King Kong

This is another one to get a major overhaul to incorporate the Horror Crossover Encyclopedia.

Okay, on to the big guy.

THE ELDRITCH NEW ADVENTURES OF BECKY SHARP (NOVEL BY MICAH S. HARRIS)

Release Date: 2008 (Setting is 19th and 20th centuries)

Series: Becky Sharp

Horror Crosses: Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos; King Kong

Non-Horror Crosses: Vanity Fair; Moby Dick; She; Cement Surroundings; Tarzan; Journey to the Center of the Earth; Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea; Michael Moorcock’s Multiverse; Dr. Syn; Song of the South; Rip Van Winkle; Sherlock Holmes; Gone With the Wind; The Sun Also Rises

The Story: The villainous Becky Sharp serves the interests of the Great Race of Yith and crosses paths with many notable figures in her exploits.

Notes: Becky Sharp is originally from Vanity Fair and this is both a sequel to Vanity Fair and to Micah S. Harris’ story “The Ape Gigans” from Tales of the Shadowmen volume 3: Danse Macabre. The Great Race of Yith is from Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos and there are also plenty of other references. Along the way of her adventures, Harris has Sharp interact with characters from all of the above listed crosses.

KING KONG: THE ISLAND OF THE SKULL (NOVEL BY MATTHEW COSTELLO)

Release Date: November 2005 (Setting is 1930, prior to the events of the film King Kong)

Series: King Kong (2005 remake)

Horror Crosses: Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos

The Story: This prequel to the 2005 version of the film features three separate stories, showing the events before the film’s story, from the point of views of filmmaker Carl Denham, actress Ann Darrow, and former Navy Diver Sam Kelly.

Notes: Denham and Darrow will end up in the film. Kelly is the discoverer of the island who creates the map that ends up in Denham’s hands. I actually put a lot of thought as to whether King Kong was of the horror genre, and eventually decided it was, as it is a classic monster movie for sure. Of course, this crossover story brings in the 2005 remake from Peter Jackson. However, the original version is also in. The two versions are the same story, so we can consider them to be the same tale from different perspectives. As for the crossover, a native girl of Skull Island mentions R’lyeh (though spelled ry-leh) when dying. R’lyeh is the underwater city associated with the elder god Cthulhu. So it seems there’s a connection between Skull Island and Lovecraftian lore.

KING KONG (FILM)

Release Date: 1933 (Contemporary Setting, though later stories,such as Farmer’s After King Kong Fell, place the date in 1931, so that a film indeed was made in 1933 based on those events. Any versions that list this as 1933 in-story should be considered as likely confusing the true events with the date of the film release based on those events.)

Series: King Kong (Original)

The Story: A film director obtains a map to a little known island where he plans to film a picture. He gets a crew and some actors and they head off to Skull Island, where they find a land filled with primitives and giant animals, including King Kong, a giant ape. Actress Ann Darrow is kidnapped by the natives as a sacrifice to Kong. Kong takes her but doesn’t kill her, instead finding himself fond of her. Ann is rescued and Kong is subdued and returned to New York as an attraction. Surprisingly, bringing a giant monster into an overpopulated city turns out to be a bad idea. Kong breaks free, finds Ms. Darrow, and takes her to the top of the Empire State Building. Kong is shot down by biplanes, but Ann survives. In the end, it was beauty that killed the savage beast. Well, plus being shot and falling off the Empire State Building.

Notes: Even though these events happened in the Horror Universe, most of the world does not know of it, despite it being very public. Obviously, like with the War of the Worlds, there was a huge conspiracy by government and private concerns to cover things up. The making of the film, to come out two years after the events, being publicized as fictional, helped with this. Of course, in the modern era of iPhones, YouTube, and Facebook, it’s a lot harder to cover up something like this, but this was a different era after all. Note that the 2005 remake is the same story, just reimagined on film by Peter Jackson, which only can help support the fictionality of the events, as with other films and novels featuring Kong. This film is followed by the 1933 sequel, The Son of Kong. The film was remade in 1976, 1998, and 2005. It has been “non-cross” referenced in such films as Godzilla, Revenge of the Creature, and Gorgo. It has also been spoofed in such shows and films as The Addams Family, Gremlins 2, and Courage the Cowardly Dog.

KING KONG (FILM)

Release Date: 2005 (Setting is 1931)

Series: King Kong (remake)

The Story: A film maker finds out about an undiscovered island and wants to shoot a picture there. He recruits some actors and they set sail. They find Skull Island, where the natives are primitive, animals and bugs are giants, and most importantly, they find Kong, who the natives worship. He is a giant ape, who abducts actress Ann Darrow, whom the natives capture to sacrifice to their god. Ann is rescued, and Kong is subdued, and brought back to New York for the sake of entertainment. Turns out, not such a good idea, and the beast escapes, finds Ms. Darrow, and climbs the Empire State Building, only to be shot down.

Notes: This film and the original film are both in the Horror Universe, and are the same events from different perspectives. Though the original film is from 1933, several other sources have placed the film in 1931, under the assumption that the film was made based on a true story.

