Author Archives: Jon Kitley

Rest in Peace – Christopher Lee

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christopherlee-ripThe news of the passing of Christopher Lee today is truly an end of an era. He really was the last of the great icons of horror, following the likes of Lugosi, Karloff, Chaney Jr., Cushing, Price, and Carradine. Lee worked very hard to stay away from being pigeon-holed just as a horror actor, and did an amazing job of it too, appearing in close to 300 films and television appearances in a career that spanned almost seven decades. From playing Scaramanga in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun, as Count Dooku in the Star Wars films, or the wizard Saruman in the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, not to mention countless other amazing performances he gave us, he was always a joy to watch. With such a screen presence, he brought his characters to life and always made them memorable.

When he played Dracula for Hammer, he was no longer some foreign aristocrat, but a dominating and powerful presence, one that he gave off in all of his roles. He was the one that made the mummy scary again, when he played the tormented Kharis in Hammer’s 1959 remake. So many roles in so many movies, he gave us horror fans hours upon hours of entertainment. He has now joined the rest of those icons of horror in another place. And like those before him, he will never be forgotten.

Rest in Peace, Sir Christopher.

Mystery Photo 6-9

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Looks like we missed posting this again yesterday, once again. Think I might need to get a secretary or something! Our last photo was from the recently (and highly recommended) released From a Whisper to a Scream, directed by Jeff Burr, who I have to say is one of the nicest guys one could meet. Anyway, this shot is from the twisted little segment with Clu Gulager and his demon baby. Fun stuff there, folks! Kudos out to the following that sent in the correct answer: Aaron Christensen, Mark Turner, and Will Wilson.

Now on to this week’s photo. This might be a little tougher…but then again, that’s part of the fun, isn’t it? Now a title might jump into your brain but we’ll tell you right now, it is not one with that guy in a hockey mask. But hopefully you’ll be able to figure it out without your head ending up like this poor fellow!

Just send us your answer to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good luck.

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Rest in Peace – Richard Johnson

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richardjohnson-ripThe horror genre has lost an iconic figure today. Sure, this man might not have been as prolific as actors like Peter Cushing or Vincent Price, but the horror few roles that he did appear in, he made quite an impact. At least for me, he did. We are saddened to announce the passing of actor Richard Johnson, at the age of 87. Starting his career as a stage actor, touring with John Gielgud’s repertory once he got out of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, he made quite a name for himself on the stage.

But of course, for us horror fans, he will always be remembered for two characters that he played, both being doctors, but each investigating a very different malady. In 1963, Robert Wise adapted Shirley Jackson’s novel The Haunting of Hill House for the film version simple entitled The Haunting. Richard Johnson starred as Dr. Markway, a budding parapsychologist who is tryinig to investigate the dreaded Hill House, where the living don’t seem to be welcomed there. Appearing along side other theater greats like Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, and Russ Tamblyn, this 50+ year old film is still one of the most effective and scariest haunted house films ever made. Of course the 2nd film is appearing as Dr. Menard, who is frantically trying to discover the cause of the zombie outbreak on the small island of Matul, in Lucio Fulci’s Zombie. Even with the outrageousness of the film, Johnson still gave a serious and compelling performance.

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Evilspeak # 4….coming next month

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evilspeak4Next month will see the release of Volume 4 of Evilspeak Magazine. With close to 300 pages, you’ll get to read about some of Pete Walker’s films, Creepy Canine Cinema, A Nightmare in a Damaged Brain, Daria Nicolodi, Naschy’s Night of the Howling Beast, and much more. Plus they have this amazingly wicked cover by Ed Repka! Stay tuned to find out when this beast has been unleased!

For all the information on this volume, along with the previous 3, as well as some kick-ass horror shirts that they are offering, just click HERE. They have a great selection of some simple horror worship t-shirts, including a couple of great Paul Naschy ones, so how could not need one of those!?!?!

Got Gothic?

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englishgothic-revisedIf you’re a fan of British horror and have a few reference books around on said genre, then you just might have one by author Jonathan Rigby. I know I have a few of his titles proudly in my library. He’s one of the guys from across the pond that really knows his stuff. Back in 2005, Rigby wrote a book called English Gothic: A Century of Horror Cinema, which covered the British horror film from pretty much the beginning of film to the current era (at that time…more on that in a bit). Filled with tons of photos, the book covered different eras of the genre, like the early works of Todd Slaughter, moving onward to of course Hammer Films, but many others as well. Certain films are highlighted with cast & crew info, and some quotes about the film, either a review or from someone involved in the film.

In 2007, Rigby put out another edition in what seems to be a series, called American Gothic: Sixty Years of Horror Cinema. It pretty much followed the same format as the previous book, except this one covers films from the states, and has an insert of some color pages, mainly showing poster art. For some reason though, this out-of-print title goes for over $50 on the market. Not sure why, other than maybe it was a small number of books published. But again, worth it if you can find one.

