Ash vs. the Evil Dead and the Army of Darkness

This post is a series of entries from the Horror Crossover Encyclopedia.  The book was published prior to the announcement regarding the upcoming television series.  

HERCULES: THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS (TELEVISION SERIES)

SEASON 6 EPISODE 6 “CITY OF THE DEAD”

Release Date: November 8, 1999 (Setting is the time of Hercules)

Horror Crosses: Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos; Evil Dead

The Story: When Queen Nefertiti of Egypt wants to make peace with Greece, her son Ramses tries to foil things with the use of the Egyptian book of the dead, the Necronomicon.

Notes: According to the Lovecraft mythos, the Necronomicon was created by an Arab, but much later than this story occurs. But this isn’t the first story to portray the book’s earlier existence. Additionally, the book is used in this story by using the famed words “Klaatu Barada Nikto”. Those words actually apply to the Necronomicon ex Mortis from the Evil Dead series (and the words to shut down a giant killer robot in the Day the Earth Stood Still!) Other stories have also conflated the two books. It may well be that there have been many versions of this book, created by madmen possessed, and the more infamous Mad Arab was only inspired to create another copy.

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (FILM)

Release Date: September 28, 1951 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: The Day the Earth Stood Still

Horror Crosses: Evil Dead

The Story: An alien comes to Earth, a representative of a higher planetary power, to warn humans that they will be destroyed if they don’t stop destroying the planet.

Notes: The alien emissary has a robot assistant, who is also a doomsday device. He can only be turned off using the term “Klaatu Barada Nikto”. Though there’s no actual crossover here, the later Evil Dead films will use that same term as a key spell in conjunction with use of the Necronomicon ex Mortis and controlling the deadites. Therefore there must be some connection between the alien’s superiors and the powers behind the Necronomicon ex Mortis. And of course, though the alien’s presence becomes publicly known, it should be assumed that most of the world still denies it really happened, as is typical of such events in the Horror Universe. This film was remade in 1954 and 2008. It has been “non-cross” referenced and spoofed many times.

THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (FILM)

Release Date: September 14, 1960 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Little Shop of Horrors

The Story: A poor loser named Seymour who works for a florist discovers a plant that feeds off of blood. At first, it only needs a few drops, but as it grows, so does its appetite. But the fame that the plant brings to the store (and with it, customers) and the attention Seymour receives from the shop girl Audrey lead him to keep giving in to the plant’s desire for flesh and blood.

Notes: This is the original version of the film, which is played straight, despite the above poster calling it a comedy. It was remade in the 1980s as a musical comedy film and Broadway play, but it’s the original that is in the Horror Universe. The musical remake claims this to be an alien invasion of sorts, but this original version never really offered an explanation. This film has been “non-cross” referenced many times in such films as Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors, Chopping Mall, and Waxwork. It is also spoofed in Please Don’t Eat My Mother, Evil Dead II, and Little Shop of Whores.

KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER CHRONICLES “WHAT EVERY COIN HAS” (SHORT STORY BY C.J. HENDERSON)

Release Date: 2005 (See Notes for Setting)

Series: Kolchak the Night Stalker

Horror Crosses: Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos; Evil Dead; The Salem Horror

Non-Horror Crosses: Incredible Hulk (TV)

The Story: Marvin Richards is the host of a show called Challenge of the Unknown, and wishes for Kolchak to be on the show. Richards uses the Necronomicon to summon the demon called Nyogtha

Notes: This is another in the recent series of Kolchak stories that seem to be set in the 1970s time period of the show and also in the modern 21st century. Even though this story has references to Oprah Winfrey, it also seems to be contemporary to the events of other shows like the Incredible Hulk. I could place this in some time delayed alternate timeline, but I prefer my Kolchak in his original setting. But I’ll let each reader decide for themselves. This book features the Necronomicon, which comes from Lovecraft’s mythos. Richards mentions that the book has other names. He references the real life fake Necronomicon of George Hays and Fred Pelton’s Sussex Manuscript, which makes the implication that those fake versions are very real versions of the Necronomicon in the Horror Universe (which is kind of cool, because I have the George Hays Necronomicon on my bookshelf). He also states another name for the book is the Necronomicon ex Mortis, which is the version of the book from the Evil Dead/Army of Darkness series, featuring the semi-heroic Ashley Williams. So that brings that series into the Horror Universe. The summoned demon Nyogtha comes from the book The Salem Horror, which is also brought in via Tales of the Shadowmen. Richards makes a reference to wishing he had hired that reporter who had been chasing the big green monster instead for the show. That’s McGee, from the 1970s television series The Incredible Hulk. There’s plenty of room for both versions (comics and TV) of the Hulk in the Horror Universe. The comic features Bruce Banner (technically Dr. Robert David Bruce Banner) while the show features Dr. David Banner. They both become green monsters called the Hulk, but the level of their powers and size are different. The origins behind becoming the Hulk and their struggles after are also very different. So both could be in independently. I had considered making the Hulk a horror cross. After all, he is a monster. The original four issue Hulk comic was much more of horror themed book as well, but once he resurfaced in the Avengers, his storyline followed a much more typical super-hero theme. And the show of course is considered a super-hero show for that reason, though it’s more in line with the wandering stranger shows of that era where someone goes from town to town, usually trying to hide and keep out of trouble, but ending up getting involved in the lives of people in the town in trouble and coming to their rescue. Marvin Richards has also appeared in other Henderson stories, All that Glitters and A Forty Share in Innsmouth, but he’s not so much a series lead as a recurring character used by the author in whatever theme he’s covering, in this case Lovecraft.

FRIDAY THE 13TH (FILM)

Release Date: May 9, 1980 (Setting is June 13, 1979)

Series: Friday the 13th

The Story: Teens get murdered at Camp Crystal Lake, the victims of Pamela Voorhees. In 1957, Pamela worked at the camp, and her deformed son drowned as a result of bullying peers and irresponsible counselors. In the end, Pamela is killed, and her son Jason is discovered to be alive.

Notes: There are lots of Friday the 13th timelines on the web, that place all of the films using valid reasoning, and yet seem to contradict each other. I even have one on my Television Crossover Universe website. Friday the 13th is brought in via the ninth film, Jason Goes to Hell, that crosses with A Nightmare on Elm Street, Evil Dead, and Creepshow. That is followed up by Freddy Vs. Jason, which I consider the modern equivalent to the great Universal horror crosses of the 1940s. This film has had several sequels, starting with Friday the 13th Part 2. There was a remake in 2009. The film has been referenced as fictional or as an homage numerous times in other films and on television. It has also been spoofed many times.

THE EVIL DEAD (FILM)

Release Date: 1981 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Evil Dead

The Story: Some young people head up to a cabin in the woods, where they find a weird book and some recordings. They play the tapes, which are chants read from the book, and this causes bad things to happen.

Notes: This film has several sequels, starting with Evil Dead II. It was remade in 2008 as Bollywood Evil Dead and again in 2013 as Evil Dead. It has been referenced as fiction or as an homage numerous times in other films and on television. It has also been spoofed on several occasions.

EVIL DEAD 2: DEAD BY DAWN (FILM)

Release Date: March 13, 1987 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Evil Dead

Horror Crosses: A Nightmare on Elm Street; Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos

The Story: Ashley Williams and his new girlfriend go to another cabin in the woods, and find the Necronomicon ex Mortis again and more recordings which get played and summon an evil force, that possesses the girlfriend. The daughter of the archaeologist who finds the book and did the chants and her colleague show up and the three battle against the evil force.

Notes: This is a sequel to Evil Dead and is followed by Army of Darkness. In the cabin is one of Freddy Krueger’s gloves with the knife claws. It’s been postulated by Chuck Loridans of MONSTAAH that perhaps Freddy had once hid out at this cabin before he was killed. Freddy has been a child killer and used those claws for quite a while before he was caught and burned to death. Of course, another explanation comes from the film Cabin in the Woods. In that film, a cabin exactly like the Evil Dead cabin is used by a secret organization to lure teenagers who are meant to become sacrifices. In the basement, are several objects, so that the youngsters have to choose their own demise, by which object they accidentally use to summon a monster. It could be that the glove was placed there, and if it had been chosen, instead of deadites, Freddy would have been summoned up to kill Ash and his friends in their dreams. This is the first time the book from the Evil Dead series is named the Necronomicon ex Mortis. It was clearly named after the book from Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, the Necronomicon. Later, stories will demonstrate that they are indeed different versions of the same book. However, after this point, I will include appearances of the Necronomicon ex Mortis as an Evil Dead cross only, and appearances of the proper Necronomicon as Lovecraft crosses only. A Claymation version of this film was made in 2012. This film has been referenced as fiction, paid homage to, and spoofed numerous times in other films and on television.

