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[REVIEW] ‘Terrifier Book One’ – A BEAUTIFUL Graphic Novel

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With the sequel for the 2016 slasher film Terrifier just around the corner, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to check out the new graphic novel of Damien Leone’s killer clown slasher! When I had first realized that comic book artist Steve McGinnis would be in charge of the illustrations on this limited edition, I couldn’t contain myself; I knew that we would be receiving something special! I did not doubt that through McGinni’s illustrations, he would bring Art, the Clown to life. And he most certainly did; that clown jumped off the pages!

‘Terrifier Book One’ – Courtesy of Steve McGinnis

of Steve McGinnisIn the graphic novel, like in the film, a crazy clown named Art terrorizes a group of women and everyone else who decides to get in his way on Halloween night. I know this word is difficult to swallow because of all the havoc and bloody carnage that Art the clown causes, but these illustrations are BEAUTIFUL! The vibrant colors, the attention to detail, everything flows together, barely any dialogue is needed, the pictures tell the story. Terrifier Book One has a clear beginning, middle, and end, and I believe that book one, along with the other two books, will attract more fan-based when released. Overall I believe the Terrifier is an underrated film; the first film was absolutely terrifying and crazy! Book one is a nice companion piece with no problem tiding us over until the second film is released.

I cannot reiterate how much I enjoyed McGinnis’s illustrations; his artwork has a particular look and feel. I can spot it when someone shares it on social media without even knowing it’s his beforehand. We here at iHorror dig it and try and share his gift with horror fans whenever we have the opportunity.

Truth be told, I had never given graphic novels a chance; I had glanced at a few over the years, but this one really has sparked my interest, and to hold and tangible copy and that experience is something the digital world cannot replace, at least not yet.

‘Terrifier Book One’ – Courtesy of Steve McGinnis

‘Terrifier Book One’ – Courtesy of Steve McGinnis

Written by Damien Leone and Illustrated by comic book artist Steve McGinnis.

 

A Chat With Illustrator Steve McGinnis

I had an amazing opportunity to ask Illustrator Steve McGinnis a few questions; enjoy!

iHorror: How long did it take for you to complete the illustrations on this project? Was there anything particularly challenging?

Steve McGinnis: It took about 5 months to illustrate, color, and letter the entire book. At first, I did find it a bit of a challenge because I’ve never translated a movie to a graphic novel form before. When I worked on my books Rise of the Harvester, I had the story in my head and just drew it. With Terrifier, I wanted to keep true to the work Damien, and the entire cast did. It was amazing that Damien wanted to add my own flair to it. So, I was able to change some Pov’s and add some new scenes.

iH: How did you become involved with this project?

SM: Damien and I started communicating after I drew the Scooby-doo Terrifier cross-over. I was then asked to do the illustration for the VHS Terrifier cover, and from there, I’ve been illustrating on and off for Damien. I think it was Aug 14th of last year when he gave me a call and asked if I would illustrate the Terrifier graphic novel. I was floored; I loved the Terrifier movie, and to get a chance to illustrate it was a once-in-a-lifetime project. I said YES, and the book started.

iH: Are you going to be involved with issue #2? If so, are you at liberty to discuss anything?

SM: Yes, I am. I’m actually 50 pages into book #2. All I can say is, if you found the hacksaw scene savage in the movie, wait till you see it in the book. If you like hardcore guts and gore, this is the book for you.

iH: What techniques and resources did you use to design the illustrations for the Terrifier Graphic Novel?

SM: I work in many mediums, but I mostly used digital illustration for the comics. Mostly for the speed, and it’s print-ready once completed.

iH: When did you first start doing illustrations? & Have your illustrations always been within the horror genre?

SM: I have always been drawing since I was a little guy. I was nonstop. Everything that I could draw on had drawings on it. Books, notepads, newspapers drove my family nuts.  I loved horror from a very young age. I watched Jaws on one of those big laserdiscs, and it scared the hell out of me, but I liked that rush of adrenaline you get from the scares. Soon I was watching and drawing everything in horror.

iH: How do you get inspired to produce a piece of artwork?

SM: Typically, through music. I love music. I can take you to a place in time or to places you’ve never been. I listen to many different genres, so I can choose what suits the art best.

iH: What do you do to overcome a creative block?

SM: Creative block is the worst. I used to try and push through it and became more and more frustrated. Now, I’ll go for a long mountain bike ride, hit the gym, or take a long drive in the country with the windows down.

iH: Thank you, Steve! We look forward to checking out book #2 when it arrives!

Be sure to check back with iHorror.com for updates on book #2 and more Terrifier!

If you like McGinnis’s illustrations, be sure to follow him on Instagram.

Copies of Terrifier Book One are available to order now from the Terrifier shop.

Check out these awesome photos that Steve McGinnis did for 7 Deadly Sins; these are some of his favorite pieces.

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‘Alien’ is Being Made Into a Children’s ABC Book

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Alien Book

That Disney buyout of Fox is making for strange crossovers. Just look at this new children’s book that teaches children the alphabet via the 1979 Alien movie.

From the library of Penguin House’s classic Little Golden Books comes A is for Alien: An ABC Book.

Pre-Order Here

The next few years are going to be big for the space monster. First, just in time for the film’s 45th anniversary, we are getting a new franchise film called Alien: Romulus. Then Hulu, also owned by Disney is creating a television series, although they say that might not be ready until 2025.

