With comic book movies dominating the box office over the last decade, most people connect them with action-oriented superheroes saving the world. However, there are great comic books outside the superhero wheelhouse, and some of the top critically acclaimed series are actually horror stories. Many of these made their way to the big screen, albeit with varying levels of success.
These comic book movies are horror stories that include basic monsters like zombies and vampires, but there are other highly original stories with demons, serial killers, and vengeance tales. The movies from these comics were often polarizing, but, for horror fans, most of them provided great scares and a nice change of pace from the typical theatrical fare.
30 Days Of Night (2007) - Available To Stream On Prime Video
Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith created the comic book series 30 Days of Night in 2002 through IDW publishing. The story was simple and effective horror; in a town in Alaska that has 30 endless days of darkness every year, vampires set up shop knowing they could take over the town quickly. However, they faced strong opposition.
The movie arrived in 2007 by director David Slade and starring Josh Hartnett and Melissa George. While it received mixed reviews from critics, horror fans appreciated the gore and horrific special effects, and it ended up as a box office success, picking up a lesser sequel and a prequel miniseries on FEARnet.
Hellboy (2004) - Available To Stream On Prime Video
In 2004, Guillermo del Toro brought the horror comic Hellboy to the big screen. Mike Mignola created the Hellboy comic for Dark Horse Comics, and it became a massive success. Hellboy was a demon from Hell who arrived on Earth as a baby and was prophesized to do great things, which he did as a demon hunting member of a government paranormal group known as the B.R.P.D.
Del Toro kept most of the comic's story intact, as he had the Nazis summon Hellboy and then had him grow into a reluctant and gruff hero who helped lead other supernatural characters into a war with demons from Hell. The movie was a minor box office success and received positive reviews, with critics offering praise for its humor and dynamic visual effects.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) - Available To Stream On Peacock
While the first Hellboy was a minor success with good reviews, Hellboy 2 was a more definite success and even picked up an Oscar nomination for makeup effects. This movie told the story of a prophesized ancient war between humans and magical creatures.
The movie was even more visually dynamic than the first movie. Del Toro created an incredible world on the big screen, with the only limits being the director's immense imagination. However, the problem here is that Guillermo Del Toro planned Hellboy 2 as a middle movie in a trilogy, and creator Mike Mignola chose to ax that idea.
Blade (1998) - Available To Stream On HBO Max
While many people point to X-Men as the start of Marvel's successful movie run, the first success for Marvel Comics in the new era began with 1998's Blade. Based on the Marvel horror comics about a vampire hunter who was half-vampire himself, the movie mixed horror and superhero action in a way never seen before.
Wesley Snipes played Blade in the movie's trilogy, starting in the first one where he sought to kill the man who murdered his mother and turned him into the creature he became. Blade is also a superhero in comics, a member of the Avengers, but the movies were pure horror.
Blade II (2002) - Available To Stream On HBO Max
When Blade got its sequel four years later, Wesley Snipes stayed on as the vampire hunter, but a new director joined the franchise. This was Guillermo Del Toro, and it was two years before he made his Hellboy horror comic book movie.
Del Toro brought him one of his top actors in Ron Perlman to play a vampire who led an elite hit squad and then teamed them with Blade to try to take out vampire hybrids that threatened both humans and vampires alike. The movie was a box office success and received a positive scores, with praise given to Del Toro's set pieces and action sequences.
The Crow (1994) - Available To Stream On HBO Max
In 1994, one of the most beloved horror comics in history received a movie, and it ended up as both a critical success and a tragic story in cinema history. James O'Barr created The Crow in 1989 for Caliber Comics, and it was an underground success at the time. In 1994, Alex Proyas directed the movie which starred Brandon Lee, the son of the legendary Bruce Lee.
The story saw a gang kill Eric Draven and his fiance, only for Draven to rise from the dead with the power of the Crow to seek vengeance on those who wronged him. With an alt-rock soundtrack, dynamic visuals, and great acting, it ended up a cult classic. Sadly, Brandon Lee died while shooting The Crow in an on-set accident.
Constantine (2005) - Available To Stream On HBO Max
One movie based on a horror comic that has received a reappraisal years after its release was Constantine. Comic fans received the John Constantine they wanted when Matt Ryan took on the role on television before settling into the lineup on The CW. However, in 2005, it was Keanu Reeves as Constantine in the movie.
Based on the Vertigo comics Hellblazer by Alan Moore, John Constantine was a streetwise magician who spent his life battling demons to try to save the soul he damned years before. The movie was a huge box office success, but it received poor reviews due to Reeves' portrayal of Constantine, although there was praise for its story and action despite the miscasting of Reeves.
Swamp Thing (1982) - Available To Rent On Apple TV
One of the earliest Marvel Comics movies to get a big release was Swamp Thing in 1982. Wes Craven had not yet created A Nightmare on Elm Street, but he had a chance to work with a comic property he loved in Swamp Thing, which was created for DC Comics by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson in 1971.
The Swamp Thing movie and comic told the story of Alec Holland, a scientist who ends up turned into the monstrous Swamp Thing when a rival blows up his laboratory. The movie received positive reviews for its campy charms, and it received a sequel seven years later.
From Hell (2001) - Available To Rent On Apple TV
While a lot of fans might not know it, the Johnny Depp movie From Hell was based on a graphic novel by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell. This was a horror comic that was as far from superheroes as the format can get.
Based on the London detective investigating the Jack the Ripper murders, From Hell actually tries to solve the case in its fictional look at the horrific murders from the 1880s. The movie earned mixed reviews and was a minor success, and it received praise for its acting and atmosphere.
Spawn (1997) - Available To Stream On HBO Max
One of the most underappreciated movies based on a horror comic was 1997's Spawn. The comic book itself was one of the most successful in the history of Image Comics, created by Todd McFarlane in 1992. Spawn was a CIA agent whose bosses murdered him, sending him to Hell.
However, he returned after making a deal with the devil, becoming the Hellspawn, a tool of destruction trying to keep from using up his powers, which would return him to Hell. Michael J. White starred in the movie, which was a minor box office success, though it garnered mostly negative reviews. However, it has since become a cult classic thanks to its campy nature.