Author Archives: Jon Kitley

Mystery Photo 7-13

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Monday, Monday….and another Mystery Photo. But I do have to say I was pleasantly surprised at all the correct answers sent in for our last photo. The movie was The Revenant (2009) and is highly underrated, if you ask me. If you haven’t seen it, and are looking for a zombie-kind-of-back-from-the-dead-vigilante-action-comedy with some of the best special effects in an indie film that I’ve seen in a very long time….then, yeah. You might enjoy this one. Kudos to the following that sent in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Neil Calderone, Neil Ian Kloster, Eric Kuhl, Justin Lafleur, Bryan Martinez, Dustin Moravick, Gavin Schmitt, Scott Stephens. Well done!

So let’s get to this week’s photo. Now don’t stare too close or you just might end up like the person in the photo. And we don’t want to be responsible for any of that. So take heed and tread lightly. But give it a peek and send your guess to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good luck.

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Irwin Keyes – Rest in Peace

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irwinkeyes-ripI meant to post this earlier but was sidetracked a little with that thing called life. But I wanted to make sure that I mention the passing of character actor Irwin Keyes. Yes, most of us horror fans know him from his character of Revelli in Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses, but just looking has his resume you’ll realize the amount of work this man has done. He had small parts in a ton of films, such as in the original Friday the 13th. A constimate character actor, Keyes was one of those people that could only have a bit part in a film, maybe a scene or two, but was always memorable. Because of his look, he tended to play vilians or henchman, but like a lot of actors playing the monsters, it was completely opposite of what Keyes was like in real life. According to talent manager Travis Engle, “He was the nicest guy who played some of the meanest characters. In show business, it is very rare to meet someone as kind and gentle as Irwin was.”

Keyes passed away last Wednesday from complications of acromegaly. He was 63 years old. Our thoughts out to his friends and family.

Scream Factory Announces Blood and Lace

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blood&lacehalfsheetScream Factory has recently announced a slew of new titles they will be releasing, some of them making their debut on blu-ray, while some have already had a blu-ray release, and some that are in much neeed a special edition. Granted, we don’t know of any details as far as extras for any of them, but are very anxious on a few of them. Here’s the list of what they’ve announced:

  • Women’s Prison Massacre (1983)
  • Blood and Lace (1971)
  • Troll (1986) & Troll 2 (1990) double feature
  • Ghost Story (1981)
  • The Guardian (1990)
  • The Car (1977)
  • Nightmares (1983)
  • Death Becomes Her (1992)
  • Garbage Pail Kids: The Movie (1987)
  • Return of the Living Dead (1985)

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Revised Price Book Now From Hemlock

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merchant of menanceBack in 2003, Vincent Price: The Art of Fear by Denis Meikle was published. But now, over a decade later, a new expanded and revised edition is coming out from Hemlock Books, under the title Merchant of Menace: The Life and Films of Vincent Price. This new version is almost 400 pages and contains well over 300 illustrations, with 8 pages in color.

This book is a celebration of not just Price’s work but his life as well. It covers all of his films with a lot of information about them. If you’re a fan of Price, then I’m sure you’ll need to add this volumen in your collection, even if you already own the Price of Fear title. I know I will be. Besides, Hemlock always puts out some nice editions.

This is available in both softcover and hardcover editions. For more information, head over to Hemlock Book’s website HERE.

So Deadly….Volume 2 Coming Soon….

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So Deadly So Perverse vol 2You may wonder why I’m always talking about horror reference books. Is it because that I’m an avid collector of them and hope that my passion for them rub off on you? Or maybe because I feel the need to keep covering this kind of material because not too many other sites out there do? Or maybe just because I still think that these kind of books are a great way to learn more about this genre that we love so much. Maybe it is all of them.

Now that we’ve finished the Karloff book, it is time to move onto something a little different. Our next book that we’ll be diving into is Troy Howarth’s So Deadly, So Perverse Volume 1 1963-1973, which was published by Midnight Marquee eariler this year. Can’t wait to read into this and start adding some giallo titles to my already overflowing list of movies that I want to watch or re-watch. But once we’re done, we’ll have our review up shortly there after.

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Mystery Photo 7-6

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Even after forgetting to update our Photo last week, giving everyone an extra week to try and figure it out, we still didn’t get anybody to correctly identify the movie. Well, I won’t complain too much since this movie and only recently been available on DVD and is kind of hard to find even then. The movie is Hand of Death, starring the always enjoyable John Agar. There is another famous shot of him running around in a trenchcoat and hat, that almost looks like Ben Grimm from the Fantastic Four. But really hard to go wrong with these ’50s & ’60s sci-fi/horror flicks. At least as far as I’m concerned.

