King Diamond: Abigail (2022)

King Diamond: Abigail (2022)

Author: Dan Watters | Illustrator: Damien Worm | Page Count: 120

'Perhaps it was the reduction of the world to simplistic concepts of good and evil that revolted me.'

A comic book adaptation of Danish artist King Diamond's 1987 concept album of the same name, about a couple who inherit a mansion with ghosts, wherein the influence of a stillborn child lingers, having outlived her flesh.

Sadly, there's nothing inside the covers to say how much input King actually had in its creation. Hopefully it was more than a simple nod of the head in agreement to the project being undertaken by someone else.

The credited author is Dan Watters, a British writer with various video game adaptations on his CV and the man who was chosen to helm the relaunch of DC/Vertigo's Lucifer series. All things considered, he did a fine job keeping it respectful while filling in the story's gaps.

Sadako 3D + Sadako 3D 2 (2012-13)

Sadako 3D (2012)

Dir. Tsutomu Hanabusa

A Ring Cycle movie revival based on author Koji Suzuki's novel, S (2012). I've not read it, so can't comment on how faithful the film is or isn't.

A new cursed video is uploaded to the internet, meaning every PC, laptop, tablet, phone, etc, offers a possible entry point for Sadako's return.

It sounds like a natural progression of what came before, but whereas Nakata's first two films were mature horror that made me soil myself, Sadako 3D is teen horror that made me yawn and check my watch periodically.

Silent Hill type creatures work just fine in a Silent Hill setting, but in Ring's world they were ridiculous. The only saving grace was Satomi Ishihara, who deserved to be in a better movie.

Doctor Who: The Three Doctors (1972-73)

Doctor Who: The Three Doctors (1972-73)

Dir. Lennie Mayne | 4 episodes, approx 25 mins each.

I don't plan to do all of the Classic Era Doctor Who serials — partly because I don't own them all, and partly because there's too damn many, even if I was lucky enough to have the full set — but I'll do some of the more notable ones, which should mean I can feature each of the seven actors at least once.

The Three Doctors, as the name implies, gets me three of them in one post. It's technically a Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) serial celebrating DW's tenth anniversary, but it has the First (William Hartnell) and Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton), too.

First Broadcast in weekly intervals from 30th December 1972 to 20th January 1973, it was the first story in Pertwee's fourth season and is a significant serial for a number of reasons.

In addition to being the first televised adventure to feature multiple versions of the titular Time Lord, it was, sadly, Hartnell's last time playing the role - he died two years later, aged 67.

Spawn: Director's Cut (1997)

Spawn: Director's Cut (1997)

Dir. Mark A.Z. Dippé

Even after making the usual allowances in all but story for a B-Movie production, Spawn's live action introduction is still a bag of shit.

A voiceover and montage provide some groundwork for folks who didn't read the comic book before suffering the movie, but it feels more like a rushed afterthought, a quick fix for an overlooked necessity.

Many of the events in lead character Al's life are taken directly from the comics: he's an assassin for the US government; he has a partner but no children; he makes a Faustian deal without giving it much thought, etc. The pact with Hell means we needed the clown to be there, too, but he's an insufferable turd that further sullies every scene he's in.