William Castle Fest at the Music Box!

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“For the first time in motion picture history…” was a line that director William Castle used quite often to promote his new movie, that usually came with a gimmick. Whether it was Percepto, Emergo, or Illusion-O, Castle made not only pretty entertaining pictures but made going to see one of his film an event. While he didn’t create ballyhoo, he damn near perfected it when it came to his films. This August, as Chicago’s Music Box Theatre, you’ll be able to experience 5 of his features, most of which from 35mm. See below for the schedule and start making your plans.

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Pan’s Labyrinth Returns to Theaters

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This year is the 20th anniversary of Guillermo del Toro’s film Pan’s Labyrinth, an incredible tale of about a young girl who is battling three different trials in a fantasy world, while dealing with something even more terrifying… reality. Especially when that reality is during war time and your new stepfather is one sadistic SOB. The film won the Academy Award for Best Achievement in Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Makeup, and had been nominated for Best Original Screenplay, Original Score, and Best Foreign Language Film. But at the Ariel Awards, Mexico’s Oscars, it won Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Actress (Mejor Actriz – Mercedes), Best Cinematography, Best Score, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup, and Best Special Effects, and was nominated in three other categories.

So it seems that it wasn’t just me who absolutely loved this film, and it still remains as one of my favorites of del Toro’s work. In fact, I even have the Faun tattooed on my arm, along with the quote from del Toro “Unlike a maze, a labyrinth is a constant transit. It’s about finding, not losing, your way.” Words to remember.

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Movie Review: The House of Hammer: Volume 1

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For decades, Hammer fans would get excited when the famous studio would get a new owner and we’d hear promises of a return of the name of Hammer. And then we’d wait. And wait. And nothing. Then another new owner, and the same would follow. But ever since John Gore bought Hammer Films, those promises has not only happened but have gone way beyond any fans’ dream. It started with the glorious 4K restorations of not only some of their most famous classic titles, but even some more obscure and non-horror titles that started Hammer on their path years before the gothic revival they started in 1957. And they continued on.

Then they started to announce titles that were not from the Hammer catalog but other British titles, acquiring licenses from studios like Tyburn, AIP, United Artists, and others. They are giving these films the same treatment and restorations as their own titles, giving movie fans a chance to see them like never before. Not to mention the extras included in the releases.

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Mystery Photo 6-29

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Welcome to our last photo of June. And it now seems the heat has finally hit us. Oof. Another reason to wait for October! But let’s get down to business. Last week’s photo was a tough one, and only got 2 correct answers sent in, but we did have some really good guesses. The film is from Tobe Hooper’s Toolbox Murders (2004). While not really a remake of the original 1978, it really does a great job with its own story. Worth seeing. Congrats to Tim Palace and William Wilson for correctly identifying it.

Now this week’s photo is kind of like the weather outside right now, though I must admit it was purely coincidental. But take a look, but don’t get too close or you might singe your eyebrows off! Just remember to send you guess to me at jon@kitleyskrypt.com. And most of all, stay cool and good luck!

The Hammer Story: Revised and Expanded Edition

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Time to update the library! A new version of The Hammer Story is set to be published on September 15th, adding over 30 pagers of new material. It was originally published in 1997 and then revised in 2007. And now, almost two decades later, we’re getting a new edition with more content, updating the volume to add all that has been going on with Hammer Films, now that it really has risen from the grave and continues to bring the history of the famous “studio that dripped blood” back to life, to a whole new generation of film fans. While making us older fans giddy with excitement with all the new re-mastered and polished releases that have been coming out.

This version has gone from the past editions with 192 pages to 224 pages, delving into Hammer’s restoration programs, which includes the remastering of the studios classics films, as well as some other British titles, in the gorgeous looking 4K prints.

Released by Titan Books and priced at only $39.95 for this new hardcover edition, I would say without seeing it, that it is probably going to worth getting it, even if own the previous edition, even if this amazing new cover with both Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing on it. Written by Marcus Hearn and Alan Barnes, these guys definitely know their Hammer history. And if by chance you never owned one of the previous editions, then now is the perfect chance to correct that error!

If you’re not sure if you own a previous edition, below are the last two covers.

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Super-Horror-Rama Goes Full Throttle!

