Texas Schlock Book

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.” 
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Movie Review: Die, Monster, Die!

(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

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

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!

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

(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

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

Friday Favorites: Friday the 13th

Seems only appropriate, on this actual Friday the 13th, that we take a day to reflect on this long running series, to get your thoughts. While some might not be a fan of Jason and his exploits, most fans growing up in the ’80s could help but be a fan of these movies. Right or wrong, some of them are pretty fun, even today. 

So… to celebrate today, what is your favorite entry in the Friday the 13th film series? Doesn’t have to have Jason in there, meaning it could be the original or even part 5, but one that you like the best.

Movie Review: The Untold Story

The Untold Story (1993)
Directed by Danny Lee & Herman Yau
Starring Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Danny Lee, Emily Kwan, Siu-Ming Lau, Fui-On Shing, Eric Kei

Back in the early ’90s when I was really into the Honk Kong film genre, especially the horror titles, we were always on the lookout for any of the Category III films that were going to blow us away. For Hong Kong titles, Category III meant adult content, that could be sex and nudity, or gore and violence. Or both. While they never could top the gore coming from American films, Hong Kong would have some subjects that never would have made it past the MPPA, such as the murdering of small children. So when I came across The Untold Story, the violence was so over the top and grim, I couldn’t believe what I had just witnessed. Now, revisiting the film after many years to check out the new Blu-ray from Unearthed Films, I wondered if it was going to have the same impact. Continue reading

Soundtrack Review: Lovecraft Country

Lovecraft Country
Released by WaterTower Music
62 Tracks with a Running time of over 2 1/2 hours!
Music by Laura Karpman and Raphael Saadiq

Wow. Talk about a soundtrack that encompasses just about everything!

The first 11 tracks are musical numbers from the show’s cast, that gives us the feel of the era of when the series takes place. After that, for the next 51 tracks, we get a mixture of music and emotions as we go down this long and winding road into a very strange story. Now, I have not seen any of the show, so this review is just going by the music alone. But I am more than interested in seeing it because of what the music is “showing” me. Continue reading