Darren Lynn Bousman Unveils New Horror Comic: ABATTOIR

What would Halloween be without haunted houses? Dozens of films have been made about them, numerous scary attractions pop up each year to open there doors to screaming teens, and it seems that every channel has there version of “experts” investigating real-life haunted houses. Between all of these versions of the subject, how can one re-interrupt the old haunted house? Well, it seems horror director Darren Lynn Bousman is attempting to do it in a medium one might not expect from him. Abattoir is a new mini-series created by the acclaimed director of Saw II-IV, REPO: The Genetic Opera, and the upcoming Mother’s Day. Keep reading to find out how Bousman imagines transitioning the world of this comic to a feature film and about the creation of a new horrific character, Jebediah.

The first issue of Abattoir will hit your local comic-book shops today, October 27. The series released by Radical Publishing, deals with family man and real-estate agent, Richard Ashwalt and his recent troubles. When Ashwalt is forced to sell a property that was the grounds for a series of bizarre murders, he encounters a creepy old man that draws him into a further web of violence. Given the director’s knack for the red stuff and the fact that Abattoir translates to “slaughterhouse,” one can only imagine the level of gore that the book promises. The task of visualizing Bousman’s creepy new world was given to Bing Cansino. Previously, Cansino worked on such projects as Fantastic Four, Spawn, and X-Factor.

In a new interview with Xomba, Bousman reveals that the world of Abattoir is opening the gates to a world that will later be explored on film, “I want to create a universe, and this is the beginning of a universe. I don’t foresee using the comic book to be what the movie is. But it’s part of the world of what the movie will exist in, and everything will stand on its own. For example, the comic book will be its own world, its own movie, its own book, its own story. The movie will be its own world, its own story, but they will all connect. All pieces of this thing connect and tell a much bigger tale.” He goes on to say, “ I think it’s important to lead into the movie. We came up with this as a script, as a feature film idea, but what we wanted to accomplish in the feature film was way, way, way too ambitious for a 90-minute movie. So we had to backtrack and set the world up that way.”

One of the recurring characters we will meet in this world is the creepy old man who visits Richard Ashwalt, Jebediah. Taking a cue from another horror story, Poltergeist II, Bousman explains the origins of the mysterious stranger. “Jebediah was where the whole thing started, like this idea of this character, this Jebediah character. And that’s actually funny because [Rev. Henry Kane from Poltergeist II] was kind of the look — he freaked me out as a kid — that was a guy that completely terrified me as kid, and so going into this, you know, I’ve always held onto that basic look.”

Though a newcomer to the comic-book medium, it seems Darren Lynn Bousman will certainly have no problem translating his unique vision of horror for comic fans.  Abattoir issue 1 hits shelves today … just in time to get you in the Halloween mood. For more info on the project, you can head over to Radical Publishing’s website. For the complete interview with Bousman where he also discusses the controversial Mother’s Day, you can head over to Xomba’s website. For a man that has done everything from re-making a controversial classic, to directing a cult musical, and now creating a horror comic, Bousman seems to go against what many might expect from someone who got his start in a horror franchise.