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They are back!!! Now that Chicago’s Music Box Theatre is finished installing their 3rd theater, John McDevitt and his Super-Horror-Rama screenings are back with another amazing pair of fun fright flicks, both based on the works of Stephen King and both dealing with some psychotic vehicular madness!

On July 24th at 11:30pm, you can see John Carpenter’s Christine (1983), starring Keith Gordon and that beautiful cherry red, but deadly, 1958 Plymouth Fury.

Then the next night, on July 25th, you can see King’s one and only time in the director’s chair, for better or worse, in Maximum Overdrive (1985)! Sure, some might say it is a trainwreck, but damn if it isn’t a fun ride! With an all-star cast including Emilio Estevez, Pat Hingle, Laura Harrington, Lisa Simpson herself, Yeardley Smith, this really is just a lot of fun, with metal carnage, some slight overacting, and a soundtrack by AC/DC!!! What more could you want?

Just click HERE to buy tickets. And if you like what Super-Horror-Rama is doing and want to help them continue to do so, join their Patreon! There are 3 different levels with plenty of cool benefits for you, but it also helps John continue to program these great little features each month. Just click HERE if you’re interested in joining.

Movie Review: Sacrificios

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(2025)
Directed by Mauricio Chernovetzky
Starring Jorge A. Jimenez, Frida Astrid, Siddhartha Tonalli

There are a lot of movies that are made just to give you some mindless entertainment, excitement, fun, and maybe even make you laugh. And that is not a criticism because we need those movies, especially in this day and age. But when a film takes a series subject, one that I hope no one would ever have to deal with, takes that trauma, those feelings of grief and guilt, and intertwine them into a movie with a possible supernatural element to it, I’m even more impressed. But let me just say, I have no idea if that is what co-writer and director Chernovetsky was dealing with when he and other writer, Alexander Ioshpe, came up with this story. No matter how they came out it, it is a very impactful story.

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DtH Episode 125 – Modern Supernatural Horror

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Rigor Mortis (2013), When Evil Lurks (2023), and Vicious (2025)

Pretty much from the very beginning of horror cinema—or cinema in general—supernatural horror has been part of the storytelling tradition. Granted, many of those early films were adaptations of famous works of literature dealing with ghosts, vampires, and other unworldly creatures, but more than a century later, the supernatural remains a huge gateway for creative filmmakers to walk through in order to create something interesting, and sometimes something genuinely new.

Many modern supernatural horror films deal with grief and how we cope with it. Some might call it cathartic, while in other films, it’s just downright mean! In the three movies we discuss in this episode, you’ll get a taste of all of that—and more. A couple of these films hit especially hard and will leave an impact on you days after the credits roll. You’ll either be running to tell your closest friends that they absolutely need to watch them, or you won’t say a word for fear that someone might ask, “Is everything okay at home?” But we think that films that can hit that hard deserve to be applauded. So, if you’re game, take that next step- and hit play.

Movies mentioned in this episode:

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Movie Review: Jackalope

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(2026)
Directed by Bryce Hirschberg
Starring Alex Mandel, Bryce Hirschberg, Catherine Corcoran, Dallas Hart, Howie Mandel

Bryce Hirschberg directs, co-wrote, produced, edited, and stars in this picture, so you could say he’s put a lot of work into it. While I’m not sure it’s the best title for the film, only from a marketing aspect, it does play into the film and is an interesting story with some depth to it. The picture stars Hirschberg as Aidan, who is taking his younger brother Connor (Alex Mandel) on a little brothers getaway. From a flashback sequence and a call to their father (played by Alex’s real father, comedian Howie Mandel), we know there is something going on with Connor. There was some sort of a bad breakup with a wife or girlfriend, but Connor does not want to talk about it. We can tell that there is something deeper going on though. What seems to be an attempt to do the “relax and get away from it all” at their father’s vacation home, doesn’t seem to be going the way Aidan had expected.

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Turkey Day in May-ish 2026

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This year’s Turkey Day in May marathon technically took place on the first Saturday in June, mostly because May was packed with other commitments. I knew I couldn’t skip it, but I couldn’t find a way to make it happen in May, so we broke tradition and held it in June. Speaking of tradition, we also had to swap my wife’s usual lineup of amazing pizzas for store-bought frozen ones. After dealing with mold remediation in our bathrooms, money was a little tight, so we took the cheaper route. But once the first movie started, I don’t think anyone cared!

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