Tom Skerritt – Rest in Peace

by in Rest in Peace and tagged , , , | Leave a comment

2026 really has been a real shit of a year, hasn’t it? Honestly though, with then news today of the passing of actor Tom Skerritt, at the young age of 93, leaving 176 film and TV credits behind, it shows us that while we are losing some incredible talent that has given us a lot of entertainment over the years, but that most of that is still around for us to not only continue to enjoy for generations to come, but to be able to always remember them through it. While Alien (1979), wasn’t his first film, that series will never die out, which means the original will always be around, terrifying the next age of horror fans. Some of us older fans remember Skerritt back when he was battling Satan in The Devil’s Rain (1975), or the sheriff in The Dead Zone (1983). Such a great actor and a big loss.

Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time. Gone, but never forgotten. Especially when you’re setting down on an alien planet and bring something back!

Movie Review: Sisters of Death

by in Reviews: Movies and tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

(1976)
Directed by Joe Mazzuca
Starring Claudia Jennings, Arthur Franz, Cheri Howell, Sherry Boucher, Paul Carr, Joe E. Tata,
Sherry Alberoni, Roxanne Albee, Elizabeth Bergen

The film opens up with a sorority initiation, with two new girls being inducted into the group. Part of the ritual is somewhat of a game of Russian Roulette, except they are using a Derringer which doesn’t have a rotating chamber. Meaning that if there is a bullet in there, it will fire. Nonetheless, in between a loud bang and some screaming, one of the girls does not survive the ritual. Years later, the remaining “sisters” are called back for a reunion in an out-of-the-way secluded mansion. They are picked up and driven to this place by a couple of guys that were just hired to drive them out there and then leave. But like most guys in the ‘70s, they decide to try and stick around to score with one of these five women.

Continue reading →

Mystery Photo 10-19

by in Mystery Photo and tagged | Leave a comment

We did survive the Monster Bash over the weekend, and it was a lot of fun, as usual. Great to see familiar faces, see new ones, and plenty of great conversations about what we love… HORROR! We also had some friends make their first trip out to the Bash, and it sounds like they had a blast as well. But let’s get to the business at hand. Our photo from last week was from William Castle’s first horror film, Macabre (1958), which is pretty dark for that time, but well worth everyone’s time. Maybe I’m still tired from being at the Bash this last weekend but I can only find 2 emails with the correct answer for this so, congrats to Hoby Abernathy and Charles Miller! Well done! If there was somebody else that I miss, I do apologize. Been a long week!

But let’s take a look at this week’s photo. Don’t get too close or you may get some red on you! Just remember to send your guess to me in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

DtH Episode 133 – Paul Blaisdell

by in Misc. Ramblings | Leave a comment

It Conquered the World (1956), The She-Creature (1956), and It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958)

Monsters of the classic era, such as the days of Universal monsters, everyone knows the name of Jack Pierce. But a couple of decades later, there were still plenty of guys creating some incredibly memorable monsters, on probably a 100th the budget that Pierce had. And while the monsters they created are at least recognizable, even they don’t know the film. But ask who created these unique monsters, and you might get that blank stare. Mention the name Paul Blaisdell… and you still might get that blank stare. So, we’re here to change that!

We’re going to cover 3 titles that Paul Blaisdell worked on, as well as going over just how important this guy was in the realm of monster makers. Creating these creatures for literally “hundreds” of dollars, in his garage, with only the help of his wife Jackie and later friend Bob Burns, and yet still came up with the likes monster fans had never even imagined until they showed up on screen! That’s one of the reasons we started doing this podcast from the beginning, to help others discover not only the films, but those that worked behind the camera. So grab a notepad, sit back, and hear about an amazing and creative talent, and the wonderful monsters that Paul Blaisdell gave us.

Movies mentioned int his episode:

Continue reading →

Mystery Photo 10-12

by in Mystery Photo and tagged | Leave a comment

How are we surviving? Getting some good movies in so far this month? Hopefully you are taking advantage of the season and enjoying a few good harmless scares! I’m trying, but damn it sure seems like I’m busier now than usual, for some strange reason! Looking forward to heading to PA this weekend for Monster Bash, which is always a great time. But let’s get to business. Last week’s photo was from Georges Franju’s Les yeux sans visage aka Eyes Without a Face (1960), which is just an incredible film. Even more surprising since around that time, horror was not a genre the French dabbled in too much. Congrats to the following who correctly identified the film: Hoby Abernathy, Aaron Christensen, Dada Debaser, Dave Fronto, Kevin Hart, Mike Shields, and Vincent Simonelli. Well done!