So let’s go with something a little more current and a lot more twisted. Take a look a this poor fellow and see if you can recognize the movie it is from. Just remember, send me an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good luck.

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Now Available for Ordering: Fantastic Films of the Decades Vol. 1

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Fantastic Films of the Decades vol 1While it is a bit pricy, every title I’ve gotten from Peveril Publishing has not only been well worth the money, but these are great investments since they will only go up in price. Remember, they are only publishing 500 copies of these so if you miss out, you’ll be paying much more on the secondary market later. They are hardcover editions, filled with plenty of incredible illustrations. Of course, you realize that once you buy the first volume, you’ll have to get them all! I’ve already committed myself to that quest, because I know these will be a valuable edition to my reference library.

Of course, the other great thing about this edition is that it covers the decate of silent films, one that I think most fans tend to ignore unless it is one of the more famous ones. There are some amazing films from this decade, some with more style and impact than some of the films made today.

Head over to their website HERE to order your copy now. Don’t miss out!

The Art of Don England

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IBlind Dead - Charcoal‘ve known Don England for many years, first meeting him at one of the early Cinema Wasteland shows. We’ve become good friends since then and see each other several times a year at different conventions. He is one incredibly talented artist, and one that still does it the old fashion way…with his hand. Sure, using the computer to do your coloring and all that can look pretty impressive, and nothing against it, but honestly, for me personally, there is something special about a good old fashion pen and ink drawing. But lately Don has been doing some work with charcoal that has once again impressed the hell out of me. One of the first ones that he did recently was a Blind Dead one, which I immediately knew I had to have for my collection and purchased it right away. Since then, he has continued to crank out these little masterpieces and always make me envious of his talent.

So when you get a chance, head over to his website (HERE) and check out some of his artwork. Who knows, maybe you’ll be adding an original piece to your own collection as well. Remember, supporting people like Don shows that what they are doing is still important and appreciated!

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Book Review: Boris Karloff: More Than A Monster

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KarloffmorethanmonsterBoris Karloff: More Than A Monster
By Stephen Jacobs
Published by Tomahawk Press, 2011. 568 pages.

Out of all the actors in the horror genre, Boris Karloff has always been my favorite. I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that Frankenstein is one of my favorite films, where his performance there has never lost its impact on me. But even though he was typecast as a “boogyman”, he didn’t mind it, nor did it stop him from having such a diverse career, working in so many different genres, on film as well as the stage. He was also never ashamed of his work in the field, especially with the role that made him immortal, often calling the creature his “best friend”.

There have been quite a few books written on Karloff over the years. I even have 10 different titles in my own collection, such as Dear Boris by Cynthia Lindsay, Karloff by Peter Underwood, and The Films of Boris Karloff by Richard Bojarski and Kenneth Beals, which was a title that I was eventually told to stop checking out at my school library because I needed to give other people a chance to get it! One of the best biographies I had read on him was Boris Karloff: A Gentleman’s Life by Scott Allen Nollen, which came out in 1999. I learned so much more about this great man reading this book. But now, I have recently finished another biography that I have to say surpasses that incredible volume. And that would be Boris Karloff: More Than A Monster by Stephen Jacobs.

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Super Monster Movie Fest 2015 – The Fur is Going to Fly!

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kingkongAt the end of August, at the Skyline Drive-In Theater in Shelbyville, IN (just south of Indianapolis), they are holding their annual festival of classic monster movies being screened over 3 days. We were there for one of them a few years ago and have been trying to get back again for the fun, but just don’t seem to make it. But once again, we’re going to try to make it this year.

Starting on Friday, Aug. 28th, they will be screening Mighty Joe Young (1949), Hammer’s Curse of the Werewolf (1961), Island of Lost Souls (1932), Tarantula (1955), and Horror Express (1972). Then on Saturday the 29th, they will be showing the original King Kong (1933), American Werewolf in London (1981), Hammer’s Abominable Snowman (1957), Toho’s War of the Gargantuas (1966), and then Teenage Monster (1958). On Sunday, they will have repeat screenings of Curse of the Werewolf, Island of Lost Souls, and Abominable Snowman. I can’t tell you how excited I am thinking of having the chance to see some of these amazing films on a huge screen, not to mention at a drive-in! How cool is that? I mean seriously….the original King Kong!?!?!

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