Horror movie super fan Forest Inman believes he has found the long lost classic-that-never-was “Night of the Ghoul,” but what should be this cinephile’s greatest discovery could turn into his worst nightmare. Mild Spoilers Ahead
Cover by Francesco FrancavillaWritten by Scott Snyder
Illustrated & Colored by Francesco Francavilla
Lettered by Andworld DesignNight of the Ghoul should have been a horror masterpiece. Shot in 1946, it was meant to be a classic to stand along-side Frankenstein, or The Mummy, but the film sadly never saw its release. Prior to the film’s final editing, a freak fire raged through the studio, destroying the film and killing multiple cast and crew members. Decades later, horror movie expert and film restorer, Forest Inman believes he has found a film canister holding the only known remnants of the poorly fated horror picture. However, instead of being the film find of the century, fiction and reality begin bleed into one another as the titular ghoul may not just be a made up movie monster, but rather a very real creature hell bent on killing Forest.
Night of the Ghoul is set during World Wart I and tells the story of a small platoon that is sent into liberate an Italian village, but once they arrive they are stalked and killed by the Ghoul. Not just a powerful monster in its own right within this story, but director T.F. Merrit sets it up as the monster. The basis for vampires, zombies, werewolves, etc. You name it, and something it created or accomplished is responsible for creating every monster across all lore and horror tales.
Told through the present day portion of the story, and pieces of the film found by Forest Inman, the first issue delves into just how obsessed Forest has become, dragging his son and estranged wife into it with research and wild goose chases in search of the film’s director, thought long dead. Writer Scott Snyder gets to have a lot of fun with this script as he is able to work in his signature mildly wordy, yet light and conversational dialogue, along with his penchant for re-telling and creating dark legends, and a love of B horror movies. Being able to flip flop between the scenes of Inman and company during the present day sequences and the cliche, but classic dialogue for a fictional black and white horror flick must have come with a lot of creative freedom and the fear of messing it up if not done right. This is the kind of script I always want from Snyder, take him out of the superhero books, drop him into the world of horror, and he is allowed to put together some truly creepy elements that will stay with you long after you have put the comic down.
Every great monster story sets you on a path along with the protagonist and before they realize it, it is too late and the evil thing is going to reach out of the shadows and snatch them up. “Night of the Ghoul” does the same thing with a beautiful set up of Forest believing he has the upper hand in this. He’s found what remains of the film, he believes he has found Merrit hiding out under an alias, but in truth the secrets he has uncovered has only sealed his fate, and the fate of his son, Orson. His obsessive nature and ego got the better of him and now he has been dragged into something he could never begin to understand, and Snyder writes it with a nearly gleeful tone. It is horrifying, but you are having fun reading it too. Taking the best elements from horror classics and only the schlockiest of schlock, Snyder creates a story built on twists and secrets hidden under secrets.
The pacing is methodical, and as the story moves between the mystery and the film scenes, things do slow down, but the terror and questions are there with every panel. You are meant to feel every unraveled mystery, ever eye watching from the shadows, every bit of tension as you wonder what the hell is going on. Any minor falters in pacing or density of details aside, the writing takes you on the journey that Snyder and Francavilla always planned to take you on. It is truly their baby and it is a classic horror story in every sense. There are some truly scary moments in this premiere issue and while Snyder’s writing sets up the mystery and the horror, it is the art, brilliantly drawn and colored by Francesco Francavilla that pushes it over the edge. Working in his classic palette of reds, oranges, blues, and blacks, Francavilla gives us the high contrast midnight movie that B horror lovers want to enjoy in every way possible. Knowing when to pull out lines to give minimal detailing, or to fill a page with heavy lines and colors to get into the deepest nooks and crannies, Francavilla masterfully balances exactly what he wants you to take away from each panel and turn of the page.
Continued belowLike Snyder’s writing being given the chance to move between styles and methods, Francavilla gets to work within two worlds. While his illustration style doesn’t change all that much when drawing the pages showing the “Night of the Ghoul” footage, he does show some restraint with the character designs, making them feel like actors from the 1940s without getting into caricature range. Also creating a film from 1946 that is set in 1917 has its own blending of styles to contend with and he pulls it off perfectly. Aside from working his familiar style with a black and white palette for the fictional film, he does get to mess around with some other ideas including pages that feel like old Hitchcock thrillers, a Universal Monsters movie, and a nice dose of German Expressionism. All are over-used and over discussed when it comes to film and critique, but between the movie at the center of this story being made within and after the time of those examples, it only makes sense to purposefully to include them into this mixture.
“Night of the Ghoul” is best read in a dimly lit room either in total silence of one of the great horror scores playing softly near you. Let the story engulf you and the uneasiness that builds to the bigger scares will pull you right in. Telling a mostly tightly scripted story that walks the line between cinephile obsessiveness and classic yarn spinning without losing its path to what is both a straight up monster story and a multi-faceted mystery.
Originally released as a six part digital series on Comixology, “Night of the Ghoul” is getting a three issue physical release through Dark Horse Comics, with each issue including the materials from two issues. So you are picking up a hefty, and beautifully printed copy.
Final Verdict: 8.5, A strong premiere that introduces some real fear, and an expansive knowledge of horror lore and filmmaking, without feeling gate-keepy to those who are still learning the language of horror cinema.
