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Kentucky has some fascinating hauntings and paranormal activity — and this Ashland story is tame compared to some of the stuff I've uncovered researching for my anthology. What spot in Lexington do you think is actually the most haunted?

Option 1: Tales from the Crypt
Option 2: The Walking Dead

The other one disappears completely — every issue, every character, and the influence it had on horror comics afterward.

I already know this one is going to hurt some people. 😂

Which one are you saving, and why?

And no cheating with “both.” One has to go.

#HorrorComics #TalesFromTheCrypt #TheWalkingDead #ComicBooks

👁️ WHAT HAUNTS YOUR HOMETOWN? — INVESTIGATION #1

📍 Evansville, Indiana
🌊 The Green-Clawed Beast

There are plenty of reasons to be nervous about swimming in a river when you can't see what’s beneath your feet.

But in 1955, one Indiana woman claimed something beneath the Ohio River did more than brush against her.

It grabbed her.

According to the legend, Naomi Johnson was swimming near Evansville when something suddenly seized her leg and pulled her beneath the water.

She fought her way back toward the surface.

Then it grabbed her again.

Johnson reportedly described what had hold of her as something with a powerful, hairy, claw-like hand.

She escaped and made it back to shore—but the encounter soon became part of local folklore.

What attacked her?

A giant catfish?
A gar?
Something misidentified in the murky water?

Or was there something down there that didn't belong in the Ohio River at all?

Whatever happened that day, the story of the Green-Clawed Beast has survived for more than 70 years.

Maybe there's a reason some legends refuse to sink.

👁️ What haunts YOUR hometown?

Tell us your local ghost story, monster, strange encounter, or urban legend. Your town might become our next investigation.

COMIC TO SCREEN #8 — COLLECTION COMPLETED

Retirement is supposed to give you time to finally pick up a hobby.

Unfortunately, Jonas picked taxidermy.

For the next entry in COMIC TO SCREEN, we’re digging into the Season 1 finale of HBO’s Tales from the Crypt: “Collection Completed.”

THE COMIC

The story originally appeared as “Collection Completed!” in EC Comics’ The Vault of Horror #25 in 1952, with artwork by the legendary Graham “Ghastly” Ingels.

In the comic, Jonah is fed up with his wife Anna constantly bringing stray animals into their home.

So he decides to take up a new hobby.

Taxidermy.

It begins with a mouse.

Then a squirrel.

Then a bird.

Then a dog.

And eventually Jonah decides there’s one particular animal that would make his collection complete.

His wife’s cat.

Bad decision.

Anna discovers what he’s done — and decides that Jonah’s collection is still missing one final specimen.

By the end of the story, Jonah himself has become part of the collection.

THE HBO VERSION

When Tales from the Crypt adapted the story in 1989, M. Emmet Walsh played the newly retired Jonas, while Audra Lindley — Mrs. Roper from Three’s Company — played his animal-loving wife Anita.

The television version expands the setup considerably.

Jonas has spent decades working and has absolutely no idea what to do with himself after retirement. Meanwhile, Anita seems considerably more interested in her house full of pets than she is in him.

His irritation slowly turns into obsession.

And pretty soon those pets start disappearing.

The basic EC punchline remains intact:

The taxidermist eventually becomes the taxidermy.

But HBO leans much harder into the dysfunctional marriage and black comedy, giving Walsh and Lindley plenty of room to make the couple hilariously uncomfortable before everything goes completely off the rails.

THE HORROR CONNECTION

There’s another great bit of horror history behind this episode.

It was directed by Mary Lambert, the director of 1989’s Pet Sematary.

So yes…

The director of Pet Sematary directed an episode about a man murdering and stuffing his wife’s pets.

Sometimes horror history writes its own jokes.

COMIC OR SCREEN?

The EC version is faster, nastier and gets straight to that wonderfully cruel final image.

The HBO version takes the same idea and turns it into nearly half an hour of uncomfortable domestic black comedy before delivering the payoff.

Which version gets your vote — the original EC comic or the HBO episode?

Long before mummy curses became a horror-movie staple, Stoker was already digging into ancient Egypt, resurrection, and things that should probably stay buried.

🌙 THE MIDNIGHT HORROR LIBRARY #1
The Jewel of Seven Stars — Bram Stoker

Published in 1903, The Jewel of Seven Stars follows an Egyptologist obsessed with bringing an ancient Egyptian queen back from the dead.

And yes… this comes from the same Bram Stoker who gave us Dracula.