ARMY OF DARKNESS (FILM)

Release Date: 1992 (Setting follows the events of Evil Dead 2, but due to time travel, the main story takes place in the year 1300)

Series: Evil Dead

The Story: At the end of his battle with the Deadites in the cabin in the woods, Ash is pulled back in time to the year 1300 where he must face a Deadite army and retrieve the Necronomicon ex Mortis if he wants to return to his own time period.

Notes: Pardon my lack of objectiveness, but this is a great movie. It is the third film in the Evil Dead series. In the Kolchak: The Night Stalker Chronicles, it’s revealed that the Necronomicon ex Mortis is the same Necronomicon from Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. Some writers get the two books confused and conflate them accidentally, so it’s nice to know there’s an in-story explanation for it. They are the same book. However, for the purposes of this reference guide, if it’s called the Necronomicon, the cross goes to Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, and when it’s called the Necronomicon ex Mortis it goes to Evil Dead. Note that the Demonicon, though similar in purpose and name, is not the same book. That book, which comes from the interconnected works of Donald F. Glut, has appeared with the Necronomicon in numerous stories, demonstrating that they are not the same book. This film follows Evil Dead II and is followed by the Evil Dead: Hail to the King video game. This film has been referenced as fictional, paid homage to, and spoofed numerous times in other films and on television.

JASON GOES TO HELL: THE FINAL FRIDAY (FILM)

Release Date: August 13, 1993 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Friday the 13th

Horror Crosses: Evil Dead; Stephen King Universe; Creepshow; A Nightmare on Elm Street

The Story: The FBI finally figures out that there’s a killer at Camp Crystal Lake. Apparently his recent trip to New York City finally caught their attention. They surround him and blow him away. While his body lay in the medical examiner’s office, his spirit possesses someone, and transforms into another living version of Jason. Jason returns to the camp, and kills some more. Upon his death again, he is pulled into Hell by Fred Krueger!

Notes: This film is the ninth of the series, following Friday the 13th Part 8: Jason Takes Manhattan, and is followed next by Freddy Vs. Jason, as the ending alludes. Jason’s home contains the Necronomicon Ex Mortis from the Evil Dead series. This is later explained in the comic book Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. Ash as a possible reason for Jason’s supernatural status. He also has the crate from the segment called the Crate from the film Creepshow, though no explanation is ever given for that. Evil Dead, the works of Stephen King, and A Nightmare on Elm Street are already all in the Horror Universe. This film’s crossovers bring Friday the 13th in as well. There are several timelines on the web that offer specific dates for the Friday the 13th films, and though they don’t all agree, they all seem to be based on valid analysis. This film is referenced as fictional and paid homage to numerous times in other films and on television. It has also been spoofed in Tales from the Crypt and Viernes 13.

SPIDER-MAN/X-MEN: TIME’S ARROW (TRILOGY BY TOM DEFALCO)

Release Date: July 1 - September 1, 1998 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Spider-Man; X-Men

Horror Crosses: Godzilla

Non-Horror Crosses: Avengers; The Shadow; Doc Savage

The Story: Kang the Conquorer’s latest scheme threatens the multiverse.

Notes: This story takes place in the Marvel Universe, but at one point, alternate realities are shown, including those of the Shadow, Godzilla, and Doc Savage. Thanks to Army of Darkness vs. Marvel Zombies, we know that indeed the Marvel Universe and Horror Universe are part of the same multiverse.

BONEYARD # 1 - 28 (NBM)

Release Date: 2001 - 2009 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Boneyard

Horror Crosses: Frankenstein (Boneyard); Creature from the Black Lagoon; The Raven; The Screwtape Letters; Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Dracula (novel); Evil Dead; Frankenstein (novel); The Wolf Man; Zatanna; Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos; Friday the 13th; Hellboy (comics); King Ghidorah; Mothra; Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

Non-Horror Crosses: The Tempest

The Story: Michael Paris inherits a graveyard inhabited by friendly monsters. Hilarity and adventure ensue.

Notes: One of the inhabitants is Brutus, who is a creature of the Frankenstein model. Brutus’ wife is a Gill-Woman named Nessie. Edgar is a raven who claims to have been the inspiration for Edgar Allan Poe’s story. The Boneyard has its own elected official, Mayor Wormwood. Mayor Wormwood is supposed to be Satan, but this Satan is kind of an idiot. I’ve stated elsewhere in this guide that not all appearances of the devil are the same guy. The name carries weight, and so it seems that many lesser demons may pose as the top dog. In the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, Wormwood is a poor excuse for a demon who is eaten by his uncle. But of course, what happens when a demon dies? They return to Hell. So this may be the same Wormwood. The vampire named Abby seems to be of the vampiric variety seen on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Remember that in the Horror Universe, there are several strains of the “vampire virus”, which create varying types of vampires with different traits, strengths and weaknesses. Abby refers to Michael as her “Renfield”. That could be a pop culture reference, but considering the number of other horror crosses, and that Dracula is real in the Horror Universe, I’m inclined to count it. There are “Xandorian” demons which I believe to be an intentional misspelling of Kandorian demons from the Evil Dead series. Somebody refers to the original Dr. Frankenstein. That same person makes a reference to that guy with the stick which may be Larry Talbot, whose cane is famous. At a bar is Zatanna Zatara and a Gill-Man. An Old One appears, who is friendly! His name is Haz’aroth, which may be an intentional misspelling of Azathoth, but I’m not sure Azathoth would be so nice. Perhaps he’s a nicer guy around other monsters. Abby is hired by the government to stop a slasher at a summer camp called Camp Waterlake. Though the slasher turns out to really be Lilith, she has taken the form of Jason Voorhees. This isn’t the first time Camp Crystal Lake has changed its name. In the film series, it did so to try to avoid the bad reputation it has gained. When Abby has to attend a banquet for supernatural beings, she takes Michael as her date. The waiter is Ariel from Shakespeare’s the Tempest. Hellboy is in attendance. So are King Ghidorah and Mothra. The Space Kook is also there. Though the Space Kook was just a man in a mask in Scooby Doo, Where Are You!, most of those villains took on the identities of figures from legends and folklore. So this must be the real Space Kook that inspired the man in the mask who was exposed by Mystery, Inc.

FREDDY VS. JASON (FILM)

Release Date: August 13, 2003 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: A Nightmare on Elm Street; Friday the 13th

The Story: Freddy, having been banished to Hell after being defeated by his daughter, and being abandoned by the dream demons that left for another reality, finds that he still has power, but his power is only strong when he is feared, and he’s not strong enough to return to Springwood. But then Jason is killed once more, and returns to Hell, awaiting the moment where he will be resurrected again to continue his good work of punishing naughty teens. Freddy finds Jason and sends him back to Earth (by posing as his mother) and sends Jason to punish naughty kids in Springwood, starting at 1428 Elm Street. In Springwood, the adults have a policy to not speak of Fred Krueger, and children with bad dreams are sent off to a secret psych hospital where they are given the same drug once tested by Nancy Thompson to keep her from dreaming. Jason starts killing, and even though a rookie cop thinks this is a Jason Voorhees copycat, eventually rumors of Freddy spread and teens start having nightmares. Eventually, Freddy is back, but Jason won’t stop killing Freddy’s intended victims, thus causing the two to have to take each other out.

