Author Archives: Jon Kitley

Soundtrack Review: Puppet Master – The Littlest Reich

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puppet master the littlest reichPuppet Master: The Littlest Reich
Released by Lakeshore Records, 2018
13 Tracks with a Total Running Time of 31 min.
Music by Fabio Frizzi

I must admit, seeing the offer to review the soundtrack for the latest Puppet Master movie didn’t fill me with excitement. But when I saw the composer was none other than Fabio Frizzi, the Italian maestro who composed the scores for films like Fulci’s The Psychic (1977), Zombie (1979), City of the Living Dead (1980), The Beyond (1981), not to mention a few other classics, I quickly changed my mind. And I’m glad I did because he once showed me that you can never judge a book by its cover. Or a score by its title., as the case may be.

The score for Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich is a smaller and simple score, much like I expected, but Frizzi is still able to create a great mood here. The opening title track is a beautiful piece of music, simple and elegant, and not what you’d think you’d hear for a Puppet Master film. But right when the second track picks up, Third Floor Hallway, the atmosphere kicks in. We have a slow and low sound of the keyboard, with a low pounding in the background. Then a violin (maybe?) kicks in bringing up the eerie factor slightly higher.  About halfway through this track, we hear some bells, like from a wind chime or doll’s toy, which at first might sound innocent, but the way it is used along with the already existing sounds, it just makes it plain creepy.

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HorrorHound This Weekend!

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HorrorHound 8-18 banner

In just a few days, we’ll have the van loaded up once again ready to make our trip to another convention. This time out, it will be for the HorrorHound Weekend in Indianapolis, where that show started over ten years ago. Except this time out, it will be at a new hotel than the one it has been at since the beginning. Kind of bummed about that since I really liked the hotel and area where it was at. But I understand how you can outgrow a hotel and need to make the move. Just really hoping for no surprises when we get there to set up…fingers crossed.

Once again, we will be set up there peddling our wares, looking for that exclusive bunch of people that still like to read about their favorite movies. So if you’re coming out to the show, make sure you stop by and say hello. We always like meeting our followers and putting faces to the names we see on emails and messages. For all the information about the show, just click HERE.

Also this weekend at the Skyline Drive-In is their Super Monster Movie Fest, which starts on Friday night and then again on Saturday night, with 4 features each night. We are still planning to try to make it there both nights, but with the show going on and all, might make it a little more challenging, but we’ll see. For more info on the lineup and Drive-In, just click HERE.

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Book Review: Terror in the Desert

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Terror in the DesertTerror in the Desert
Published by McFarland, 2018. 312 pages
By Brad Sykes

In an age of internet reviews, when anybody with a computer can be a critic (me being one of them), sometimes we might read a negative review of a movie and brush it off without any inclination to visit it, or in some cases, re-visit it. And I think that is a big mistake on the part of all of us fans.

In his introduction in this book, author Sykes writes, “I honestly believe that most of the films profiled in these pages – flaws and all – have something to offer the viewer.” After reading that, it reminded me once again that even if a movie might only be a 2 or 2 1/2 stars out of 5, that doesn’t mean that it is a total waste of time, but that it still might have some merit and might just be worth watching. Might be a great special effect or stunt in there. Or just a great performance by one particular actor. We just never know. So I just wanted to throw that out there, giving a little credit to Sykes for reminding us fans something that we shouldn’t forget.

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Mystery Photo 8-20

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Is the summer over yet??? Really can’t wait for fall to get here, and not even for the obvious reason of the Halloween season. Just want this damn heat to end! Okay…done with the personal ranting…let’s get down to business. The photo from last week was from The Hanging Woman, aka Beyond the Living Dead, Dracula the Terror of the Living Dead, Return of the Zombies, The Orgy of the Dead, Zombie 3: Return of the Living Dead, and in Australia it was even called Bracula: The Terror of the Living Dead! So we did have a few that might have known the correct movie but had sent in a title that wasn’t one of the above. But we did have a few that did send in a correct one and those were: Hoby Abernathy, Troy Howarth, Michael Shields, and Tal Zimerman. Kudos, my friends.

Oh…did I mention that one of the co-stars of this film is Paul Naschy? If you know me…anytime I can mention this icon of horror, I’m going to!

So let’s get to this week’s photo, shall we? Might be another tough one. You’ll just have to look and see what comes to that gray matter between your ears. PLEASE remember not to post your answers here. Just send them to me in an email (jon@kitleyskrypt.com) that way everyone can have a chance at guessing. Good Luck!

