Author Archives: Jon Kitley

The Exorcist at 58

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Yes, I know The Exorcist is 50 years old, not 58. But I am 58 and I see this film much differently than when I originally did in my younger years.

Last weekend, I had the chance to see a rare screening of the original theatrical version, from a 35mm print, on the big screen, at Chicago’s Music Box Theatre. This place really knows and appreciates the importance of such a screening and I’m thankful to be close enough to take advantage of them. And seeing a huge line down the block for this once again made the blackened heart inside this old horror fan swell. Seeing it in a crowded theater really makes the power of the film hit a little harder than watching it at home.

The reason this was a rare screening was that since 1999, the only version the studio rents out for screenings is the extended version, which they call “The Version You’ve Never Seen Before”. I saw it in the theater when it was released and aside from seeing some extra footage, I didn’t care for it as a whole. Now, I refer to it as either “The Version I’ll Never Watch Again”, or more simply the “Where’s Waldo” version, mainly because instead of using the image of Capt. Howdy’s face a couple of times in the film, the longer cut seems to stick it EVERYWHERE! Plus, there are just sequences, such as the famous spider walking scene, that while they are cool to see, I don’t feel they really don’t fit in the film.

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Mystery Photo 12-4

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Welcome to the first photo of December, and with only 3 more photos to go before we hit 2024! Where does the time go? Our photo from last week was from the German film Ein Toter hing im Netz (1960), better known as Horrors of Spider Island. Congrats to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Aaron Christensen, Peggie Christie, Bob Hartman, and Vincent Simonelli! Well done.

The photo from this week might be a little obscure, especially with the shot I chose, since it is not the main . . . monster. But we’ll see how clever you are. Take a peek below and see what you can come up with. Just remember to send your guess to me at jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

Movie Review: The Terror

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Directed by Roger Corman, Francis Ford Coppola, Jack Hill, Monte Hellman, Dennis Jakob, Jack Nicholson
Starring Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson, Sandra Knight, Dick Miller, Dorothy Neumann, Jonathan Haze

The Terror (1963) was one of those films that you always would see on the shelf when you went to any video store back in the day, or at places like the grocery stores if they had these bins of cheap VHS tapes. The main reason for that was because this was public domain title, so there were multiple different releases out at any given time, and all of them looking pretty shabby quality-wise. The more you learned about the film itself and how it came to be, you probably found that to be more entertaining, or at least more fascinating, than the actual picture itself!

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DtH Podcast – Episode 58: Universal Werewolf Films

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The Werewolf of London (1935), The Wolf Man (1941), and She-Wolf of London (1946)

When the night falls and the full moon rises, it is time to talk about werewolves. But not just any werewolves, but the ones that came from Universal Studios. While still riding the wave of their horror title success of Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, and The Invisible Man, Universal office continued to look for their next big monster, which spawned The Werewolf of London. While it wasn’t the success they’d hoped, they would try it again in 1941 on the second wave of monster films, which was a big hit. And like the curse of lycanthropy, things always weren’t good with this particular sub-genre.

We cover the three official titles from Universal that have the werewolf (one in title alone!) is by themselves, and not any of the monster-rallys that we’ll cover in the future. Will they still hold up to modern audiences? Are they worthy of their “classic monster” title? Listen and find out.

Films mentioned in this episode:

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Mystery Photo 11-27

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Welcome to our last pictorial puzzle for the month. That’s right . . . next week is already December, and then we get to 2024. Not sure if anybody has noticed, but most of the photos from this month have been what some might call Turkeys, and most of them are closeups of faces. While I’m not sure I would include this week’s photo as a Turkey, but opinions can differ. But let’s get back to last week’s photo. It was from Bill Rebane / H.G. Lewis’ 1965 epic Monster A Go-Go. That shot is probably right after the guy watched the film! But kudos to the select few that recognized it and were brave enough to admit it! They were Hoby Abernathy and Erik Martin. Well done!

