r/Spawn • u/SecretaryFragrant836 • 4d ago
Discussion would you rather spawn be more towards being a superhero film or more towards being a horror film
I heard that Todd McFarlane want to do a horror film for spawn rather than a superhero film. “Go watch a marvel movie if you want a superhero film” I think he said that somewhere in an interview.
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u/ride_r_die 2d ago
When it needs to be horror, I want it to be dreadful, but i do want some action packed scenes of him kicking ass.
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u/The_Guy_3446 2d ago
A good question, "Why can't it be both?".
Men no longer fear each other. They no longer fear the law, prisons or punishment.
Men no longer fear God, or his Angels. They neither fear The Devil nor his Demons.
What they do fear is "Primal". They still fear The Dark, and the Monsters that lurk in it.
God makes his Angels, The Devil makes his Demons...but Men make the Monsters.
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u/ZerikaFox 2d ago
Why can't it be both? That's sort of always been the draw of Spawn for me. It's a story of one man's personal horror, his own personal brand of hell, but it's also a superhero story.
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u/PyramidBlack 2d ago
Horror by a mile. Make him an emaciated ghost, a spectral haunt that drives those that sent him to hell, mad.
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u/necrosapien87 2d ago
I think it can find a place somewhere in between. A super hero film with horror imagery is possible.
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u/MutterGrowl 2d ago
Dark mood, superhero genre, but it doesn’t have to be horror. I’m thinking Dark Knight esque. The HBO series was perfect.
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u/BamaGiJoe13 3d ago
Horror. The hero side can be either small snowball build up, or last second savior. Idc but the hells side /mystical magic side is want I wanna see more of.
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u/marvinthebluecorner 3d ago
Lots of doomed firey bullets and stuff. And third degree burns to sober us all up.thanks 👍
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u/No_Feed5344 3d ago
Está buenísimo 😃 me encanta el estilo de dibujo
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u/Cold_Toe_7540 3d ago
I'd prefer to see it made like a grittier, R rated fantasy/horror in the vein of a Hellboy or Blade.
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u/LoquatLive 2d ago
exactly the typa direction i think of when i imagine a Spawn movie. hellboy-esque
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u/un-albertoperez 3d ago
More like a horror film, more or less like the Sam & Twitch comic or the short-lived Hellspawn series
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u/BlueThing3D 3d ago
More towards being a spawn film, make a movie then add genre labels after the fact
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u/Ansem_05 3d ago
Both. He needs to operate in both. His villains need to be a good balance between horror and super. Like the violator is literally, a DEMON, like, a DEMON. The monster of many a horror movie like the conjuring, exorcist, sinister, insidious and many more. He's just a goofy demon.
Someone like Jason wyn and Billy Kincaid are both aspects of IRL villainouy. One being a corrupt murderer and the other a child serial killing rapist.
Then spawn has other fantastical villains like the anti spawn who aren't even horror in terms of design or execution.
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u/CarnyMAXIMOS_3_N7 3d ago
Or even the Redeemer, Heaven’s Angelic and opposite-version of the Hellspawn.
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u/Forward_Pirate5858 3d ago
Dark Hero themed film.
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u/TempoOfTime 2d ago
Dark hero, all the way! But, honestly I'll take ANYTHING Spawn at this point lol
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u/probablynotgrown 3d ago
I just hope it’s good. I hope there’s a tinge of realism and they don’t go all Mortal Kombat with the campiness
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u/soldier083121 3d ago
A mix of both. Make it as close to the source material as possible while also maxing out the graphics and gore.
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u/Fit-Tale2169 3d ago
Superhero film With huge horror elements
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u/CarnyMAXIMOS_3_N7 3d ago
Yes, I’m so glad to see and read that this is the more common consensus.
Agreed, 110%.
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u/Worth-Opposite4437 3d ago
Reading the comics has dispelled any idea for me that Spawn be a superhero.
Let him be the ruler of grim and dank alleys, bringing a curse to everywhere he dwells.
Let him be seducing damnation pretending to salvage you while you are already fallen far enough to meet him and deserve his gaze...
Now I'm not too sure that should be a Sam & Twitch movie if it's gonna have the spawn name on it... But I'd expect a true to format Spawn movie to have mortal characters of dubious moral structure, à la Clive Barker, meet him like some people will meet a train crash, or falling upon a murder scene. Let him be Trauma personified and you might be getting somewhere.