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Mystery Photo 6-1

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Seems like we stumped everyone once again with our photo. Sure, it might be an obscure title, but it does star Christopher Lee. The film is Crypt of the Vampire (1964) and while not one of the better examples of Euro-horror, it’s not terrible. It does have a great score!

So for this week’s photo, let’s try something a little more current, shall we? I think we’ll get a few answers with this one. Take a peek and see what you can come up with. Just send us an email at jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good luck.

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Rest in Peace – Betsy Palmer

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betsypalmer-rip2This weekend, we lost one of the nicest people from our horror family. Known as the mother of Jason Voorhees, actress Betsy Palmer passed away on Friday from natural causes at a hospice care center in Connecticut. While she was obviously known because of her role in Friday the 13th, she had a huge career way before that film ever was an idea. She worked alongside the greats, like Henry Fonda, Tyrone Power, Maureen O’Hara, Anthony Perkins, and even Joan Crawford.

For a while, she was a regular on the convention circuit and I had the pleasure of meeting her several times over the years. In fact, one show here in Chicago, here table was right by mine so we got to chat quite a bit over the weekend. Plus, during one of the evenings, I had the honor of driving her, along with some of the other Friday cast to the Music Box Theatre for a Q&A and screening of the film. Driving into the city in the Chicago traffic on a Saturday night is always a challenge, but to have Betsy Palmer sitting in the passenger seat, telling stories, often with the language of a drunken sailor,and keep my eyes on the road, was definitely harder to do. She was one of the most down to earth and kindest person I’ve met in 25+ years of going to conventions. She always showed her fans respect.

While I was waiting by her table at one show to just say hello to her, a fan of hers asked her if she has any regrets of being remembered from this low budget slasher movie. She mentioned that she had been friends with Boris Karloff many years ago, and he never minded being still known for playing the creature in Frankenstein and “if it was good enough for him, then it’s good enough for me!” That was the kind of person she was. She loved her fans as much as they loved her. Her charm and sharp wit will definitely be missed at the shows.

Rest in Peace, Besty. We all love you. You will be remembered and never forgotten.

Jaws 2: The Making of the Hollywood Sequel

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Jaws 2I had first seen Jaws around 1977 and it seriously changed my life. Not only did it terrify me, I haven’t been in the water since. But it also brought forth a fear of what might be waiting in the water for me that has stayed with me to this day. The following year when Jaws 2 came out, even though the first one had scared the living crap out of me, I knew I had to go see it. Now we all know that it was nowhere near the masterpiece the first one was…not even close. But for me, because it was about an underwater terror lurking below the surface of the water, just waiting for a person to come floating by, it once again terrorized my 13 year old brain.

Now, thanks to authors Louis R. Pisano and Michael A. Smith, we are going to learn much more about this sequel, one that probably doesn’t get the credit it deserves since it will always live in shadow of the original. Pisano and Smith follow the ups and downs of this movie, as the director is replaced, battles with the cast and crew, and all the other things that me wonder how people stay in the business! Filled with stories from the original cast and crew, with hundreds of rare behind-the-scenes photos that were taken by the cast and crew during production. This will be published by BearManor Media in both hardcover and softcover editions, although no date has been announced yet.

If you want to get a taste of some info on the Jaws series, check out the latest issues of Horrorhound (#53) where Michael A. Smith wrote the retrospective on the films. It’s a great read. You can also check their Facebook page for the book HERE.

Check out all the details at BearManor Media’s website HERE.

Movie Review: Coherence (2013)

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coherenceposterCoherence (2013)
Directed by James Ward Byrkit
Starring Emily Baldoni, Maury Sterling, Nicholas Brendon, Lorene Scafaria, Elizabeth Gracen, Hugo Armstrong, Alex Manugian, Lauren Maher

It doesn’t happen too often these days, when a movie that you know nothing about completely blows you away. A movie that captures your attention, your admiration, and carries you through to the end credits while you anxiously await what happens next. Coherence is one of those films.

Without giving anything away, the movie is simply about a group of friends getting together for a dinner party during an evening when a comet is passing by the Earth rather closely. When the power goes out, they go outside to take a look around the neighborhood and notice one house down the street that still has power. But once a couple of them walk down there to investigate, things get a little strange.

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Drive-In Super Monster-Rama

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Back in 2011, we headed out to Pennsylvania for this drive-in event, making a little vacation of it and just had one hell of a time. If we were only closer to this, we would be there each and every time. But this year, they have one hell of an incredible line up. I mean, where else could you have the chance to see 4 of the Roger Corman Poe films on one night at a drive-in theater? Then the next night, see two classic Hammer Dracula films, along with two other vampire classics? Almost makes me want to move!

If you are in the area, or feel like making one amazing road trip out there, I couldn’t recommend this event enough. DVD Drive-In and the Riverside Drive-In Theatre continue to work their ass off keeping the drive-in experience alive for both the young and old, and always coming up with some great titles. Maybe one of these days we’ll make it out there again.
For all the information, just click HERE.

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