THE FAIRLY ODDPARENTS (ANIMATED SERIES)

SEASON 5 EPISODE 20 “THE BIG BASH”

Release Date: February 4, 2005 (Contemporary Setting)

Horror Crosses: King Kong

The Story: Cupid throws a party for fairies and their humans. He holds a scavenger hunt with items found in the past. The prize is rule free wishes.

Notes: One of the items is a banana held by Kong while on top of the Empire State Building. Timmy ends up being in one of the planes attacking Kong. This version shows that Kong climbed the building with his giant banana from Skull Island, and a brunette Ann Darrow agreed to be traded for the banana if paid a million dollars. We should chalk this up to it being the same events told from a different perspective. Or perhaps the presence of Timmy and Timmy’s rival, along with their fairy companions, caused a slight alteration of the timeline that Cupid later set right once his scavenger hunt was complete.

MONSTERS OF THE MOVIES MAGAZINE # 1 “THE LIFE STORY OF KING KONG” (STORY BY JIM HARMON)

Release Date: June 1, 1974 (Setting is 1931)

Series: King Kong (original)

Non-Horror Crosses: G-8; Captain Midnight; The Spider; The Shadow; Smilin’ Jack Martin; Tailspin Tommy; Jimmie Allen; Tarzan

The Story: In this essay, Jim Harmon speculates on the events of King Kong. Specifically, he believes that the bi-planes that attacked Kong were actually flown by Captain Midnight (also known as G-8), Smilin’ Jack Martin, Tailspin Tommy and Jimmie Allen.

Notes: Harmon speculates G-8 (the pulp hero) and Captain Midnight (the radio hero) are one and the same character, having used both identities at different times in his career. He also says he does not believe the rumor that G-8 did “hide in the shadows like some creeping spider.” This is a reference to Farmer’s assertion in Tarzan Alive that G-8, the Shadow, and the Spider were actually one person with multiple personalities, which he later altered in Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life to say they were brothers. Smilin’ Jack Martin and Tailspin Tommy were comic strip aviators. Jimmie Allen was a radio aviator hero.

THE GRAND ADVENTURE “WHEN KING KONG FELL” (STORY BY PHILIP JOSE FARMER)

Release Date: 1984 (Setting is 1931)

Series: King Kong (original)

Non-Horror Crosses: Doc Savage; The Shadow; Tim Howller

The Story: Doc Savage and his assistants, as well as the Shadow and Margo Lane, are present at the aftermath of Kong’s fall. Tim Howller is also present.

Notes: I don’t think I need to explain Doc Savage or the Shadow. Tim Howller also appears in Farmer’s story “The Face that Launched a Thousand Eggs”.

JIM ANTHONY, SUPER-DETECTIVE: THE HUNTERS (NOVEL BY JOSH REYNOLDS AND MICAH S. HARRIS)

Release Date: May 1, 2010 (Setting is 1931)

Series: Jim Anthony, Super Detective

Horror Crosses: King Kong; The King in Yellow

Non-Horror Crosses: The Most Dangerous Game; Baltimore Gun Club; The Shadow; Doc Savage; The Works of Philip Jose Farmer

The Story: Jim Anthony teams with Count Zaroff to fight yetis in New York and then have adventures on Skull Island.

Notes: Anthony and Zaroff encounter the Venture but make it to Skull Island first and encounter Kong. Jim Anthony was a detective from the pulp era. Count Zaroff is from the Most Dangerous Game. The King in Yellow and the Baltimore Gun Club are also mentioned. The Shadow is also a major character of the story. Doc Savage is mentioned under the name of Doc Wildman, the name prescribed to him by Philip Jose Farmer. The climax of the novel takes place at the same time as the climax of King Kong and coincides with the events of the story “After King Kong Fell”.

SHOOTING STAR COMIC ANTHOLOGY # 3 “BEAUTY AND THE BEAST” (SHOOTING STAR COMICS)

Release Date: Winter 2004 (Setting is 1931)

Series: Rex Solomon

Horror Crosses: King Kong (original)

The Story: Adventurer Rex Solomon is on the phone trying to get some info from his girl Ruth when he’s forced to hang up due to an assassination attempt. She gets upset and complains to the girl standing nearby, who happens to be Ann Darrow, having just survived the incident with Kong, who is laying there dead in front of the Empire State Building.

Notes: Yet another person present at the events. Rex Solomon is a comic book adventurer, and this crossover brings him into the Horror Universe.