Notes: This is the Frankenstein vs. the Wolf Man for the modern generation, and films like this are what get me so excited about crossovers. There are tons of great Nightmare and Friday timelines out there on the internet that will contradict each other. Basically, though, Freddy was last seen in Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, in a cameo that leads to the events of this film. Before that, he met his end in Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare. His dream demons had abandoned him in that film and went on to appear in Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, and then the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street. New NIghtmare takes place in the fictionalized representation of “the real universe” which many call Earth-Prime. The Nightmare remake then occurs in yet another alternate reality that is part of the Horror Multiverse. Using that logic, other remakes that can’t be worked into the Horror Universe might be relegated to the same remake reality. Jason was last seen in Jason Goes to Hell: the Final Friday, and the ending of that film leads to this film. Their story continues in the comic book Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. Ash. This film has been referenced as fictional and paid homage to numerous times in other films and on television. It has also been spoofed in Freddy vs. Ghostbusters, Tripping the Rift, and 30-Second Bunny Theatre.

ANGEL (TELEVISION SERIES)

SEASON 5 EPISODE 4 “HELL-BOUND”

Release Date: October 22, 2003 (Contemporary Setting)

Horror Crosses: Evil Dead

The Story: Spike, the evil vampire who fought for his soul and then sacrificed his life and wound up a ghost forced to haunt Wolfram and Hart, finds himself seeing other ghosts that nobody else can see. Meanwhile, Fred’s attempts to restore Spike gets setbacks.

Notes: Wolfram and Hart has a copy of the Necronom Des Mortis, sometimes an alternate spelling of the Necronomicon ex Mortis from the Evil Dead series. Fred wishes to use it to restore the noncorporeal Spike, something it’s been used for previously in Evil Dead 2.

LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION (FILM)

Release Date: November 9, 2003 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Looney Tunes

Horror Crosses: Scooby-Doo! (See Notes); This Island Earth; Fiend without a Face

Non-Horror Crosses: Doctor Who (Peter Cushing); Forbidden Planet; Robert the Robot; The Jack Benny Program

The Story: When Daffy demands his own movie, he’s fired by Warner Bros. Daffy ends up causing a security guard to be fired also, and follows him home to make amends. The fired guard is the son of a famous action star who turns out to be a real secret agent, and the guard and Daffy get involved in a mission. Meanwhile, Bugs refuses to work unless Daffy is hired back, so he and the vice president of comedy head out to find Daffy.

Notes: First, let me apologize to serious horror fans. However, the appearance of the Metaluna Mutant brings this film into the Horror Universe. The hard part for me was to explain how it could fit. Luckily, I have great friends who brought to my attention the film Evil Toons. Though some cartoon animals have been explained away as experiments of Doctor Moreau, in the case of this film, the Looney Tunes characters are clearly cartoons, but ones living in the “real world”, working for Warner Bros. and elsewhere in the world. In Evil Toons, which is in the Horror Universe due to the crossover relevant to this entry, the Necronomicon ex Mortis (from Evil Dead) is used to bring cartoon characters to life, in order to serve the spell caster. Warner Bros. must have performed such a spell to bring their creations to life to serve as actors (because it’s easier?) I presume the fact that people don’t freak out when encountering living cartoons is an effect of the spell as well. It should be noted that likely all fully animated Looney Tunes cartoons are fictional within the Horror Universe, but these living cartoons take on the characteristics and memories of the fictional characters they resemble. Scooby-Doo and Shaggy appear, as animated characters at the Warner Bros. cafeteria, complaining about their portrayal in the live action films. This can’t be the same Scooby and Shaggy from the 1970s and 1980s cartoons. Those cartoons feature a real person and dog (albeit a talking dog). In the 1980s, there was an animated movie called Scooby-Doo Goes Hollywood. Since the 1980s films are in the Horror Universe, we can use that film as evidence that Mystery, Incorporated, and particularly Scooby, became famous. Evidently famous enough to have a cartoon and live action film based on them. The cartoon Scooby and Shaggy of this film must be the 21st century series of new Scooby-Doo! animated films, brought to life just as the Looney Tunes figures were. Based on that, we must assume those 21st century animated films, as well as the live action films they were complaining about, must be fictional within the Horror Universe. In one scene that takes place in a lab, the film’s heroes encounter the Metaluna Mutant, a pair of Daleks, Robbie the Robot, the Fiend without a Face and Robert the Robot. The Metaluna Mutant is the basis for this film’s inclusion in this guide and within the Horror Universe. The Metaluna Mutant is from This Island Earth. Though the film is more sci-fi than horror, the Metaluna Mutant was included in Scary Monsters Magazine’s Universal Kombat Series, thus placing him among the ranks of the classic Universal Monsters. The Daleks are an alien race that are enemies of the Doctor from Doctor Who, but these specific Daleks were an enemy of the Doctor’s alternate universe counterpart, Doctor Who, played by Peter Cushing. Robbie the Robot is from Forbidden Planet, which takes place in the future, but as seen in Gremlins, he seems to get around through time and space. The Fiend without a Face is the creature from the film of the same name. Robert the Robot was a toy of the 1950s, though the version here is life size, as the toy was meant to be imagined as, thus this is a crossover with the fictional world that the toy lived in. Finally, the car used in the film by the security guard and Daffy is the same talking car (voiced by Mel Blanc from archived footage) from the Jack Benny Program, thus bringing that television program of classic TV into the Horror Universe.

ARMY OF DARKNESS: ASHES 2 ASHES (DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT)

Release Date: July 1 - October 1, 2004 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Evil Dead

Non-Horror Crosses: Indiana Jones

The Story: Ash is recruited by that annoying old guy from the past who told him he got the words wrong, and sent back to that cabin in the woods to set things right.

Notes: When Ash is in a tunnel, the corpse of Indiana Jones can be seen.

HEX AND THE CITY (NOVEL BY SIMON R. GREEN)

Release Date: February 22, 2005 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Nightside

Horror Crosses: Frankenstein (all of them); The Picture of Dorian Gray; Carnacki Ghost Finder; Evil Dead; Phantom of the Opera; Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos; The Mummy (Universal)

Non-Horror Crosses: Alice in Wonderland; Maltese Falcon; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; Casablanca; The Tempest; The Office; Shadows Fall; The Wasteland; Isaac Asimov Universe; Doctor Who; Eaters of the Dead; Moonchild; Allan Quatermain; League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

The Story: John Taylor is hired to investigate the origins of the Nightside.

Notes: Taylor and his secretary dine at a restaurant that serves exotic animals including some to be from Wonderland. Wonderland of course is one of the magical realms of the Horror Multiverse. The Nightside is a nexus of time and space. There is a club that caters to all the various creatures that have been created by the Frankenstein family over the years. An auction is selling Dorian Gray’s mirror. A later Nightside tale reveals it has the power to kill immortals. Taylor reveals that his mentor was Thomas Carnacki. Taylor says his phone was once possessed by Kandarian demons, which originate from Evil Dead. Below the city, a boat guide is Erik the Opera Ghost. As usual, there is Cthulhu cult graffiti on the walls of the Nightside. The Nightside uses tanna leaves as a drug. Tanna leaves were important in the Universal Mummy series. Three allegedly authentic Maltese Falcons are sold. It appears that Willy Wonka and Rick Blaine have opened establishments in the Nightside. There is a Prospero and Michael Scott Memorial Library. Prospero is from Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Michael Scott is from the American version of The Office. Michael Scott is not dead by the way. Shadows Fall is mentioned as the possible new home of a god. Nightside’s homeless live in Rat’s Alley, a reference to T.S. Elliott’s The Wasteland. Also living in Rat’s Alley are robots with positronic brains, a concept first proposed in the works of Isaac Asimov. Taylor says that he learned about fighting poisons with broccoli from the travelling doctor. He’s actually referring to the fifth Doctor. Later, a flashback to the 1960s features the second Doctor and his companions. Taylor is warned about the Eaters of the Dead, a reference to a Michael Crichton novel about a Muslim abducted by vikings. Taylor is called a Moonchild, a reference to an Aleister Crowley novel about a wizard war. Another drug of the Nightside is taduki, a favorite of Allan Quatermain. In the 1960s flashback, Orlando (of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) is seen.

