens with the Avengers on...

Quentin Tarantino loves film. Few filmmakers can boast such a wide knowledge of movies, especially the B-films and grindhouse works that have inspired his greatest cinematic accomplishments. Tarantino also loves to talk about future projects. Put those two passions together and you get a guy who often teases movies he never actually ends up making.

Of course, it’s not always talk. Many of his best movies, including Kill Bill and Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood started as ideas that he blabbed about to anyone who would listen. But while that approach builds excitement, it also sets up fans for disappointment, such as when it was revealed that he had abandoned The Movie Critic, which for months was teased as the director’s 10th and final film.

Now including The Movie Critic, here are the most intriguing Tarantino projects that never got made.

Double V Vega

Perhaps the longest rumored unmade Tarantino,...

Superhero movies’ reign continues at the box office, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe standing as the juggernaut of the genre. While movies like Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man or the early 2000s X-Men films are often hailed for launching this expansive series of action-packed blockbusters, there’s a trio of superhero films often overlooked in discussions about the MCU’s origins: the Blade movies.

Wesley Snipes in the Blade Trilogy

Released 25 years ago in 1998, Blade hit theaters at a time when Hollywood was still grappling with how to approach superhero films seriously. These movies played a crucial role in paving the way for the confidence needed to tackle adaptations of iconic characters like the X-Men and Spider-Man.

Suggestedx-Men vs. Blade: Which Is The Better MCU Progenitor Trilogy

Without Blade leading the charge, it’s unlikely that the momentum necessary for what eventually evolved into the Marvel Cinematic Universe would have been generated.

Earth's Mightiest Heroes face off against an army of super-powered vampires in the cover of Blood Hunt #1 by Gabriele Dell’Otto Marvel unveils Dell’Otto’s epic connecting covers for Blood Hunt, depicting the Avengers battling the deadly Bloodcoven in a massive showdown. Blood Hunt introduces the Bloodcoven, a powerful vampiric group targeting superhumans, establishing vampires as a significant threat in the Marvel Universe.

It is the Avengers versus the Bloodcoven as Marvel’s heroes battle a vampire army in an epic new cover for Blood Hunt #1. This summer, Earth’s vampires make the move they have been waiting centuries for: an all-out invasion. Superstar artist Gabriele Dell’Otto has created a series of connecting covers for the event that depict a giant battle between Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and the undead.

Marvel shared a first look at Dell’Otto’s series of covers for Blood Hunt in a post on their website.

Marvel has clarified Blade's powers, including his vampire physiology, physical strength, and excellent healing factor. Blade's newest ability is the ability to turn into mist, which he unlocked with Dracula's help. Blade's powers have changed over time, with additional powers gained after being bitten by Morbius and new abilities unlocked after his meeting with Dracula.

Marvel has officially explained Blade’s powers ahead of his forthcoming MCU movie and video game. Blade has been Marvel’s premiere vampire hunter for over 50 years, but for most of that time, his powers have been vague and ill-defined. Blade will soon make his MCU debut, as well as receive his own video game, and Marvel has taken this opportunity to clarify how Blade’s powers work.

In a post on Marvel’s website, the publisher gives fans a comprehensive overview of Blade’s origin, and nature as a Dhampir. The article recounts Blade’s vampire physiology,...

A couple years ago, Marvel received copyright termination notices from comic book artist / writer Larry Lieber and the estates of fellow artists / writers Gene Colan, Steve Ditko, Don Heck and Don Rico that would have caused them to lose the sole copyrights to such characters as Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and others, as well as titles like Amazing Fantasy, The Avengers, Captain America, Daredevil, Iron Man, Journey Into Mystery, Marvel Super-Heroes, Strange Tales, Tales to Astonish, Tales of Suspense, and Tomb of Dracula. As reported in 2021, Marvel filed a series of lawsuits in response to those copyright termination notices. Now The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that all of those lawsuits have been settled.

The termination notices targeted not just specific artwork and stories, but also “any character, story element, or indicia reasonably associated with the Works.” As The Hollywood Reporter explains,...

This article contains some minor The Marvels spoilers.

The heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have visited some fantastic planets. The deadly and mystical Vormir, the rat-tag assemblage on Nowhere, and Ego the Living Planet have all offered exciting new storytelling possibilities. But none capture the imagination like Aladana, visited by Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), and Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) in The Marvels. After Carol dons a striking headpiece and warns her compatriots about the planet’s oddness, a representative arrives to greet the heroes… in song.

What follows is a brief musical number, borrowing equally from Bollywood blockbusters and technicolor musicals of a bygone age. Director Nia DaCosta floats her camera around and above the dancers, taking in the luscious colors popping against the bleached white backgrounds. At the climax of the scene, Carol’s costume transforms into an elegant dress befitting a Disney princess,...

It took a very long time for Hollywood to take Marvel Comics seriously, and "Howard the Duck" gets a lot of the blame for that. By the mid-1980s, films like "Star Wars" and "Superman: The Movie" had incited a proper revolution in the film industry. Genres that previously weren't big hits — financially or critically — didn't just make lots of money, but they made movie stars out of actors nobody had previously heard of, and even won awards. All of a sudden, sci-fi/fantasy and pulp heroes weren't just "kids' stuff." They were surefire recipes for four-quadrant success.

But even though Marvel was churning out superhero TV shows like nobody's business — not just Saturday morning cartoons but primetime hits like "The Incredible Hulk" and "Spider-Man: The Animated Series" — Marvel's first big budget foray into live-action theatrical features wasn't based on one of their most iconic costumed crimefighters. Instead it was "Howard the Duck,...

This month’s installment of Deep Cuts Rising features a variety of horror movies, with some selections reflecting a specific day or event in November, and others chosen at random.

Regardless of how they came to be here, or what they’re about, these past movies can generally be considered overlooked, forgotten or unknown.

This month’s offerings feature Dracula, a giant zombie poodle, a golem, and more.

The Tomb of Dracula (1980)

Image: The Tomb of Dracula

Directed by Minoru Okazaki.

For World Television Day (November 21), Dracula followers as well as Marvel fans might get a kick out of the 1980 animated TV-movie based on the serialized comic series The Tomb of Dracula. Between 1972 and 1979, the iconic Count Dracula was reworked into a master antagonist who was routinely opposed by a team of vampire slayers. The same series also contains the introduction of popular Marvel character Blade.

Marvel and Toei Animation...

When it comes to comics, superheroes are inexplicably linked to monsters. Horror comics existed before the superhero boom launched with Action Comics #1 (1938), and continued going strong after the caped crowd flopped following World War II. When Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Stan Lee launched the Marvel Universe in the early 60s, they did so tentatively, keeping Spider-Man, Hulk, and the Fantastic Four close to the sci-fi and monster comics they made throughout the fifties.

As unlikely as the pairing may seem, superheroes and monsters make for a peanut butter and chocolate combination. Not only do monsters provide the overpowered villains required for superhero fights, as the current Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong demonstrates, but they also give characters like Spider-Man and Batman a chance to show off their heroism in the darkest of times.

So if you’re looking for some spooky superhero stories for your Halloween season, these 13 comics will do the trick.

Vampires in the Marvel Universe have formed the Vampire Nation, and now they are ready to make their move against the Avengers in the upcoming Blood Hunt event. Writer Jed MacKay, known for his work with vampires in Moon Knight, will bring various storylines together to create an epic event that will establish Marvel's vampires as a formidable force. The Avengers have faced Earth's vampires before and barely defeated them, but now they must face the consequences of their actions as Dracula and the vampires rise up to confront them in Blood Hunt.

The vampires of the Marvel Universe rise up to take on the Avengers in the publisher’s new Blood Hunt event. Over the past few years, Dracula has been consolidating his power, culminating in the Vampire Nation. While the Nation has lived in relative peace with the rest of the world, fans knew it was only a...

Blade's co-creator is returning to tell a new story, and turning Eric Brooks into a full-fledged vampire. As a Daywalker, Blade has all the powers of a vampire, and none of their weaknesses, but a new one-shot: What If…? Dark: Tomb of Dracula #1 asks what would happen if Blade was playing for the other side. Marv Wolfman, who created Blade with artist Gene Colan 50 years ago, returns to the character, and presents the most twisted view of him yet.