SON OF KONG (FILM)

Release Date: 1933 (Contemporary Setting; about a month after the end of King Kong)

Series: King Kong (Original)

The Story: Turns out bringing a monster into the city who goes on a rampage has consequences. Denham finds himself broke, facing numerous lawsuits after Kong’s rampage. Denham flees the United States on the Venture with Captain Englehorn, and they seek to make a living in trade in the Orient. Eventually they hear a rumor that there was treasure on Skull Island and decide to return. A Dutch woman named Hilda, with troubles of her own, stows away. Oddly, the crew doesn’t want to return to the dangerous island of deadly monsters. Go figure. So they mutinee. Denham, Englehorn, Hilda, the cook, and ironically the guy who started the mutiny get thrown overboard and swim to Skull Island, stranded. And it turns out abducting a god has consequences as well. It so happens that the natives also remember Denham and company and aren’t too happy to see them. The trespassers are forced to flee into the jungle. There they find a white albino ape about twice the height of a man. Denham presumes this to be Kong’s child. This ape is much more benevolent than Kong, and ends up dying saving Denham’s life.

Notes: This is a direct sequel to the original King Kong film, and out of all the sequels to follow, this is the most official one. This film has been “non-cross” referenced in such shows as Saturday Night Live, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and Futurama.

TARZAN MEETS KONG (NOVEL BY OWEN R. LEONARD)

Release Date: March 4, 2013 (Setting is either 1931 or shortly after)

Series: Tarzan; King Kong

Non-Horror Crosses: Pellucidar

The Story: Shortly after the events of King Kong and Son of Kong, Tarzan goes to a circus to view Kong’s hide, obtained after the fall. However, he discovers it to be a fake. Upon investigation, he learns that Kong didn’t die, and that the Nazis had taken his injured body and returned it to Skull Island, but not before taking a DNA sample in order to create an army of Kong clones. Tarzan enlists Denham and travels to Skull Island where he learns that Kong and his race actually originate from Pellucidar. He also learns that Kong speaks the language of the Mangani, the race that raised Tarzan. After Tarzan and Kong team up to stop bad guys, Kong returns to Pellucidar where he is honored.

Notes: Based on the revelations of this crossover, any appearance of a King Kong type could be Kong himself (up to the mid 1940s at the latest based on life expectancies of real apes), others of Kong’s race, or even clones of Kong.

THE WORLD OF KONG: A NATURAL HISTORY OF SKULL ISLAND (NOVEL BY PETER JACKSON AND AND WETA WORKSHOP)

Release Date: 2005 (Setting is between 1931 and 1939)

Series: King Kong (remake)

Horror Crosses: King Kong (original)

The Story: This book full of drawings and maps, as well as written descriptions, comes from the expedition that returned to Skull Island after the existence of the island was revealed.

Notes: Peter Jackson is the filmmaker of the King Kong remake. This book says that Skull Island sank before the start of World War II. This is a reference to Son of Kong. Since there was not a follow up remake to Son of Kong, this is in-story evidence that the original version of King Kong and the Peter Jackson remakes are the same story in the same universe from different perspectives.

DOUBLE OR DIE (NOVEL BY CHARLIE HIGSON)

Release Date: 2007 (Setting is 1933)

Series: James Bond

Horror Crosses: King Kong

The Story: Not so important.

Notes: This is part of a young James Bond series, featuring James Bond as a teen in the 1930s. One of Bond’s classmates mentions that Kong was recently found on Skull Island. Based on the date of the setting of the story, this works well to fit with the events of King Kong. Even though the events were covered up, some still believe the events happened. I love these kinds of crossovers, where one little line of dialogue brings together two very different series into the same canon.

THE BOYS’ MAGAZINE # 609 “THE MENACE OF THE MONSTERS” (STORY BY JOHN HUNTER)

Release Date: November 4, 1933 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: King Kong (original)

The Story: Carl Denham returns to Skull Island and captures a bunch of dinosaurs (because his previous idea of bringing a giant monster back to civilization worked so well.) Wouldn’t you know the boat crashes and the dinosaurs rampage through London.

Notes: I know very little about this. I couldn’t find anything online to elaborate. I was barely able to even confirm the existence of this story. But it does exist, and I assume there are monsters and they cause a menace.

DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE # 6 “THE SKY STEALERS” (MARVEL COMICS)

Release Date: October 1976 (Setting is 1936)

Series: Doc Savage

Horror Crosses: Mummy (Universal); King Kong (original)

Non-Horror Crosses: Simon of Gitta; Conan the Barbarian

The Story: Doc and his team investigate a mysterious force that can destroy cities.

Notes: Like Holmes, Doc isn’t one to buy into the supernatural, but like Holmes, he’s had his fair share of encounters with it. Doc’s original tales are included in the Horror Universe, and all the crossovers mentioned in this book. The Scroll of Thoth appears in this story, which first appeared in Universal’s The Mummy. It was also regularly featured in the Simon of Gitta stories and is named for Thoth-Amon, an enemy of Conan. King Kong is referenced here when Ham jokingly makes a comparison between the beast and Monk. Of course, in “When King Kong Fell,” Doc and his assistants were present at the aftermath of the events of King Kong, so they would have direct knowledge. Though I didn’t mention it as a cross, there is also a mention of an archaeologist named Petrie. This man is important in an essay that appears in the collection “Myths for the Modern Age” entitled “Who’s Going to Take Over the World When I’m Gone?” This essay originated online, and though I don’t include online posted material, since this has since been published in book form, the essay should be considered valid for the Horror Universe.

SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW (FILM)

Release Date: September 17, 2004 (Setting is 1939)

Series: Sky Captain

Horror Crosses: King Kong; Godzilla

Non-Horror Crosses: Lost Horizon; Superman (Max Fleischer)

The Story: Sky Captain must stop a madman who wants to destroy the human race and start civilization over on a new world.

Notes: This film takes place in an alternate timeline. The events of King Kong and Son of Kong are referenced as having occurred. A newspaper headline refers to the events of Godzilla as recently having happened in 1939. In the main Horror Universe, the events happened around the same time as the the film, 1954. Though it is possible that Tokyo has been attacked by giant lizards in the past, the events of Godzilla seem to indicate that it’s a new thing for them, and also a result of post WWII nuclear testing. Shangri-La appears in this story. And in the film, Sky Captain battles giant remote control robots that were first seen in the 1940s animated Superman shorts. In this reality, they apparently debut a few years earlier. In the main Horror Universe, we might assume that the Superman shorts might be part of Horror Universe canon, but because those stories involve a Superman and supporting cast in Manhattan, rather than Metropolis or Cleveland, it’s best to assume the animated shorts are yet another divergent timeline.

THE YOUNG ALL-STARS # 12 “‘M’ IS FOR ‘MONSTERS’” (DC COMICS)

Release Date: May 1988 (Setting is May 1942)

Series: Young All-Stars

Horror Crosses: Creature Commandos; King Kong

Non-Horror Crosses: All-Star Squadron; TNT and Dan the Dyna-Mite; Aarn Munro; Hawkman (Golden Age); Robotman (Golden Age); Miss America; Justice Society of America; Superman (Golden Age); The War that Time Forgot; Wildcat; Metropolis; G.I. Robot; R.U.R.

The Story: Deathbolt attacks Project M to steal a T-Rex and place the Ultra-Humanite’s brain in it.

Notes: King Kong’s remains are seen at Project M. Project M is from the Creature Commandos series, which has been brought in via a New Adventures of Frankenstein tale by Donald F. Glut. This story does not bring in the entire Young All-Stars series or DC Comics line.

ROCKETEER ADVENTURES # 1 “DEAR BETTY…” (IDW)

Release Date: May 18, 2011 (Setting is during World War II)

Series: The Rocketeer

Horror Crosses: King Kong

The Story: Like all good men, Cliff is off doing his part in the Armed Services during World War II, while Betty is performing on the home front. Cliff sends letters and photos home to Betty, which comprise the story.

Notes: One of the photos is of Cliff fighting an armored King Kong on Skull Island, dated 3/3/45. As I’ve postulated elsewhere in this guide, there must have been more of the species as King Kong indeed died in 1931.

THE ABC SATURDAY SUPERSTAR MOVIE “THE MAD, MAD, MAD MONSTERS” (ANIMATED FILM)

Release Date: September 23, 1972 (See Notes regarding setting)

Series: Mad Monster Party?

Horror Crosses: Frankenstein (Universal); Frankenstein (Rankin/Bass); Dracula (Universal); Wolf Man; Mummy (Universal); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Universal); Invisible Man (Universal); Creature from the Black Lagoon; King Kong

The Story: When Dr. Henry von Frankenstein creates a bride for his monster, he decides to throw his creations a wedding.

Notes: Dear God, Henry! What have you done? Playing God. Reanimating the dead. Creating a Phyllis Diller. So this is a prequel to Mad Monster Party?, which came out in 1967, so this must take place before then. See my notes for Mad Monster Party? for my notes on the individual characters involved.

KONG: KING OF SKULL ISLAND (NOVEL BY JOE DEVITO AND BRAD STRICKLAND)

Release Date: October 18, 2005 (Setting is 1956)

Series: King Kong (original)

The Story: The son of Carl Denham travels to Skull Island.

Notes: This is a book authorized by the estate of the original film’s director.

BRAINDEAD (FILM)

Release Date: 1992 (Setting is 1957)

Series: Dead Alive

Horror Crosses: King Kong

Non-Horror Crosses: Sherlock Holmes

The Story: A Sumatran Rat-Monkey is captured. These creatures are the results of the two species mating, and originate from Sumatra but are found on Skull Island where they migrated. Their bite turns people into zombies, so you can imagine how great it was when one was shipped to a zoo in Wellington, New Zealand.

Notes: The original name of the film was Braindead, but was retitled Dead Alive for distribution in the United States. It’s interesting that the film opens on Skull Island, seeing as how the film’s director Peter Jackson would later film the remake of King Kong. One must wonder if these Sumatran Rat-Monkeys are what is referred to in the Sherlock Holmes tale “The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire” when Holmes mentions the “giant rat of Sumatra”. Incidentally, in Son of Kong, Skull Island appeared to sink, but apparently it only partially sank. This film has been referenced as fictional, paid homage to, and spoofed numerous times in other films and on television.

KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (FILM)

Release Date: 1962 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: King Kong (original); Godzilla

The Story: Both monsters rise once more, menace civilization, and fight each other. What else were you expecting?

Notes: This is a Toho film that is a sequel in the Godzilla series, and the first of two Toho King Kong films, that is meant to be a sequel to the original King Kong. Faro Island, which is where they find Kong, must be another name for Skull Island. This obviously isn’t the original King Kong, but considering Son of Kong, and common sense, it’s doubtful that Kong would have been the only one of his kind. There must be many giant apes, who do not live in tribes but isolate. This film follows Mothra and is followed by Godzilla vs. Mothra in the official Toho franchise. This film is alluded to in several other King Kong films and others. It has also been spoofed several times.

LA SAGA DE MME. ATOMOS (TOME 1) “LE NOEL DE MME. ATOMOS” (STORY BY JEAN-MARC LOFFICIER)

Release Date: 2006 (Setting is November 1963)

Series: Madame Atomos

Horror Crosses: King Kong

Non-Horror Crosses: The Day the Earth Stood Still; Doc Savage

The Story: Madame Atomos, one of the greatest super-villains, is in Dallas, Texas sulking after her latest plot fails. Finally, she decides to cheer herself up by brainwashing Lee Harvey Oswald!

Notes: Madame Atomos is indeed one of the greatest super villains. She is the creation of author Andre Caroff. She is a Japanese scientist who seeks revenge on the United States for bombing Japan with atomic weapons in 1945. In the modern era, she is a frequently used villain in the works of Jean-Marc Lofficier, especially in his Tales of the Shadowmen anthologies. In this story, Texans claim to disbelieve the wild headlines from east coast newspapers, such as the events of King Kong, the Day the Earth Stood Still, and the Doc Savage pulps. Of course, this attitude isn’t relegated only to Texas in the Horror Universe. People in this reality tend to always be in obliviousness and denial in the face of anything outside their preconceived notions of reality. And if you think about it, that’s to the advantage of evil. Evil creatures of the supernatural would have a harder time stalking their prey if the world were fully aware and prepared.

MAD MONSTER PARTY? (ANIMATED FILM)

Release Date: March 8, 1967

Series: Mad Monster Party?

Horror Crosses: Frankenstein (Rankin/Bass); Dracula (Rankin/Bass); Invisible Man (Universal); Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde (Universal); Frankenstein (Universal); Hunchback of Notre Dame (Universal); Mummy (Universal); Wolf Man; Creature from the Black Lagoon; King Kong

The Story: Dr. Boris Frankenstein summons the members of the Worldwide Organization of Monsters to announce he has come up with the final solution for world destruction. He also invites his nephew, who is oblivious of his Frankenstein heritage, because Boris plans on passing everything on to him.

Notes: This is a fun homage to the Universal monsters, even with putting up with Phyllis Diller as the Bride of Frankenstein. However, it’s unlikely any of the monsters here can really be the original versions from the classic movies. Dr. Frankenstein here is Dr. Boris Frankenstein, and at least the storyline acknowledges the family legacy theory. The story also names him as the creator of this monster and bride. However, in the prequel, The Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters, it is a Henry von Frankenstein who is shown to have created them. This is not the same Henry from the 1931 Universal film. Henry and Boris seem identical, and may be twins, or perhaps the same person (Henry Boris von Frankenstein). This helps explain the appearances of a Universal style monster (and sometimes bride) during the period of 1948 - 1998 when the actual Universal Monster is trapped in La Mirada. The werewolf is unnamed here, but in the prequel is named Ron Chanley , a tribute to the actor who played Lawrence Talbot, Lon Chaney. The Invisible Man here could be Geoffrey Radcliffe, though if so, he’d be a bit older (though sure doesn’t look it). In the prequel, he is shown to have settled down and has an invisible family. The Doctor Jekyll here is likely one of the many of the Jekyll family over the years to continue the research of the Hyde formula. This mummy isn’t Imhotep or Kharis, but it might be Klaris. Or it may just be another mummy. The Gill Man is likely another of the same species, and not the same from Creature from the Black Lagoon. The Hunchback also can’t possibly be the original. And the giant ape referred to as “It” can’t be the late King Kong, but is likely another of the same species. In the prequel, he is named Modzoola. Dracula is the only one who could be the same, if not for being so damn goofy. Let’s call this a soul clone. The prequel shows that this Dracula has a son. All the monsters die at the end, but that’s never stopped a good monster before from making a comeback. This film has been “non-cross” referenced in The Nightmare Before Christmas, Cleavagefield, and Hewy’s Animated Movie Reviews.

KING KONG ESCAPES (FILM)

Release Date: 1967 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: King Kong (original)

The Story: King Kong returns, discovered by folks who visit the island, while a mad scientist creates his own mechanical version of Kong.

