The Ricochet Reviewer: Books, Movies, and Comics

 HALLOWEEN REVIEWS 2026 Director: Joe D'Amato Writers: story by George Eastman and Joe D'Amato, screenplay by George Eastman Stars: Tisa Farrow, Saverio Vallone, Serena Grandi, Margaret Mazzantini, Mark Bodin, Bob Larson, Rubina Rey, Simone Baker, George Eastman On a secluded Greek island, a group of people (Tisa Farrow, Saverio Vallone, Serena Grandi, Zora Kerova, Mark Bodin, and Bob Larson) try to escape a cannibalistic maniac (George Eastman) who has slaughtered the inhabitants. Quickly and cheaply made, this film has become something of a landmark effort in the history of Italian gore. It’s hard to call this a good movie, but it is strangely watchable, perhaps because Eastman has such a menacing presence and his make-up, which resembles oatmeal smeared on his face, is suitably disturbing and disgusting. This film has the dubious distinction of featuring two of the most depraved and disgusting scene concepts that I personally have ever encountered, but their execution isn’t...

  by Alan Burt Akers (AKA Kenneth Bulmer) Dray Prescot is called to the planet Kregen once again for unknown purposes by the mysterious Star Lords.  There he becomes involved in conflict between two religious groups that are committed to each other's destruction.  "The Suns of Scorpio" (Italian) As always, he pines for his beloved Delia.  "The Suns of Scorpio" (German) Kenneth Bulmer (Alan Burt Akers's real name) writes a lively Edgar Rice Burroughs pastiche, though it tends to be rather unfocused.  Kenneth Bulmer There are plenty of action-packed adventures, but it suffers from the lack of narrative drive. However, it's still a fun, quick read and Bulmer is good at world-building.

  HALLOWEEN REVIEWS 2026 Writer: Steve Gerber Layouts: Rich Buckler  Artist: L. Dominguez Morbius gets a triple whammy: The sun is rising, a burly cat demon has him pinned, and he has just learned that his beloved Martine has turned against him. Morbius makes his escape. Or, at least, he thinks he does. Balkatar resumes the attack but, responding to a mysterious summons, departs with Morbius as captive. Taken to meet the king of the cat people in the Land Within, Morbius receives a surprising offer. King Gerark explains how his people were created from house cats for the amusement of sorcerers. They have built a culture but are threatened by the crisis of overpopulation. Refusing the king’s command for him to cull the population, Morbius flees, but his thirst compels him to do what his morals would not allow. The response he gets suggests that King Gerark’s plan was not well thought out (not that it made much sense to start with). Morbius is left for dead as he drifts into the...

Halloween Reviews 2026 by Max Brooks A collection of survivor testimonies compiled by a United Nations investigator after humanity has narrowly survived a zombie plague.  Author Max Brooks consciously borrows the oral history format from Studs Terkel’s The Good War, using that structure to provide a scope that a conventional narrative novel probably couldn’t manage.  Max Brooks Instead of following a small group of protagonists, the book moves across continents, cultures, and institutions, creating the sense of a much larger historical record.  Soldiers, refugees, bureaucrats, and politicians each contribute fragments of a bigger picture.  Brooks thinks through the implications of the scenario seriously.  "World War Z: The World War of Zombies" (Italian) Different political systems, cultures, and geographies respond in very different ways, turning the novel into a thought experiment about institutional failure, bureaucratic inertia, and how societies handle unco...