ARMY OF DARKNESS # 1 - 4 “ARMY OF DARKNESS VS. RE-ANIMATOR” (DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT)

Release Date: 2005 - 2006 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Evil Dead

Horror Crosses: Re-Animator (Dynamite Entertainment); Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos; Marvel Zombies

Non-Horror Crosses: Batman; Alice in Wonderland

The Story: Ash is locked up in Arkham Asylum, a mental hospital associated with Miskatonic University in Arkham, Massachusetts. His doctor is Herbert West!

Notes: These events follow the comic book series Army of Darkness: Shop Till You Drop. This crossover brings a version of Re-Animator that is different than the film version of Re-Animator and the Lovecraft story it was based upon. Horror expert Kevin Heim informs “This comic book version of Dr. Herbert West has a wildly different origin story than the one in the film series, revealed in RE-ANIMATOR #0 (2006). He is also much younger than the movie version, as opposed to the Herbert West that turns up in HACK SLASH, who IS the movie version.” The West from the Lovecraft tale, the West from the 80s films and the comic book version are not the same guy, but they could be related, perhaps even a direct family lineage. Other Lovecraftian elements in this tale include Miskatonic University in Arkham, Massachusetts and the invocation of Yog Sothoth. Note the uncanny coincidence in there being an Arkham Asylum, as that is a key setting in Batman’s Gotham City as well. Batman’s Arkham Asylum is also a home for the criminally insane, founded by the Arkham family, who seemed to be cursed with madness as well. It could be that the same family were the founders of Arkham, Massachusetts. The end of the tale leads into Marvel Zombies with a brief stopover in an alternate Wonderland infested with deadites.

MONTHLY SHONEN SIRIUS “MONSTER PRINCESS” (KODANSHA)

Release Date: July 2005 - April 2013 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Princess Resurrection

Horror Crosses: Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos; Dracula (Universal); Legend of Sleepy Hollow; Creature From the Black Lagoon; Invisible Man (Universal); Invasion of the Body Snatchers; The Fly; Evil Dead

Non-Horror Crosses: Day of the Triffids; Angry Red Planet; Back to the Future; Star Trek; It Conquered the World

The Story: In Japan, a young man is hit by a car. As he lay there dying, he is resurrected by the princess of the Monster Realm. Not only is he brought back from death, but he becomes nearly immortal, with great power, but must serve the princess as her warrior and protector.

Notes: The series has had many links to existing series, including the ones above. I admit there are probably more that I have missed. The “Monster Realm” is probably what the Watcher’s Council (from Buffy) would refer to as a Hell Dimension.

DANGERGIRL # 1 - 4 “BACK IN BLACK” (WILDSTORM COMICS)

Release Date: January - April 2006 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: DangerGirl

Horror Crosses: Evil Dead

The Story: To track a stolen Native American artifact, the team must go undercover and join an all girl biker gang.

Notes: In Abby Chase’s apartment, a copy of the Necronomicon ex Mortis can be seen. That cross with Evil Dead brings DangerGirl into the Horror Universe.

SHARPER THAN A SERPENT’S TOOTH (NOVEL BY SIMON R. GREEN)

Release Date: February 28, 2006 (Contemporary Setting, immediately after Paths Not Taken)

Series: Nightside

Horror Crosses: The King in Yellow; Evil Dead; Alien; Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos; Hawk & Fisher

Non-Horror Crosses: Doctor Who; The Water Babies; Monty Python and the Holy Grail; Alice in Wonderland; Shadows Fall; An Inhabitant of Carcosa; Alf’s Button; Fables; Adam Adamant; Eaters of the Dead; Bran Mak Morn; The Virginian; The Prisoner

The Story: As John Taylor and his friends return to the present, they find that John’s mother, Lilith, is gathering a powerful army to take over the Nightside and return it to the way she meant it to be when she created it. Apparently that’s bad.

Notes: The Yellow Sign is on a bathroom wall. Taylor’s secretary is armed with a Kandarian punch dagger. Kandarian demons are from the Evil Dead series. Suzie Shooter fights using a Colonial Marine smart gun that she got from the future. At least it must be from one of the possible futures that contains the Alien film series. Lilith’s army is claimed to have wiped out the Elder Spawn (code for Old Ones), though this is not likely to be true. The train runs to the Street of the Gods, the setting if Green’s Hawk & Fisher series. There are three Doctor Who references in this one. A sonic screwdriver has been left behind the bar counter at Strangefellows. John mentions the Travelling Doctor as a potential ally and Father Time blames the Travelling Doctor for attire. It’s said that some drunk flower fairies plan on beating up some water babies. Water Babies is a story by Reverend Charles Kingsley. Taylor suggests nobody go into the basement of Strangefellows without the Holy Hand Grenade of St. Antioch. This is a reference to Monty Python and the Holy Grail. (Shame on you if you didn’t know that.) Since the Nightside touches other realities, I don’t have to explain how this Monty Python fits in with the Horror Universe and Arthurian legend. But I’m going to anyways. Legend has it that Merlin himself was a temporal anomaly, aging backwards and living life in reverse, from future to past. Perhaps because of this, several divergent versions of Camelot and the Arthurian legend all existed in the same past of the Horror Universe timeline. This would explain how different versions are seen in so many past stories, flashbacks, time travel tales, and modern stories. This type of reasoning may offer the same types of reasoning for the heavily magical era of fairy tales. The dormouse appears, having doorways to many realms. He claims that there were more of his kind once, but they all went away. Shadows Fall is mentioned as one of the destinations of the dormouse's doors and a train destination. Father Time appears and is from Shadows Fall. Carcosa is mentioned as behind one of the doors and as a train destination. Carcosa is from “An Inhabitant of Carcosa”. The Nightside has a store called Alf’s Button Emporium. No, this is not a reference to the cute alien who eats cats. It’s actually based on a humorous 1920 novel. Julien Advent meets fairy tale characters expelled from their homes by the Adversary. These are the fairy tale characters from the Fables comic book, making that fairy tale realm part of the Horror Multiverse. (Sorry, Once Upon a Time. I know you have a Frankenstein, but who doesn’t? You never gave me a valid horror cross to pull you in.) This novel cements the idea that Julien Advent is Adam Adamant. The Eaters of the Dead (from the Michael Crichton novel) are said to have been wiped out by Lilith’s army. The same is said of the Worms of the Earth, who Bran Mak Morn once faced. John is attacked by a gun stolen from the grave of Dead Eye Dick, a character from the western television series The Virginian. The Collector is seen wearing the jacket of Number Six from the Prisoner. He says he also bought his car.

ARMY OF DARKNESS # 8 - 11 “ASH VS. DRACULA” (DYNAMITE PRESS)

Release Date: 2006 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Evil Dead

Horror Crosses: Dracula (Top Cow); Frankenstein (Top Cow); Wolf Man; Eva, Daughter of Dracula

Non-Horror Crosses: My Name is Earl

The Story: In New York City, Ash does battle with Dracula, the Frankenstein Monster, and Wolf-Men.

Notes: This is the same group of monsters last seen in Top Cow’s Monster War, despite this being published by Dynamite Press. Meanwhile, Earl Hickey is seen. Why would he be in New York rather than Hamden County? Surely to cross something off his list. So this crossover cameo brings the television series My Name is Earl into the Horror Universe. This story continues directly from Monster War, happening one day later, and is the second story appearance of Eva, Daughter of Dracula, who will spin off into her own series.

DARKMAN VS. ARMY OF DARKNESS # 1 - 4 (DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT)

Release Date: 2006 - 2007 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Darkman; Evil Dead

Non-Horror Crosses: The Spirit

The Story: When one of Darkman’s friends reads from the Necronomicon ex Mortis, she becomes a Deadite queen and so Ash must help Darkman put down another army of darkness.

Notes: The Deadites are raised from Wildwood Cemetery, thus the story must take place in the Central City in which the vigilante hero known as the Spirit used to operate.

THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN TORC (NOVEL BY SIMON GREEN)

Release Date: January 1, 2007 (Set in the summer, before the start of the Nightside series)

Series: Secret Histories

Horror Crosses: Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos; Evil Dead; Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde; War of the Worlds; Nightside; Hellraiser; Frankenstein (novel)

Non-Horror Crosses: The Mystery of Edwin Drood; Doctor Who; RUR; Alice in Wonderland; Thunderbirds; Area 52 (Image Comics); Allan Quatermain; The Coming Race; Journey to the Center of the Earth; Cave Carson; Moomin; Maltese Falcon; Monty Python and the Holy Grail; Moby Dick

The Story: The Droods are a family that for a long time have been a force for good fighting supernatural evils. Edwin is one of the latest secret agent wizards, who finds himself cast out as a rogue and hunted by his own family.