Marvel released more details about What If…? Tomb of Dracula #1 via a press release. The one-shot will be written by Wolfman and drawn by David Cutler and Scott Hanna, with a cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli. The story will see Blade’s vampiric arch-nemesis Dracula turning him into a vampire. Marvel's What If...? one-shots retell classic stories with new endings, and the Dark series has seen the worst possible outcomes, for instance...

New York, NY— August 21, 2023 — Home to some of the most memorable and thought-provoking stories in the Marvel Comics mythos, What If? was the series where anything could happen! Now it’s back in What If…? Dark, a new series of special one-shots where the imaginations of comic creators run wild with dark twists on iconic stories! This November, Marvel Comics is proud to welcome back legendary writer Marv Wolfman as he teams up with artist David Cutler in What If…? Dark: Tomb Of Dracula #1!

Wolfman redefined comic book horror storytelling in his groundbreaking run of The Tomb of Dracula where he introduced Dracula to the Marvel Universe and co-created Blade and the daughter of Dracula, Lilith Drake. Now decades later, he’ll revisit his mythology-molding work with a new What If…? story that asks the question, “What If…the legendary Dracula transformed Blade the vampire slayer…into a vampire?!”

“In...

Clockwise from top left: Dracula (Universal Pictures), Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Columbia Pictures), Dracula: Dead And Loving It (Columbia Pictures), Nosferatu The Vampyre (Anchor Bay Entertainment: Screenshot/YouTube)Graphic: AVClub

Count Dracula is one of the most adapted characters in history. In fact, more actors have taken on the...

Marvel has made a major move toward ending the battle for the rights to its most iconic characters — including the Avengers — but the fight isn’t over.

Back in 2021, Marvel filed a series of lawsuits in response to copyright termination notices from Larry Lieber and the estates of Gene Colan, Steve Ditko, Don Heck and Don Rico.

U.S. Copyright Law gives authors or their heirs the ability to essentially claw back copyrights after a certain period of time. It doesn’t cover works made for hire, which has been Marvel’s primary argument in these matters.

At issue are the rights to titles including Amazing Fantasy, The Avengers, Captain America, Daredevil, Iron Man, Journey Into Mystery, Marvel Super-Heroes, Strange Tales, Tales to Astonish, Tales of Suspense and Tomb of Dracula.

In addition to the specific art and stories in the comics, the termination notices also targeted “any character, story element,...

Warning: contains spoilers for X-Men: Unforgiven #1!Marvel’s vampires have gained a huge new weakness - one that could give vampire hunters like Blade a huge advantage. In X-Men: Unforgiven #1, the Forgiven, a group of vampires pledged to protect humanity, team up with the X-Men to find Redblood, a villainous vampire who betrayed them. Their quest takes them to the enigmatic Curator, and when push comes to shove, he uses a shocking weapon to keep the vampires from shape-shifting.

The issue is written by Tim Seeley, drawn by Sid Kotian, colored by Edgar Delgado and lettered by Joe Caramagna. While pursuing Redblood, the Forgiven discover mutant body parts, and decide to call in the X-Men. After a brief misunderstanding, the two teams join forces. Their quest takes them to a boat off the coast of British Columbia, where the Curator is revealed to be an obscure X-Men villain named Roy Powell,...

Warning: contains potential spoilers for X-Men: Unforgiven #1The vampires of the Marvel Universe have a new power that makes them the X-Men's worst nightmare. In a preview for X-Men: Unforgiven #1, the team joins forces with renegade vampires the Forgiven to take down Redblood, a newly minted vampire. As the X-Men search for Redblood, it becomes apparent that Jean Grey, the team’s resident telepath, cannot read vampires, giving the bloodsuckers an enormous tactical advantage over the X-Men.

The book is written by Tim Seeley, drawn by Sid Koitan, colored by Edgar Delgado and lettered by Joe Caramagna. The X-Men, including Jean Grey and Jubilee, have traveled to the Forgiven’s headquarters, located in Upper West Manhattan; the base once belonged to the Avengers, and was given to the Forgiven by Captain America. Jean Grey senses more coming; when Rogue asks if the approaching vampires will be friends or foes, Jean...