{"id":15115,"date":"2011-09-23T07:48:10","date_gmt":"2011-09-23T12:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.filmbuffonline.com\/FBOLNewsreel\/wordpress\/?p=15115"},"modified":"2012-09-10T22:21:43","modified_gmt":"2012-09-11T02:21:43","slug":"history-of-the-comic-book-film-films-from-the-crypt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.filmbuffonline.com\/FBOLNewsreel\/wordpress\/2011\/09\/23\/history-of-the-comic-book-film-films-from-the-crypt\/","title":{"rendered":"HISTORY OF THE COMIC BOOK FILM: Films From The Crypt"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a multi-part series, Comic Book Film Editor William Gatevackes will be tracing the history of comic book movies from the earliest days of the film serials to today\u2019s big blockbusters and beyond. Along with the history lesson, Bill will be covering some of the most prominent comic book films over the years and why they were so special. This time, we\u2019ll take a look at EC Comics and the impact they had on the silver screen. <\/em><\/p>\n

When the superhero was waning in popularity during the late 1940s and early 1950s, there were a number of other genres that rose up to take its place. Comics that told stories of romance, the wild west, war, true crime and horror became the most popular comics on the market.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The company that excelled at these genres was EC Comics. Started in 1944 by Max Gaines after his All-American Publishing, merged with DC Comics, the company\u2019s initials originally stood for \u201cEducational Comics.\u201d Max Gaines intended his comic books to teach kids about religion and the bible. One of its most popular titles from this time period was \u201cPicture Stories from the Bible,\u201d which is ironic considering the content the company would become known for.<\/p>\n

When Max Gaines was tragically killed in a boating accident in 1947, his son William Gaines took over. Bill Gaines changed the focus of the comics published from bible stories and teaching science and history to telling stories of twisted horror, gripping combat and unusual science fiction. Bill Gaines also changed the name of the company to \u201cEntertaining Comics.\u201d Thus, a legend was born.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>EC Comics were known for quality tales of horror, typically drenched in gore with a surprise twist in the end. The stories often times had a social or political message as part of its subtext and the company hired the best writers and artists of the day. The company was also almost responsible for the destruction of the comic book medium in the 1950s.<\/p>\n

The graphic violence and gore in the EC Comics\u2014and other companies comics as well\u2014caught the eye of a child psychologist named Frederik Wertham. Wertham started writing articles about the dangers of horror comics like the ones EC published in 1948, culminating in the infamous (to comic fans) book Seduction of the Innocent. <\/strong>The furor Wertham helped to raise caused comic books to come under attack, even to the point that they were called into question under a Congressional hearing concerning juvenile delinquency.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The comic companies were scared of being forced out of business. Gaines suggested a self-regulatory code agency that would monitor the comics from within to get the government off their backs. This was the worst suggestion Gaines could have made because the organization created, the Comics Code Authority, set its sights on EC Comics as public enemy #1. The other publishers saw EC Comics as an attractive nuisance, drawing the attention of the witch-hunt through their gore-laden books.\u00a0 The Comics Code made in incredibly difficult for EC Comics to continue publishing books, and by 1956, the company closed up shop.<\/p>\n

While Entertaining Comics lasted less than a decade, their influence was wide reaching, as exemplified by the fact that filmmakers were willing to adapt EC stories a full 16 years after the company closed its doors.<\/p>\n

British horror films took on a certain cache during the late 60s to early 70s, mostly due to Hammer Studios output in the late 50s and early 60s. By the time 1972 rolled around, there was an explosion of British film studios specializing in horror. One such studio, Amicus Productions, took a special interest in the EC line of comic books. In 1972, they produced a film based on the EC books titled Tales from the Crypt<\/strong>:<\/p>\n