Author Archives: Jon Kitley

Mystery Photo 12-19

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Hello Monday! Yeah…I’m feeling the same way. But that is not going to stop us from having another Mystery Photo Monday, is it? I know our updates have not been as plentiful these last couple of weeks, but we’ve been a little busy around the Krypt here getting ready for the holidays. But have no fear, we’re still here!

Our last photo was from the hilariously twisted 2006 British film Severance from Christopher Smith. Such a demented little flick, huh? Pie, anyone? Kudos out to the following that did send in the correct guess: Hoby Abernathy, Doug Lamoreux, Lee Marohn, Kevin Matthews, Dustin Moravich, Gregg Olheiser. Well done!

Now to this week’s pictorial challenge. I tried to use a shot that shouldn’t be as easy to recognize. Wait…does that mean I’m using an easy movie title? Could be. Or maybe I’m just making you think it is, while in reality it is from some obscure little flick that few have heard of. Now would I do something like that? Anyway…give a look and then send in a guess.

Please remember not to post your answers here, but send them to us in an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com.

And good luck!

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Mystery Photo 12-12

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It seems our last photo was a bit tougher than what we’ve been giving you, since we only got one correct answer sent in, which was from Hoby Abernathy. So kudos to him for recognizing this pic from the 1967 film Dracula in Pakistan, or also known as The Living Corpse. This is a real treat for fans of unusual films, especially versions of the Dracula story. And yes, it does include dancing. Mondo Macabro put this out on DVD a few years ago so if you can still find a copy, I’d highly recommend it to those who like strange cinema.

So let’s get to this week’s photo. As much as I was tempted to go with some snow-covered shot, I thought I’d forgo that and keep it simple. Well, try to at least. Here’s this week’s mystery pic, so take a gander and see what pops into your head.

Remember not to post your answers here, but send them to us in an email at jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

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Horror History: Ronald Stein

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ronaldstein.jpgRonald Stein
Born Apr. 12th, 1930 – Died Aug. 15th, 1988

He started his musical career writing scores in college, working with different opera houses and orchestras in throughout the early ’50s. It was in the mid ’50s that he started working for American International Pictures (known then as American Releasing Company). His first film was the Roger Corman directed western Apache Woman (1955). He worked for them for many years, scoring classic horror and sci-fi films like It Conquered the World (1956), The She-Creature (1956), Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957), Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957), Dementia 13 (1963), and many more. He even composed the theme song for Jack Hill’s Spider Baby (1968) with Lon Chaney singing, as well as the rest of the score for the film.

Stein was obviously a perfect match for AIP since he worked fast and cheap. Between the years of 1956 and 1958, he scored 8 films each year. Not a lot of time when you think about the way it is done these days. Thankfully quite a few of his scores are still available today on CD and are really fun to listen to.

Movie Review: Cold Prey

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Cold Prey aka Fritt vilt (2006)
Directed by Roar Uthaug
Starring Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Rolf Kristian Larsen, Tomas Alf Larsen, Endre Martin Midtstigen, Viktoria Winge, Geir Olav Brath

This film is a perfect example of where you can have a story that isn’t the most original in concept, but is filmed in a way that it’s still very entertaining. The film deals with a group of people head off to a mountain to do some snowboarding. After one of them breaks his leg, they make their way to an abandoned hotel for the night. But once they are there, they realize they are not alone. But by then, it may be too late. A simple story that in the wrong hands, would just be another dime a dozen slasher films. But not here and not with director Uthaug.

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Horror History: Jimmy Sangster

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sangster1Jimmy Sangster
Born Dec. 2nd, 1927 – Died Aug. 19th, 2011

When discussing the Hammer family, Jimmy Sangster was there at the start of their rise, not to mention having a big part of it. He started with Hammer at the bottom, working his way up through the ranks, as second unit director, assistant director, production assistant, production manager, then finally into writer, producer and director. But while he may have held many different titles in the industry, it was as a writer where he made his real mark.

By the time that Hammer was going to do their version of Frankenstein, Sangster had worked on over 30 films as either Production Manager, or Second Unit Director or Assistant Director. He had written screenplays for one short film and one feature by then, both for Hammer. The short film was A Man on the Beach and the feature was X the Unknown (1956), sort of their version of The Blob (1958) even though that came out two years later! But he was given the task to write this new version of Shelley’s tale, but told to make sure he stays away from Universal’s version, in fear of getting sued for copyright infringement. He decided to focus more on the creator than the creation, which started Hammer toward their path to being know as The House of Horror!

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Mystery Photo 12-5

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Our first Monday in December. Hopefully these next four weeks are a fast one and we can start 2017 afresh! But in the meantime, lets get down to business. Our photo from last week was from one of few times Boris Karloff appeared as a scientist/doctor bringing someone back from the dead. Okay…maybe he made more than a couple of those. But this one is from 1940 and is called The Man with Nine Lives. Anytime you can watch Karloff on screen in more than worth your time. Congrats to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Scott Bradley, Cate Cameron, Doug Lamoreux, and Michael Shields.