Notes: The date setting is based on events from future novels and the Nightside series. Green connects all of his series within one larger mythology. One might wonder why I have Secret Histories listed in the Nightside entries as a non-horror cross but the Nightside series listed as a horror cross in the Secret Histories series. Edwin Drood is a wizard secret agent, and I don’t consider wizards as horror. They are more fantasy. Nightside exists in a pocket dimension cloaked in eternal darkness, where monsters walk around freely, so it’s more on the horror side. Both really straddle on the line of horror and non-horror, and I made a call. Having said all that, the Secret Histories series still has a large number of horror crosses, giving it a large presence in the Horror Universe nonetheless. This novel has three Lovecraft references. A patient at a hospital for supernatural conditions is the living embodiment of every mystical tome, including the Necronomicon. There is a rumor that the Old Ones are going to rise, to which Eddie’s friend Janissary Jane dismisses as a constant rumor that will never come to pass. The conspiracy against the Droods is linked to the Lurkers on the Threshold from the Lovecraft Mythos. One of Eddie’s enemies has a Kandarian possessing amulet. Kandarian demons are from the Evil Dead series. Eddie has a confrontation with someone who has taken the Hyde formula. Martian Red Weed is seen as a drug. This is from War of the Worlds. Eddie’s witch friend Molly Metcalf talks about the Arcadia Project that turns up again in the Nightside series. The Blue Fairy finds the puzzle box from the Hellraiser series. The Droods have a scalpel once owned by Baron Von Frankenstein. Based on its significance, I’m assuming they mean Victor and not another member of the Frankenstein family. Edwin’s name is a reference to Charles Dickens’ The Mystery of Edwin Drood, with a implied family connection. At a hospital for supernatural conditions, there is a time agent whose latest regeneration had gone terribly wrong, turning him inside out. Time agents are from the Doctor Who series, and so are Time Lords who regenerate. However, typically, Time Lords are not time agents, and in fact, the two groups do not care for each other. Perhaps this was a rogue Time Lord who was recruited by the time agents. Eddie has a confrontation with an android from the 23rd century’s Rossum’s Unionised Robots. This is from the play RUR. Eddie’s grandmother suggests that Eddie court Allice Little, who “lives in a world of her own and only comes out for mealtimes. Lots of mealtimes.” This is meant to be Alice Liddel, from Alice In Wonderland, but of course can’t be the same Alice from the original story. It may still be one of the Alices who has been to Wonderland. Girls name Alice have been drawn to Wonderland for a long time. Another suggested match is Penelope Creighton, who may be related to the character named Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward from Thunderbirds. Eddie mentions a time when he broke into Area 52 in the antarctic. This seems to be a reference to the Image Comics series. The drug taduki is from the Allan Quatermain series. Vril Power, Inc. is behind the conspiracy against the Droods. Vril power is from the Coming Race. Eddie compares a trip through the sewers to the explorers who took the Journey to the Center of the Earth and to Cave Carson. The Blue Fairy also finds a stuffed Moomintroll and the Maltese Falcon. Eddie and Molly when choosing the form of their weapon, have the choice of the Holy Hand Grenade of St. Antioch. At Drood Hall is a scrimshaw carved apparently from Moby Dick.

MARVEL ZOMBIES VS. ARMY OF DARKNESS # 1 - 5 (MARVEL COMICS AND DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT)

Release Date: May - September 2007 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Marvel Zombies; Evil Dead

Horror Crosses: Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos

The Story: After he is apparently killed, Ash finds himself instead transported to an alternate reality that was once filled with super-heroes and villains but has since been overrun by a zombie virus.

Notes: The Marvel Zombies series takes place in an alternate version of the Marvel Comics Universe where everyone has become zombies. This story makes it clear that Ash is from a separate alternate universe that is not filled with lots of super-heroes. Officially (according to Marvel Comics), the Marvel Universe is designated Earth-616 by the Watchers. Marvel Zombies is set on Earth-2149. Marvel also says that the world that Ash comes from (which is the setting of the Dynamite Entertainment comics and the Evil Dead/Army of Darkness films) is Earth-818793. So if we are to believe Marvel’s staff and the Watchers, then Earth-818793 is the Horror Universe, and in fact, the Horror Multiverse and Marvel Multiverse are one and the same. Also of interest, in the story, Ash and some non-zombie heroes wish to obtain Doctor Doom’s copy of the Necronomicon. The Evil Dead/Army of Darkness series usually uses the Necronomicon ex Mortis, but a Kolchak story listed elsewhere in this guide reveals that the two are merely variations of the same book.

FREDDY VS. JASON VS. ASH # 1 - 6 (WILDSTORM COMICS AND DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT)

Release Date: January - June 2008 (Set during the Christmas season, five years after the events of Freddy vs. Jason)

Series: A Nightmare on Elm Street; Friday the 13th; Evil Dead

The Story: Ash gets transferred to the Crystal Lake S-Mart for the holiday season, and the origins behind the connections to Freddy, Jason, and the Necronomicon ex Mortis are revealed.

ARMY OF DARKNESS AND XENA, WARRIOR PRINCESS: WHY NOT? (DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT)

Release Date: 2008 (Ash comes from a contemporary setting, transported to the vague period of Greek mythology of Xena’s series)

Series: Evil Dead; Xena, Warrior Princess

The Story: Ash, always being transported through time and space, winds up in the time of Xena.

Notes: This crossover brings Xena, Warrior Princess into the Horror Universe.

XENA, WARRIOR PRINCESS AND ARMY OF DARKNESS: WHAT...AGAIN? # 1 - 4 (DYNAMITE PRESS)

Release Date: October 1, 2008 - January 1, 2009 (Contemporary Setting and the time of Xena)

Series: Xena, Warrior Princess; Evil Dead

The Story: Immediately following their last meeting, Xena is transported to the present and then Ash, Xena, and Xena’s pals end up in an alternate post-apocalyptic present day timeline, caused by Ash’s meddling in the past.

Notes: Xena’s series is very historically inaccurate, but there’s nothing to say that the Greek mythology period of the Horror Universe has to be historically the same as our real world. Ash and Xena also visit the worlds within several books, but the story makes it clear they are visiting the worlds within these books, so they are not crosses with the “real” versions, such as in the case of Wizard of Oz, one of the books.

ARMY OF DARKNESS # 18 - 27 “LEAGUE OF LIGHT ASSEMBLE!” (DYNAMITE PRESS)

Release Date: March 1, 2009 - March 1, 2010 (Contemporary Setting and five years in the future)

Series: Evil Dead

Non-Horror Crosses: Lost Horizon

The Story: In order to battle Hell’s Prophet, Ash gathers heroes from around the globe to form the League of Light.

Notes: During his travels, Ash visits Shangri-La, from Lost Horizon.

DAEMONS ARE FOREVER (NOVEL BY SIMON R. GREEN)

Release Date: June 2, 2009 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Secret Histories

Horror Crosses: Nightside; Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos; Dracula (novel); Frankenstein (some of them, per Simon R. Green); Frankenstein (novel); Melmoth the Wanderer; Dracula (many of them); Faust; Bloody Mallory; Evil Dead

Non-Horror Crosses: The Coming Race; Shadows Fall; Eternals; Dr. Syn; Harvey; Deathstalker; First Men in the Moon; Pellucidar; Wild Wild West (film); Star Wars

The Story: Still recovering from the events of the previous novel, he Droods find themselves at war with soul eating demons trying to bring their masters into their reality.