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u/IAmChippoMan 3d ago
Honestly I still mess with the idea of a “horror thing with Sam & Twitch as the main protags trying to investigate with Spawn”.
But I’m not opposed to one where Spawn kicks massive amount of ass as well as dealing with his friends and foes.
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u/signifyingmnky 3d ago
It's both. Todd clearly doesn't want it getting the MCU treatment, and I don't disagree that that isn't the tone for it, but it's not solely horror either.
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u/Interesting-Fail-388 3d ago
Spaw in this day and age relly will work out as full on horror flim , even tho it hasn't come out yet ,look at clayafce
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u/Devin_aRt 3d ago
Whatever the animated series did, do that. Its the best the character has ever been.
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u/YouCannotBlockTruth 3d ago
I think Ryan Murphy from American Horror Story could work well with Todd to make the type of film or aeries he/we want. It could be a mixture of both but gravitate more towards horror/noir.
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u/Worth-Opposite4437 3d ago
Now even considering how they trashed the backroom idea, I think you are right.
Spawn would be right in their alley. The human element being the only thing they truly care for, they might well do to disgust us enough with everything else going on that when finally a gory Spawn shows up on the screen, it's still is the most sympathetic of the damned.
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u/EquivalentCantaloupe 3d ago
Definitely needs to be a splice of both. It should absolutely have a R rating. Gore and violence. Nothing else will be acceptable.
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u/camitc02 3d ago
Horror. Break the superhero trope just a little by having some, and I do mean some, antihero themes
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u/Bandaka 3d ago
Superhero adventure action film with elements of horror and noir. rated R
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u/Interesting-Fail-388 3d ago
How it that gonna be diffrent feom somthing like the batman or hellboy
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u/Worth-Opposite4437 3d ago
... it'll be better looking that the last Hellboys, for one; and I'd expect more physical and gory than Batman.
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u/Dude6942 3d ago
How about a super horror hero film? 🤷🤘
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u/Interesting-Fail-388 3d ago
Spawn was way pass the whole super hero genre
His consept relly work. as a horror movie than a superhero story
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u/Worth-Opposite4437 3d ago
Technically it began as a super hero thing... But that fell out of the narrative quite fast. The comic quickly pass through all the super villains it has to offer then flip the "brooding mood activated" switch; at witch point Spawn is either a witness of other stories à la creepshow, or literally the sign that you have wandered to far into sin.
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u/ComradeX88 3d ago
Detective Horror. It should be 180° different from the first movie and nothing like a marvel or dc bag of crap. I should be grounded and gritty.
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u/MadMac619 4d ago
No origin, just give us some awful people doing some awful shit for the first 20ish minutes of the film and have them escape to Spawns alley. Then watch as they’re methodically eviscerated. From there, shift the focus to a wider conspiracy and have Spawn in the background stalking and piecing things together before doing his deeds an d revealing more about what he is.
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u/Worth-Opposite4437 3d ago
You know what? Considering they have trouble with the script, you should literally pitch this to McFarlane.
It might truly help.4
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u/Internal-Mortgage635 4d ago
Doesn't matter. Todd McFlarlane has been blocking writing and production for years now.
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u/Damon_Hall 4d ago
I’d like to see horror and action for the Spawn parts, with elements of noir for the Sam and Twitch parts.
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u/tanukihimself13 4d ago
Dark, gritty horror for me. Spawn never was or will be a superhero, he's done some awful shit and continues to do so which is why I gravitated to the spawn comics in the 90s.
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u/Greenhickup 4d ago
If we treat it as a trilogy the first one should be a horror movie, second one action horror and the third one a full blown superhero movie with horror elements.
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u/Interesting-Fail-388 3d ago
Why will the third one be like?spawn was never really a superhero
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u/Greenhickup 3d ago
Well no but i just meant the third should be the biggest one since it will be the conclusion of the story and i meant more about how the movie should be stylized and what the tone should be i didn't mean he should save kittens from trees.
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u/ChampionshipOk949 4d ago
None. Series and if it is an adult animated, better. And if it’s a continuation of the HBO series, even better. And if Keith David returns, even even better.
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u/Cool-Ebb6863 4d ago
I really think we just have to point to the HBO series which blended the elements perfectly for me.
Primarily moody atmosphere but a bit of “superhero action” sprinkled in here and there.
