Exclusive: Writer Jordan Thomas Discusses The Horror Films, TV, And Comics That Inspired ComiXology’s ‘Exorcist Island’

If you love old school horror, but haven’t read the first two issues of the digital-first series Exorcist Island by Jordan Thomas and Chris Matthews, then I highly recommend you do so before the third issue drops on ComiXology on Tuesday, 16th December. I was lucky enough to read the first two issues of this new series and loved the set-up. Indeed, I’m so enamoured by it, I’m including previews for these first two issues below ahead of hearing from writer Jordan Thomas about the films, books, and comics that inspired this series:

“Following a terrifying confrontation Father Gigi Amato is sent to a remote Caribbean island to join a gang of misfit priests tasked with looking after the most long-term demonic possession cases by the Vatican.”

Literally an island upon which all the sorry souls possessed by evil demons and spirits are placed for their own safety and that of the world. With Father Gigi not too sure what he’s walked into.

Now, onto the media that inspired the comic, starting with the obvious one, The Exorcist:

“There’s no point trying to ignore this one, it truly is the daddy of all exorcism stories, and the film version is the one most present in the psyche of generations of film watchers who will know all the key scenes even if they have never actually sat down and watched the film. I also love this film. I love its slow build and the way it builds atmosphere and tension. I love the suggested lore without having to explain every detail to us. Certainly, this film was an inspiration on our comic, especially in the creation of the ultimate villain our group faces, but also in the weariness that we see in the priests of The Exorcist; I wanted to capture that feeling of exhaustion of having to do daily battle with seemingly relentless evil. The Exorcist is more than a great horror film; it’s a terrific film of any kind tackling the classic questions of good versus evil, but also the strength of the human spirit and its ability to fight back against the darkness. I hope that our series achieves some of what The Exorcist carved into stone.”

The Exorcist (novel):

“And of course the film could not exist without the novel that it’s based on. I saw the film in my youth but I actually only read the book a couple of years. The film follows the book fairly closely (although wisely in my opinion losing a lot of the Detective Kinderman presence as he gets on my nerves a bit), however, the deeper look that you get into Father Karras, the extra glimpses of good old Captain Howdy and the deeper lore of the demon and Father Merrin relationship make it an engrossing and haunting read. I’d also recommend checking out the sequel, Legion.”

Hellblazer:

“Hellblazer is my favorite ongoing comic series of all time, and John Constantine is my favourite “Big 2” character. Over its 300 issues, a host of incredible writers and artists confront us with countless disturbing ideas and images, whilst the idea of paying a price for being around so much evil and darkness is an idea that definitely also permeates Exorcism Island. It would be difficult for me to pick out one story or even one run of Hellbalzer to give to someone, but having recently begun my own re-read, I was very taken with the incredibly human John Constantine we find in Jamie Delano’s issues on the series that kick the whole thing off, so I’d say just start at the beginning!”

Hereditary:

“This film. Messed. Me. Up. I don’t think I went to sleep for a month without imagining the possessed figure of Toni Collete wedged in the corner of my room. It is a masterclass in tension and the slow creep of dread. The camera sits still in a way it doesn’t in most horror movies, which are more focused on the jump scares, making you sit with the horror or slowly realize that something terrible is lurking in the shadows of the space you inhabit with the characters. Genuinely, it has several of the most impactful moments of any film I’ve ever seen. This idea of fixing on something and not allowing the audience to look away is much harder to achieve in comics, but I hope we have managed to include a few unsettling visual moments that stick with our readers.”

The Shining (novel)

“I am a big Stephen King-head. I haven’t read all his work (there’s tonnes), but I have torn through an awful lot. What stands out about The Shining that I can see in the pages of Exorcism Island is that sense of inescapable doom. Like Jack Torrance, we know that our gang of priests are wandering blindly into a terrible situation that could mean the loss of their lives and their souls, and we want to tell them to turn back, but powers greater than us and them are pulling the strings, and the only direction is forward. And of course, The Shining is one of the all-time great (mostly) one-location horrors as the hotel becomes the most memorable character in the story, much like I believe our eponymous island does in our tale.”

The Evil Dead trilogy

“Although the themes and events of Exorcism Island are often incredibly dark, I do still like my horror with a dash of humor, and there’s probably no director who has combined the two genres more successfully than Sam Raimi. Gerty, our never-knowingly clothed demonically possessed lady, is very much a character you could imagine finding in a Sam Raimi movie with her collection of grotesque bodily functions and glee at her own awful behavior.”

The Wailing

“This is another wonderful film and perhaps the best possession horror movie of the past couple of decades. It is full of so many haunting images and is able to keep you guessing throughout without the need for cheap twists. It has a great cast of characters who bring a combination of attitudes and emotions to the story, causing friction and drama, which is something I also wanted to have in our series with a collection of very different and increasingly on edge individuals packed together in a confined space.”