Notes: The Droods have a mirror created by Merlin. This mirror has also appeared in the Nightside series. Harry Fabulous from the Nightside series appears. Jimmy Thunder from Drinking Midnight Wine appears. There is a reference to the many-angled ones. This was a creation of Grant Morrison that first appeared in the 2000 AD comic, and has been incorporated into the Cthulhu Mythos. The Droods’ time train once was used to travel back in time to prevent an Old One from rising, but in doing so, caused the Old One to rise. There is a bar called Cafe Night, that was formerly called Renfield’s. Presumedly, it was owned by a descendent of Dracula’s servant. Eddie destroys a couple of Baron Frankenstein’s creations. This works with Mark Brown’s theory that there have been many monsters created by the Frankensteins, explaining why there are so many different versions tied to the same shared reality. There is a monk claiming to be Melmoth the Wanderer, though Eddie doubts it, as he has met many who claimed to be Melmoth. Melmoth comes from the story of the same name about a scholar who sells his soul for an extra 150 years of life. Eddie also claims to have met many Draculas. This supports both Chuck Loridans’ soul clone theory and my own Sons of the Dragon theory. Additionally, he claims to have met many Fausts. Though it doesn’t support any theories, it does explain why Felix Faust , enemy of the Justice League of America, has two separate origins in DC canon. Originally, he was just a mortal man in the 1960s raising demons for power. Later, he claimed to be the original Faust. Eddie mentions having worked with a French demon hunter named Mallorie. This may be a reference to the film Bloody Mallory. This story gives an origin for the Kandarian demons from the Evil Dead series. Originally they were humans who allowed themselves to be possessed by demons to become unstoppable, but they then turned on each other. Vril Power, Inc. is mentioned as an enemy of the Droods. Leonard Ash from Shadows Fall appears. The Celestials are mentioned. They first appeared in the Eternals Marvel comic. A “rogue” Drood returns home via Dr. Syn’s Fly by Night Delivery Service. The delivery service is also transporting Elwood P. Dowd and his invisible giant rabbit friend, Harvey. Eddie travels to the future to recruit Giles Deathstalker as an ally. Giles is revealed to be a descendant of the Drood family. The Drood armory has an 1880s Moon Launch Canon, a reference to First Men in the Moon. They also have an oversized Moleship, a reference to Pellucidar. Another item in the armory is a giant mechanical spider created by a mad man in the wild west. This is the giant mechanical spider used by Dr. Lovelace in the feature film Wild, Wild West. This means that both the television series and the film are in the same shared reality. The time train used by Eddie to visit the future can do the Kessel run in under five centuries. The “Kessel Run” is located in the Star Wars galaxy.

FREDDY VS. JASON VS. ASH: THE NIGHTMARE WARRIORS # 1 - 6 (WILDSTORM COMICS AND DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT)

Release Date: August 2009 - January 2010 (Contemporary Setting, six months after Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash)

Series: A Nightmare on Elm Street; Friday the 13th; Evil Dead

The Story: Six months after Ash battled arguably the two most infamous slashers, Jason comes back for revenge, while the U.S. government brings back Freddy using the Necronomicon ex Mortis.

Notes: This is an official part of the canon, but in this story, many members of congress get slaughtered in public which would out the supernatural to the world. We really stretch things with alien invasions and giant apes and such, but it’s easier to believe in the days before cyberspace that these things can be covered up and people will choose to deny they happened. But in the modern age, it’s harder for these things to happen and still have other stories where people don’t believe in monsters. Thus, I’m going to assume that this story falls perhaps in the same divergent timeline as the Buffy Season 8 comics, which is a world where vampires have been outed and become celebrities, and where Los Angeles went to Hell and everyone in the city remembers. Having said this, if one were to desire keeping this story in the main timeline, I suppose it is plausible that after the fact, the events might have been covered up by the government as a terrorist attack.

SUPERNATURAL (TELEVISION SERIES)

SEASON 6 EPISODE 12 “LIKE A VIRGIN”

Release Date: February 2, 2011 (Contemporary Setting)

Horror Crosses: Evil Dead

The Story: The Winchesters investigate a series of abductions of young girls.

Notes: Bobby has a book bound in human flesh that is clearly meant to be the Necronomicon ex Mortis.

DANGER GIRL AND THE ARMY OF DARKNESS # 1 - 6 (DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT)

Release Date: April 1, 2011 - August 1, 2012 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Danger Girl; Evil Dead

The Story: Abby Chase and the Danger Girls seek the Book of the Dead to keep it out of nefarious hands, but Ash also seeks the book to carry out a personal vendetta.

Notes: This story brings Danger Girl into the Horror Universe.

FROM HELL WITH LOVE: A SECRET HISTORIES NOVEL (NOVEL BY SIMON R. GREEN)

Release Date: June 7, 2011 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Secret Histories

Horror Crosses: War of the Worlds (novel); The Crystal Egg; Nightside; Suspiria; Carnacki Ghost Finder; Ghost Finders; Doctor Faustus; Evil Dead; Frankenstein (novel); Frankenstein (Universal); Frankenstein (and some others): Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos

Non-Horror Crosses: The Man from UNCLE; James Bond; Shadows Fall; Doctor Who; Indiana Jones; I Dream of Jeannie: Solomon Kane; Area 52

The Story: The Droods battle Doctor Delirium and the Immortals over the Apocalypse Door.

Notes: An auction is selling a Martian Tripod and a Crystal Egg. This novel has several references to Green’s Nightside series. An auction attendee is Aunt Sally Darque, who was banned from every coven in Europe after that nasty affair at the dance academy in the German Black Forest. This is a reference to the film Suspiria. The Carnacki Institute is mentioned. Doctor Faustus is former owner of the Apocalypse Door. Archie Leech’s Kandarian Amulet is mentioned. The immortals are residing in Castle Frankenstein. The Droods are assisted by the Bride of Frankenstein and several other Frankenstein Monsters in taking the castle. In the Antarctic, Eddie sees a bizarre alien city within a mountain. This is likely a reference to At the Mountains of Madness, considering Green’s habit of throwing in a Lovecraft reference in every story. The war is compared to the rivalry between UNCLE and THRUSH or between James Bond and SPECTRE. Green also references his other series, Shadows Fall, a few times. At Drood Hall, there are several 19th century family members still alive because their aging was slowed during the Time War. Yes, Whovians, it’s likely that Time War, considering that Green tends to throw in at least one Doctor Who reference in each of his stories. Isabella Metcalf is compared to Indiana Jones. Jeannie (of I Dream of…) is listed among the immortals. There is a dead dragon under Castle Frankenstein, perhaps a reference to the Solomon Kane adventure, The Dragon of Castle Frankenstein. Eddie and Molly travel to Area 52 to stop the villain.

ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE (FILM)

Release Date: October 29, 2011 (Setting is June - December 2011)

Series: Zombie Apocalypse

Horror Crosses: Evil Dead

The Story: In June 2011, a new virus turns into a zombie plague. Six months later, it has become a worldwide epidemic.

Notes: One of the characters had previously worked at an S-Mart, just as Ash Williams had. That links this film to the Horror Universe. But of course zombies on a global scale doesn’t conform to the main timeline, so this must be a divergent timeline. I wish I could place it in the Romero timeline, but the film is very clear about the start of the plague and the cause, both of which contradict the Romero timeline. So this is yet another alternate zombie timeline.

SO YOU CREATED A WORMHOLE (NOVEL BY PHIL HORNSHAW & NICK HURWITCH)

Release Date: April 3, 2012 (See notes for setting)

Series: The Time Travel Guide

Horror Crosses: Evil Dead; Alien

Non-Horror Crosses: Terminator; Doctor Who; Back to the Future; Forbidden Planet; The Time Machine; Time Cop; A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court; Star Trek; Timeline; Stargate; Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure; Hot Tub Time Machine; Star Wars; Futurama; Donnie Darko; Time After Time; Lost; Philadelphia Experiment; 12 Monkeys; Quantum Leap; X-Files; Gundam; Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers; Voltron; iRobot; Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (films); Superman (Christopher Reeve films); Land of the Lost; Battlestar Galactica; Star Trek (reboot); Planet of the Apes; Call of Duty; Muppet Show

The Story: Not so much a story, this is an actual guide for new time travellers written by some guys who live at some point in the future, but who came back in time to publish the book (presumedly to avoid an amateur time traveller from screwing up their timeline).

