Mystery Photo 4-20

Ok folks, I knew this last one was going to be a toughy but like a lot of the photos that I use, I wanted to draw some attention to the film, some more than others. And this last one was a perfect example. So don’t feel bad if you didn’t know it. Trust me, it’s a tough one. But make sure you remember the name, because if you ever come across a copy of it or the chance to see it, you’re going to want to. The shot was from a made-for-TV movie back in 1973 called A Cold Night’s Death, which starred pretty much just Robert Culp and Eli Wallach, and a few monkeys. Granted, I’m a sucker for made-for-TV movies of this era, but I would highly recommend this one. Kudos to Aaron Christensen and Will Wilson for sending in the correct answer.

So…after that last one, I figured I’d go with one that might be a little bit easier….maybe. Take a look and see what you think. Just drop us an email at jon@kitleyskrypt.com with your answer.

Reel Art…Real Deals!

April 19, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged Movie Posters, Reel Art | 1 Comment

Since I’ve been going to and setting up at cons for many years, you get to know and make good friends with the different dealers at the shows. Especially when they always have some great deals at their tables! One of these guys is Cory Glaberson, who a couple of years ago opened up a store in Berwyn called Reel Art. You can find some incredible things at this place, and a lot of them at some very decent prices. For example, recently at a convention, there was a dealer selling an American 1-sheet for The Burning for $195! Granted, this gave a lot fo us poster collectors a good laugh at the outrageous price. Hopefully nobody dropped that kind of cash, because if you were to head over to Reel Art in Berwyn IL, you could find this very same poster for…ready? $45. And even better, if you go to one of his warehouse sales that he holds several times a year, you could even get it for 1/2 of that price.

The reason I’m bringing this up is for a couple of reasons. First and foremost to point people to Reel Art because you can really find some great deals there. Sure, you might have to do some digging, but a lot of times that is the fun part about being a collector. The second reason is to do a little bragging at some of the posters that I picked up for them yesterday at the Sci-Fi Spectacular here in Chicago that they were set up at. These two posters were normally price at $45 and $35, but then were 1/2 off. So I got both of them for $40. Now I call that one hell of a deal. I’m a sucker for double and triple feature posters and have a strong feeling that both of these are going to be getting hung up pretty quickly in our movie room. Just need to find another double or triple feature poster to go along with the theme!

But if you’re in the Chicagoland area, I’d make sure stopping at Reel Art in Berwyn is a priority. And also make sure try and hit one of their warehouse sales. But be warned….it could get costly since you’ll find so many great deals. You can also see them set up at many different conventions throughout the year. Check out their website HERE for all the news, such as when and what shows they will be set up at, as well as when their next warehouse sale might be.

Sci-Fi Spectacular – Free Autographs!

April 16, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Movie Events and tagged movie marathons, Patio Theater, Sci-Fi Spectacular | Leave a comment

It has been a while since we’ve been to a movie marathon so I think it is about time. This Saturday, we’ll be heading into Chicago to the Patio Theater for this year’s Sci-Fi Spectacular, which features “16 Hours of Sci-Fi and Horror Madness”, though according to the lineup, it only goes to about 2:30am, which is about a feature short of 16 hours. But no worries, because they have a great lineup of titles that will be great to see on the big screen, no matter if they are DVD projection or from a film print.

They also have a couple of guests that will be there, but will also be signing FOR FREE! See that…it is possible to get some guests for an event that don’t charge. Plus, along with that signature, you can get your picture taken with them, again FOR FREE! Jack Sholder, director of The Hidden, Alone in the Dark, Nightmare on Elm Stree 2, almongst other titles, will be there, along with actress Jennifer Rubin, who appeared in Screamers, The Wasp Woman, Bad Dreams, Nightmare on Elm Street 3, as well as a few other titles out there. Plus there will be vendors, short films, and plenty of other cool stuff to keep you awake and entertained.

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Did you Rondo yet?

April 14, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings | Leave a comment

The voting for this year’s Rondo Awards ends on Sunday the 19th, so time is running out to get your votes placed. There are a lot of great talent nominated again this year, so take a few minutes to let them know you’ve enjoyed their work, in all the catagories you have a favorite in. Let them see your support.

Just click HERE to get to the ballot. It is pretty easy to do, but don’t wait too long or you’ll miss it.

Mystery Photo 4-13

April 13, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Mystery Photo | Leave a comment

Happy Monday Everyone! Of course, it was one for me since I was off today, trying to recouporate from Cinema Wasteland! But let’s get to today’s business, shall we? Our pic from last week was from the 1955 film The Creature with the Atom Brain, a fun little sci-fi/horror flick about some man-made remote controled robots, given to us by producer Sam Katzman. Kudos goes out to the following who correctly identified the photo: Hoby Abernathy, Matt Dean, Jennifer Kilzer, Gavin Schmitt, and Alan Tromp.

Now as for this week’s photo, well…it’s going to be a tough one. I’m telling you that up front. But let’s just see who might know this little lost classic of a movie. When we announce the title next week, you’re going to want to add this to your “need to find” list of movies. Good luck.

Remember, please don’t post your answer here in the comments, but send me an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com.

Turkey Day 2006

April 6, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Turkey Day Marathon and tagged Evil Clutch, Frozen Dead, King Dinosaur, Tentacles | Leave a comment

Once again, it was time to test our prowess when it came to endurance and sheer will power. And once again, I was joined by Dr. AC who willfully joined us for another year of film, fun, and fanatical devotion to test our sanity. Guess he didn’t learn last time.