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Movie Review: Desecration

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desecration1

Desecration (1999)
Directed by Dante Tomaselli
Starring Irma St. Paule, Christie Sandford, Danny Lopes, Salvatore Paul Piro, Vincent Lamberti.

“My films are really about peeling back the layers of pain and guilt buried in the unconscious mind.”

That above quote really captures the work of filmmaker Tomaselli. He is one craftsman that really is creating from his mind, heart, and soul, and I think that really shows in his work. I can remember reviewing this film when it first came out two decades ago and was impressed with what he was showing us. Now with the 20th Anniversary Blu-ray getting a release from Code Red, what better time to take a trip down memory lane than now, right? Has my thoughts on this changed over the years? Has it gotten better, or worse over time? Read on to find out.

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Little Shoppe of Horrors #41 Coming Soon

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LSoH41The latest issue of THE best magazine out there dedicated to all things Hammer, Little Shoppe of Horrors, will be out next month. And if you’re a fan of those pesky dinosaurs, then you definitely are going to want to order issue #41.

This cover story is about Hammer’s return to the world of prehistoric creatures in When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970). This issue will feature “When Danforth Ruled the Earth – The Making of Hammer’s Second Dinosaur Epic” by Mark Wolf. It will also feature interviews with actors Victoria Vetri and Robin Hawdon, and 1st Assistant Director John Stoneman. There will also be articles on some of Hammer’s unmade films, and interview with Pauline Peart from The Satanic Rites of Dracula, as well as all the other great stuff that is always found within these pages. With an amazing front cover by Jeff Preston, why wouldn’t you want to add this to your reading list?

You can pre-order your copy now, as well as all the back issues, by just heading over to their website HERE.

Universal Horrors at the Music Box Theatre

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Invisible Man

Because our September and October wasn’t filling up already, the Music Box has decided to screen some of the Universal classics in their Universal Horror: A Matinee Series, starting at 11:30am on each weekend listed below. Plus the fact that these are all being screened from 35mm prints! Now is your chance to see some of these essential titles from our horror history but on the big screen like they were meant to be seen! Here’s the schedule for this series:

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What a Time to be Alive!

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antropophagus

Twenty years ago, when us deviant fans of European horror films that were near impossible to find over here in the states, you were lucky as hell when you were able to find a 5th generation copy of Joe D’Amato’s notorious 1980 film Anthropophagous, and even more so if it had the famous fetus eating scene intact. Sounds demented, I know. But when you’re trying to find the a version that was completely uncut, if that scene was in there, you knew you had a big score on your hands.

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You Won’t Believe Your Updated and Revised Eyes!

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youwontbelieveyoureyes RevisedOne of my favorite books that I read in 2016, which still remains as a favorite, is Mark Thomas McGee’s You Won’t Believe Your Eyes!, published by BearManor Media. It’s a recollection from a young Monster Kid as he went to see those amazing films of the ’50s. It is a very funny and entertaining read, which I reviewed on my site back in 2016, where you can still find the review if you search for it.

But now, there is an all new “Revised and Updated Monster Kids Edition, that has just been released by BearManor, with almost a 100 pages of more fun recollections. McGee’s writing is full of humor and admiration for this pictures, even if they might not be the greatest of movies. I found a lot of great titles from that era that I had missed out on, but thanks to McGee and this book, I quickly fixed that error.

If you’re a fan of that era of sci-fi and horror films, then I really think you’ll enjoy this one. Plus, with the holidays right around the corner, it would make a great gift. It is available in both hardcover ($35.95) and softcover ($25.95) editions. For more information, head over to BearManor Media’s site HERE. 

Mystery Photo 8-13

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Yes, I know. I didn’t have a new photo posted last Monday. Mainly due to the weekend at the Flashback convention as well as it being hot and muggy with no A/C, so I just didn’t have the motivation. But I was able to manage to work through the sweat and get one for this week. Just FYI…sweating arms and vinyl chair armrests…not a good match!

So last week’s pic was from the 1987 flick The Outing, also known as The Lamp. Not the greatest movie but a nice little return to the ’80s that wasn’t a slasher film. Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Adam Knabe, Gary Miller, William Wilson. Well done, people! Well done, indeed.

Now on to this week’s photo. Take a peek and see what you can come up with. But as always, PLEASE remember not to post your answers here so that others can have a guess. Instead, just send us an email (to jon@kitleyskrypt.com) with your guess. Good Luck!

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