Notes: This story implies that all of the above crosses exist. However, because of the nature of time travel, it’s possible that some of the above may be in divergent timelines while others are part of the main Horror Universe timeline.

CABIN IN THE WOODS (FILM)

Release Date: April 13, 2012 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Cabin in the Woods

Horror Crosses: Alien; Half-Life; Evil Dead; Poltergeist; Frankenstein (Universal); Child’s Play; Creature from the Black Lagoon; Corpse Bride; Killer Klowns from Outer Space; Stephen King Universe; Killjoy; Devil’s Rejects; Clownhouse; Drive Thru; Funhouse; Amusement; Circus of Fear; Clown Camp; Demonic Toys; Demons; Night of the Demons; Supernatural; Charmed; Gremlins; Ghoulies; Creeps; Troll; Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; Frankenstein (novel); Dr. Giggles; The Human Centipede; House on Haunted Hill; The Dead Pit; Buffy the Vampire Slayer; The Strangers; Underworld; Attack of the 50 Foot Woman; Troll Hunter; Anaconda; Python; Mega Snake; Snakes on a Plane; Resident Evil; Hellraiser; Cannibal Holocaust; Creepshow; Legend of Sleepy Hollow; Attack of the Jack-O-Lanterns; Pumpkinhead; Frankenfish; The Mummy! Or a Tale of the Twenty-Second Century; The Mummy (Universal); The Hills Have Eyes; Wrong Turn; Chernobyl Diaries; 28 Days Later; Signal; the Works of Quentin Tarantino; Left 4 Dead; Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos; Re-Animator (film); Siren; The Exorcist; The Exorcism of Emily Rose; Reptillicus; Jurassic Park; Abomidible Bigfoot; The Legend of Boggy Creek; Ape Canyon; Curse of Bigfoot; Night of the Bloody Apes; Wendigo; Night Beasts; Night of the Scarecrow; Scarecrows; Husk; Scarecrow Gone Wild; The Scarecrows Walk at Midnight; The Town that Dreaded Sundown; The Craft; Witches of Eastwick; Hocus Pocus; Jack Frost; Hellboy (film); Rumplestilskin; Lephrechaun; Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters; Gingerbread Man; The Vampyre; Dracula (novel); Nosferatu; The Wolf Man; An American Werewolf in London; The Howling; Wolf; Texas Chainsaw Massacre; Friday the 13th; Night of the Living Dead; Return of the Living Dead; F.E.A.R.; The Blob; Feast; Horrors of the Wendigo; Frostbiter; Ghost; Bram Stoker’s Dracula (film); The Cyclops; Cyclops Giant; Nightbreed; Leeches!; Attack of the Giant Leeches; Rows of Teeth; The Birds; Killing Birds; Birdemic: Shock and Terror; Silent Hill; Attack of the Killer Lane Gnomes; Alligator; Lake Placid; Them!; Legion of Fire: Killer Ants!; Ants; Empire of the Ants; King Kong; Centipede Horror; The Giant Claw; The Ring; Attack of the Giant Gila Monster; The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms; Tarantula; Eight Legged Freaks; Jaws; Frogs; Lord of Darkness; House of the Dead; The Grudge; Chopping Mall; BlinkyTM; The Kraken; Kraken: Tentacles of the Deep; Octopus; The Beast; Deep Rising; It Came From Beneath the Sea; Tentacles; Eye of the Beast; Mega Shark; Giant Octopus; Castle Freak; Tokyo Gore Police; Septic; Mutants; Ogre; Blood Pool; Legend of the Ogre; Killing Floor; Little Shop of Horrors; The Breed; Hatchet; Phantasm; See No Evil; Thinner; Monster House; Attila; Dead Snow; Frankenstein’s Army; Manhunt; The Monster in the Closet; Killer Eyes; Demomata; CSP-682; Parasite Eve 2; Dead Space; Night of the Lepus; Creature from the Haunted Sea; Tremors; Hostel; The Collection; The Butcher; Dead Rising; My Bloody Valentine; The Exterminator; Willard; War of the Worlds; Signs; Lollipop Chainsaw; Ghost Ship; Curse of the Pirates; Jolly Roger; Lead Soldiers; Vampire Vikings; The Witch; Blair Witch Project; The Village; The Thing; Vampire Breath; Goosebumps; Angel; King Cobra

Non-Horror Crosses: Harry Potter; Wizard of Oz; Great Expectations; Batman; Labyrinth; Land of the Giants; The Wrath of Paul Bunyan; Dreamscape; Last of the Mohicans; Blood Meridian; Scalps; Savage Sam; Sin City; Kevin Spencer; We Need to Talk About Kevin; Jacob’s Ladder; Doctor Who; Black Swan; Pan’s Labyrinth; Nutcracker; Blade Hunter; The Chronicles of Narnia; Time Bandits; The Princess and the Frog; Pirates of the Caribbean; Futurama; The Incredible Shrinking Man; Pee-Wee’s Playhouse; Red Planet; Terminator; Zathura; Hardware; Robot Wars; Bacterial Contamination; Firefly; Clash of the Titans; Team Fortress; Man from Planet X; Starship Troopers; Silence of the Lambs/Hannibal; Twisted Metal

The Story: A group of teens head out for a weekend in a cabin in the woods, not knowing that they have been chosen as sacrifices to an ancient deity in order to save the world from his wrath.

Notes: This film exposes the secret truth behind modern horror. Behind it all is a secret organization, chosen to sacrifice youth to ancient gods. All of the above named crossovers have been linked in this film, and revealed to be part of this secret conspiracy. Most of the crossovers above come from the monsters and artifacts contained in the facility. While some of the monsters and artifacts are clearly from certain films above, many are based on certain types of horror films, in which case I included the more well-known of these film types. I recommend the well-researched Cabin in the Woods Wiki for a more detailed listing of the monsters and their inspirations. Note that I included in the above crossovers some monsters that only appeared in the official novelization and the official Universal Theme Park attraction tie-in. With this film, I break one of my major rules of crossover connecting. Though some of the crosses are direct crosses, like Evil Dead and Left 4 Dead, most of them are only connected because the films represent the more well-known films of the trope from which a certain monster comes. Normally, I would not count something that is “like something from”, but there is dialogue within the film that makes me break my rule. In one scene, referring to the monsters, security officer Daniel Truman says “They’re like something from a nightmare.” Lin, a head scientist, responds, “No, they’re something nightmares are from.” She goes on to explain that these monsters are the creations of the Ancient Ones, having been around since the beginning, and different cultures have told stories that interpret them in different ways. Thus, in the instance of this film, “like” is enough because of the author’s intent. And thus my love/hate relationship with Joss Whedon, for expanding the Horror Universe dramatically but making me do a lot of work to write this entry. Note that this film ends with the start of an apocalypse, so the end must veer into a divergent timeline. We must presume in the main Horror Universe, the virgin shot the fool. And if you haven’t seen the movie, that last sentence probably seems very bizarre. This film has been referenced as fictional in South Park, The Cinema Snob, Scary Movie 5, and Doc of the Dead. It is also paid homage to in Red Dawn when Chris Hemsworth and his friends once more wind up in a cabin in the woods. The film has also been spoofed in Robot Chicken and Scary Movie 5.

HACK/SLASH # 20 - 25 “FINAL” (IMAGE)

Release Date: November 1, 2012 - March 2013 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Hack/Slash

Horror Crosses: Evil Dead; Hoax Hunters

Non-Horror Crosses: The Answer

The Story: Samhain is preparing a war with slashers as his army.

Notes: This is the final story arc of the Image series. Cassie next appears in Dynamite’s Army of Darkness vs. Hack/Slash. The crossover (via references) in this story is a foreshadowing of that crossover event. There are also references to the super-hero called the Answer and to the Hoax Hunters, an Image series about those who seek out the supernatural so they can cover it up.

PROPHESY # 1 - 7 (DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT)

Release Date: June - December 2012 (Set around the Mayan Prophecy of December 21, 2012)

Horror Crosses: Vampirella; Dracula (Dynamite Entertainment); Eva, Daughter of Dracula; Re-Animator (Comics); The Picture of Dorian Gray; Purgatori; Pantha

Non-Horror Crosses: Red Sonja; Conan the Barbarian; Allan Quatermain; Athena (Dynamite Entertainment); Sherlock Holmes

The Story: The story of how the apocalypse was averted.