Now on to this week’s photo. This might be a tough one, but one you can sink your teeth into! Gaze into those eyes and see if you can’t figure out what film this shot is from. Good luck!

As always, please remember not to post your answers here, but send them in an email to me at jon@kitleyskrypt.com. That way everyone has a chance.

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Movie Review: Stake Land

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Stake Land (2010)
Directed by Jim Mickle
Starring Nick Damici, Connor Paolo, Kelly McGillis, Danielle Harris, Michael Cerveris

Several years ago, when we had the 8 Films to Die For mini-film fests, there were usually only a couple of films in the lot that really stood out to us.  In the 2007 series, there was one film that REALLY stood out. The film was Mulberry Street and it was directed by Jim Mickle, as well as co-written by him and Nick Damici (who also starred in the film). The movie is about a virus that turns the population of New York into some sort o mutant rat-people. As crazy as that sounds, it was incredibly well done. From that point on, I was paying attention to these two guys, since they seemed to not only know how to make a great film, but also to make it with very little money. Folks, this means they were smart filmmakers. Something Hollywood has forgotten years ago. Plus, they had their connections with Larry Fessenden, and we know that the people he is involved with are some very talented people.

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Turkey Day 2016

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On the Friday after Thanksgiving, just like we have for the last thirteen years, instead of fighting the crowds at the stores, a group of us have gathered together to fight another battle…the Turkey! It is beyond me how this event became just that…an actual EVENT, one that everyone seems to look forward to each and every year. But somehow it has. When you have a group of like-minded movie lovers getting together to not just watch, but really experience some cinema, that at their best are third and fourth class citizens, and we just have a blast. At this year’s T-Day, our crew consisted of a bunch of the usual suspects, and one new victim! Of course, Aaron Christensen was there, never having missed one since he started coming in 2005. Joe Wallace, who started popping in and out around 2010, was here again, bringing his girlfriend Sharon Gissy alone for the ride. Jason Coffman first came in 2011 and has made everyone since then. Brian Fukala started coming in 2012, and I think only has missed one event since then. Mr. Martinez made his T-Day debut last May, doubting the whole point to this event, but was soon absorbed into the collective! Matt Harding makes his return for his second appearance and Tim Palace came for his very first experience. Will he survive?

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Don Calfa: Rest in Peace

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don-calfa-ripOkay 2016, enough, huh? I mean, you’ve only got a few weeks left, let’s end it on a something more than these obits, shall we?

There is something about a movie that can have the best dialogue, the best makeup effects, production values, locations, and everything else to make it a memorable feature. But if you don’t have the right cast making these characters come to live, it will just come across flat and uninteresting. Actor Don Calfa made his career at bringing characters to life. Whether he was in a feature film or just a small part on an episodic television show, it was magic when Calfa came on.

My first memory of him where he stood out was as the guy who lived across the ravine from Dudley Moore in Blake Edwards 10 (1979), who was always having sex parties. But it also could have been one of his seven different appearances on the TV show Barney Miller, which I used to watch religiously. But no matter what show it was on, he makes an impact. He worked with directors like Spielberg, Scorsese, Bogdonovich, Levinson, and many more.  He was quoted in saying that “I’m not a star, I’m a journeyman actor.” I think he was right.

Of course, we horror fans know him from one his greatest characters, that of Ernie Kaltenbrunner, the mortician from Dan O’Bannon’s 1985 film Return of the Living Dead. From his dialogue to just the way he acts, he gives the horror genre an unforgettable performance, and one that he puts RotLD in a lot of fans Top Ten lists.

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Calfa passed away last Thursday at his home in Yucca Valley, California, just two days before his birthday. So, on what would have been his 77th birthday, let us take a moment to remember Calfa and the incredible and memorable performances that he gave us over his career that almost reached 50 years. You will most definitely never be forgotten and always remembered by us horror fans. Even if it as a white-haired mortician. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family.

Horror History: José Antonio Pérez Giner

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perez_ginerJosé Antonio Pérez Giner
Born 1934

One person that is really needed to make movies happen is the producer. They are the ones that get the money to be able to make the money. Even on the lowest of budgets, someone needs to make sure things are happening, from having a crew, getting them paid, if they are even getting paid, or at least fed while their working. But it is also finding the right people for the job. So while they might not have their hands directly in the creative aspect of the filmmaking process, it is still a very important job.

In the Spanish film industry, José Antonio Pérez Giner was one man who help bring a lot of my favorite Spanish horrors to the screen. He started as a production manager, working on films like Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966), as well as a couple of Paul Naschy’s films, such as The Werewolf vs the Vampire Women (1971). But he moved into the producer role, getting films made like Naschy’s Horror Rises from the Tomb (1973) and Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll (1974), as well as Amando de Ossorio’s Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972) and Loreley’s Grasp (1974), as many, many other great films. Also love knowing that there are some producers out there that understand the importance of the horror genre, even if they know it is a profitable one, they still want to create something magical. And I think he did just that.

In 2003, he was awarded the Career Award at the Sant Jordi Awards. In 2008 at Sitges, he was presented the Time-Machine Honorary Award.