Notes: This is not the original Kong but the Kong who fought Godzilla. This film is based on the Rankin-Bass King Kong Show, which means this is also the same King Kong who appears in Mad Monster Party. Incidentally, I should point out the mad scientist in this movie is named Dr. Hu (pronounced “Who”). No relation to the Time Lord, and I’m not sure if this was intentional or coincidental. This film has been “non-cross” referenced in several films and has been spoofed in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy.

DOC SAVAGE: HIS APOCALYPTIC LIFE (NOVEL BY PHILIP JOSE FARMER)

Release Date: January 1, 1973 (No date setting as it’s a biography)

Series: Doc Savage

Horror Crosses: Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos; King Kong (original); Frankenstein (novel); Dracula (novel)

Non-Horror Crosses: See Notes

The Story: Philip Jose Farmer, after research, investigation, and interviews, puts forth the real biography of the man most famously known as Doc Savage.

Notes: Tarzan Alive! introduced the Farmer Universe, and this book expands and clarifies. One of my favorites. As for the crossover inclusion, Farmer states that the character identified in H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness, Professor Dyer, is actually Professor William Harper “Johnny” Littlejohn, one of Doc’s five assistants. And we know that everything written by Lovecraft is also in the Horror Universe. Another cross that is horror related is that the events of King Kong end on the Empire State Building, which is Doc’s headquarters. Though he was out of town, he returns just as the events ended and was instrumental in the creation of the film based on the events. In the notes in the appendix laying out the family tree, it’s mentioned that Hendrick Van Helsing alleges in his book Dark Places that Sir Patrick Clark Wildman had the notes of Victor Frankenstein and attempted to duplicate his work.

THE GHOST BUSTERS (TELEVISION SERIES)

SEASON 1 EPISODE 2 “DR. WHATSISNAME”

Release Date: September 13, 1975 (Contemporary Setting)

Horror Crosses: King Kong; Frankenstein (Filmation)

The Story: Dr. Frankenstein seeks the brain of the world’s most gullible man to place into his monster. And his intended victim is Eddie.

Notes: Jake mentions that Tracy’s grandfather had an unfortunate incident at the Empire State Building. This Frankenstein and monster are another of the family and his new creation. It is interesting to note that this was the same plan Dracula had for the monster, in intending to place Lou Costello’s brain in the monster, in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

THE GHOST BUSTERS (TELEVISION SERIES)

SEASON 1 EPISODE 13 “THE VIKINGS HAVE LANDED”

Release Date: November 29, 1975 (Contemporary Setting)

Horror Crosses: King Kong

The Story: The Ghost Busters encounter the ghosts of Erik the Red and Brunhilda.

Notes: Jake says that Tracy’s grandfather has experience climbing the Empire State Building. That would make Tracy the son of the son of Kong.

THE DICTIONARY OF IMAGINARY PLACES (REFERENCE GUIDE BY ALBERTO MANGUEL AND GIANNA GUADALUPI)

Release Date: January 1, 1980 [expanded in 1999] (Setting is 1980 and 1999 in expansion)

Horror Crosses: King Kong; The Legend of Sleepy Hollow; The Siege of the Red House; The Stepford Wives; The Masque of the Red Death; Shadow: A Parable; Silence: A Parable; Jurassic Park; Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos

Non-Horror Crosses: The book has 730 entries, all crossovers. Buy the book.

The Story: This is a reference guide to places that people who live within this shared fictional reality could visit.

Notes: This list of fictional settings is written under the premise that they are all real places that people could visit. Considering the above crosses, it clearly fits in the Horror Universe. Note that this brings J. Sheridan le Fanu’s The Siege of the Red House, and three works of Poe (The Masque of the Red Death, Shadow: A Parable and Silence: A Parable) into the Horror Universe.

LAST ACTION HERO (FILM)

Release Date: June 18, 1993 (Contemporary Setting; See Notes)

Series: Last Action Hero

Horror Crosses: A Nightmare on Elm Street; King Kong

Non-Horror Crosses: Basic Instinct; Terminator

The Story: A boy gets a golden ticket and finds himself in the universe in which his favorite film hero exists.

Notes: The boy is from the “real world”, which I tend to refer to as Earth-Prime. His film hero must exist in the Horror Universe. In relation to the other crosses, this film’s police station scene must occur on the same day as the famed leg crossing interrogation scene from Basic Instinct as Sharon Stone is seen in the same outfit while walking out of the station. As she is leaving the station, she is passed by the Terminator posing as a cop from T2, thus also placing the scene during the events of that film. A more complicated cameo is an appearance of Freddy at the L.A. police station being arrested. He should be dead and in Hell. And not in L.A. I have a wild theory that perhaps he managed to come back, and got pulled out of a dream, where he becomes a wussy wimp. Later, the main villain of this film finds his way to the real world, and attempts to bring Freddy and King Kong along. However, those dream demons who gave Freddy his powers are also in the real world at this time (in Wes Craven’s New Nightmare) with a new Freddy, and likely banished Freddy back to Hell behind the scenes following the events of this film. And finally, yes, there is an animated cat in the police station, which everyone dismisses as normal except for the visitor from “the real world”. As seen in Evil Toons, the Necronomicon ex Mortis can be used to bring cartoon characters to life. The Earth Day Special and Looney Tunes: Back in Action show examples where this might have also been the case. This film must be another instance where magic from the Necronomicon ex Mortis or a similar type of magic has brought a cartoon character to life. As in the other examples, the magic seems to make all around the magic see the situation as normal, but since the boy is from another reality, he must not be affected by the magic.

THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK (FILM)

Release Date: May 23, 1997 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Jurassic Park

Horror Crosses: King Kong

The Story: Turns out there was another island, and they think it’s a great idea to bring a dinosaur into civilization.

Notes: The ship that brings the dinosaur to the United States is the Venture. This film follows Jurassic Park and is followed by Jurassic Park III. 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 Jane Austen’s Mafia, Inspector Gadget, The Mummy Returns, and Jurassic Park III.

THE EXECUTIONER # 264 “IRON FIST” (NOVEL BY GERALD MONTGOMERY)

Release Date: November 2000 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: The Executioner

Horror Crosses: Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos; King Kong; Frankenstein (novel)

Non-Horror Crosses: Batman; Doc Savage; Crocodile Dundee; Blue Thunder; Terminator

The Story: A group of K’tulu worshipping Nazis create a super soldier.

Notes: K’tulu surely is Cthulhu and the link to Lovecraft brings the Executioner into the Horror Universe. The super-soldier is compared to King Kong, the Frankenstein Monster, the Riddler, Doc Savage, Crocodile Dundee, and the T1000 Terminator. Those could be pop culture references, comparing him to fictional characters. However, since the Lovecraft element places this in the Horror Universe already, and some of those compared to are also already in the Horror Universe, then we should just assume these are all references to real people. Thus, the reference to Crocodile Dundee brings his film series into the Horror Universe. Likewise, a reference to the Blue Thunder helicopter in this book also brings in that film and television series. Terminator is also brought in, but a few things should be noted. First, the ever changing Terminator future timelines should present solid evidence that the future is not set, so many different future stories can all be part of the future of the Horror Universe. Also, one may wonder why I didn’t include Terminator as a horror series, even though I did for Predator and Alien. I’ve also wondered this. But I guess it just comes down to the elements. Sure, the Terminator is a scary monster stalking its prey, but most of the plot is about stopping a post-apocalyptic future from coming about and it’s just much more sci-fi and very little actual horror. If you disagree, feel free to write a book of your own book.

KONG REBORN (NOVEL BY RUSSELL BLACKFORD)

Release Date: November 1, 2005 (Setting is 2001)

Series: King Kong (Original)

The Story: The grandson of Carl Denham clashes with a business magnate who decides cloning Kong is a good idea.

Notes: Even though it’s released at the time of the remake, it’s actually a sequel to the original. Not that it matters much for our purposes, since both versions are the same events.

FRANKENSTEIN IN THE LOST WORLD (NOVEL BY DONALD F. GLUT)

Release Date: May 2002 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Frankenstein (Donald F. Glut); The Lost World

Horror Crosses: Donald F. Glut’s Interconnected Works; King Kong

The Story: The Monster, Dr. Winslow, and his fiancee are teleported to the Lost World.

Notes: This is Glut’s version of the monster, which he asserts to be the original version from Mary Shelley’s novel. This is the same Lost World from the novel of the same name by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the Lost World, the heroes encounter a professor from the Marshall Natural History Museum who had also been teleported. This museum figures in many of Glut’s works. Among the species in the Lost World are giant apes like King Kong.

TOM STRONG # 31 - 32 “THE BLACK BLADE OF THE BARBARY COAST” (AMERICA’S BEST COMICS)

Release Date: April - June 2005 (Contemporary Setting)

Series: Tom Strong

Horror Crosses: King Kong

Non-Horror Crosses: Sexton Blake; Tarzan; Kull; Michael Moorcock’s Multiverse; Treasure Island; James Bond

The Story: Heroic Tom Strong is recruited by a time traveller to help save the multiverse.

Notes: Strong travels to various realities of Michael Moorcock’s Multiverse, which has been demonstrated to be the same multiverse that the Horror Universe is part of. The above crosses are not actually the Horror Universe versions, but alternate versions of the Moorcock Multiverse. This story thus demonstrates that the multiverse of Tom Strong is the same multiverse of Michael Moorcock and the Horror Universe.

GLIMMERGLASS: THE CREATIVE WRITER’S ANNUAL, VOLUME 1 “THE BEAST” (STORY BY JOHN SMALL)

Release Date: October 15, 2009 (Setting is 1700s to Contemporary Times)

Series: King Kong (Original)

Horror Crosses: King Kong (2005 remake); War of the Worlds (novel); War of the Worlds (radio); The Mummy (remake film series); Jurassic Park (film series); Kong: the Animated Series; Jurassic Park (novel)

Non-Horror Crosses: Buckaroo Banzai; Tarzan; Flash Gordon; Tales of the Gold Monkey; Journey to the Center of the Earth; Tales of the Shadowmen; Doc Savage; Indiana Jones; Mighty Joe Young; A-Team; Fu Manchu

The Story: Author John Small discovers that the film King Kong was based on true events and gathers research on the true events of the film and the follow-up events that have happened since.

