What better way to spend your Halloween than at the drive-in, watching 3 of the classic Universal Monsters! The McHenry Drive-In will be screening Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Wolf Man this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30th and 31st. Continue reading
Author Archives: Jon Kitley
Mystery Photo 10-26
A little late today but we still got a new photo for you to puzzle over. But before we get to it, let’s recap last week’s photo. I thought for sure I was going to stump everyone but we ended up with 4 people that guessed the correct movie. The movie is Castle of Evil (1966), and the ones that knew that were Hoby Abernathy, Bob Hartman, Michael Shields, and Mark Turner. Well done, gentlemen!
Okay so let’s see if we stump anybody with this photo, since I’ve been digging deep in the obscure vault lately. Just remember to send your guess to us in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good luck!
Horror at the Chicago Public Library TONIGHT!
In case you didn’t know, my good buddy and fellow horror fanatic Aaron Christensen (aka Dr. AC) will be hosting a presentation online through the Chicago Public Library, starring in a little over an hour! So you still have time to come join us.
For the link, just click HERE.
And if you do, below is some take home work for you. It is a list of films, actors, directors, and other names in the genre that you should familiar yourself with, if you don’t know them already.
Film Recommendations: Continue reading
22 Years of Discovering the Horror!
Today marks the 22-Year Anniversary when Kitley’s Krypt came online. That’s right, folks, for over 2 decades, I’ve been spreading the gospel to whoever would listen. Or read, technically. I never set out to make this into a job that I could do for a living (though it wouldn’t be a bad thing), nor did I set out to become some famous journalist. My path was simple: I wanted to spread the passion I have for this incredible genre and hope others would walk with me, if even only for a moment, down this long and twisted road, looking and learning about the genre during this wonderful journey. I know some of you out there have been with me down the path for quite a long time, while others have just recently joined. But I hope in that what I’m offering here, is something more than puff journalism, more than quick click bait stories that don’t even qualify as a bit of news, but something a bit more substantial. And that it continues to fan the flames of our shared passion. Continue reading
Mystery Photo 10-19
Yes, we’re back with a new photo. We missed last week with too much going on in the real world, not to mention a few updates last week! But we’re hoping to be back on track for the rest of the month. Our last photo was taken in my basement… oh wait… that’s what I’m hoping to have my basement look like at some point. It was actually from The Virgin of Nuremberg (1963), or better known here in the states as Horror Castle. Congrats to the following who sent in the correct answrer: Hoby Abernathy, Vincent Simonelli, and Todd Warren. Well done, indeed.
So without any further delays (or I forget to get it posted), let’s get to this week’s photo. I know this is looks the way I feel going to work each Monday morning! Remember to send your answers through email (better chance of me not forgetting you) to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!
Taking Shape II – The Lost Halloween Sequels
Earlier this year, I posted my review of Taking Shape: Developing Halloween from Script to Screen, by Dustin McNeil and Travis Mullins. It was not a book I thought I would be interested in because I thought I knew as much about the early Halloween films that I need to or when it came to the later sequels, as much as I cared to. But I found the book fascinating and ended up loving it. Well now McNeill and Mullins are back for Taking Shape II: The Lost Sequels.
If you think this covers a couple of films that never got made, think again. This volume covers 24 (!?!?!) lost Halloween sequels that never made it past the script stage and onto the big screen. You’ll get to read about these from the people directly involved, some being heard publicly for the first time. At 600 pages and priced under $30, you can bet that this will have so much trivia and information about these films that never came to be, hearing insights and ideas of what some wanted to do. That alone seems pretty intriguing if you’re a fan of the Halloween series.
Here is some of the subjects covered in this volume. See if this doesn’t wet your whistle… Continue reading
Movie Review: The Old Ways (2020)
The Old Ways (2020)
Directed by Christopher Alender
Starring Brigitte Kali Canales, Sal Lopez, Julia Vera, Andrea Cortés, AJ Bowen
One of the key elements for a good horror film is to really hook the audience in caring about what is going on. To do that, you need good, believable characters that the audience will invest time with them. That way when these characters are in peril, it pulls at the audience’s emotions. Now in the ’80s, we had all those slasher films with cookie cutter characters because we were there to see the all the new and creative ways they would die and the special effects surrounding them. Nothing wrong with any of that, because they were going down a particular path in horror entertainment. Nobody went into Slumber Party Massacre III for a good character study or a memorable storyline.
Even with newer films, they can some times get caught up with the gimmick of the plot or whatever the special hook is. But then there are others that spend time developing characters who are wrapped around a simple but effective story, that grab the audience’s attention each step of the way.
Christopher Alender’s The Old Ways does just that. Continue reading
Karloff on Stage!
It’s probably no secret that Boris Karloff is one my idols in the movie world. From the countless entertaining movies he appeared, to all the stories of him just being a great person in real life, he’s definitely my favorite of the horror icons. When the stage play Arsenic and Old Lace started, the role of Jonathan Brewster was played by Karloff. This was the character who stated that he killed someone because he said he looked like Boris Karloff! Karloff toured with that play for many years, but never made it to screen version. Continue reading
Friday Favorites: Here There Be Monsters!
This is going to be one to let roll around in your head for a bit before answering. Continuing in our celebration of Halloween and all things horror, we thought it might be fun to hear some of the favorites out there of the good old fashion monsters. You could answer this two different ways. You could point out your favorite monster from the usual suspects, such as vampires, werewolves, science experiment gone wrong, a mummy, or any of that ilk. Or, you could pick a specific monster that just blew you away. Such as the Deadly Spawn, or Pumpkinhead, Critters, or any of the countless other creature terrors that has come our way over the last 100+ years of cinema. Easy enough, right?
So let’s hear it.
Soundtrack Review: Rawhead Rex
Rawhead Rex
Released by Silva Screen Records, 2020
15 Tracks with a Total Running Time of 52.31 min.
Music by Colin Towns
I remember being so excited upon hearing the news that a movie version of Clive Barker’s terrifying monster tale was going to be made. Yeah… never expected it to be as bad as it was, mainly due to the stiff costume on the title terror. BUT… we’re here to talk about the music itself and how does it hold up on its own. Movie scores are a particular thing because while they are really only there to enhance and help what is on the screen, some composers take it even further, creating beautiful pieces of music. This is one score that went above and beyond what it should have been! Continue reading
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