Author Archives: Jon Kitley

WBD Presents Christopher Lee

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The fine folks at We Belong Dead has their latest book out, this time celebrating the one and only Christopher Lee. It’s called Christopher Lee: Cinema’s Prince of Darkness. Whether you know him from Lord Summerisle, Saruman, Count Dooku, Duc de Richleau, Fu Manchu, or of course, as Count Dracula, the point is you know him. With a career that ran well over six decades, working in just about every genre out there, it is of course, his roles in the horror, sci-fi, and fantasy roles that he is known for. And the bigger roles later in his life, working with Peter Jackson, George Lucas, and Tim Burton, were all due to the fact that they all grew up watching his horror films! No matter what genre, he always had a screen presence that was unmistakable.

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Columbus Classic Cinema

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Here is the proof that the show must go on! Cinevent, which started in 1969(!) as a few collectors buying and selling their prints in Columbus. In 1971, they started calling it Cinevent. It became a show for fans of film and of movie memorabilia. They screened films throughout the 4-day event and had a dealer room where you could shop from a variety of vendors selling a variety of movie related items, film 16mm films, to lobby cards, posters, stills, and just about any other promotional items and ephemera dealing with film. It ran until 2021, when Michael Haynes, the son of one of the original three that started the show, Steven Haynes, decided to “sell the business”. Samatha Glasser took over the following year, with the show now being called The Columbus Moving Picture Show. But as we reported earlier this year, this was to be the last year of the that show, with Glasser retiring from operator of the show. Fans of the show thought this was finally it and felt a huge loss for fans of this type of show, where it was about collecting and a celebration of the films and those that worked on it.

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Marshmallow Blu-Ray Review

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We had already reviewed the movie last year (click HERE to read it), but this is an updated review that also covers the Blu-Ray release coming out by Toy Robot. There might be some parts from the original review but have at it!

(2025)
Directed by Daniel DelPurgatorio
Starring Kue Lawrence, Corbin Bernsen, Giorgia Whigham, Kai Cech, Paul Soter, Pierson Fode, Miya Cech, Max Malas

In this day and age, it’s not too often when a movie comes about that blows your expectations, especially when you think you know where the story is going. This film is one of them. The film starts off with a very young boy who obviously has issues making friends and is just basically an outcast for no apparent reason. His parents are about to shove him off to summer camp for the first time, which he is not too happy about.

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Muchas Gracias Señor Lobo Final Edition

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Being sort of a fan of the work of actor/writer/director and all around horror fan Jacinto Molina aka Paul Naschy, when Creepy-Images announced yet another edition of their book Muchas Gracias Señor Lobo, not only did I know I was going to have to get a copy, but I had no idea the size of this newest edition. Plus, I didn’t know until afterwards that this would be the last edition of this book. So there’s that.

But going from what the last edition had in it, being 400 pages and 1400 images, to now having 200 more pages and bringing the image count to 2200! Now for any movie fan, especially those that are collectors of memorabilia, it is always fascinating to see not only the different posters and other promotional material that came out, but even more so when it is from many different countries! Even if you’re not a collector, or have a modest budget, at least with this book you can see all of these images at your fingertips! I know for myself, I can smile when I see a piece that I have, but then also come across one that I don’t and wonder if I could even find and afford one!

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Mystery Photo 8-24

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Just one more week to go and we’ll start the fall season! It’s amazing to have seen Halloween decorations up in the stores over a month ago! Not sure why they just leave that stuff up all year round, Am I right??? Our photo from last week was of course, from Takashi Miike’s Audition (1999). I think everyone that has seen that film remembers it quite well… even if we try to forget! And can you believe that came over 27 years ago!?!?! Congrats to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Todd Barwick, Tom Brennan, Aaron Christensen, Dada Debaser, Chris Dyer, Tim Palace, Michael Pniewski, Chris Richmond, Jeremy Smith, William Wilson, and Greg Wojick. Well done.

This week, we’re going old school again with a nice black and white one. Hopefully you agree that these films never get old and are still entertaining. But we’ll see if you recognize it first. Just send me your answer, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. And most of all, Good Luck!

Hammer Script Books

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Because Hammer Films isn’t satisfied enough with me spending all of my money on their incredible movie releases, so now they are putting out books of un-made movie scripts, in what looks like just gorgeous editions!!! They will be releasing an Official Script Collection, “exploring Hammer’s films through the original scripts, drafts and production documents that reveal what happened behind the scenes.”