Notes: This is the first major company wide crossover event from Dynamite. All of the characters involved have already been included in the Horror Universe except for Athena, who is now added by this crossover. Since this story involves Dracula, Eva, and Vampirella, that means that the Dracula who fathered Eva is the same Dracula from Vampirella’s series, who proclaims to be the true Dracula (and may be due to one previous time travel trip that seems to indicate so), but he could just be a soul clone who shares memories of his sire and closely resembles the Dark Prince. We also know from Monster War and Ash vs. Dracula that the Dracula of Topps and Dynamite are the same character.

EVIL DEAD (FILM)

Release Date: March 8, 2013 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Evil Dead

The Story: Some teens bring their friend out to a remote cabin to detox. There, she finds a Sumerian book called the Naturom Demonto (aka Book of the Dead). She of course reads from it and summons a demon. People die.

Notes: The Necronomicon was also translated as the Book of the Dead. During the credits, Professor Raymond Knowby recalls his previous discovery of the Naturom Demonto, referencing the original film, and thus making it clear that despite appearances, this is a sequel and not a remake. And then Ash shows up at the very end, just so that we know for sure. This film is followed by Evil Dead 2, currently in development at this writing. This film is spoofed in Scary Movie 5.

POKER NIGHT 2 (VIDEO GAME)

Release Date: April 24, 2013 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Poker Night

Horror Crosses: Evil Dead

Non-Horror Crosses: Sam & Max: Freelance Police; Venture Brothers; Borderlands; Portal

The Story: Some interesting individuals gather to play poker.

Notes: This is a poker video game, but with special celebrity characters to play against. The players in this version are Ash, Sam, Brock, and Claptrap. GLaDOS is the dealer. Ash is of course from the Evil Dead/Army of Darkness series of films, comics and more. Sam is an anthropomorphic talking dog police officer. I’m not even going to bother explaining how Sam exists and came to be at the game. Brock is the team muscle on the Venture Brothers. Claptrap is from the Borderlands video games. GLaDOS is from the Portal video games.

LIVE AND LET DROOD: A SECRET HISTORIES NOVEL (NOVEL BY SIMON R. GREEN)

Release Date: June 4, 2013 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Secret Histories

Horror Crosses: Nightside; Carnacki Ghost Finder; Ghost Finders; Evil Dead; The Mummy (Universal); Frankenstein (novel); Dracula (novel); Gravel

Non-Horror Crosses: Doctor Who; She; Excalibur (Marvel)

The Story: Eddie Drood is the last of his family, carrying on a legacy of protecting the world. But now he has learned that his family still lives, trapped in an alternate reality.

Notes: Secret Histoires is a series of novels by Green involving Eddie Drood, who protects the world from supernatural threats. This cross brings that series into the Horror Universe. Green’s Nightside is mentioned. Drood visits the Carnacki Institute, from Green’s Ghost Finders series, and named for Thomas Carnacki. There is a Kandarian reference, as in the Evil Dead. Tana leaves are also mentioned, which come from the Mummy series. Castle Frankenstein is mentioned. Eddie mentioned having fought Dracula. Finally, and the most fun in my opinion, when a character’s bow tie is mocked, Eddie says that bow ties are cool. His friend, the Travelling Doctor, said so. The Travelling Doctor is often used by writers as code for the Doctor from Doctor Who, and in this case, this is a direct reference to the Eleventh Doctor.

ARMY OF DARKNESS VS. HACK/SLASH # 1 - 6 (DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT)

Release Date: July 2013 - February 2014 (Contemporary Setting, shortly after the final issue of Image’s Hack/Slash)

Series: Evil Dead; Hack/Slash

The Story: Cassie has been trying to live a normal life, but she isn’t getting it as she finds herself attacked by Deadites and introduced to Ash.

Notes: This one almost didn’t make it into the book, only because I kept thinking it was in. How could I forget this teaming of two of the greatests unconventional monster hunters?

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEADPOOL # 1 - 4 (MARVEL COMICS)

Release Date: January 15 - March 5, 2014 (See notes regarding setting)

Series: Deadpool

Horror Crosses: Evil Dead; Night of the Living Dead; Shaun of the Dead; The Walking Dead

The Story: Deadpool awakens to find himself the only survivor in a zombie apocalypse.

Notes: Deadpool finds himself at the cabin from Evil Dead. The zombies are the Romero style and of course the title is an homage/parody of Night of the Living Dead. Army of Darkness vs. Marvel Zombies demonstrated that the Marvel Zombies universe had its own counterpart of Ash, so likely the cabin existed in the Marvel Zombies Universe as well. It does seem likely that with Deadpool being a Marvel character, this story should take place in the Marvel Zombies Universe at the start of the outbreak. However, this is actually a Horror Universe counterpart of Deadpool in the Romero Zombie divergent timeline at the start of the outbreak. At one point in the story, Deadpool ends up at Hershel Green’s farmhouse from the Walking Dead. The Walking Dead has crossovers with Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead, placing it in the Romero Zombie timeline. Deadpool also ends up at the Winchester Arms from Shaun of the Dead, confirming that film in the Romero Zombie timeline.

TOTAL DRAMA (ANIMATED SERIES)

SEASON 5 EPISODE 16 “TWINNING ISN’T EVERYTHING”

Release Date: July 8, 2014 (Contemporary Setting)

Horror Crosses: Evil Dead

The Story: The second half of season 5 is Total Drama Pahkitew Island. In this season they do have new contestants joining the cast, while they phase out the old cast. Clearly they want to keep with the concept as I said above. The setting this time is Camp Pahkitew. This episode centers around a balloon competition. Plus love and hate, loyalty and betrayal. Reality show stuff.

Notes: One of the contestants, Max, is a hopeful evil genius. He has snuck contraband into the camp, including a copy of the Necronomicon ex Mortis.

MASS EFFECT (VIDEO GAMES)

Release Date: November 20, 2007 - March 6, 2012 (Setting is 2183 - 2185)

Series: Mass Effect

Horror Crosses: Evil Dead; Dracula (novel); Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos

Non-Horror Crosses: The Princess Bride; Jack Ryan; Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; Berserker; A Clockwork Orange; Star Trek

The Story: Shepard and his crew must stop the Reapers, aliens who exist outside the known galaxy, from invading.

Notes: Mass Effect consists of three games and several tie in works of fiction thus far. One character is Ashley Williams who seems to be descended from Ash of the Evil Dead series, even having a fondness for the term “boomstick”. One of the ships seen is the Demeter, the same name as the ship seen in Dracula. As noted with Star Trek crossovers, ships tend to be named after real historical figures, places, etc, and thus I consider this a crossover. The Reapers of this story are the creation of the Old Ones of Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. The Reapers then gained sentience and became a threat on their own accord. Later, Shepard and his crew will encounter the real Old Ones, called Leviathans (as they have in other modern stories), sleeping under the seas of the planet 2181 Desponia. A reference to a character being only mostly dead is a link to the Princess Bride. The use of a maneuver called the Crazy Ivan is a link to The Hunt for Red October, part of the Jack Ryan series. The use of being dead as a tax dodge provides a link the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The name Qwib-Qwib is a reference to Fred Saberhagen’s Berserker series. The project from A Clockwork Orange is also referenced. Also the engineer Adams may be a Star Trek reference. This video game series takes place in the Horror Universe, but as with all stories set in the future, it takes place in one of an infinite number of possible alternate futures.

JASON X: DEATH MOON (NOVEL BY ALEX JOHNSON)

Release Date: November 29, 2005 (Setting is the 25th Century)

Series: Friday the 13th

Horror Crosses: Evil Dead

The Story: Following the events of Jason X, Jason winds up in a all-girl reform school. Jason and bad girls.

Notes: In a flashback story, it’s told that Jebediah Voorhees was a wizard in 1667 Salem, and an ancestor of Jason, who had been in possession of the Necronomicon ex Mortis. This would explain its later appearance in Crystal Lake. Note that Jason X and its tie in novels are but one of many possible futures of the Horror Universe.