Okay American Werewolf fans, listen up! I’m sure we all remember the great documentary called Beware the Moon (2009), that was written and directed by Paul Davis. Well now Davies has turned that documentary into book form, with a lot more added to it!
The Fly (1958)
Directed by Kurt Neuman
Starring Al Hedison, Patricia Owens, Vincent Price, Herbert Marshall, Charles Herbert
In the world of fantastic cinema, the mad scientist theme is one of the oldest sub-genres. Right from the beginning, storytellers have been weaving cautionary tales of men meddling with things best left alone. For those who try to push or break through those boundaries, there is usually a hefty price to pay: their life, or at the very least, their sanity. Most of these stories present a man trying to take over the world through some devious plan or device that he has created, corrupted either by visions of power or the invention in question having scrambled his brain to where he is no longer thinking rationally. Within these films, the dramatic action revolves around stopping this demented genius before it is too late; the end-credits lesson for the audience being that man is better off leaving things as they are, lest this fate befall them as well.
It seems last week’s photo was a little more difficult than usual, but we did get a few correct answers. The shot is from the 1997 film The Wax Mask, directed by Sergio Stivaletti. This film was originally going to be directed by Lucio Fulci, but he passed away before production could really get started. Damn shame. But Stivaletti still gave us an entertaining film. Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answer: Troy Howarth, John Plumley, and William Wilson. Well done!
Now onto this week’s photo. Going old school again with another black and white pic, which just happens to be a classic. So it might be an easy one. Might be….
Take a good look and see if you can’t recognize it. Please remember not to post your answer here, but send us an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good luck!
Katzman, Nicholson, Corman: Shaping Hollywood’s Future
By Mark Thomas McGee
Published by BearManor Media, 2016. 332 pages.
Last year, I read McGee’s You Won’t Believe Your Eyes (also from BearManor) and absolutely loved it. It was such a great read, filled with some great and humorous recollections from someone who is obviously a huge fan of the same kind of movies that I enjoy. So when I seen that BearManor had just published a new book by this same author, I was excited. But when I saw that it was about three filmmakers that I admire greatly, I couldn’t wait to get my copy to dig into it. And I wasn’t disappointment.
The Girl in the Photographs
Released by Lakeshore Records, 2016
24 Tracks with a Total Running time of 44 min.
Music by Nima Fakhrara
Any fan of cult movies, turkeys, MST3K, or just a lover of crazy sci-fi/horror films, knows of the 1953 classic Robot Monster. You know the one…featuring a man in a gorilla suit wearing a space helmet? An image that is kind of hard to forget. It is usually found at the top of most Best of the Worse Film Lists. But no matter how bad some might think it is, or that it was supposedly shot in only 4 days, or that the title terror has to be one of the most unique movie monsters ever, it is still an entertaining movie, even if you are shaking your head through most of the time! And if you are entertained, then it is not a bad movie, right?
But what is even more astounding is the fact that someone has written a book about this movie and the people behind it. And not just a book…but one that is just shy of 700 pages!!!
Muchas Gracias Senor Lobo
By Thorsten Benzel
Published by Creepy Images, 2012. 392 pages.
As horror fans, we all know just how crazy some of these films can be. Hell, the ’80s alone had some of the most crazy-ass, rubber monsters, doing in their victims in all sorts of bizarre ways. That was one of the things that made some of those films so much fun, always looking for what we called a good “quality kill”, which meant a death scene like something we’d never seen before. For example, while the rest of Wes Craven’s Deadly Friend is a sheer waste of time, the “basketball to the head” is legendary!
But now, Christopher Lombardo and Jeff Kirschner, two Toronto horror writers that love the genre, and decided to move a little past their regular outlet of insanity, their website ReallyAwfulMovies.com, and publish a book! But not just any book. Covering 100 films and filled with some of the horror film world’s most bizarre, strange, and downright crazy murder weapons, you’ll get to read about exercise equipment, deer antlers, ears of corn, and so much more.
Published by BearManor Media, this 188 page book sounds like a lot of fun. Plus, with a forward by Lloyd Kaufman, how could it be bad? I know once we get a copy of this in our library, we’ll dive right into and let everyone know what we thought.
For all the info, you can order your edition (in hardcover or softcover) at BearManor’s site HERE.
They Came From The Swamp: The Films of William Grefé
Directed by Daniel Griffith
If there is one thing that I’m always on my soapbox about, it is learning about the horror genre, from the very beginnings to modern day. The reason is simply because we need to recognize what came before us and remember what they gave us. It helps us appreciate where we are now. So when I heard about a documentary that was being made about this lesser known Florida based filmmaker, William Grefé, needless to say, I was excited.
The Invitation
Released by Lakeshore Records, 2016
16 tracks with a total running time of 38 min.
Music by Theodore Shapiro
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