While Dracula became one of the most recognizable monsters in history, Stoker continued exploring supernatural horror through curses, ancient artifacts, reincarnation, forbidden knowledge, and mankind’s unfortunate habit of opening things clearly marked DO NOT OPEN.

The novel would later inspire several mummy-themed films, including Hammer Horror’s Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb.

That’s exactly what The Midnight Horror Library is going to explore — famous horror writers, forgotten novels, strange stories, and the books hiding in the shadows behind their biggest hits.

Because sometimes the most interesting monster isn’t the one everybody remembers.

📖 Have you ever read The Jewel of Seven Stars — and should we dig into another forgotten Bram Stoker story next?

#TheMidnightHorrorLibrary

The movie tried to kill Freddy Krueger. The comic made his “final” nightmare jump right off the page.

Published by Innovation, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare adapted the sixth Elm Street movie into comic form. The regular story ran through three numbered issues, while this special #3-D edition recreated the movie’s final three-dimensional sequence on the printed page, with 3-D work by Ray Zone.

And just look at that cover.

Freddy explodes through a wall of color with the promise: “Freddyvision… it’ll blow your mind!” It is loud, grotesque and completely committed to the kind of promotional gimmick that made early-1990s horror comics feel like artifacts from another dimension.

The comic was adapted by Andy Mangels, with artwork credited across the series to Mike Witherby, Robb Phipps and Barb Kaalberg. More than a simple movie souvenir, it preserved a strange moment when licensed horror comics, theatrical gimmicks and outrageous painted covers all collided on the spinner rack.

It may not have been Freddy’s greatest nightmare—but as a piece of horror-comic history, it absolutely belongs inside the Vault.

Did you ever read this 3-D edition—and do you think Freddy works better on film or on the comic-book page?

I’ve been looking back at the controversy surrounding Manhunt 2, and this is one of the rare cases where calling a video game “censored” isn’t an exaggeration.

Rockstar originally submitted the game with much clearer and more graphic execution sequences, but the ESRB gave it an Adults Only rating. That effectively blocked it from a normal console release because Sony and Nintendo would not allow AO-rated games on their systems, and many major retailers would not stock them.

To secure a Mature rating, Rockstar covered many of the executions with darkness, red flashes, heavy blur and rapid visual distortion. The violence was technically still happening, but the player could barely see what Daniel Lamb was doing.

The strange part is that the censorship may have made some scenes feel even more disturbing. Instead of showing everything clearly, the game presents fragmented glimpses of violence buried beneath screaming sound effects and chaotic flashes. It almost feels like Daniel’s mind is refusing to process what is happening.

But it also changes the purpose of the horror. Manhunt 2 was partly about confronting the player with Daniel’s actions and his relationship with Leo. When those actions are hidden, the player loses some of that uncomfortable connection to the character.

There are modified PS2 and PSP versions that remove the visual filters, but those are not necessarily the complete original build. The ESRB stated that simply disabling the filters did not restore every element from the version that originally received the AO rating.

An official Adults Only PC version was eventually released digitally in 2009 and is generally considered the legitimate uncut retail edition. However, the exact original console submission still has an almost mythical reputation among fans.

The controversy around Manhunt 2 wasn’t only about whether the game was too violent. It raised a larger question: should an adults-only rating exist if companies, console manufacturers and retailers make it nearly impossible for adults to purchase the game?

Do you think the visual filters ruined Manhunt 2, or did they accidentally make its executions even more unsettling?

What's one horror opinion that instantly makes you want to say...

"Okay, that's enough. Hand over your horror card." 🎃

Every horror fan has one.

Maybe it's:
1 "The original Halloween is boring."
2 "CGI always looks better than practical effects."
3 "Found footage isn't real horror."
4 "Jump scares are the only thing that makes a horror movie scary."

It's all in good fun, of course—but sometimes a hot take is so wild you just have to jokingly revoke someone's horror fan privileges. 😄

So let's hear it...

What's the horror opinion that makes you want to hand someone this card? Drop your funniest (or most controversial) examples in the comments—and remember, we're all horror fans here. 🎬🖤

Some horror movies scare you once.

Others stay in your head for years, waiting until you’re alone in a dark hallway to remind you they exist.

It doesn’t always have to be the bloodiest movie or the one with the biggest monster. Sometimes it is one strange image, one creepy sound, or one scene that hit you at exactly the wrong age.

For me, those are usually the horror moments that work best—the ones that leave just enough unexplained for your imagination to finish the job.