King Dinosaur (1955) – Since we had touched upon Mr. BIG last year with Food of the Gods (1976), we thought it would be a good idea to start this year with one of the films from the start of Gordon’s film career. Now even though ‘dinosaur’ is in the title of the film, what we actually get is an iguana and a baby alligator. The iguana is even referred to as a T-Rex in the movie. Boy, did someone miss a few of their paleontologists’ classes. When Gordon has these two creatures battling it out for world domination, it was something possible way before the likes of PETA were around. But even better than the creature fighting is just the dated dialog and actions of our small cast. These were the days when it was pretty normal just to have a small thermonuclear device that you could carry around, and bring to another planet…just in case you’d need it.

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Rest in Peace: Tom Towles

April 6, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Rest in Peace and tagged Tom Towles | Leave a comment

There are very few movies these days that actually scare me. In fact, it has been that way for a long time. Sure, it could because I’ve seen so many, but also because in my head, I know it is just a movie. But when I watched Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) the first time, that scared me. And one of the reasons was due to the performance of Micahael Rooker in the title role, and Tom Towles as his sadistic sidekick Otis. His performance was so real and downright frightening. Later Towles would appear in several other horror films, such as Tom Savini’s remake of Night of the Living Dead, taking on the role of the stubborn minded Harry Cooper, making this character his own. He also appeared in all of Rob Zombie’s film, really making himself a staple in the genre. He also would make the rounds of the conventions, getting the chance to meet his fans. I have to say that Towles was one of those figures that could chill your bones just with a stare. But when he smiled and said hello to you, all of that boogeyman persona just melted away. I was lucky enough to meet him a couple times over the years and it was an honor to meet him.

But unfortunately, the reason for this post is the news of his passing last Thursday, April 2nd. It seems that he suffered a stroke a few days before and had been in the hospital since then. The horror genre has lost a memorable figure this month and he will be missed. Rest in Peace, Mr. Towles.

Mystery Photo 4-6

April 6, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Mystery Photo | Leave a comment

I have to say that I was pretty impressed and surprsed at the number of correct answers sent in for our last photo. And here I thought I was finding some obscure flick that very few would recognize. But apparently this film has a bigger following than I thought. The shot is that of an unlucky biker who stumbles across the creature from Night of the Demon, and teaches you what happens when you piss on Bigfoot! But a big kudos out to all the following who sent in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Babette Bombshell, Aaron Christensen, Matt Dean, Brett Harrison, Jason Kretten, Doug Lamoreux, Leon Marcelo, Matt Moore, John Pata, Louis Perchikoff, John Portanova, Wayne Teeter, and Will Wilson. You make me proud!

So let’s get to this week’s photo. Going a little old school here with a nice black and white film. We’ll see if this is as easy as our last. Good luck. Remember, please don’t post your answer here, but send me an email at jon@kitleyskrypt.com.

Cinema Wasteland Approaches….

April 5, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Conventions and tagged Cinema Wasteland | Leave a comment

Next weekend, we’ll be heading off to Ohio for the Cinema Wasteland show, which will be their 27th show..that’s right…27 shows. And we’ve been there for every single one of them. That’s right, for the last 15 years, I’ve been heading to Ohio to join a group of like-minded film fans to truly celebrate the films and the people that made them. If there was ever a show that I would go to if I wasn’t a dealer, this would be the one. It is much smaller than some of these other shows, but I actually like it that way. Because each and every person coming through the doors to Wasteland is a die-hard fan, not one that follows whatever is new and popular. This one of the few shows that you can still feel like a fan, not a customer. While I’m not a fan of paying for an autograph at any price, Wasteland head honcho Ken Kish has made it a point to try and keep autograph prices not exceeding $20. I know at this upcoming show, he had confirmation from all but one guest that not only would they not be charging more than $20 for an autograph, but with that you could also get a photo with them at their table and no extra charge. None of this high priced photo-op crap. See…it is possible to set a standard for the guests and stick to it after all. Plus the fact that the guests are so much more approachable at the Wasteland.

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Interview: Doug Hobart

April 4, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Interviews and tagged Bloodstalkers, Doug Hobart, Lon Chaney Jr., Sting of Death, William Grefe | 1 Comment

Doug Hobart is a name that up until a couple of years ago, I had no idea who he was. But because of an unusual birthday cake my wife Dawn made for me, not only would I find out just who Doug Hobart was, but I would eventually get to interview him. Every year for my birthday, I screen two movies in our backyard for a bunch of friends. This one particular year, the films were two Florida based movies, ZAAT and Sting of Death. For the cake (pictured below), my wife made a battle between the two title creatures from these movies. It was such an amazing cake, that once I posted a photo of it on Facebook, it was getting a lot of responses, even from people like cult directors Frank Henenlotter, Fred Olen Ray, and even William Grefe, who directed Sting of Death. Well, Fred Olen Ray made a comment and tagged someone named Doug Hobart. So I looked up the name on IMDB and was shocked not only to find out that he was the guy who played the jellyfish creature, but was on Facebook as well. So I quicky sent him a note, asking if he’d be willing to do an interview with me. A short time later, I was on the phone with him, hearing some amazing stories of his life in show business, which you’ll find below.

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