Author Archives: Jon Kitley

Friday Favorites: Underrated Vampire Films

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We’re continuing our Friday Favorites series with underrated titles. We all know there are a ton of vampire films, and a lot of them not that great. But we also know there are plenty out there that seem to slip away into the night or disappear with the morning sunlight. Now is your chance to step forward and let us know some that we may have not have heard about.

Now I’m not going to be too picky here other than it needs to be about vampires, in some form or another. Could be a traditional one or one that is more psychological. Could be realistic or more allegorical. I’m just looking for titles that are good but don’t seem to be talked about as often as they should. One that I am always trying bring up is Larry Fessenden’s Habit (1995) that he wrote, directed, and stars in. There is a lot going on here, from maybe being just a dream, delusion, or just a traditional vampire story. But it works so well in any and all those departments. I would HIGHLY recommend this one.

So let’s hear what YOU got.

Enzo Sciotti – Rest in Peace

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Enzo Sciotti is a name you might not know, but if you’re a horror fan, you know his work. Sciotti is one of those unsung heroes in the art world that created such stunning poster art that his work is immediately recognizable.

Developing his artistic skills at an early age, and being encouraged by his mother, he actually started working in the film industry making posters when he was only 16 years old! He has created artwork for more than 3000 movie posters. Take a look below and I’m sure you’ll recognize every single one of his beautiful masterpieces, from posters to DVD and Blu-ray covers. Not only was his artwork incredibly accurate when it came to actors and actresses, but the layout of the designs were just as impressive.

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Giannetto De Rossi – Rest in Peace

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We have lost one of the premiere makeup artist from the movie world. Being one of thousands in the industry, to have your work literally change the face of a specific horror sub-genre, is something pretty damn amazing. Italian makeup and special effects man Giannetto De Rossi was one of them. This talent that showed us what putrefying flesh of the living dead should look like, passed away on Sunday, at the age of 78 years old.

Coming from a family in the industry, with both his father and grandfather working as makeup artist, it didn’t take long for Giannetto to realize that he was pretty good at it as well. He started working on films in his early 20s and never looked back. In 1974, working with Spanish director Jorge Grau, he created some unforgettable zombies, as well as some over-the-top gore effects in Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, which remain still impressive almost 50 years later. A few years later, he would create the look for the Italian zombie in Lucio Fulci’s Zombie (1979). Not only were there some incredible gore effects, but De Rossi made the zombies look scary as hell. With dirt packed faces, worms crawling on them, and plenty of the gooey red stuff, he made these creatures a walking nightmare, even before they clenched their teeth into your flesh.

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Mystery Photo 4-12

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Happy Monday, everyone! Hope everyone had a stellar weekend. I know I did, mainly because I feel like I’ve done three Iron Man marathons back to back. Okay, I just moved my office from downstairs to upstairs, but carrying about 1300 books, 6 bookcases (most of them by myself) and countless trips up and down the stairs, I am feeling every bit of my age! But I’m finally moved in for the most part and am very happy with the new (and slightly bigger) Kryptic office! But you didn’t come here to hear me whine, did you? Let’s get to the official business at hand. Our photo from last week was from the early horror film The Vampire Bat (1933), another fun little picture with Lionel Atwill and Fay Wray. Sure, a little melodramatic, but still a lot of fun. Kudos out to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Kevin Hart, Bob Hartman, Gary McGuire, and Bryan Senn.

So this week’s photo is more of a tribute than anything, which some will understand right away, while others will understand at some point. So give it a look and see what you can come up with. Just send us an email with your guess, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck.

Friday Favorites: Underrated Ghost Stories

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I’ve always said that I’ve always loved a really good ghost story. But unfortunately, they don’t seem to be as easy to make as one would think. But we know there are some really great titles out there, where it is not just scary, but also has a really intriguing and interesting story, or a intricate puzzle to be solved to free the disembodied spirit.

Because a lot of haunted houses are really about the ghosts that haunt them, we’ll include that in our theme this week. But it does have to be a ghost, not some evil or demonic force that resides there, but a lost soul or two.

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Movie Review: Dead Snow

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(2009)
Directed by Tommy Wirkola
Starring Charlotte Frogner, Ørjan Gamst, Stig Frode Henriksen, Vegar Hoel, Jeppe Laursen, Evy Kasseth, Evy Kasseth Røsten, Jenny Skavian, Bjørn Sundquist

If Peter Jackson was to remake Shock Waves (1977), but set it in the snowy mountains, then you would have Dead Snow. After getting a lot of internet hype, we had the chance to see this new Norwegian zombie film in the theater and just loved it. For someone to take a sub-genre that has been done to . . . death (sorry, couldn’t help it), co-writer and director Tommy Wirkola pulled out all the stops and gives us one bloody entertainingly good movie.