The Unquenchable Thirst of Dracula was a script written by Hammer producer / writer Anthony Hinds that never saw the light of day. I can’t say I’ve heard of that title before, but I know there were a couple of unmade scripts that were based in India, so maybe this is one of them. The book also contains the screenplay for Dracula: High Priest of Vampires, yet another unmade Dracula script. From the photos posted on Hammer Films’ website, this looks like quite the treat to those that not only collect Hammer Films memorabilia, but also for unproduced scripts.

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DtH Episode 129 – Horror Through the Decades: 1920s

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We know this isn’t the first time we’ve preached the wonders of silent films, but there are so many amazing films from that era, that as horror historians that we all are, it’s always great to look back to when it all first started. While the ’30s is what fans usually go back to as “the beginning” because of Universal Studios, while they might not have been called horror films, they were there.

In this episode, we’re going to dig a little into the 1910s and 1920s to not only see what films were coming out at that time, but what was going on in the world that could have affected and even changed what we were seeing in the world of cinema. Even if silent films might not be your particular favorites, maybe by hearing some horror history, maybe you’ll want to try that road out again. Who knows, maybe this time around you’ll see something different. Or at the least, maybe you will learn a little about this genre that we all love.

Movies Mentioned in this Episode:

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The Value of Fun

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I’ve been vendor at movie conventions for well over three decades. I’ve never done this for a living, meaning I have a regular day job, so whether I do good or not at a show isn’t going to break me. I know plenty of vendors where that is there day job, so it is pretty important that they make money. But for me, and a lot of other venders, it’s a little different. Some might think that being a vendor is pretty simple. Just getting a table and some stuff to sell and you’re good to go. But what they don’t tend to realize is the expenses. Let’s say the table costs you $300 and the hotel for two nights is another $300, that means you need to sell $600 worth of merchandise before you even cover those costs. Not to mention the cost of getting there, and food for the weekend. And that still doesn’t include the cost of your product. And if you are making whatever you sell, then there is your time/cost spent doing that. So, if you only made $600, that means you basically gave away $600 of product for free. And if you’re okay with it, that’s fine, just makes it harder to substain.

So, there are times when I look at how we’ve done and wonder if it is all worth the trouble. And honestly, I’ve been thinking of that more and more as of late. I love having the opportunity to pass on horror reference books to eager fans, that are excited to dive into some history about our favorite genre. It’s one of the reasons I chose to deal in these books as opposed to just being another toy dealer or T-shirt vendor. But when you compare how I do at some shows compared to others, it makes me think. Am I wasting my time? Or am I just set up at the wrong shows?

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Screaming Mad George – Rest in Peace

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Yesterday, we heard the news that the makeup world had lost another iconic voice from the industry. Screaming Mad George had passed away back on February 10th at the age of 69, but his family had not released it to the public because they wanted time to grieve on their own, which is completely understandable. His work was unmistakenly original, creative, and usually so bizarre and off the wall, you knew it was his work. He liked being called a “surrealist” rather than a makeup artist, and that couldn’t fit him better. While he didn’t work on a ton of films, the ones he did definitely carried his brand of talent. But the most famous is probably his work on Brian Yuzna’s Society (1988). You’ll see special effects creations you’d never thought you see onscreen, brought to life by this mad genius. He definitely had a unique vision, and we are thankful that we had a chance to experience some of that madness on film, and that his work will live on.

Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time. Rest in Peace, S.M.G.

Mystery Photo 8-17

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Our photo from last week was from the low-budget classic Don’t Look in the Basement (1973), from S.F. Brownrigg. Though originally titled The Forgotten (which is actually a real good title for this picture), changing it to one of the many “Don’t” titles probably didn’t hurt it. While they are cheaply made, Brownrigg did some amazing stuff which what he had, and I would recommend seeking this one out, if you haven’t seen it. A great example of a regional independent horror film creator. Congrats to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Kevn Hart, Ken Johnson, Michael Pniewski, Mike Shields, and William Wilson. Well done!

This week’s photo is one that really packs a punch and is one you never forget. Take a look below and see if you recognize where this shot is from. Just remember to send your guess to me in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!