Author Archives: Jon Kitley

Living the Dream at the Drive-In

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This last Saturday, we were at the Midway Drive-In in Dixon, IL, for their annual From Dusk to Dawn Horrorfest, set up out in front of the concessions, like we usually are. Now usually in September when these are held, the only part of the weather we usually have to worry about is if it might rain or not. Thankfully, there was not even a chance of rain in the forecast. Instead, it was a bit warmer than normal. In fact, record breaking temps hitting 91 degrees. And it felt like it too. Would it be too hot for anyone to want to come out and celebrate the great films they were showcasing? Would they come out early enough to shop with us vendors and hang out? Or if they were planning to come out, would they just get there right as dusk in time for the films? We would soon have the answer to that.

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Mystery Photo 9-25

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Monday has arrived, once again. Hope everyone had a good weekend, for what its worth. So let us not delay and get to our Mystery Photo recap, shall we? Last week’s photo was from the 1980 film Death Ship, starring the always entertaining George Kennedy and Richard Crenna. This is one of those films that really isn’t that bad, but is very rarely one that comes up in conversation, especially when you’re talking about a haunted ship. But kudos to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Kuba Haczek, and William Wilson.

Now on to this week’s photo. Let’s see how well you can do with this ugly mug! As always, remember not to post your answers here, so everyone else can have a chance. But send your guesses to us in an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com.

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Suzan Farmer – Rest in Peace

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Susan Farmer - RIPThis is a name that might not be too familiar, but if you’re a Hammer fan, then you’ll know the face. Farmer appeared in several titles from Hammer, including two of their swashbuckling  movies, The Crimson Blade (1963) and The Devil-Ship Pirates (1964). But it was mainly for her role in Dracula, Prince of Darkness when horror fans took note. She followed that film up immediately with Rasputin: The Mad Monk, once again coming up against the sizeable Christopher Lee. Another non-Hammer picture that she made that I remember fondly is Die, Monster, Die! (1965), starring alongside Boris Karloff. This was one that I saw in my youth and really made an impact with me. While she might not have been as glamorous or as known as some of the other Hammer starlets, her performances always stood out and are very memorable.

She passed away on Sept. 17th. Our thoughts go out to her friends and family. Thankfully, like all of our movie heroes and heroines, they will live on for fans of their films, especially for Hammer fans!

Nox Arcana Returns for the Season…of the Witch!

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“All Hallow’s Eve… Deep within the Haunted Forest, beyond the old gypsy camp, shadows gather in a place known as Raven’s Hollow. Strange chants echo through the trees and join rhythmic drumming, summoning forth creatures of the night. No one enters these woods after dark, for this night begins the Season Of The Witch.”

Since I’m a big fan of movie soundtracks, when I first came across Nox Arcana, I just loved what they were doing. If you’re not familiar with them, they create amazing soundscapes, like a soundtrack but without a movie. Except, there is a story or theme inside the music. Whether they’ve tacked vampires, haunted houses, Lovecraft, Poe, or a demented circus, they continue to create creepy audio nightmares for listeners. Here’s is a track from the new album.

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Book Review: Twisted Visions

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twisted-visionsTwisted Visions
By Matthew Edwards
Published by McFarland, 2017. 280 pages

There are more than a few of these types of “interview” books, where the author has sat down with a variety of people involved in movies, getting their opinions, thoughts, and feelings towards their craft and the movies they’ve worked on. So what makes Twisted Visions different from all of those? A couple of different reasons, really. Edwards not only knows the history of the subjects being interviewed, but also really knows the films being discussed. And the group of underrated filmmakers chosen for this book are probably unknown to most of the mainstream genre fans, but are more than worthy of having their chance to talk about their career. But most importantly, the great thing about this book is that you are going to learn. That’s right…didn’t think you’d find that while reading an interview with the guy that made Nightmares in a Damaged Brain or Combat Shock, did you? But you will.

In his introduction, Edwards writes “In Hollywood, the marketing of the movie has become more important than the quality of the film.” So true, and so sad. Thankfully, the filmmakers covered in this book were not anywhere close to Hollywood and that is a good thing. Edwards has picked a great selection of talent and talks with real passion and respect for them, as well as seeing a lot more here than your average fan. In other words, the guy knows what he’s talking about!

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TCM Celebrates Horror History!

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Back in the old VHS days, years before just about every film was available at your fingertips, like so many other horror fans, I’d be waiting for the latest TV guide or cable guide to come out around this time of year to see what titles were going to be screening, hoping to see some lost classic finally being screened that had eluded me thus far.  I can vividly remembering being so ecstatic when I started to record William Castle’s Mr. Sardonicus that was being broadcast on TNT and seeing the introduction intact. Yes, it really is those little things in life that make it special. So when we came across the huge listing of titles that TCM will be airing throughout the month of October, it brought a little tear of remembrance to my eyes.

Mr. Sardonicus

First of all the fact that these are all airing without commercials is cool enough as it is. But the fact the huge number and variety of titles that are listed here, you really can get a huge horror history lesson throughout the month. There are a ton of iconic titles that will be playing, as well as some that are a little more obscure. None the less, if you have TCM, I would strongly suggest you go through this list and double check to make sure there aren’t any here that you’ve missed. And if so, mark your calendar and make sure you don’t miss out!

You can also check out the complete listing HERE on their website.

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Mystery Photo 9-18

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Yes, I will admit that our last photo was inspired from meeting the great Clint Howard at the HorrorHound convention last weekend. Such a class act. The film of course is Evilspeak (1981) and is such a lot of fun. I mean, how could it not when you contact Satan on an old computer? Good times! Kudos the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Aaron Christensen, Ken Johnson, Doug Lamoreux, Dustin Moravich, William Wilson, and Greg Wojick.

So this week’s photo is posted below and yet another woman in distress? A theme perhaps? Maybe. But do you know where this is from? If so, then send your answer in an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Don’t post them here, so others can have a guess.

Good Luck!

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Hammer Horror Soundtrack Fans?

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Hammer Horror - Classic Themes 1958-1974

Silva Screen is releasing a greatest hits so to speak of some Hammer Horror themes that helped make these films so memorable. While all of these have been released before in two different collections, entitled The Hammer Film Music Collections, Vol. 1 & 2, those might be a little tough to come across these days, or at least without paying a pretty pound. But these new release, called Hammer Horror – Classic Themes (1958-1974), is a collection of themes from 18 of their titles, such as Captain Kronos to Countess Dracula to The Devil Rides Out. Below is the complete listing of the themes and their composers. The CD is only $15.95. You can pre-order your copy HERE.

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Basil Gogos – Rest in Peace

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Basil-Gogos-Artwork

If you grew up with Famous Monsters of Filmland, or even collected them later on in life, then you are more than aware of the work of Basil Gogos. His stunning portraits of such monstrous and darkened characters but done with such amazing colors, always made an impact with the fans. And that still rings true today just as much as it did when those magazines first hit the newsstands. In fact, probably even more so.

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