The book is currently available for pre-order here, and is set to release on July 9, 2024. It might be fun to guess which letter will represent which part of the movie. Such as “J is for Jonesy” or “M is for Mother.”

Romulus will be released in theaters on August 16, 2024. Not since 2017 have we revisited the Alien cinematic universe in Covenant. Apparently, this next entry follows, “Young people from a distant world facing the most terrifying life form in the universe.”

Until then “A is for Anticipation” and “F is for Facehugger.”

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Holland House Ent. Announces New Book “Oh Mother, What Have You Done?”

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Screenwriter and Director Tom Holland is delighting fans with books containing scripts, visual memoirs, continuation of stories, and now behind-the-scenes books on his iconic films. These books offer a fascinating glimpse into the creative process, script revisions, continued stories and the challenges faced during production. Holland’s accounts and personal anecdotes provide a treasure trove of insights for movie enthusiasts, shedding new light on the magic of filmmaking! Check out the press release below on Hollan’s newest fascinating story of the making of his critically acclaimed horror sequel Psycho II in a brand new book!

Horror icon and filmmaker Tom Holland returns to the world he envisioned in 1983’s critically acclaimed feature film Psycho II in the all-new 176-page book Oh Mother, What Have You Done? now available from Holland House Entertainment.

‘Psycho II’ House. “Oh Mother, What Have You Done?”

Authored by Tom Holland and containing unpublished memoirs by late Psycho II director Richard Franklin and conversations with the film’s editor Andrew London, Oh Mother, What Have You Done? offers fans a unique glimpse into the continuation of the beloved Psycho film franchise, which created nightmares for millions of people showering worldwide.

Created using never-before-seen production materials and photos – many from Holland’s own personal archive – Oh Mother, What Have You Done? abounds with rare hand-written development and production notes, early budgets, personal Polaroids and more, all set against fascinating conversations with the film’s writer, director and editor which document the development, filming, and reception of the much-celebrated Psycho II.  

‘Oh Mother, What Have you Done? – The Making of Psycho II

Says author Holland of writing Oh Mother, What Have You Done? (which contains an afterward by Bates Motel producer Anthony Cipriano), I wrote Psycho II, the first sequel that began the Psycho legacy, forty years ago this past summer, and the film was a huge success in the year 1983, but who remembers? To my surprise, apparently, they do, because on the film’s fortieth anniversary love from fans began to pour in, much to my amazement and pleasure. And then (Psycho II director) Richard Franklin’s unpublished memoirs arrived unexpectedly. I’d had no idea he’d written them before he passed in 2007.”

“Reading them,” continues Holland, “was like being transported back in time, and I had to share them, along with my memories and personal archives with the fans of Psycho, the sequels, and the excellent Bates Motel. I hope they enjoy reading the book as much as I did in putting it together. My thanks to Andrew London, who edited, and to Mr. Hitchcock, without whom none of this would have existed.”

“So, step back with me forty years and let’s see how it happened.”

Anthony Perkins – Norman Bates

Oh Mother, What Have You Done? is available now in both hardback and paperback through Amazon and at Terror Time (for copies autographed by Tom Holland)

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Sequel to ‘Cujo’ Just One Offering in New Stephen King Anthology

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It’s been a minute since Stephen King put out a short story anthology. But in 2024 a new one containing some original works is getting published just in time for summer. Even the book title “You Like It Darker,” suggests the author is giving readers something more.

The anthology will also contain a sequel to King’s 1981 novel “Cujo,” about a rabid Saint Bernard that wreaks havoc on a young mother and her child trapped inside a Ford Pinto. Called “Rattlesnakes,” you can read an excerpt from that story on Ew.com.

The website also gives a synopsis of some of the other shorts in the book: “The other tales include ‘Two Talented Bastids,’ which explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills, and ‘Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,’ about a brief and unprecedented psychic flash that upends dozens of lives. In ‘The Dreamers,’ a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored while ‘The Answer Man’ asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.”

Here’s the table of contents from “You Like It Darker,”:

  • “Two Talented Bastids”
  • “The Fifth Step”
  • “Willie the Weirdo”
  • “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream”
  • “Finn”
  • “On Slide Inn Road”
  • “Red Screen”
  • “The Turbulence Expert”
  • “Laurie”
  • “Rattlesnakes”
  • “The Dreamers”
  • “The Answer Man”

Except for “The Outsider” (2018) King has been releasing crime novels and adventure books instead of true horror in the past few years. Known mostly for his terrifying early supernatural novels such as “Pet Sematary,” “It,” “The Shining” and “Christine,” the 76-year-old author has diversified from what made him famous starting with “Carrie” in 1974.

A 1986 article from Time Magazine explained that King planned on quitting horror after he wrote “It.” At the time he said there was too much competition, citing Clive Barker as “better than I am now” and “a lot more energetic.” But that was almost four decades ago. Since then he’s written some horror classics such as “The Dark Half, “Needful Things,” “Gerald’s Game,” and “Bag of Bones.”

Maybe the King of Horror is waxing nostalgic with this latest anthology by revisiting the “Cujo” universe in this latest book. We will have to find out when “You Like It Darker” hits bookshelves and digital platforms starting May 21, 2024.

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