What horror movie scene has stayed with you the longest?

#HorrorMovies #HorrorFans #MemoirsOfAMonsterSociety

MEMOIRS OF THE UNEXPLAINED #53: THE DEVIL'S TREE - BERNARDS TOWNSHIP, NJ

In the middle of a quiet field in Bernards Township stands a lone oak that locals won't go near.

Some say it's cursed.
Snow never settles at its base.
Animals won't cross near it.
And every attempt to cut it down... ends in failure.

Chainsaws stall for no reason.
Blades snap clean off.
Crews walk away and refuse to come back.

The legend? The Devil himself used it as a meeting place, and now guards whatever lies buried beneath its roots.

Some say if you touch the tree at midnight, you'll be cursed. Others say you'll feel heat coming off the bark in dead winter.

Would YOU dare to put your hand on it after dark?

Have you ever seen a place animals just instinctively avoid? Tell me below.

Art from this week's file. Case #53 is officially logged.

I recently compared the HBO Tales from the Crypt episode “Lover Come Hack to Me” with the original EC Comics story from The Haunt of Fear #19, and this may be one of the show’s most faithful adaptations.

Both versions follow Charles, a man who marries the shy and wealthy Peggy primarily for her money. After a storm leaves the newlyweds stranded at an old mansion, Charles witnesses what appears to be a previous bride murdering her husband with an axe.

He wakes up believing it was only a nightmare.

Then Peggy reaches for the axe.

The television episode preserves most of the comic’s important story beats, but it gives the characters more depth. Comic-book Charles is essentially the doomed husband, while the television version makes him much more calculating. He has married Peggy for her inheritance and is secretly planning to murder her, making his eventual fate feel like classic EC poetic justice.

Peggy also feels more developed in the HBO version. Amanda Plummer initially plays her as sheltered, nervous and almost frightened of Charles. After their wedding night, her entire personality changes. The timid bride disappears, and we realize that she has been in control of the situation all along.

Some viewers may remember Plummer as Honey Bunny from Pulp Fiction. I initially thought she might have been Ellen Greene, who played Audrey opposite Rick Moranis in Little Shop of Horrors. They have a surprisingly similar nervous vocal delivery in these roles.

The adaptation also changes part of the family history. In the comic, Charles witnesses Peggy’s aunt murdering her husband. The television episode makes the killer Peggy’s mother and expands Aunt Edith’s role as the keeper of the family tradition.

The HBO ending explains the curse more clearly, revealing that the women in Peggy’s family return to the house generation after generation to conceive a daughter and murder their husbands.

Overall, I think the episode translated the comic extremely well. It kept the central twist and atmosphere while making Charles more deserving of his fate and Peggy more interesting than a simple last-page reveal.

Which version do you think handled Peggy better—the EC comic or the HBO episode?

Long before the Comics Code, horror comics weren't afraid to haunt your dreams.

This cover from Weird Horrors #8 is a perfect example of why the pre-Code era remains so legendary. A moonlit cemetery, a grieving widow, a shambling corpse... and lurking in the shadows, even darker horrors waiting for their turn.

What makes these comics so memorable isn't just the monsters—it's the atmosphere. Artists relied on dramatic lighting, expressive faces, and eerie settings to create suspense long before modern special effects existed. Every cover invited readers to imagine what terrifying fate waited just beyond the first page.

Many of these books were later swept up in the moral panic that led to the Comics Code Authority, making surviving issues fascinating pieces of horror history and comic book collecting.

If you could bring back one era of horror comics, would it be the wild pre-Code days or the darker horror revival of the 1970s?

#MidnightComicVault #PreCodeHorror #VintageComics #ComicHistory #HorrorComics #GoldenAgeComics

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Monster Code Activated #3

Ever wonder how many horror games never made it to the finish line?

Before Tales from the Crypt became just another TV memory, there was actually a video game in development starring the Crypt Keeper. Concept art was created, work was underway, and for a brief moment it looked like horror fans would get to step into his twisted world. Then... it vanished before it ever reached store shelves.

Sometimes the most fascinating horror stories aren't the ones we get to play—they're the ones that disappear.

If this game had been released in the '90s, do you think it would've become a horror classic, or would it have been forgotten alongside so many licensed games of the era?

#MonsterCodeActivated #TalesFromTheCrypt #HorrorGaming #RetroGaming #GamingHistory #HorrorFans

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One of the things that has me most interested about Hellraiser Revival isn't just that we're finally getting a story-driven game based on one of horror's most iconic franchises—it's whether players will get to experience it exactly as the developers intended.

