Author Archives: Jon Kitley

DtH Episode 89: Fright Rags with Ben Scrivens

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In the horror community, the easiest way to show you are a fan is by what you wear. The horror T-shirt has been a staple in the fandom for what seems like forever. But it wasn’t always like that. To say that fans have it easy today is a slight understatement. Not only in terms of their availability, but of the selection that is out there! It is an easy way to show the public that you are a card-carrying horror fan, whether you’re wearing a Texas Chain Saw T-shirt, Cannibal Holocaust, or even a Night of the Living Dead shirt, it gives others that immediate notation that this person likes horror films.

Fright Rags, who is one of the bigger horror T-shirt companies, has been around for over 2 decades, so we decided to ask owner/operator Ben Scrivens on the show to not only talk about the ins and outs of running a T-shirt company, and some of the difficulties in doing just that, but also to talk about our love of horror films.

Movies mentioned in this episode:

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Movie Review: Alice, Sweet Alice

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(1976)
Directed by Alfred Sole
Starring Paula E. Sheppard, Linda Miller, Rudolph Willrich, Brooke Shields, Mildred Clinton, Niles McMaster, Alphonso DeNoble, Jane Lowry

This film is one that everyone seems to know or remember, especially seeing the VHS tape, but for some reason it doesn’t seem to come up in a lot of conversations, especially when you are discussing the slasher genre. Keep in mind, this film came out two years after Bob Clark’s Black Christmas, but two years before John Carpenter’s Halloween. And yet, when talking about the slasher genre, and this film most certainly is a slasher film, it seems not to come up in those discussions. You have a mysterious, masked killer on the loose, dispatching their victims in a variety of ways, from stabbing, choking, to even throwing them out a window! And the blood flow is pretty excessive in some of these crimes.

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Mystery Photo 2-3

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Before I forget and get it wrong, last week’s photo was from the highly underrated 1972 TV-Movie The Stone Tape, directed by Peter Sasdy and starring Michael Bryant and Jane Asher. It was written by Nigel Kneale, who is no stranger to British teleplays, writing a ton of original and effective sci-fi and horror work that was brought to life for the viewers at home. Once again, he gives us a slow-paced but highly creepy story here. Kudos to Hoby Abernathy, Bob Hartman, Dada Debaser, Chris Dyer, Troy Howarth, Erik Martin, Michael Pniewski, and William Wilson for sending in the correct answers. If you haven’t seen this one, do yourself a favor and seek it out.

For this week’s photo, we have another classic and creepy tale. But take a look below to see if you recognize it. Just remember to send your answer to me in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. And Good Luck!

Royalty at HorrorHound Weekend

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While the horror conventions are filled with guests from the latest horror films out there, such as the Terrifier films, who have been making the rounds for almost the last decade, we also see names from the Child’s Play movies, Re-Animator (which is making its 40-year anniversary), guests from the Hellraiser films, and many more. We even get some big names like Robert Englund still making the rounds. But when it comes to the decades even before all of them, going back 60 years, there aren’t too many of them left that made the impact that Barbara Steele did.

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Updating Hammer Books

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As a collector of horror reference books, and one that has been doing it for the better part of 40 years, there are a few books that get republished or updated over the years. Sometimes they are greatly expanded from those initial releases, while other times just maybe an extra chapter or just a few pages. Some publishers like to slap on a new title, add a new intro, and hope that readers that already own the original volume don’t recognize that it’s the same book. But that doesn’t happen too often, or at least not that I’ve caught! When these “revised”, “expanded” and/or “updated” versions come out, it would irritate me because since I already have the original release, do I really need to re-buy it just for a few extra pages? Okay, I usually do anyway, but that is beside the point.

But as I get wiser in my old age (insert joke here), I have realized that not all fans have been buying and collecting these volumes as long as I have. And some of them may be out of print or just too expensive to buy now. That means when these new editions come up, these fans have a chance to possibly add them to their collection for the first time. And if you’re a fan of Hammer Films, then here’s your chance to get two different titles.

