Author Archives: Jon Kitley

Fond of His Mother: Queer-coded Hitchcock

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No matter how you want to, or not want to, read into the subtext of some of the films from Alfred Hitchcock, he no doubt was pushing the limits of certain subject matters in some of his films. Whether it be sex, violence. or queerness, Hitchcock was not only a master of suspense, but subtext, getting different things past the censors and studio heads without them even realizing it. Next month, the Music Box Theatre is celebrating 4 of those films: Strangers on a Train (1951), Rebecca (1940), Psycho (1960), and Rope (1947). While Rebecca will be from a DCP, the rest of the films will be screening from 35mm prints.

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House that Hammer Built

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Back in the late 90s, there was a magazine put out by Wayne Kinsey called The House That Hammer Built, with each issue devoted to all things Hammer Films. Because these were put out in England, they were not the cheapest or easiest to find. But now that Kinsey is one of the guys behind Peveril Publishing, starting in 2022, he has been taking all the info from those magazines, plus plenty more gathered in the years since then, and is putting them out in a series of books, appropriately titled The House That Hammer Built. Peveril has already published the first 3 volumes, covering the studio’s work from 1934 to 1958, but have now released the cover of Volume 4, which will cover from 1959 to 1962, and will be released hopefully this year.

I know I’ve posted before about these, and yes, they are not cheap, especially if you’re in the US, shipping from the UK is not cheap. But each volume is incredible, filled with some amazing photos, both black and white and in blazing color, and filled with so much information about the famous Studio that Dripped Blood, that if you are a serious fan of movie reference books, this on-going set are a must. Even if you don’t get the Scrapbooks they put out, I would consider this series as essential. Thankfully, all volumes are still currently available, but I wouldn’t hold out if you have any inclination of getting them. Each one has a run of only 750 copies, so that is not a lot. You can get all the information by heading over to Peveril’s site HERE.

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Movie Review: Crawling Hand & Slime People

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While Mystery Science Theatre 3000 brought a lot of films to a whole new audience, which is a good thing, the problem is that they told that same audience that these were bad movies and should be made fun of. And that is not a good thing. Sure, the movies didn’t have a huge budget, probably not the best script, and maybe even a cheesy monster, but the people involved making it gave it their all. And for that, you have to give some credit. Plus, as I’ve stated many, many times, if you were entertained once it’s over, then it is not a bad movie!

The two titles recently released by VCI Entertainment, The Crawling Hand and The Slime People, both from 1963, are two perfect examples of that. Both were produced by Joseph F. Robertson, who got his foot in the door in Hollywood by these two films. A short time later, he started producing and directing adult features, under the name Adele Robbins. He came back to the horror genre to produce Dr. Caligari (1989) and directing Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies (1992). But we’re here to discuss those first two titles!

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Mystery Photo 4-20

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Welcome to another fun filled Monday. Yeah, I know. I feel the same way. But could be worse, so always need to keep that in mind. But let’s get to the business at hand. Last week’s photo was from Lamberto Bava’s Delirium (1987) and what a trip that one is, right? Congrats to the following for sending in the correct answer: J. Blake Fichera, Richard Garica, Kevin Hart, Michael LeBlanc, Erik Martin, Lee Nattrass, Tim Palace, Chris Richmond, William Wilson, Greg Wojick, and Emily Worthley. Well done!

This week’s photo might be a little tougher, depending on your tastes. Take a look and remember to send me your guess in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

DtH: Episode 120 – Michele Soavi

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StageFright (1987), The Church (1989), and Dellamorte Dellamore (1994)

Most horror fans know of the Italian horror genre, if not being huge fans of it in general. From Bava, Fulci, Argento, D’Amato, and the rest, they have helped the Italian horror genre be one of the biggest output of classic films for over three decades. And then in the mid ’90s, it bottomed out. But thankfully for us fans, at the end at that “era of terror”, we got four horror films from a young director named Michele Soavi. From starting his career as an actor, helping him getting on set and moving his way up to assistant director to finally calling “action” himself. He’s worked under the tutelage of directors like Joe D’Amato, Lucio Fulci, Lamberto Bava, and Dario Argento, all working to form his own identity as a director.

In this episode, we’re covering 3 out of the 4 of his titles, which should give you reason to seek them out if you’ve never seen them before or maybe bust them out once again for a revisit. Because sometimes we can forget just how damn good they are.