Clive Barker's work has never shied away from disturbing imagery or difficult themes. Hellraiser has always been about pushing boundaries, and if the reveal trailer is any indication, this game looks ready to embrace that legacy.

It also brings up an interesting discussion about censorship in games. We saw Martha Is Dead arrive on PlayStation with content altered at Sony's request, while the PC version remained intact. That raises the question: will Hellraiser Revival receive the same treatment, or will console players get the complete experience?

As much as I've enjoyed asymmetrical horror games like Friday the 13th: The Game, and I'm looking forward to the upcoming Halloween game, it's refreshing to see a horror icon get a dedicated, narrative-driven adventure instead of another multiplayer experience. Pinhead and the Cenobites have such a rich mythology that they deserve a game focused on story and atmosphere.

Whether you play on PC or console, this is one horror game I'll be watching very closely.

#MonsterCodeActivated #Hellraiser #HellraiserRevival #CliveBarker #HorrorGames #SurvivalHorror #GamingNews #HorrorCommunity #StoryDrivenGames #HorrorFans

MONSTER CODE ACTIVATED

Fact: Night Trap helped spark the 1993 U.S. Senate hearings on video game violence, contributing to the creation of the ESRB rating system—despite being surprisingly tame by today's horror standards. Monster Code Activated #3: Night Trap (Sega CD)

For years, Night Trap was treated as one of the most controversial video games ever made. Alongside Mortal Kombat, it became one of the games discussed during the 1993 Senate hearings that eventually led to the creation of the ESRB rating system.

The funny thing?

By today's standards, it's incredibly tame.

Looking at the cover, you'd probably expect a violent vampire slasher filled with blood and gore. Instead, Night Trap is more like an interactive B-movie where your job is to protect a group of teenagers by setting traps to capture strange intruders before anyone gets hurt.

Despite the game's reputation, there's very little graphic violence. Most of the horror comes from the cheesy acting, suspense, and campy atmosphere rather than anything shocking or disturbing.

Like horror comics, heavy metal, and slasher films before it, Night Trap became a symbol in a much larger debate about entertainment and its influence on audiences. Unfortunately, that controversy often overshadowed what the game actually was.

Today, it's remembered less for its gameplay and more for the role it played in video game history.

Sometimes a game's legacy isn't defined by what players experienced—it's defined by the headlines it made.

#MonsterCodeActivated #NightTrap #SegaCD #RetroGaming #HorrorGames #GamingHistory #FMV #SEGA

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Comic to Screen #6: Jason Goes to Hell — Comic vs. Movie

Jason Goes to Hell remains one of the most divisive entries in the Friday the 13th franchise. For many fans, it's not just one of the weakest Jason films—it's one of the most controversial.

Surprisingly, I think the comic adaptation is the better experience.

What's fascinating is that the comic tells essentially the same story, yet it works much better on the page than it does on screen. The artwork leans into the supernatural horror, making many of the film's stranger ideas feel more at home in a comic book. Instead of feeling disjointed, the story reads more like a dark horror graphic novel.

One of the movie's biggest problems is how it handles the established Friday the 13th lore. The introduction of Diana Kimble as Pamela Voorhees' daughter raises more questions than answers. Pamela's entire motivation in the original film was her overwhelming devotion to Jason after his death. Introducing another child into that backstory never felt like a natural fit and has remained one of the film's most criticized additions.

The movie also tries to connect itself to the Friday the 13th television series by including characters like Creighton Duke and references that feel closer to the TV show's supernatural mythology. The problem is that the television series wasn't actually connected to Jason or the films, making those elements feel out of place for longtime fans.

The comic, however, smooths over many of these rough edges. By emphasizing atmosphere, horror, and striking visuals, it makes the supernatural mythology feel far more believable. The pacing is tighter, Jason himself feels more intimidating, and the bizarre concepts are easier to accept in comic form.

This is one of the rare adaptations where I'd actually recommend skipping the movie and reading the comic instead.

As a bonus, comics like Jason vs. Leatherface expand the world even further, making it feel like these stories exist in a larger horror comic universe that the films never fully explored.

What do you think? Is Jason Goes to Hell an underrated experiment, or do you think the comic handled the story better than the movie?

#ComicToScreen #FridayThe13th #JasonVoorhees #HorrorComics #ComicBooks #HorrorMovies

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