Author Archives: Jon Kitley

Happy Birthday Paul Naschy!!!

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Back on this day, in 1934, Jacinto Molina was born. He would later adopt the name of Paul Naschy for his film work, which happened to be massive by the time of his death in 2009. He wasn’t just an actor, writer, and director, but he was one of us… a lover of the horror genre. I can’t think of too many other people in the industry that has created the work he had in his lifetime, dedicated to this “cinéma fantastique”, as he referred to it. That really puts him in the icon status. Not to mention that he made a hell of a lot of entertaining films! Continue reading →

Book Review: The Most Important Horror Films of 1970

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The Most Important Horror Films of 1970
Self Published, 2019. 312 pages.
By Laura Cremonini

Let me first start out with that I sort of knew what I was getting into with this book, but am standing proud as I take one for the team, to make sure no one out there reading this every spends a penny on this book. On the book’s back cover, as well as in the Amazon listing, the author is completely upfront about the text:

“This book is the assembly of various texts that are freely available on the web, especially from Wikipedia. The next obvious question is: why buy this book? The answer: because it means you avoid having to carry out long and tedious internet searches.”

And that is exactly what this book is. The author has taken film reviews from Wikipedia and copied them in this volume. After each movie discussed, there is the link to the Wikipedia site. Even the introduction is taken from the website. Except in this intro, there is one part that seemed to get some extra works in there that the no-where-to-be-seen editor, didn’t pick up on this: Continue reading →

William Grefé Came from the Swamp

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There is a list of different filmmakers like Bill Rebane, Larry Buchanan, or Ted V. Mikels, that stayed away from Hollywood, making films on their own turf, with little or no money, but were still able to produce films that were entertaining. William Grefé was one of those, cranking out films made in Florida. Now thanks to Arrow Video, there is a box set of Grefé’s films coming out on Blu-ray this November that is a collection that I feel is a must for any fans of exploitation and drive-in features. The box set is going to feature 7 features, all newly restored from the best surviving film elements, in this one box set. The features are: Sting of Death (1966), Death Curse of Tartu (1966), The Hooked Generation (1968), The Psychedelic Priest (1971), The Naked Zoo (1971), Mako: Jaws of Death (1976) and Whiskey Mountain (1977). Haven’t heard of some of these? Well now is your chance to remedy that! I mean, how can you go wrong about a film that features a jellyfish man???

The set is going to be filled with extras to make any fan drool.  Amazon has it listed for $99.99, but you can pre-order it now from Diabolik DVD for only $59.99! Below is all the goodies in the set: Continue reading →

September Army Mission: See You in September

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In 1959, the band The Tempos released the song See You in September. Using that song title as a starting point, we’re going to “focus” on the eye part. In horror films over the years, the eyes have been something to exploit, either by damaging them, taking away their use, or just making you twitch when something crawls up by them.

So, during the month of September, you have to find and watch two horror films that you haven’t seen before, that have either Eye or Eyes in the title. Now this mission might be a little challenging for some of you out there, but after all, if this wasn’t a little work, it wouldn’t be an army, would it? Although, if anybody chooses to watch Headless Eyes, let me apologize up front!

You have until 11:59pm on Sept. 30th, to find and watch these two titles, and then report back to the Krypt. This might not be too easy, so start looking now. But I think you can find a couple out there that are more than worth a watch.

Mystery Photo 8-31

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Welcome to our last photo of the summer. That just means we’re even closer to the Halloween season. Then again, for most of us, Halloween is all year round! Our last photo was from the Japanese film Kuroneko (1968), directed by Kaneto Shindô, who also gave us Onibaba (1964). I would highly recommend both of these films, if you haven’t seen them. There’s a reason they are considered classics. Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Gregory Avery, Bob Hartman, Troy Howarth, Zeit Koloss, Lee Nattrass, Jeff Owens, Michael Shields, and Kristin Wicks. Well done!

So let’s get to another black and white one and see if we get more answers this time out. Take a peek and send us an email (jon@kitleyskrypt.com) with your guess. Good Luck!

Friday Favorites: BUGS!

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In honor of heading out to the Skyline Drive-In this weekend for their Super Monster Movie Fest, featuring an array of movies dealing with bugs, we thought that this Friday we’d go with one of the tried and true themes back in the ’50s were ordinary insects or spiders that were somehow cause to grow to enormous sizes. That’s right, let’s celebrate the tiny beasts that we all know someday will take over the planet! Now we’re looking for your favorite bug movie, so it doesn’t have to be a giant one, like Them! (1954) or Deadly Mantis (1957), but could be just intelligent cockroaches like in William Castle’s Bug (1975), or maybe killer bees, like in The Swarm (1978).

As a kid, I loved all of these kind of movies. Even remembering being terrified watching The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) as he battled the normal size spider that had become a giant monster to him! But from giant tarantulas, to praying mantis, to even grasshoppers, they were always so much fun.

So? What about you? What is your favorite BUG movie!

We Made it to 1500 Posts!

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In February of 2015, I had moved the Krypt from my Front Page created website to a WordPress Blog format. Hard to believe I’ve been using this format for this long. Granted, I had been running the website for 17 years prior to that, I must admit that I was a little nervous making the move. Wasn’t sure how it was going to work out, if people would still follow the site, or would it lose anything in the transition to a new format. Well, it seems that this being our post # 1500, I guess you’re still coming back to read my ramblings! And honestly, I can’t thank you enough for the support that you have shown, as well as the wonderful and kind comments you’ve given me over the years. It really helps keep me sane in this crazy world we’re living in now. So thank you.

We will continue with our reviews on books, movies, soundtracks, and giving our usual take and insight on what’s going on in the world of horror.

This weekend, we’re heading to the Skyline Drive-In for their Super Monster Movie Fest, trying to sell a copy or two of my book, so there won’t be any posts over the weekend, but keep an eye on our Facebook or Instagram page for exploits of our adventure!

Keep Discovering the Horror and see you on the other side!

Rod Serling’s Night Gallery: The Art of Darkness

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Back in May, I posted about an upcoming book on the artwork from the TV show Night Gallery. This one one of the most important shows in my childhood. Where most were anxious to see The Twilight Zone, I was more interested in the darker tales brought through the Gallery. I mentioned there was an upcoming book that would feature all the artwork from the series in a new coffee table book. Now is the time to place your order! Continue reading →

Lori Nelson – Rest in Peace

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Actress Lori Nelson only appeared in a couple of creature features but there were more than memorable to make sure that we mention her recent passing here. In 1955, she appeared in two monster flicks, one with a very low budget and one with a much bigger one. She appeared alongside Richard Denning in Roger Corman’s The Day the World Ended, fighting a mutated survivor of an atomic blast. That same year, she joined John Agar in the sequel Revenge of the Creature, fighting off the GIll-Man who is stalking her! So if you were looking for an excuse to bust out either of those tow movies, then now is your chance.

Nelson passed away on Sunday, Aug. 23rd, at the age of 87. Even though she only did appear in two monster movies, we know that us fans will never let her name and talent be forgotten. Our thoughts out out to her friends and family during this difficult times.

Mystery Photo 8-24

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Welcome to Monday… evening. Still counts though! It looks like our photo from last week was a little trickier than our previous one. It is a shot from The Haunting of Julia (1977), which is a very underrated film, though is in dire need of a Blu-ray release. Just throwing it out there. Congrats to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Todd Barwick, and William Wilson. Well done!

So on to this week’s photo. For some, it will be pretty easy. Others… ? Well, if you don’t recognize it, hopefully when you learn of the title you can seek it out. Remember, just send us your answer in an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!