This is going to be a tough year to review when, as I’m starting to write this, I’m still dealing with Covid!*** Or maybe this is the perfect time because in the midst of being miserable, it does show me all the positive things that happened this year. That is one thing I’ve definitely learned in my old age, especially in the last few years, that there are great things going on all the time that need to be acknowledged, just as much, if not more, as any negative or problems that arise. Honestly, even just the “good” things need to be acknowledged. Because yes, they are all there. It just depends on what and how much time you want to focus on one and not the other. It might just be the cough medicine talking, but I do think if we all started to focus on the good, as well as spreading that around to others, I do think we can make a difference. I’m not saying ignore the bad things, because they will continue. But don’t forget to realize that is not all that is out there.
Don’t get me wrong, these next few years are going to be tough. But if we give into the negativity, we all lose. Doesn’t mean we sit back and do nothing, but if we are polite and kind to others, even giving a little bit of praise to those that are working hard, little things like could have a huge impact on someone who might be struggling at the moment. And it really doesn’t take much of an effort, does it? Okay, enough preaching.
This year was once again filled with some incredible adventures and plenty of memories. These are the things that make me realize how great it is to be a film fan. 2024 was an incredible year for the horror genre, with a ton of releases coming out, some of them being just amazing.
***Also, as I am now ready to post this, I am thankfully covid free and feeling a hell of a lot better than when I started this!
Music Box Continues to be a Beacon of Great Times
Last January, thanks to the Music Box Theatre and their annual January Giallo, not only did I get to see Paul Naschy’s Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll (1974) on the big screen, but I got to see Torso (1973) in a packed theater, where most of the audience had never had the joy of seeing the film before. And to make that event even more crazy, director Sergio Martino was actually there in person! I got to get my picture taken with the Maestro along with some of my fellow Academia Giallo members, Ian Simmons and Bryan Martinez. Great memories.
Another fantastic event at the Music Box was their 24-hour Godzilla marathon that they held in June. To celebrate Big G’s 70th anniversary, they had a weeklong celebration, screening many different titles from the Godzilla series, but on the 8th, they screened 15 titles from the Showa era, my personal favorite era, starting at noon on Saturday and going to noon the next day. While we are always at the annual Music Box of Horrors 24-hour marathon, we’re vending there so we don’t get to spend too much time in the actual theater. But for the Godzilla one, I knew I wanted to just go to watch the films, which is exactly what I did. I only got through 10 of them, but had so much fun, seeing a lot of these on the big screen for the very first time. And seeing a packed house for most of the time I was there was just incredible. It really shows the impact that these films made on us.
The Music Box of Horrors of 2024 had their event in October not only sold out so quickly, without even half the titles announced, it was another huge success and being our best show since we’ve been setting up there since the beginning. It’s so incredible to see so many eager fans coming out to see what films they have lined up. Major kudos to the Music Box for continuing to make these incredible events happen throughout the year.
Adventures in Writing
This year was a whirlwind of writing projects, I think more than I’ve taken on during one calendar year. I started to contribute to the fantastic books that the publishers of We Belong Dead have been putting out for quite some time. I usually buy them anyway, so I figured I might as well start writing for them as well! I did an essay for their Euro Horror title, one for the Unsung Horrors Has Risen from the Grave, and a couple of essays for the more recent The Blood is the Life book on vampire films. I have four essays in another one soon to be coming out and even more set up for next year! Eric McNaughton and Darrell Buxton always do an incredible job with these books, with some fantastic layouts and always getting a stellar collection of writers. I’m proud and honored to be part of these.
2024 saw the 100th issue of HorrorHound magazine published. While I’ve been associated with them since nearly the beginning, I officially started writing for them in issue #16, which was back in March of 2009. Since then, besides doing my normal column, I’ve written several retrospectives and some other miscellaneous pieces for them. Another one that I’m proud to be part of. It’s amazing how this thing has grown since those first issues and know it will continue to grow.
I also had the wonderful opportunity to write the cover story for issue # 11 of Midnight Magazine, about my absolute favorite Paul Naschy film, Horror Rises from the Tomb (1973). Editor-in-Chief Eric Wright continues to gather a stellar bunch of contributors for his little independent magazine, one that is just filled with passion (and talent). I love being involved with it. Especially when I can write about Paul Naschy!!!
While on the topic of writing, my first book, Discover the Horror, hit the 5-year anniversary in 2024. I am still proud of my first effort and always love the feedback I get. Knowing that I’ve maybe rekindled someone’s love of the horror genre or maybe showed them a new path to take shows me that what I set out to do with this book is still working. That was always my intention from the beginning. So, thank you to all of those that have purchased it. I appreciate your support and feedback more than you know. And I still have copies available if anybody hasn’t picked it up yet . . . just throwing it out there. Just click on the book cover to the right for details!
And speaking of books, I always keep track of how many books I read myself during the year. My goal has already been one a month, but I haven’t come close to that over the last few years. While I still didn’t hit that number, I did get closer than I had the last couple of years, with a total of 8. And 2 of those were knocked out in December! If you are a movie fan, I can’t stress enough how much you can learn reading about the genre. Whether it is about a favorite actor or director, or about a particular genre, you can always learn something that will help you see things a little differently. I guarantee it. So as one of your resolutions for this year, why not make a list of books that you want to read and start knocking them off! You’ll thank me.
Next Up: The Highlights Part 2
kitleyskrypt.com 