Turkey Day 2020

November 22, 2020 by Jon Kitley in Turkey Day Marathon | Leave a comment

While most call this coming Friday, the biggest commercial holiday called Black Friday, here at the Krypt, we call it Turkey Day, and have been since 2003. And this Friday will be no different. Well, maybe a little different. Because of the pandemic, we’re not able to host our usual event of screening some of the finest in cinematic shipwrecks here at the Krypt. BUT… that will not stop us from screening those movies, just this time it will be online. And everyone reading this is invited. Continue reading →

Book Review: Jaws Unmade

November 21, 2020 by Jon Kitley in Reviews: Horror Reference Book and tagged Barracuda, Bicep Books, Crocodile, Cruel Jaws, Devil Fish, Grizzly, Jaws, Jaws 2, Jaws 3, Jaws 4: The Revenge, Jaws Unmade, John LeMay, Killer Crocodile, Last Shark, Monster Shark, Steven Spielberg, Up from the Depths | Leave a comment

Jaws Unmade
Published by Bicep Books, 2020. 341 pages
By John LeMay

One only needs to look at all the rip-offs and inspired titles from a particular film to really know how successful it was. Granted, for Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film Jaws, it might have some to do with the box office profits as well. As we all know, movie monsters only die at the box office, which means if it made money, there will be a sequel. Or two. Or more, until the cash cow, or shark as the case may be, is completely dead and resting at the bottom of the ocean. Now we have to remember that in the mid ’70s, sequel-itis hadn’t really spread in Hollywood, but the money Jaws made was just too much to leave well enough alone, so we got Jaws 2 in 1978. Now the story of that production is enough for a book on its own. In fact, there is! Jaws 2: The Making of the Hollywood Sequel, by Louis R. Pisano & Michael A. Smith, is essential for any fan of the Jaws series, not only because it’s on the sequel, but you get a real insight of how much the producers have control of what the final movie is going to be. And Pisano and Smith books gives plenty of info. Continue reading →

Friday Favorites: John Carpenter

November 20, 2020 by Jon Kitley in Friday Favorites and tagged Assault on Precinct 13, Assault on the System, Big Trouble in Little China, Christine, Elvis, Halloween, In the Mouth of Madness, John Carpenter, Prince of Darkness, The Fog, The Thing, Troy Howarth | 13 Comments

Since I just started reading Troy Howarth’s latest book, Assault on the System: The Nonconformist Cinema of John Carpenter, I thought it might be an interesting (though probably an easy one to call) question to see what your favorite John Carpenter film is. Now, as I said, I know there is going to be a lot of answers for the obvious choice, which would be Halloween (1978), which is fine because you can’t be wrong in what is your personal favorite. I’m sure The Thing (1982) is going to be up there as well. But I am curious to see if there will be any other titles named, such as The Fog (1980) or maybe even In the Mouth of Madness (1995). Continue reading →

Texas Schlock Book

November 19, 2020 by Jon Kitley in Book News and tagged Bret McCormick, Edgar G. Ulmer, Hal P. Warren, Jim Sullivan, Larry Buchanan, Pat Boyette, Russ Marker, S.F. Brownrigg, Tom Moore | Leave a comment

Some of you that have been following the Krypt for a while might have heard me speak of my love of Texas filmmaker Larry Buchanan, who made films with a budget that would make even Roger Corman shudder. So when I came across this new book entitled Texas Schlock: B-movie Sci-Fi and Horror from the Lone Star State. It even has a chapter on Mr. Buchanan, I knew I had to have a copy for the Kryptic Library. And once it comes and I get to it, you can bet there will be a review posted here.

In the meantime, this 274 page book is priced at $29.95, and was written by Bret McCormick, who directed The Abomination (1986) and enough other similar titles to completely understand what “schlock” is. According to the write up on Amazon, “McCormick perfectly captures the crackpot appeal of low-budget classics like ZONTAR the Thing from Venus and rounds up an amazing rogue’s gallery of schlockmeisters to tell their behind-the-scenes tales.”
Continue reading →

Movie Review: Die, Monster, Die!

November 18, 2020 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged Boris Karloff, Daniel Haller, Die Monster Die, Freda Jackson, H.P. Lovecraft, Nick Adams, Patrick Magee, Suzan Farmer, The Colour Out of Space | 2 Comments

(1965)
Directed by Daniel Haller
Starring Boris Karloff, Suzan Farmer, Nick Adams, Freda Jackson, Terence de Marney, Patrick Magee

It’s funny sometime as a movie lover, that you have such fondness for a particular film that you had first seen as a kid, always remembering how cool it was. As an adult though, does that cinematic pleasure still remain, even after you’ve become more “educated” in the film world? Even after reading some less than positive reviews about the film? Do you watch it now and wonder how could I have ever liked this? Or is it like a small part of your brain is stepping back in time to that first viewing? Continue reading →

Book Review: The Lost One – A Life of Peter Lorre

November 17, 2020 by Jon Kitley in Reviews: Horror Reference Book and tagged Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin, University Press of Kentucky | Leave a comment

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre
Published by The University Press of Kentucky, 2005. 613 pages
By Stephen D. Youngkin.