Notes: John Small uses a popular Farmerian method (named for Philip Jose Farmer) in which he places himself in the world of fiction, imagining that fictional stories are based on true events. Here, he melds together the original Kong story, and its sequels, prequels, and remakes, and makes them all fit into one coherent reality. Along the way, he throws in references to other fictional characters who must have been involved in such events based on their stature and the nature of the event. John Small makes official my conjecture that the 2005 film by Peter Jackson is the same events as the original film, just retold with dramatic license from Mr. Jackson. In explaining how the events of Kong could have happened in a world where most people are unaware of the supernatural and the extraordinary, he references other events that have later been covered up, despite their overly public exposure, such as the 1898 and 1938 Martian invasions from War of the Worlds, and the invasion of Mongo from Flash Gordon. DOC SAVAGE and TARZAN employ Denham to return to Skull Island to do documentary filming. Skull Island is said to be "the Menace of the Monsters". Joining in on the expedition were INDIANA JONES, Alex O'Connell (famous for taking down THE MUMMY), and Joshua Williams (from "Joshua Williams Breaks a Date"). (TARZAN couldn't make it due to events seen in TARZAN ALIVE). Roland Tembo is among the expedition as well. Tembo's CINEVERSE counterpart appears in THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK. SON OF KONG is a fictionalized version of events that actually happened during this expedition. In Kong Reborn, Dr. Jill Drake is involved in this incident. Jill discovers that BUCKAROO BANZAI has moved a clone of KING KONG to BANDUKI. It may be that the events of KONG: THE ANIMATED SERIES may be based on these events, which involve a female scientist who clones Kong then has to release him in a suitable environment. It was followed by KONG: KING OF ATLANTIS and KONG: RETURN TO THE JUNGLE. Among the crew that journeys to Skull Island in the first expedition is Jake Cutter (TALES OF THE GOLD MONKEY). Kong is of the same species as seen in JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, TARZAN AT THE EARTH'S CORE, and TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN 3: DANSE MACABRE "The Ape Gigans". Mighty Joe Young is also connected to Kong and one of Denham’s grandsons is tied in as a villain on an episode of the A-Team. Fu Manchu is also said to be the villain secretly behind Jurassic Park.

SCOOBY-DOO! MYSTERY INCORPORATED (ANIMATED SERIES)

SEASON 1 EPISODE 11 “THE SECRET SERUM”

Release Date: October 11, 2010 (Contemporary Setting -- see series notes above)

Horror Crosses: New Scooby-Doo Movies; Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo; King Kong; Dead Alive

Non-Horror Crosses: Dickinson’s Real Deal

The Story: While the team is splintered, the town is terrorized by a vampire.

Notes: Mama Cass and Don Knotts appear. This is an homage to their guest appearances on the New Scooby-Doo Movies. The plot, even with a member of the Blake family being the suspected vampire, is very similar to an episode of Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, which brings that Scooby series from the late 70s/early 80s into the Horror Universe, under the rules for crossover links in divergent timelines stated in the notes for this series. Velma’s mother references the rat-monkeys of Skull Island. Skull Island is from King Kong. The rat-monkeys of Skull Island are more specifically from the film Dead Alive. The auctioneer of this episode is David Dickinson, of the British antiques show Dickinson’s Real Deal. It’s a reality show, but I’m just including it since it is a specific reference to another television show.

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.

FUTURAMA: THE BEAST WITH A BILLION BACKS (ANIMATED FILM)

Release Date: June 24, 2008 (Setting is early 31st Century)

Series: Futurama

Horror Crosses: King Kong

The Story: A rift in space yields the existence of another universe with a single inhabitant. He is a planet sized tentacled intelligent being, who desires to mate with all the inhabitants of Earth and other planets of that universe.

Notes: One of Kong’s species is shown to still exist in this far future. That cross brings in Futurama. This direct to DVD film was one of a series of films that came out after the second cancellation of the Futurama series. Their success would lead to a third incarnation of the series. In syndication, all three iterations of the series and the films are all packaged together as one series. Futurama would take place in one possible alternate future timeline, though the scenes that take place in our current past and present would take place in the main Horror Universe timeline. It should be noted that in Bender’s Big Score, Fry goes back in time and creates a divergent timeline. Events from Bender’s Big Score onward should be a different yet similar timeline than before those events. Including Futurama helps confirm that the Simpsons takes place in another universe, as the Simpsons/Futurama comic book crossover specifically demonstrates that they are from different realities. This film follows Futurama: Bender’s Big Score and is followed by Futurama: Bender’s Game. This film will be referenced in future episodes of Futurama.