Movie Review: Snowbeast

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(1977)
Directed by Herb Wallerstein
Starring Bo Svenson, Yvette Mimieux, Robert Logan, Clint Walker, Sylvia Sidney

Only a couple of years after the release of Jaws (1975), doing similar themed movies were still in force. But this was one made-for-TV, as well as getting about as far away from the water as you could, setting it in a ski lodge up in Colorado! Instead of a rogue shark, we have the title character, sort of winter version of Bigfoot, but much more menacing.

Bo Svenson plays Gar Seberg, an Olympic gold medalist in skiing a few years earlier, but hasn’t been able to hold onto that former fame and glory and is now down on his luck. Along with him is his wife Ellen, played by Yuette Mimieux, a TV journalist. They arrive at the Rill Lodge and Ski Resort, run by an old friend, hoping that Gar can get a job. Gar and Ellen obviously are having trouble with their marriage, which doesn’t help when Tony Rill, the manager of the lodge, is not only an old friend of theirs, but an old flame of Ellen’s. But Tony has other things on his mind, like a female skier going missing earlier that day. Her friend says she was attacked by something, even though she didn’t see it. When Tony when to check out the area, he thought he saw something huge and white amongst the trees along hearing a loud and terrifying roar. Something that wasn’t human.

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Van Helsing and His Kin

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It’s strange that with the beginning of Bram Stoker’s 1897 Dracula that the title character has lived on and on over the centuries, just like the character from the book. Granted, through cinematic adaptations, the character has changed a bit over the 129 years, not to mention just that of the vampire. But usually in any vampire movie, there is a character stepping up to do battle with this mighty creature. In Stoker’s novel, it was Professor Abraham Van Helsing, the old but learned scholar that knew what was behind this recent infection. While he was brought over to the original stage play adaption, and then into the 1931 film, Dracula. But while there were countless variations on Dracula, as well as the vampire, for some reason, the character of Van Helsing, who usually is there to save the day, doesn’t seem to get the credit he deserves.

Until now!

Van Helsing and His Kin is a new book from Daniel O’Brien coming from Telos Publishing that not only covers the different variations of this character through film and television, and who played him, but also digging deep into the character and characteristics of this age-old vampire hunter.

This book will be published in September of this year, running a little over 300 pages, and priced at £16.99 or $22.85. For more information, head over to Telos Publishing’s site HERE.

Mystery Photo 7-20

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Hope everyone is surviving this latest heat wave. I know parts have been absolutely brutal, so hang in there. Hopefully another month to go and we’ll get back to some cooler temps, as well as being closer to Halloween! Our photo from last week was from the 1927 version of The Cat and the Canary, and yes, there are a couple of versions of this title. But thinking of how great a time of being a horror fan is these days, you can get this film that is almost 100 years old on 4K! What a time to be alive! Congrats to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Gregory Avery, Dave Fronto, Kevin Hart, Christopher Highland, Doug Lamoreux, Jeff Owens, Michael Pniewski, Bryan Senn, Mike Shields, Todd Warren, William Wilson.

This week’s photo is a little newer than 1927. There’s your clue! Just take a peek below and see what you can come up with. Just remember to send your guess to me in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. And most of all, good luck!

Book Review: Monsters Unborn

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Monsters Unborn: The Lost Universal Monster Remakes
Published by Harker Press, 2026. 271 pages
By Bruce Kilkowski Jr.

Every time fans see another remake/retelling/sequel/or whatever they are calling their version of one of the classic Universal monsters, some tend to groan, thinking, here we go again. But the funny (actually no so funny) thing what this picture probably went through to even get started. And in this new book by Bruce Kilkowski Jr., you will get a good idea what I’m talking about.

This book goes through a bunch of unmade sequels or remakes, and proposals that were all based on some of the classic Universal monsters, mainly the Bride of Frankenstein, the Mummy, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. We learn how the story of a particular project got started, by who, and who else was involved, such as the writer(s), possible director(s), producer(s), and even the makeup effects guys who were going to design the new look.

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Criterion Releasing del Toro’s Frankenstein

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I can’t say I’m surprised to hear the news yesterday that Criterion will be releasing Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein on 4K and Blu-ray this October. They’ve released a lot of his previous films, and have always done such stellar work, so while I’m not surprised, I am damn excited about it. With a planned release on Oct. 27th, the 4K+Blu-ray set will be 4 discs, that will feature 2 versions of the film, both in 4K. It will have the theatrical version on one disc and a new 158-minute extended director’s cut of the film, called Frankenstein: The Reborn Cut, both with Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The Reborn Cut will have a new commentary by del Toro.