On to this week’s pictorial puzzle! Take a good look at another black and white classic, or at least a very important title. Just remember to send your guess to me in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. And good luck!

Horror of Dracula at the Music Box

by in Movie Events and tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On October 28th, at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago, fans will have the opportunity to witness one of the reasons that Hammer Films, along with actors Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, become international stars in the movie world. While their previous film Curse of Frankenstein broke the ice, Horror of Dracula showed it wasn’t a fluke. 

But now, not only is it just being screened on the big screen, this is a version nobody has seen before, recently restored in 4K that also has footage that had been believed lost for more than half a century! You will get to see all of the Count, blood and all, in glorious color like you’ve never seen before! All on the big screen at the Music Box.

Continue reading →

Celebrate Wes Craven in Cleveland with Joseph Maddrey

by in Book News and tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Fans of Wes Craven that are near the Cleveland area on Oct. 29th, head over to the Cleveland Public Library for The Hometown Story of Wes Craven! Jospeh Maddrey, author of The Soul of Wes Craven (read our review HERE) will be there for this presentation. The event promises “a night of fall festivities, refreshments, giveaways, and fascinating stories about the legendary filmmaker.” Maddrey will be on hand after the discussion to sign copies of his book, as well as having a few copies there to sell in case you haven’t picked it up yet. Which, if you’re a fan of Craven, then I would highly recommend it. You will learn much more about him.

It will be at the Cleveland Public Library, located at 6530 Lexington Ave, Cleveland, Ohio, on Oct. 29th, going from 5pm to 8pm.

Kryptic 2026 World Tour Ending Soon

by in Conventions and tagged , , | Leave a comment

We’ve only got 2 more events coming up before we call the 2026 World Tour complete. The first one is the last actual convention, which is the Monster Bash Conference in Cranberry Township, PA, which is next weekend, Oct. 16th-18th. We always have a blast there and looking forward to once again get to hang out there. Plus, the fact their Mexican Movie Night on Friday is Ladrón de cadáveres aka The Body Snatcher from 1957, has got me really excited. Might have to get a nap in there somewhere so I can make sure I stay awake for it! You can find out all the details about the show by clicking HERE.

Continue reading →

Scare-A-Thon 2026

by in Misc. Ramblings and tagged , , | Leave a comment

Our good friend Dr. AC aka Aaron Christensen has started this year’s Scare-A-Thon. Each year, he has picked a charity to raise money and awareness for, collecting donations while he watches a ton of scary movies! This year, the charity of choice is Impact, which is “a non-profit organization dedicated to ending sexual violence and harassment through empowerment-based self-defense training for women, girls, LGBTQ+ and people with disabilities, providing them with the tools needed to prevent, minimize, and stop violence.” Not only is this something really important to all of us, but especially to AC because he is directly involved in Impact, helping those to help themselves.

October is a time for scary movies, but what is not scary is the violence being put on women, girls, LGBTQ+, and all the other groups that need a little help in overcoming the violence they are seeing. And this program directly helps that. So, while we’re taking our time this month enjoying our favorite season, maybe take a few minutes and a few dollars and give a donation to the Impact program, which you can do by clicking HERE. As Aaron says, maybe one day saying NO will be enough, but until then, we all need to do what we can in helping those in need, and the simple need to feel safe in their own communities. Any amount is greatly appreciated and helps Impact continuing to do what they do.

For more info on Impact Chicago, just click HERE. You can also follow the progress of what AC is doing all month, aside from drying himself crazy with all these YouTube shows and discussions that he’s hosting, through his Facebook page HERE.

DtH Episode 132: Morbid Pleasures: Inside the Grand Guignol with David Gregory

by in Discover the Horror Podcast and tagged , , , | Leave a comment

From 1897 until 1962, the Grand Guignol Theatre in Paris shows scenes of violence on stage, from decapitations, slashings, rape, eye-gouging, and plenty of bloodletting, all in view of the audiences that paid to witness such acts of depravity. The crowds that attended the small theatre ranged from the poor commonfolk to royalty from around the world. The film world soon followed the themes from the blood-soaked theater, bringing those images of violence to the silver screen. It shows us that there was always an audience for this time of “entertainment.”

Now, a new box set coming from Severin films, called , with 12 discs that has more than 80 hours of content, containing 60 films  dating from 1895 to 2025. This is truly a history lesson for horror fans, getting the opportunity to see just how far back these twisted tales were shown to audiences! And to help discuss this new set, we have Severin’s own David Gregory get down in the blood and guts of this set, the Grand Guignol, while disucssing a few other fun topics as well!

Films mentioned in this episode:

Continue reading →