Author Archives: Jon Kitley

Michael Madsen – Rest in Peace

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Fans have lost another highly memorable character actor, Michael Madsen, who passed away yesterday at the age of 67. With well over 300 credits on IMDB, it is just amazing the amount of work he was involved with. Sure, there were a lot of low budget films in there, but as an actor, you have to work. He worked in about every genre but is probably best known for his portrayal of Mr. Blonde in Quintin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs (1993). Either that, or Free Willy (1993)! That’s not a joke, since he was known by a lot of younger audiences because that role. No matter what role or movie he was in, he never phoned it in and always made an impression. When he played a bad guy, he was one of the best. I know a lot of us can never hear the song Stuck in the Middle with You by Stealers Wheel and not think of him doing his little dance before some truly dark moments.

But at least he will always be remembered, not just when we hear that song, but for the hundreds of other performances that he has left us. Gone, but never forgotten. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time. Rest in Peace, Mr. Madsen.

Book Review: It’s Me Billy – Black Christmas Revisited

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It’s Me, Billy: Black Christmas Revisited
Published by BearManor Media, 2022. 299 pages.
By Paul Downey & David Hastings

Black Christmas is a film that should have so much more attention than it usually gets. I know it’s a fan favorite, but it just seems like that it should be brought up and referred to, anytime the horror genre from the early ‘70s, or the slasher sub-genre is being discussed.

Thankfully, we have this wonderful book by Paul Downey and David Hastings that delves a lot deeper into the film. There is a ton of interviews with both the cast and crew, with articles and references about the movie, from the initial release, original review quotes, and a lot more. We get to read about the origin of where the initial idea came from, originally called Stop Me!, and how it transitioned into a screenplay. For a story that is really shrouded in mystery, specifically who “Billy” is, it does a good job giving readers more details but really without spoiling anything.

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SUPER-HORROR-RAMA! – Beast Mode!

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The fine folks behind the Super-Horror-Rama screenings the Music Box Theatre have announced their 2 features for July, and they both will gnawing at your feet if you don’t come out to support them!

On Friday, July 18th, at 11:45pm, they will be screening Lewis Teague’s 1980 film Alligator, starring an amazing cast including Robert Forster, Dean Jagger, Syndey Lassick, Jack Carter, and Henry Silva. While most movie-goers might consider this film cheesy schlock, us horror fans know it’s actually a really good film!

Then on Saturday, July 19th, at 11:45pm, they will be screening Italian director Bruno Mattei’s Rats: Night of Terror (1984), starring Ottaviano Dell’Acqua (who played the poster zombie in Lucio Fulci’s Zombie), Geretta Geretta (from Lamberto Bava’s Demons), and Massimo Vanni. Sure, this might not be one of the greats from the Italian horror genre, but when is the last time you had the chance to see the work of Mattei in the theater?

Head over to their Facebook page HERE for all the latest details on this, and future events.

Monster Bash Spring 2025

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A few weeks ago, we made our annual trip to PA for the Monster Bash Conference, which we started attending way back in 2015. I can’t believe it’s been over a decade now, but we still continue to have so much fun there.

One of the reasons is some of the great items we find in the dealer room, most of which aren’t even something we’re looking for, but just happen to come across! For this show, since money has been a little tight as of late, my main goal was to try and not spend much at the show. I guess the key word there is “try”, because by Saturday, that was completely out the window.

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Hot Time at the Carpenter Fest at the Midway

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Over the weekend, we travelled out to Dixon, IL, once again, to the Midway Drive-in, for their John Carpenter Fest, where they screened The Thing (1982), Halloween (1978), Prince of Darkness (1987), and Assault on Precinct 13 (1976). We were one of the vendors set up outside for the event. Now, let’s just say that not only is the sun not my friend, but neither is the heat. But those are two things we had to deal with for most of the day. Getting there around 1pm to make sure we can unload everything and set up, such as our tent and all the merch, takes time. Doing it in those conditions makes it even more of a challenge, especially as I’m about to hit the big 60. In fact, standing there in the blazing heat was just brutal. And it makes one ponder why we even bother going through that misery.

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Mystery Photo 6-30

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I loved the fact that just about everyone that sent in the correct answer, apparently all wanted to be in charge of the booze as well! I guess that might show just how much some of us remember a film like this so well! The movie is, of course, THEM! from 1954, which I think is still one of the best giant bug movies out there, not to mention the first. A classic for many reasons, and one that still holds up today. Congrats to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Aaron Christensen, Dave Fronto, Kevin Hart, Bob Hartman, Ken Johnson, Doug Lamoreux, Erik Martin, Lee Nattrass, Jeff Owens, Michael Pniewski, and Bryan Senn. Well done!

Going with color this time out, even though it would be easy to finish out the entire month in black and white. Because we all know there are PLENTY of great titles out there made in that beautiful monochrome! But to finish the first month of summer, let’s get a little color in there. Take a look below and see if you can recognize this movie. Just remember to send me your answer, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good luck!

Lalo Schifrin – Rest in Peace

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We’ve lost another incredible talent in the world of film composition, the great Lalo Schifrin. I don’t think there is anyone out there in the world that doesn’t know the theme music from Mission: Impossible, whether it’s from the original TV series or the movie series, but Schifrin is the one that created it. It is one of those pieces that immediately has an effect on the listener. In fact, Bruce Lee specifically wanted Schifrin to score his movie Enter the Dragon (1973) because Lee used to work out to the famous TV theme. He also worked quite a bit with Clint Eastwood, doing the Dirty Harry films, not to mention Cool Hand Luke (1967), and Bullitt (1968), and more recent, the Rush Hour trilogy.

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DtH Episode 99 – Jaws 50th Anniversary

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Fifty years ago, a film was released that literally changed the world. Jaws transformed the way people think about going into the water and revolutionized how studios make movies, effectively creating what we now call the “summer blockbuster.” Its influence is still felt five decades later, by both fans and filmmakers alike.

And there’s a reason for that: Jaws is just that good.

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the film and explore the impact it’s had on us (especially a couple of us who were profoundly shaped by it) as well as on the movie industry at large. People often talk about the idea of a “perfect movie,” one that couldn’t be improved. And while Jaws faced plenty of production problems (like the famously uncooperative mechanical shark), the creative solutions to those problems ended up making the film even stronger.

Films mentioned in this episode:

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Mystery Photo 6-23

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Even though I’m trying to recoup after the wonderful weekend at Monster Bash, I couldn’t miss posting a new Mystery Photo. Our last photo was from The Monster of London City (1964), and while not 100% horror, it sure has enough elements to make any film fan appreciate it! If you haven’t seen it, it is more than worth your time. Kudos to the following that sent in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Kevin Hart, Erik Martin, and Michael Shields. Well done!

Now on to this week’s photo. Going to keep in the black and white theme once again, but this one might be a little easier, especially if you recognize any of the actors in the photo. Though, one of them is even more famous for a different movie, that isn’t in black and white. Confused? Just check out the photo and see if you know where this shot is from. Just remember to send your answer to me in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

International Horror Film Festival in Columbus

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Next month, at the Wexner Center for the Arts, at the Ohio State University, will be holding an International Horror Film Festival showcasing films from around the world, from Italy to Japan to France and more. It’s one of those times when I wished to be retired and wealthy, only to be able to travel around attending these different festivals! They have a great lineup here with some truly amazing examples of the horror genre, but also incredible pieces of cinema as well. The festival runs from July 10th through Aug. 14th. Most of them are single screenings, but there are a couple of nights where there is a double feature. Below is the list of films playing:

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