Dinosaur Movie Comic Book Adaptations!

I am trying to track down copies of each of these - cheap!

 

Skywald's Psycho Magazine Cover Gallery

Good reading!

 

Video - Rahan - Spirit of the Bear (2008) S01E01

And the unexpected surprises continue! Here is the first episode of the 2008 cartoon adaptation of Rahan and it is dubbed in English. It seems aimed at a more juvenile audience than the 80's series but it has fine qualities on its own terms. Check it out! 

Video - RAHAN, SON OF THE FIERCE AGE - Episode 1 (1987) a.k.a. Rahan, fils des âges farouches

File this under 'You Discovery Something New Every Day'. A recent FB post about reprints of the AXA barbarian comics caused friend Nicholas to point me toward this earlier comic character from France. I then spotted the 1987 twenty-six episode cartoon version above. The YouTube generated English subs are, at best, serviceable but they help to get across the story pretty well. Its a shame this stuff isn't more easily viewable and I'd love to read the original comics as well. 

The Bloody Pit #214 - DEAD MAN'S EYES (1944)

Troy and I return to the Inner Sanctum movies for the third in the series. DEAD MAN’S EYES (1944) presents us with Lon Chaney Jr. as a painter this time but he is once again involved in a low-simmering romantic triangle. There is hope for all of us, huh? A terrible accident renders him blind and in need of replacement corneas. Soon, a convenient murder is committed and we start to examine the small cast to figure out whodunnit.

 

We dig into the cast and praise their work – for the most part. Troy puts forth an excellent alternate scenario that might have made the film more interesting while I complain that the first thirty minutes of the film plays like a tragic romance drama. Of course, once the corpse hits the floor things perk up with Thomas Gomez sliding into place as the police detective trying to find the killer. We wonder what director Reginald Le Borg thought of having to once again put Acquanetta through her stiff paces. And we debate the mystery the film is built around, arguing its merits and imagining different options.

If you have any comments about the Inner Sanctum films or anything else we might have touched on, thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Thanks for listening! 

What I Watched in April 2025

I can understand why some would feel put off by David Cronenberg’s films over the past two decades. If the thing that drew you to his earlier work were the outrageous visions of horror from exploding heads, mutant vampiric appendages and full body insect metamorphosis then his work in this late period of his career is puzzling. These days the director seems less interested in straightforward formal narratives with his odd, obsessive musings hanging from the story like bits of transparent flesh. In the 21st century Cronenberg has seemed to dig into a style that was always there, but used more as setting than mood. His films have always had a dreamlike vibe that would occasionally push the story forward in an unnatural way, making the viewer unsure if what was being seen was ‘real’ or imagined within the character’s lives. With THE SHROUDS (2025) he seems to be taking that obsession to a new level. I’ll not spoil the film but it seems that the writer/director throws a half a dozen fine ideas at his doppelganger main character (has any actor looked more like his director than here?) only to discard them because they were mere distractions from the story’s real journey and purpose. All the complications about technological conspiracies, sexual betrayals, marital trust and the reverence we owe to the dead are fascinating but are details ‘shrouding’ the important truth of the movie. THE SHROUDS is about the horrors of dealing with bone-deep grief and its final image gives an indicator of Cronenberg’s personal solution to this universal problem. His darkly humorous way of coping is not for everyone, but then neither is this fine film. I suspect it will be found by the people that need to see it as time goes by.

 

As an aside – I think a screening of THE BROOD with this movie would be instructive. 

THE LIST

THE WOMAN IN THE YARD (2025) – 7

 

FRANKENSTEIN’S BLOODY TERROR (1968) - 7 (rewatch of the shorter 3D version)

THE CROSS OF THE DEVIL (1975) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)

 

CRIES & SHADOWS (1975) – 5 (silly, sloppy Exorcist rip-off but I kind of liked it)

 

SATANICO PANDIMONIUM (1975) – 4 (Mexican nun tale)

THE SECRET MARK OF D’ARTAGNAN (1962) – 7

 

FROM BEYOND (1986) – 8 (rewatch on Blu)

STRANGE DARLING (2024) – 9 (rewatch on Blu)

WOMEN OF DEVIL’S ISLAND (1962) – 7 (rewatch)

NIGHT OF THE BLOODY APES (1969) – 5 (women wrestlers and mad science)

 

SINNERS (2025) – 9 (brilliant period vampire tale)

THE CASE OF THE LUCKY LEGS (1935) – 7 (fast, funny Perry Mason mystery)

THE SHROUDS (2025) – 8 (Cronenberg’s latest is a meditation on grief)

 

THE ACCOUNTANT 2 (2025) – 8

 

THE RULE OF JENNY PEN (2024) – 7 (excellent cast in an elder horror tale)

 

DEAD MAN’S EYES (1944) – 5 (rewatch on Blu)

PSYCHO GIRLS (1986) – 5 (amateurish Canadian horror with some good dialog)

 

THE INVINCIBLE SIX (1970) Poster Art and Lobby Cards

Every now and then, while researching something, I will stumble across a movie that I have never heard of before and immediately realize I must see. This is the one I found today and I will not rest until I can watch it! With that cast and directed by the man who made THE MASK OF DIMITRIOS (1944), JOHNNY BELINDA (1948), TITANIC (1950), THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN (1954) and THE PLEASURE SEEKERS (1964) it is a must find.

Wild, Wild Podcast - WOMEN OF DEVIL'S ISLAND (1962)

It's adventure on land and on sea as we chart a course to Devil's Island! It's the time of the French Revolution and tempers are running high, quite literally, as we visit those poor female prisoners of Devil's Island, who are forced to pan for gold by day in the hot South American sun, and then entertain the prison guards in improvised brothels by night. If only there was a dashing young captain who could come and save them? And perhaps punch a crocodile whilst he's at it?

We are now halfway through our Rapiers & Ruffles season now, so hitch up your skirts and wade into the croc-infested waters in search of cinematic gold with us, your piratical hosts Rod Barnett and Adrian Smith.

You can get in touch with us (we love hearing from you!), follow us on social media, buy our merch, and all that stuff, through our LINKTREE.

 

Pirate Movie Poster Art

Always fun!

 

Poster Art for FROM BEYOND (1986)

 

Video - WOMEN OF DEVIL'S ISLAND (1962)

For those keeping up with us on the Wild, Wild Podcast, this is the film we'll cover on the next episode. It is another fine example of why this overlooked genre deserves more attention.