When I was growing up, life revolved around wrestling, comicbooks, and Horror movies. And I used to play with makeshift action figures I’d fashioned into my Horror idols like Jason and Freddy—these were the days before you could actually own real figures of the icons; they simply didn’t exist—having them get in the miniature wrestling ring my mom had had built for me as a Christmas present one year (again, you couldn’t just buy such things back in those days) and have hardcore wrestling matches with wrestling figures and He-Man characters. They’d also occasionally do battle with my Mego Spider-Man doll. For me, Slashers and superheroes were already linked. They always were.
This op-ed explores the connection betwixt the two. Permit me to quote: “…the most basic elements that make up a memorable Slasher villain are already remarkably similar to what we’ve come to consider a traditional Superhero. Look no further than the iconic masks, costumes and favorite weapons…some Slashers even benefit from literal superpowers, with Freddy invading his victim’s dreams and Jason developing super strength after coming back from the dead. In fact, the creativity behind some of these powers is just as impressive as it was in classic comic books…the greatest superpower inherent to almost all Slashers is their inability to face permanent death, with these killers almost always returning for another adventure just like classic comic book characters.”
If any more evidence is needed that the line dividing the superhero and the Horror movie monster is a mighty thin one, the next comicbook movie scheduled to hit theaters is MORBIUS, who is both a vampire and a classic Spider-Man villain.
And yes, I have a sweet Morbius action figure. And yes, were I still a kid, Morbius would be settling his score with Spidey in the ring. He also would challenge Jason and Freddy. Heck, it might happen anyway. I have a Castle Greyskull wrestling ring sitting on my bookshelf, and my Freddy action figure might say the wrong thing to my Morbius figure. Oh, and Spidey could referee!
