One of the very first film scores that hooked me was that of John Williams’ score for the 1979 version of Dracula, starring Frank Langella. It was also one of the first soundtrack LPs I bought back in the day, being every bummed that it just wasn’t that long of a score. But now all of that is going to change, thanks to Varèse Sarabande.
Chicago’s Music Box Theatre has been hosting these 24-hour marathons since 2005, and I have been at every one of them. There were a few times I was just there as a fan to watch the movies, but usually I’m there as a vendor. When I am set up as a vendor, part of me always regrets not just coming as a fan and being able to enjoy watching the films instead of staying behind my table. Sure, with my wife Dawn there, I could always sneak out to catch a film or two, but I usually feel bad about leaving her there to watch the table alone. Plus, I always feel I might miss something. We also usually pack and leave somewhere around 2am, figuring sales are usually low or non-existent by then. But this time out, things were a little different. Continue reading
While I still am recovering from our weekend at the Monster Bash Conference in Mars, PA, I wasn’t going to forget to get a new photo posted today. Priorities, right? Before we get to the new one, let us go over last week’s photo. It was a shot from one of the most famous double features in cult movie history. Our pic was from the second and lesser known feature, was directed by Del Tenney and was originally titled Zombies or Zombies, or even Invasion of the Zombies, but wasn’t released right away. Distributor Jerry Gross picked it up, re-titled to I Eat Your Skin for his famous double feature run, following I Drink Your Blood. The rest is exploitation history.
Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy & Michael Shields. Well done, guys!
Now on to this week’s photo. Take a look at this guy’s organ! Seriously! Then see if you can recognize what film it is from. Please remember not to post your answers here, so that others can have a guess. Just send your guess to us in an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!
I know it’s late on Monday, but I couldn’t go two weeks without a Mystery Photo. Just got back from Chicago from a screening of Frankenstein (1931) but knew I had to get this updated before I crash. So let’s get to it! Our last photo from two weeks ago was in tribute to the recent Cinema Wasteland convention, My Bloody Valentine (1981). I did find it interesting that a few people were sending in guesses with an Italian giallo, which really shows that the slasher film is the American cousin to them. Sure, a distant cousin, but definitely related. Kudos out to the following for sending in the correct answer: David Friedman, Angela Hermann, and William Wilson.
And now, this week’s photo! As always, please don’t post your answers here so others have a chance. Just send us your guess in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!
As you’d expect, this is a busy month for us. With events going on every weekend, not to mention coming into Chicago every Monday for something as well, the days are just flying by. Not a bad thing, mind you, but really tough to squeeze in some good horror flicks with all this going on. But this is the path we choose, right?
Last weekend, we were in Strongsville, OH for the 18th year at Cinema Wasteland. Hard to believe it has been going on that long and still continues to be a great time. The draw this year was for a reunion for a favorite of mine, the original My Bloody Valentine (1981) and the Q&A was very informative and entertaining. Although I must admit being a little depressed when they asked a packed room right before the screening of the film, just how many people there have never seen the film before, and about two thirds of the room raised their hands. I would have thought this would have been key film to watch during your slasher education. Or at least, if you were going to a convention that the main guest lineup was a cast reunion from a film you hadn’t seen…that you’d watch it before the show! Sorry…Old Man Kitley is coming out again. Times for my meds.
I was just commenting the other day that either I have missed them or the number of our genre stars that we’ve been losing has been much lower than previous years. And then we lose Stelvio Cipriani last week, and now there are two more.
Followers of this site know I’m all about the horror reference book. The more the better! But it does get a little annoying when a publisher puts out an barely updated version of one of their previous releases, but only changes the cover and even the title enough to where to looks a completely new book. Carlton Books has done it once again.
The Definitive Guide to Horror Movies by Kim Newman and James Marriot (who passed away in 2012) has recently been released. Because of those two authors’ names and the way the title is, I figured the publisher was doing it again and re-re-re-releasing the same book again, but adding a few pages. Which is in fact just what they are doing. This was originally released back in 2006, under the simple title of Horror: The Definitive Guide to Cinema of Fear. Then it was released again in 2010, under the title Horror! 333 Films to Scare You to Death, with Lee Remick from The Omen on the cover and 253 pages. Jump ahead 3 short years and they release it again as Horror! The Definitive Companion to the Most Terrifying Movies Ever Made with Leatherface on the cover. Again, with a few more pages added (360 total). And 5 years later, it has another 8 pages added and now called The Definitive Guide to Horror Movies: 365 Films to Scare You to Death with a shot from Poltergeist. Continue reading
Yeah, I know this was all over Facebook yesterday, but damn if I’m not going to help spread the word a bit more! While I may be a huge Hammer fan, their 1966 film The Plague of the Zombies is one of my all time favorites of theirs. So I am more than thrilled to see this hit Blu-ray, thanks to Shout Factory!
This was Hammer’s only movie that dealt with zombies, though these are the voodoo type, not the flesh-eating type. Maybe because Romero didn’t unleash his until two years later. But this is a prime example of what Hammer did best. They had an great cast with two powerful leads, André Morell as Sir James Forbes and John Carson as Squire Hamilton. Morell is so much fun to watch, being so proper and the whole stiff upper lip, but yet still has a dark sense of humor. Carson, who plays the villain, was born to play this part. Whether it is his voice, which is very similar sounding to James Mason, or his evil stare, that can easily hide behind a smile. Of course, throw in Michael Ripper in a minor role, and it makes it even better!
If you are a fan of Italian cinema, whether it be westerns, giallo, or horror, then you’ve most likely heard the work of Stelvio Cipriani, who passed away on Monday, October 1st, at the age of 81. With a career that spanned over 50 years, composing scores for over 200 films, he has help make those movies even better with his music.
He started studying music at the age of 14 and composed his first score when he was 29, which was The Ugly Ones (1966). He would contribute scores for such films as A Bay of Blood (1971), The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire (1971), Death Walks on High Heels (1971), Baron Blood (1972), Tragic Ceremony (1972), Rabid Dogs (1974), Tentacles (1977), The Great Alligator (1979), Nightmare City (1980), and so many more.
Thankfully for us film score fans, a lot of his work has been released on CDs, which allows not only us, but newer fans to discover and continue to enjoy years to come. So that his work with always be with us, which means he will always be remembered. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family.
I’ve been a huge fan of the horror films made in the Philippines, especially the Blood Island films. So I was thrilled when I first heard mention that Severin was going to be releasing these films on Blu-ray. Even more so when I saw the kind of promo stuff they are making available. Granted, the limited edition Dr. Lorca’s Head Bundle is already sold out (Also note…that’s not Dr. Lorca’s Head…just saying), which was a major bummer. But the stuff in the Blood Oath Bundle is pretty damn cool too. Got to give Severin major props for the stuff they come up with. From the Anthropophagus Plush figure, or the beach ball from The Horror of Party Beach, to even the little rubber ball from The Changeling, they are killing it when it comes to new promo items.
So what is in this box set?
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