Morbid Myths Vol. 1: The Collection
Written by Dale Mettam, Dwayne Biddix, Jamison Kasian, Chris Carpenter
Pencils by Dwayne Biddix, Harold Edge, Jennifer Tanner
Inks by Gary Mitchell, Harold Edge, Richard Zajac
Alterna Comics & Hard Way Studios
Cover Price $11.95; Available Now

From Hard Way Studios comes this thrilling and fast-paced anthology of stories to chill your bones and tales to rip the scream from your throat. Originally published in single comic book form, Volume One now collects the first three issues as well as the “lost” fourth issue into a handsome trade paperback. This collection is ripe and ready to be read close to the fireplace and preferably with a fierce wind whipping about outside.

At the helm of these spooky snacks of delicious horror is a mysterious man known only as Job, who guides us through his vault of items that have come in contact with the supernatural, and thus have become supernatural themselves. With each newly acquired item, Job tells the story of how it came to be in his possession and of the unfortunate soul who had it before him. Dressed in a suit that was most likely stolen from Dr. Strange’s closet and wearing a half skull mask to complete the atmosphere, Job boasts an odd sense of humor that would be right at home on most late night local cable horror shows which keeps even his darkest tales from dreary suffocation.

Now You See Me, Now You Don’t
Written and Directed by Attila Szasz
Cinematography by Tamas Kemenyffy
Starring Erno Fekete, Dora Letay, Vitez Abraham
Extreme Films
Released in 2005

Little Alex is excited to have his father return home from the lab, and is quite curious as to a metal box he has brought home along with a cage with two mice in it. The following day, Alex’s mother discovers to her horror that Alex has become invisible. As fear and panic set in, she begs and pleads for her husband to undo what he has done, for she is positive it has something to do with a breakthrough at the lab. All of her horrors are realized though when he forlornly replies “I can’t.”

This short film, from first time (and only time as of this writing) Hungarian director and writer Attila Szasz, is a beautiful and haunting construction of images and music that boldly says more within its half-hour running time than most feature-length films which strive to pack this sort of emotional punch. His soft and sweeping camerawork, coupled with the overtly white decoration in the house that provides the single-setting, is like falling into a dream or being caught up in limbo. Szasz, along with his cinematographer, frame each shot perfectly with slow and winding shots that truly engulf the characters and help to expose their raw emotions.

PTU: Police Tactical Unit (2003)
Directed by Johnnie To
Written by Yau Nai-Hoi and Au Kin-Yee
Starring Lam Suet, Simon Yam, Maggie Siu, Ruby Wong, Wong Ho-Yin, Eddy Ko, Lo Hoi-Pang
Dragon Dynasty
Release date: March 25, 2008

In a single night on the quiet streets of Hong Kong, two policemen could very well have their lives changed forever. When the obnoxious and out-of-shape Sergeant Lo (Lam Suet) loses his gun after being jumped by a local youth gang, he panics at the thought of the consequences that follow. Sergeant Ho (Simon Yam), a friend of Lo’s and a leader of a local Police Tactical Unit, offers to help track the gun down with his team. As long as they can find it before the shift is over, they will not have to report the infraction.

The two go their separate ways, with Lo becoming more frantic as the hours tick away, even going so far as to buy a replica toy gun as a last resort, and coming under the thumb a local triad boss who Lo believes may have come into possession of the gun. The triad boss asks Lo to kill his main rival, and he will return the gun. Meanwhile, Ho and his team keep their calm and begin hitting up the low-end criminals of the area for information. And by that, Ho literally begins hitting up anyone who may have information as he dishes out some not-quite-legal persuasive techniques to get the information he wants. As the dawn hours slowly creep up, a meeting between the two rival triad leaders and Lo on Canton Street could lead to an all-out gang war, and Ho must decide to let the events play out, or step in with his team and intervene.

Shutter (2004)
Directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun, Parkpoom Wongpoom
Written by Banjong Pisanthanakun, Parkpoom Wongpoom
Starring Ananda Everingham, Natthaweeranuch Thongmee, Achita Sikamana, Unnop Chanpaibool
DVD Released on March 27, 2007

On their way home from a party, photographer Tun and his girlfriend Jane hit a woman with their car. Startled and afraid, they flee from the scene, and though they try to put the event behind them, Jane cannot stop thinking about it. They decide to return to the scene, in hopes of finding out if the woman is alright, and discover that there was no reported accidents in any of the local hospitals the night of the crash.

Henry and Butcher #2
Story by Gonzalo Ventura
Art and Letters by Martin Blanco
Pit Bros. Productions
Cover price: $2.99; Available now

Henry White is still locked away in the “New Sunshine” Mental Health Hospital, and still has no idea why he is here or how he got there. What he does know is that he is being given electrical shock therapy, and it is slowly destroying his mind. It is during one of these sessions that he hallucinates that his dog Butcher is in the boxing ring with him, and trying to knock his mind back into consciousness. After being returned to his cell that night, Henry is given a new revelation when security officer Jack busts into his room.

Beaten to within an inch of his life, Jack recounts to Henry a horrible rumor and story that has been whispered around corridors by the inmates, that of three apparitions with an insatiable lust for violence. One of them, is a giant of a man wearing a woman’s sundress. The next has the facial features resembling a cat and has a thirst for warm blood. The final one looks like a demented ventriloquist’s doll from hell itself. Jack goes on to say that he didn’t believe any of it, until he was attacked! As Jack dies in Henry’s arms, Henry renews his vow to get out and get some answers, but that is of course before the rest of the guards arrive.