Films mentioned in this episode:

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Mystery Photo 4-13

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I wasn’t going to let two Mondays go by and miss another Mystery Photo, even in the condition I’m in! I’ve been wearing contact lenses for over 40 years. And after being told today that every contact wearer does this at least once, I’m not sure if I’m glad I waited this long or not. But I finally used the wrong solution in putting one of my contacts in. A solution used for deep cleaning, not to directly then put in your eye. Contains Hydrogen Peroxide… you know, the stuff used to bleach your hair? No worries, I’m not blind and will be back to seeing out of both eyes in the next couple days. But let’s just say I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. But on to the fun! Our last photo was from Hammer’s Vampire Circus (1972), one that I think doesn’t get enough love. That wasn’t an easy shot to recognize so major kudos to these guys: Steve Archacki, Chris Dyer, Dave Fronto, Kevin Hart, Erik Martin, and Bryan Senn.

Now on to these week’s photo, which may be easy, but I think after reading my above confession, will make a lot of sense! Take a good look with that one eye and see if you can recognize the film. And then send me your guess in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. And most of all, Good Luck!

Wasteland Approaches… Need to be Well Rested!

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Yeah, I know…. didn’t get to the Mystery Photo this week. Next week, I promise! Just gives another week for those that haven’t figured it out yet!

I spent a good portion of the weekend at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago for the Beyond Chicago film fest. Got to see Udo Keir in Flesh for Frankenstein in 3D, which was amazing. Yeah, it is campy as hell but seeing the way it was meant to be seen, with a good crowd, it was a lot of fun. Glad I could check that off my bucket list!

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Monster Mayhem Collection

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When I saw this Monster Mayhem Collection announced, I was pretty excited. Then when I saw it was coming from Film Masters, it made it even better. Releasing 4 great titles from the 1950s, one of my favorite eras, means it’s always going to be a fun time. In this set, you get Kenneth G. Crane’s Monster from Green Hell and Nathan Juran’s The Brain from Planet Arous, both from 1957, and then two features from director Richard E. Cunha, Frankenstein’s Daughter and Giant from the Unknown, both from 1958. Each of the titles have 4K scans from archival prints in their original theatrical aspect ratios. While Brain looks a little bright, it still looks good, while the other ones all look crisp and clean, the usual high-quality standard we’ve seen from previous Film Masters’ releases.

But let’s dig a little into the films in this collection.

For years, Kenneth G. Crane’s Monster from Green Hell was one of those long-thought lost titles, though some may argue that it should have stayed that way. But if that was true, we’d never get to see these amazing giant wasps created by legendary Wah Chang. Now, there is a lot of walking during the films 71-minute running time. And then some more walking. And then some more.

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Severin Celebrates Sangster!

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Jimmy Sangster is one name that is partially responsible for what Hammer Films is known for. While he may not think that what he did was all that special, he was an essential part of the mechanism that help give birth to a new generation of gothic horror films, resurrecting famous monsters that were not only long-thought passé, but giving them to fans like we’d never seen before.

Sangster had started in the industry, like most, at the bottom, as a third assistant director on the film Third Time Lucky (1949) for producer Mario Zampi. That same year, when Zampi was asked to produce the film Dick Barton Strikes Back for Hammer, he brought a lot of his crew to work on the film, including Sangster, who would now make his Hammer debut as Second Assistant director! At the age of 21, he became Britain’s youngest Assistant Director!

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DtH Episode 119: Carlos Enrique Taboada

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Even the Wind is Afraid (1968), Darker Than Night (1975), and Poison for the Fairies (1986)

Director Carlos Enrique Taboada is a Mexican director that is not a name too well known in the horror genre. While his films might not be 5-star classics, his work is worthy of your time. Which is why we decided to tackle 3 of his films in this episode. They are all modern stories but wrapped in a gothic blanket.

When on your path of Discovering the Horror, you might stumble across a new name or film that you’ve never heard of. And even though the films might not be amazing and a 5-star rating, usually there is something in there worthy of your attention. That is the fun part on that journey, to always be seeking out new things. Because you never know, that next one just might be one that changes your life!

But join us as we discuss 3 titles that we feel are worth your attention, not to mention seeing some films from a different country, typically not known for their horror pictures from the ’70s and ’80s.

Films mentioned in this episode:

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