Some of the best original horror stories in recent memory have originated from comic books. The medium has also served as a way for some popular existing scary movie franchises to continue away from the big (or small) screen.
The question is, which beloved horror movie favorite is destined to receive such treatment next? A few terrifying cinematic tales that leave room for more storytelling in the end come to mind.
Dawn Of The Dead Leaves Room For More Carnage
A decade after inventing the modern zombie movie in 1968 with Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero returned to a world overrun with shuffling, reanimated corpses with Dawn of the Dead. This standalone sequel follows a quartet of survivors who take refuge at a shopping mall with special deals on carnage, existential dread and consumerist satire.
The second chapter in George A. Romero’s overarching, anthology-style zombie apocalypse saga has an open-ended conclusion in which Francine (Gaylen Ross) and SWAT team operative Peter (Ken Foree), the last of their group, escape the overrun mall in their helicopter, flying off into an uncertain future. It would be fun to see where that helicopter ride takes them and how this world ruled by the dead progresses through their eyes.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe’s Title Character Has More Stories To Tell
One of the most sadly underrated horror movies in recent memory is 2016’s The Autopsy of Jane Doe from director André Øvredal. It stars Succession‘s Brian Cox and Into the Wild star Emile Hirsch as father and son medical examiners whose latest anonymous subject (played with astonishing stillness by Olwen Kelly) proves to be a source of great mystery and inescapable terror.
There are actually a few different ways that this inventive story could continue as a comic. One option is a direct prequel that depicts the events that took place at the grisly crime scene where Jane Doe was found at the beginning. Another is a direct sequel that picks up right where the story leaves off. Or, it could be an anthology that follows numerous victims of the “corpse’s” manipulative power throughout time. As long as Jane Doe’s origins remain mysterious, this comic could have a lot of potential.
10 Cloverfield Lane’s Hero Deserves More Action
For the long-awaited follow-up to 2008’s trend-setting found footage horror movie favorite, Cloverfield, director Dan Trachtenberg went in a different direction and made 10 Cloverfield Lane a more traditional-style narrative with a non-traditional concept. The story follows three characters (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, and John Gallagher Jr.) taking refuge in an underground bunker from a threat that is never fully explained.
However, the final act does see Winstead’s Michelle escaping the bunker, only to come face-to-face with an extra-terrestrial spacecraft, which she destroys with a Molotov cocktail before driving toward the scene of the invasion. Perhaps leaving the story where it leaves off is good enough, but Michelle is a character with great potential to be the hero of an ongoing series of adventures set in her bizarre, dangerous world.
An Insidious Comic Could Introduce Plenty More Ghost Stories
In 2011, director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell’s Insidious introduced a refreshing take on the haunted house movie genre. It follows a family whose young, seemingly comatose son, Dalton Lambert (Ty Simpkins), has unwittingly astral projected to a sinister spiritual plane, attracting the attention of malicious spirits wreaking havoc on their home.
Most fans would argue that this Blumhouse-produced horror franchise has overstayed its welcome beyond the hit that started it all. However, it has the potential to be expanded upon in a comic book that features new storylines following new characters (without any ties to the Lambert family) and their experiences with the malevolent entities that reside in The Further.
Sinners’ Unsung Heroes Deserve To Have Their Story Told
The horror genre was really on fire in 2025 with releases like writer and director Ryan Coogler’s Golden Globe-nominated smash hit, Sinners. Set in the Jim Crow-era South, it follows twin brothers (both played by Michael B. Jordan) whose grand opening of their juke joint is interrupted by the appearance of nocturnal, bloodsucking creatures.
A direct sequel to this masterful, supernatural period piece (which Coogler has said he has no interest in making) would be completely unnecessary, but the film does open up an opportunity to expand the story in one particularly intriguing way. A spin-off that follows the adventures of the Choctaw vampire hunters who briefly appear in the middle of the story would be incredibly fun, and might work best as an ongoing comic book series.
Evil Dead Comics Should Involve The 2013 Reboot
Sam Raimi’s influential cult favorite horror franchise, kick-started by 1981’s The Evil Dead, has continued in comic book form (most notably with Dark Horse and Dynamite’s ongoing Army of Darkness franchise) for years. However, Bruce Campbell’s Ash is the only character from the films who has remained a constant presence. Perhaps it is time to bring in some extra blood.
Years ago, there was talk of a sequel to Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead from 2013 that would partner Jane Levy’s Mia with Ash, which will probably not happen anytime soon since Campbell retired the Deadite hunter (at least in live-action), but could make for an amazing comic book. The series could dig even deeper into the lore and see that duo become a quartet by bringing in the survivors of 2023’s Evil Dead Rise, Beth (Lily Sullivan) and Kassie (Stranger Things‘ Nell Fisher).
World War Z 2 Should Be A Comic
Max Brooks delivered one of the most sophisticated and relatively grounded depictions of the zombie apocalypse with his 2006 novel World War Z, which is framed as an oral history about a virus turning people into mindless flesh-eaters. Seven years later, Brad Pitt produced a film adaptation, in which he also stars as a former United Nations investigator desperately seeking a cure.
A sequel was in development for years, and almost landed Pitt’s frequent collaborator David Fincher as a director, until it was officially cancelled in 2019. On the bright side, this leaves a perfect opportunity to deliver more of Gerry Lane’s adventures through a world overrun with a “zombie-like” epidemic as a comic book series, which should definitely have Brooks involved, too.
Who Else Has Oculus’ Killer Mirror Haunted?
Out of all the macabre masterpieces that Mike Flanagan has delivered throughout his career, from Doctor Sleep to The Haunting of Hill House, his most brutal feature might be 2013’s Oculus. The filmmaker has said there are more stories about this evil mirror that he has been interested in telling, but issues with the rights have gotten in the way.
Whenever he figures that out, perhaps, he could tell multiple stories exploring the mirror’s history, like the ones described by Kaylie Russell (Karen Gillan) in the original movie, but in a different medium. It would be interesting to see those horrifying, mind-bending scenarios dramatized in an anthology-style comic book prequel series.
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers Is The First Chapter In A Terrifying Post-Apocalypse Tale
Widely considered the best adaptation of Jack Finney’s seminal sci-fi novel about humans replaced with emotionless clones is 1978’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It is a good example of a horror movie that deserves a comic book prequel that could explore the other worlds the Pod People have conquered, but it also warrants a sequel.
The film ends with Pod Matt (Donald Sutherland) discovering the still-human Nancy (Veronica Cartwright) just before the credits roll, which sparks a number of questions. Is Nancy able to get away before falling prey to assimilation? What other survivors are out there? Is there any hope that humanity can prevail over the Pod People? The most important concept that the comic book series should explore, however, is whether Earth is truly a better place when emotion is obsolete.
Brightburn Set Up A Franchise Of Comic Book-Inspired Horror Tales
From producer James Gunn, 2019’s Brightburn is not widely considered one of the most terrifying horror movies of its time, nor is it considered one of the better horror movies of its time. However, it does introduce the intriguing concept of a child with origins and abilities similar to Superman, but with an agenda that is anything but heroic.
The film concludes with a mid-credits scene providing hints of other characters with incredible powers and terrible attitudes existing in this universe, almost like a reverse Justice League. If not in a proper cinematic sequel to Brightburn, it would be cool to see Brandon Breyer (Jackson A. Dunn) join forces with these fellow villains in a comic book miniseries.
Brightburn
- Release Date
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May 24, 2019
- Runtime
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90 Minutes
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