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Opinions, Opinions, and More Opinions

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There is a new book that just came out called 40s Universal Monsters: A Critical Commentary, covering all of the monster films that Universal put out during that decade. Author John T. Soister had published a similar book back in 2001 covering the Universal films of the 30s, entitled Of Gods and Monsters: A Critical Guide to Universal’s Science Fiction, Horror and Mystery Films, 1929-1939. Now, along with contributors Henry Nicolella, Harry H. Long, & Dario Lavia, they take on the ’40s, covering 66 titles from The Invisible Man Returns to Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein.

But what does have to do with opinions? Hear me out. Looking through my own library, I have several books that deal with the early days of cinema. If we’re talking about the silent era, we have Silent Screams by Steve Haberman, or Wayne Kinsey’s entry in his incredible Fantastic Films of the Decades series, as well as Troy Howarth’s own series, Tome of Terror, who has covered the decade of the ’30s as well. Kinsey is already up to halfway through the ’40s with his ongoing series. But then I also have Universal Horrors by Tom Weaver, Michael and John Brunas, Soister’s aforementioned Of Gods and Monsters, Mank’s Hollywood Cauldron, Senn’s Golden Horrors, and even a few others titles. Then we move into the ’50s and beyond with multiple titles in each of those as well.

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Mystery Photo 4-5

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Welcome to April! I would say now that we’re a quarter way into 2021, I do feel things are looking up a little better. It honestly looks like we may actually have some conventions this year. At least, fingers are crossed. But let’s get to the real reason you’re looking at this post. The Mystery Photo! Last week’s photo was from the 1962 film Burn Witch Burn, or the original UK title, Night of the Eagle. While the original title does make sense in the film, I have to say I prefer the American one. We had quite a few correct guesses this time out, which makes me very happy that a lot have seen this one, since it really is a stellar film. Kudos to the following: Hoby Abernathy, Cate Cameron, Aaron Christensen, Craig Clark, Chris Dyer, Dave Fronto, Kevin Hart, Bob Hartman, Troy Howarth, Gary McGuire, Charles Miller, Lee Nattrass,Jeff Owens, Tim Palace, and Todd Warren.

But let’s get on to this week’s photo. Going back in a time a bit for this early classic. Take a look and see if you recognize it. All you need to do is send us your guess at jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

Winterbeast Comes to Blu-Ray!!!

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In a world where you don’t think that miracles can happen, here is your proof that you are wrong.

Vinegar Syndrome is releasing their first volume in a (hopefully) new series called Home Grown Horrors. This first set contains 3 low budget films, that as all cinema lovers know, that doesn’t mean they aren’t damn entertaining, right? The titles are Beyond Dream’s Door (1989), Fatal Exam (1990), and finally Winterbeast (1992)!

Now, if I tell you that this set is worth buying just for Winterbeast alone, I honestly can say that I would not be lying. Winterbeast is a sheer masterpiece of low budget filmmaking, that has gore, stop animated monsters, and so many W-T-F moments that you’ll just love it. But that movie aside, the amount of extras for all three of these titles is just staggering, and shows the love that Vinegar Syndrome has for the films they put out. All three films have been newly scanned and restored in 2k from 16mm original camera negative, with some footage taken from Super 8mm or tape inserts, but all looking better than they ever have before, with new and archived commentaries, and plenty of new features and interviews.

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Giant Monster Sale at McFarland Books!

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In conjunction with the release of Godzilla vs Kong, McFarland Books is having a 30% off sale on all their books dealing with Kaiju and all the other giant monster books they have, through April 30th. Just using the code KAIJU30, you can save some gigantic $$ here on some really amazing and some even essential titles for your library. Such as David Kalat’s A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series. Normally retail price is $29.95 now you can get it for just over $20. Or maybe Jason Barr’s The Kaiju Film: A Critical Study of Cinema’s Biggest Monsters.

All you need to do is click the link HERE and start adding some titles and saving some money. If you ever wanted to do some series study of Japan’s famous monsters, this is a great place to start. There is a wide variety of titles here, even including not just Godzilla type films, but all giant monsters, such as listed in the book Apocalypse Then. Plus, I’m sure the more you read about these films, you’ll discover some titles that you’ll want to seek out to further your kaiju education!