Other features on the set include:

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The 7th Voyage of Sinbad

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(1958)
Directed by Nathan Juran
Starring Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant, Richard Eyer, Torin Thatcher, Alec Mango, Danny Green

Okay, so why are we reviewing a Sinbad movie here in the Krypt? Simple… it does have monsters! And more importantly, they were created and animated by the one and only Ray Harryhausen. It cannot be stated enough of what the impact of Harryhausen’s work had influenced not only the industry at that time, but all the people that would be so inspired by his work that they decided their future path would be connected somehow to what Harryhausen had started. So, while this film isn’t going to give you chills and goosebumps, I’m pretty sure it will still thrill you and just be in awe of some of the work that Harryhausen has given us. And now thanks to this incredible 4K that has just come out, along with a ton of extras, it’s going to help you fall in love with the master’s work, as well as still being so impressed with what he accomplished, I’m sure you’ll soon forget that it’s not a horror movie.

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Sam Neill – Rest in Peace

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Movie fans are definitely morning the passing of actor Sam Neill, who appeared in so many films, of all genres, and no matter what it was, it was always so entertaining to watch. He could play the bad guy that you would despise, or the hero that was out to save everyone. Most actors are always remembered from the first role that you remember him from, so for me, it was always the adult version of Damien Thorn from The Final Conflict (1981). Granted, he would go on to appear in quite a few other horror titles like Possession (1981), In the Mouth of Madness (1994), Event Horizon (1997), and of course the Jurassic Park films (yes, those are horror films).

So, we were very saddened to hear of his passing on the 13th. Such a talented actor, but one that never seemed to take himself too seriously. Our cinematic world has lost a real talent and a true icon. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.

Mystery Photo 7-13

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After so many correct answers sent in for The Thing from Another World, it seems our last photo was a bit tougher, getting not one single guess. Hopefully that will get fixed soon, with the soon-to-be release of Severin Films Danza Macabra Vol. 5: The Spanish Gothic Collection. Because in that collection is the film from which this shot was taken from, the 1973 Leon Klimovsky film The Dracula Saga, which is a damn strange one, but damn entertaining. Better luck next time.

Speaking of which, we’re going back to another black and white one so maybe this might be a little easier. Sort of a famous title, if that gives you any ideas. Take a look below and see what you can come up with. Once you’ve got it, send me an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. And good luck!

Movie Review: Night of Bloody Horror

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Night of Bloody Horror (1969)
Directed by Joy N. Houch. Jr.
Starring Gerald McRaney, Evelyn Hendricks, Gaye Yellen, Herbert Nelson, Lisa Dameron, Charlotte White, Nick Krieger

This is a title that I remember renting back in the VHS days and wondering what the hell was going on in the film. Not because it was an intricate or confusion plot, but because it was so damn dark! I honestly didn’t remember any of the film from back then. It’s been released on DVD before, but the quality always looked the same. When this new Blu-ray from Leomark & Shoreline Entertainment came out, I figured I’d give it a try. Unfortunately, it looks exactly the same. Dark as hell. Any time there are night shots, you can barely see anything. Even indoors, the lighting isn’t the greatest. Very disappointing. But let’s get to the actual movie.

This is the first film directed by Joy N. Houch Jr., who would go on to direct other grindhouse and drive-in fair like Women and Bloody Terror (1970), which has one hell of an exploitive title, The Night of the Strangler (1972), which starred Mickey Dolenz from The Monkees, The Brain Machine (1972), which stars James Best, and Creature from Black Lake (1976), which is probably his best film, as well as his best known film. So, I’ll have to give Bloody Horror a little bit of a break since it was Houch Jr.’s first feature, and maybe he didn’t realize what filming at night meant needing lights.

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Book Review: Partially Devoured

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Partially Devoured: How Night of the Living Dead Saved My Life and Changed the World
Published by Counterpoint, 2026. 313 pages.
By Daniel Kraus

Back in 2015, before I read Gunnar Hansen’s book Chain Saw Confidential, I had asked myself the question, “did we really need another book on this film?” And after reading it… indeed we did. Especially when it is coming from a person that was there through the brutal shooting of it. And now we have another book, on another epically famous horror film, George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, but this time not written by someone directly involved. That little fact really doesn’t matter because within the 300+ pages of this book, you will learn more about Night of the Living Dead than you ever thought you could. About the movie, the people involved, and so much more. But author Kraus also shows us how and why this film was so important to him and why it made such an impact on his life. While me might not all go on to become professional writers, every fan will feel that same connection to film as he describes this one. So, no matter where our individual path in life takes us, we are the same.

When mentioning a variety of low-budget films in general, with real makeup effects and settings, Kraus writes, “The importance of art like this grows by the day. In a world where AI and CGI create seamless visual media, seeing those seams right where fallible human hands put them in everything – it’s proof of intent, of passion, of life itself.” That really hits home and I hope younger fans can understand that. The people involved in this little film believed in what they were doing. You have to remember, none of these people had a clue what this film was going to become over the next half a century! Kraus goes on to say, “Call it Don Quixote Disease. Or just call it the American spirit. It’s not the finished product that matters, it’s the chase of it. Night of the Living Dead is a literal and symbolic chase all the way through, and that’s why I love it.” I think that’s why a lot of us horror fans are as passionate about these as we are. We know there is something more than just cheap thrills.

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