I remember stumbling across this title at a Half Price Books and was so thrilled to have finally found a copy at a decent price. I had seen them on online at other places but the price was always a bit too high. I meant to dive into right away, but at over 600 pages, it is a pretty big dive. So I put it aside and figured I would get to it one of these days. That day finally came and I’m so glad too. It is always rewarding, if a bit sad at times, when you read the background of your favorite stars. You quickly realize that the life of a Hollywood star is not all the fame, fortune, and the glamour we tend to think it is. With this volume, author Youngkin shows us that, and so much more. Continue reading →

Mystery Photo 11-16

November 16, 2020 by Jon Kitley in Mystery Photo | Leave a comment

Yes, it is Monday once again. The start of another week and another week closer to 2020 being over. We all can only hope 2021 will be a damn site better. In the meantime, let me take a few minutes of your attention for today’s Mystery Photo. But first, let’s review last week’s photo. It was from Cirio H. Santiago’s film Demon of Paradise (1987), another one of these Creature from the Black Lagoon inspired tales that just don’t quite hold water. Got to give them credit for coming up with a fish man monster at least. While we had many incorrect answers (mainly because there are more than a few of these types of films), the only one that sent in the correct title was Hoby Abernathy. Well done.

Now onto this week’s photo. Hopefully you’ll be able to recognize this shot a little easier. Just remember, send your guess to us in an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

Scored to Death 2!

November 15, 2020 by Jon Kitley in Book News and tagged Brad Fiedel, Charlie Clouser, Christopher Young, Disasterpeace, Holly Amber Church, J. Blake Fichera, John Harrison, Koji Endo, Richard Band, Rob, Robert Cobert, Scored to Death 2 | Leave a comment

Regulars to the Krypt know my love of soundtracks, especially in the horror genre. Back in 2016, J. Blake Fichera put out a book of interviews with different composers that had worked in horror genre, entitled Scored to Death. This was an amazing read because we got to hear from the people behind these incredible scores that we’ve enjoyed while watching the films, sometimes not even aware of the effect it was having on us! Composers tend not to get the attention that actors, directors, or even special effects people get, but Fichera wanted to change that and he did.

And now, he continues to do it with Scored to Death 2.

With this new volume, Fichera has interviews with 16 more renowned composers such as Richard Band, Charlie Clouser, Brad Fiedel, John Harrison, Bear McCreary, Robert Colbert, Disasterpeace, and many more, covering movies like Martin, Creepshow, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, The Terminator, Burnt Offerings, just to name a few.

Published by Silman-James Press, this new 492 page volume will be priced at $24.95, and is set to be released on Dec. 1st, just in time to order your copy to make a great gift for the holiday!

Movie Review: The Brides of Dracula

November 14, 2020 by Jon Kitley in Reviews: Movies and tagged Andrée Melly, Anthony Hinds, Brides of Dracula, Constantine Nasr, David Peel, Don Mingaye, Freda Jackson, Hammer Films, Hammer Studios, Hugh Harlow, Jack Asher, Jimmy Sangster, Malcom Williamson, Margaret Robinson, Marie Devereux, Martita Hunt, Michael Ripper, Miles Malleson, Peter Cushing, Richard Klemensen, Scream Factory, Shout Factory, Steve Haberman, Terence Fisher, Yvonne Monlaur | Leave a comment

(1960)
Director Terence Fisher
Starring Peter Cushing, Yvonne Monlaur, David Peel, Martita Hunt, Freda Jackson, Miles Malleson, Andree Melly, Marie Devereux, Michael Ripper

While most “normal” critics would look down on a horror film, yes… even ones from Hammer Studios, this is a perfect example of how well made these pictures really were, from the acting, the production design, to the look and lighting of the entire running time. If you ever doubted that, just watch this 2K scan of The Brides of Dracula recently released by Shout Factory on Blu-Ray. Continue reading →

Halftone Horrors: The History of Horror Movie Comic Books

November 13, 2020 by Jon Kitley in Book News and tagged Halftone Horrors, Horror Comic Books, Horror Comics, HorrorHound, HorrorHound Ltd., HorrorHound magazine, Nathan Hanneman | Leave a comment

Are you fans of horror movies that were adapted into comic books? Then I think this is going to be a book you’re going to want to pick up! The first in a series of collector-based hardbound books, Halftone Horrors is a 240-page, full-color tome giving you the history of officially licensed comic book adaptations of horror movies, from the cult and obscure to the more popular titles. It will be a visual guide to this particular medium, giving readers a history lesson, as well as being a guide for every issue published, even including variants, one-shots, promotional comics, and more.

According to the press release, “This guide covers everything from Nosferatu, Frankenstein, and Night of the Living Dead to A Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser, and Army of Darkness.” Continue reading →