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Horst Janson – Rest in Peace

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This might not be a name you’ll recognize right away, but if you’re a Hammer fan, then you know him better as Captain Kronos, from the 1974 film Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter. It was announced today that Horst had passed away at the age of 89. While he’s really only known in the horror genre due to his one entry with Hammer, he definitely made a big enough impact for us horror fans. It’s just a damn shame that series didn’t take off because that would have been amazing to see Horst continue that character in several more films. But that doesn’t mean Horst didn’t work much, with 168 appearances in film and television in a career that spanned over six decades, even appearing several times on the German version of Sesame Street!

But even with that one entry in our genre, we know that Horst will live on as one of our favorite vampire hunters, and each time we bust out that title to watch again, we will remember Horst and the fine work he did in it. Gone, but he will live on! Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.

Mystery Photo 1-27

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Can you believe we’re almost done with January already? Time just flies when you’re having fun. Right? Pretty soon it will be convention season and we’ll be back to our busy, busy, busy time but at least we’ll be getting to see others and chat in person about the genre we love! That’s right . . . always look for the positive. At least try. Correction…last week’s film was actually Night of the Bloody Apes, not Voodoo Island. Got a little confused there, but thanks to some loyal followers who let me know! Here are the ones that correctly identified the film: Hoby Abernathy, Kevin Hart, Bob Hartman, Erik Martin, Michael Pniewski, Bryan Senn, and Mike Shields. Well done!

Now this week is a little newer than that last one, where we have color and computers! So, take a look and see if you can recognize where this shot is from. Just remember to send us your answer in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com And most importantly, Good Luck!

Unlocking Dracula A.D. 1972

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This is something that I just love about not just the horror genre, but of its fans. Hammer’s film Dracula A.D. 1972 isn’t one of their titles considered to be an ultimate classic, especially when you compare it to some of the studios more well-known titles throughout their reign of terror at the box office. I know myself that it took a while for me to really come around to see this Dracula tale in a modern setting (for the time it was made) for what it is and finally be entertained by it. But even though it has developed into more of a cult classic over the last 50+ years, it’s never referred to on the same level as say, Horror of Dracula.

So, when I see this new book coming out by author David Huckvale, all dedicated to this one single movie, I applauded it! Anytime that someone takes the time to do the work, meaning the research, the digging deep into the film, from the production to the locations to where it was filmed, and those involved, is a great way for fans of the film to not only learn more about it, but maybe see it in different way. Or even if you’re not a huge fan of the film, the more you understand, it could change your mind, or at least maybe have a better understanding of the final product and how it came to be.

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DtH Podcast Episode 88: Val Lewton Part 2

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The Leopard Man (1943), The Seventh Victim (1943), Isle of the Dead (1945)

Back in episode 23, we covered producer Val Lewton and three of his films. While Lewton only produced about a dozen film, and a really only a handful of them being horror, what he did give us made a huge impact on the genre. That is why we have decided to cover three more of his films, in hopes that other fans will seek out not only the ones that we’ve covered, but the other titles as well.

With the help of a group very talented craftsmen, such as directors Jacques Tourneur and Mark Robson, screenwriter Ardel Wray, and a wide and talented cast of actors that he used more than once, Lewton was able to produce films that were very different than not only what he was hired to do, but ones that were different than what most horror fans would have expected at the time. They had style, they had interesting stories, and very unique and well-developed characters. His films are ones that show how effective just a walk down the street can be, when executed by the right people.

Films mentioned in this episode:

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Mystery Photo 1-20

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Yes, we are back with another pictorial puzzle. Last Monday just slipped by and didn’t even realize until Tuesday that I had forgotten to post one! I’ll try to do better this year! Nonetheless, we have a new one now. But first, let’s see if we remember what the last one was! It was from the 1957 film Voodoo Island, starring the one and only Boris Karloff. While the movie isn’t the greatest movie, it is pretty fun, and Karloff is entertaining to watch as always. Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Chris Dyer, Dave Fronto, Kevin Hart, Bob Hartman, Erik Martin, and Bryan Senn.

Okay, on to today’s photo. Not much to go on in this picture, but we’ll see if you can recognize where this damsel in distress is from. Just remember to send me your guess in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!