(1972)
Directed by Ray Danton
Starring Robert Quarry, John Fiedler, Bob Pickett, William Jordan, Betty Anne Rees, Brenda Dickson-Weinberg LaSesne Hilton, John Lasell, Freda T. Vanterpool, Tari Tabakin
Author Archives: Jon Kitley
Rosso Sangue on CD? This is Absurd!
Yeah, I know…pretty bad joke. But I have to say that it amazes me more and more the soundtrack titles that are getting released these days. Some of the most obscure and cult titles are getting a grand treatment now, thanks to companies like Beat Records, who has chosen to release Carlo Maria Cordio’s score for Joe D’Amato’s Rosso Sangue, which is also known as Anthropophagus 2, Monster Hunter, Horrible, and about a dozen other titles.
But the real joy for these kind of releases is that it gets this music out to the fans. These composers were not just throwing notes together for a quick and cheap movie, but really trying to make good and effective soundtracks. And that should be celebrated and remembered. And thanks to Beat Records, we can.
But this is just the beginning! Beat Records, along with Nocturno Cinema, will be paying homage to Joe D’Amato and his films and this is just the first in a new series! One can only imagine (and hope) at some of the titles they could be releasing in the future. Definitely something to look forward to. This release has a 12-page booklet with liner notes by Manlio Gomarasca, and original artwork by Andrea Clanetti.
To order this, you can get it directly from Beat Records HERE, which is located in Italy, or you can order it here in the states from Screen Archives HERE.
Book Review: Making a Monster
Making a Monster: The Creation of Screen Characters by the Great Makeup Artists
By Al Taylor & Sue Roy
Published Crown Publishers, Inc., 1980. 278 pages.
Ray Harryhausen – Special Effects Titan
This 2011 documentary calls Ray Harryhausen a special effects titan. Now one of the meanings of the word titan is “a person or thing of enormous size, strength, power, influence”. Honestly, I couldn’t think of a better word, especially the last two words in that description: power and influence.
Beware the Moon…But Buy the Book!
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!
Movie Review: The Fly (1958)
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.
Mystery Photo 4-25
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!
Book Review: Katzman, Nicholson, Corman: Shaping Hollywood’s Future
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.
Soundtrack Review: The Girl in the Photographs
The Girl in the Photographs
Released by Lakeshore Records, 2016
24 Tracks with a Total Running time of 44 min.
Music by Nima Fakhrara
A Book on Robot Monster? I Cannot Buy, Yet I Must!
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!!!