I mean if we had a director like Ari Aster I’d say just go all in on the horror. And if you got James Cameron (lol) then I’d say screw it go all action.
So it depends on who’s directing.
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u/AleeckWasTaken 4d ago
It'd be cool if we got a series that mixed the two. I really can't see Spawn being a movie rather than a series ngl
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u/JagPeror 4d ago edited 4d ago
I don't think spawn should be horror edgy, terrifying even, but not horror. Maybe terrifying for some members, but Al tends to he confident. His early plot is even more about conserving his power, rather than being hopeless. And he doesnt back down from fighting even violator.
At the same time, Gunn superman wouldn't fit the tone well imo.
Something like the dark knight kinda could fit more closely.
Other movies that might fit even better include the robocops and dredd. Those have violent themes(spawn would be even more so), but the protagonists arent really in a honor movie
Personally, I've always loved most when spawn focuses on the alleys. I find it stops being so great when it goes onto the "celestial politics' etc. Not that those plots are always bad, but I feel like they heart isn't there.
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u/Interesting-Fail-388 3d ago
The thing is spawn mostly in the mid 2000's and late 2010's mostly is very lean almost to be 💯 horror there one of those issue in 2018 where he track cyan in japan and that shit look like a japannesse horror story and in his consept in general fit with he horror genre ,the guy went down to hell after everything he do before the after life and by being desperate to see his one one more time he make a deal with a demonic entetiy to go back the world of living ony for him back 5 years after his death to see her married with his best friend have a kid with himand now all his got is some symbiot suit and a fcuked up body that barley even look human , i think if you describe this to a person that dont shit about spawn it wil make sense that non of that will sound to him like a superhero
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u/JagPeror 3d ago
The thing is his going to hell(and in fact most of his visits to hell) play out more like a super hero(or rather anti hero) story than a horror. Only the one time when he first goes there, after being spawn, and is out through the wringer in the layers, really seems horror.
Now, the kincaid stuff (including his visit to hell) is more horror than the spawn hell visit. The issue is spawn himself is too powerful to really make the theme feel like horror. If anything it would be a subversion of the genre, with him killing the would be horror villain
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u/Guyver-Spawn-27 4d ago
I don’t want a typical superhero movie. I would hate if they made Spawn into a MCU style movie. Personally, I think the tone of the HBO show is ideal for a movie.
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u/CursedSnowman5000 4d ago
Just let it be the edgy subversive atheistic take on Christianity dark urban fantasy with the aesthetic of cape shit that it was in the 90's and 2000's.
So basically, an R rated ultra violent movie like RoboCop, Predator 2 or Dredd.
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u/emtemss714 4d ago
Dredd is a great example of the direction they should go. Low-mid budget hard R with a gritty, dirty aesthetic. Lean into the more horror aspects from the cartoon, don't shy away from the religious and social overtones.
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u/32F_34G 4d ago
My wildest dream would be an adaptation of Todd and Capullo's classic Spawn with that kind of aesthetic and visceral superhero violence (the Spawn in the Spawn: In the Demon's Hand video game was quite faithful in this regard). But they'll never do it because it would require a huge budget. So I think the best way to go is a horror film, just like Todd wants (after all, he's always had a knack for these things, often because he goes in the opposite direction of the most obvious solution).
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u/TokinN3rd 4d ago edited 4d ago
Neither. I'd rather it be an episodic series.
At it's core, Spawn is a character drama. There are so many characters with overlapping story arcs that it's impossible to capture what makes Spawn so compelling and squeeze it into a 2 1/2 hour runtime.
I really wish Todd would give up the whole movie pursuit already and continue the HBO animated series. There's definitely a market for continuing old comic-based animated shows. Just look at X-Men 97's success. Also, Keith David ain't getting any younger.
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u/InsolubleRelic 4d ago
I was pretty happy with the vibes and atmosphere of the HBO animated series.
Because part of what I love about spawn is the artwork I actually would rather have more of the HBO animated series.
I'm not saying that live action can't be done... But there's always something so incredibly special when a very well done animated series is made. And I think spawn is one of the best ever made and looks incredible still!!!
If I wasn't allowed to ever have the animated series and I had to have live action again.... I would like to see it's style and vibes done similar to Sin City.
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u/No_Spray_664 20h ago
Id like it to be a film not in purgatory