This week is another shot of a face screaming in terror. What a nice way to start off the week, right? So take a peek and let me know what you think. Just remember to send your guess to me in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

Turkey Day 2023 – 20th Anniversary Celebration

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Two Whole Decades of Turkeys. I started this crazy idea in 2003, rather than go out and battle the crazy shoppers on Black Friday, but to stay at home and watch some of the best in the worst cinematic achievement on film. Or at least that is how described it when I started. But something has changed over these past 20 years. Films that I even would call typical “so bad they’re good”, or bad but for all the right reasons, I’ve learned over the years how the terms “good” and “bad” are so damn objective. Kind of like food, it all comes down to one’s particular taste. There’re people that eat rotted fish head soup that might look at someone who doesn’t like they are the crazy ones. Same with movies.

For me, it has always come down to not being good or bad but if they’re entertaining. If the answer is yes, then they can’t be bad, at least not for that particular viewer.

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What Am I Thankful For?

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It is around this time of the year that I do try to really put some thought into what I’m thankful for. It is a shame that we have to wait until November to dwell upon that question and not every single day. Because that thankfulness should be there throughout the year. But I guess with this holiday, it is a reminder that we should take a minute at least to reflect. Honestly, this year, it has never been easier for me.

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Discover the Horror Podcast: Episode 57 – Black Friday Sales

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There are few events in horrordom quite as joyfully gluttonous as the Black Friday sales put on by our favorite boutique film labels.  As the season approaches, speculation on social media and in rapid-fire in-person conversations reaches a fever pitch.  What new films? What new merch? What great deals? We dream of horrors we might own someday like we’re kids again hunched over a wish book or staring at a toy display from outside a shop window.  Black Friday has become a defining annual event in our annual calendar of events and involves so many people in the fandom, and yet very few of us have any idea what goes into making one of these sales happen. 

Because it’s our mission to give you new ways to see and think about all things horror, we wanted to give you a peek inside one of those boutique labels and have a look at the Black Friday sale.  So, our guest on this episode is Justin Tsantsa, Director of Publishing for Vinegar Syndrome, and we are also joined by Jennie Osterman, Lead Shipping Specialist for Vinegar Syndrome.  They guide us through exactly what goes into the whole process and talk a bit about their astonishing new venture, Vinegar Syndrome Publishing, which will be bringing some new horror to all our bookshelves in the near future.

Movies mentioned in this episode:

Abomination (1986), Beyond the Darkness (1979), A Blade in the Dark (1983), Blood Sucking Freaks (1976), A Cold Night’s Death (1973), The Corruption of Chris Miller (1973), D.A.R.Y.L. (1985), Deep Inside (1968), Emanuelle in Bangkok (1976), The Exorcist (1973), Fortress (1985), Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981), Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982), Fright Night (1985), The Funhouse (1981), Halloween (1978), Halloween II (1981), The House that Dreaded Sundown (1976), Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS (1975), The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972), Madman (1981), Maniac (1980), Mother’s Day (1980), New York Ninja (2021), Phantasm (1978), The Prophecy (1995), The Prophecy II (1998), The Prophecy 3: The Ascent (2000), Red Spirit Lake (1993), Sweet Sugar (1972), Trapped (1977), What’s Up, Tiger Lily (1966), Zombie (1979)

Mystery Photo 11-20

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Last week’s photo was from the underrated 1958 film Terror from the Year 5000. And by underrated, I mean damn entertaining. We screened it a few years ago for one of our Turkey Day marathons and it was a lot of fun. Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Chris Dyer, Doug Fronto, Bryan Senn, Mike Shields, and Alan Tromp. Well done!

On to this week’s photo. Hopefully you don’t get the same expression on your face as the guy in the photo when you gaze as it. Give it a look and see what you can think of. Just remember, send your guess to me, in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

Roth Kills at Thanksgiving

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I got to see a sneak preview of Eli Roth’s long awaited feature version of Thanksgiving, one of the fake trailers made for the release of Robert Rodriquez and Quinten Taratino’s Grindhouse double feature back in 2007. While I’ve never been a huge fan of Roth’s work, I figured I would at least give this one a fair shot, although, to be perfectly honest, I was not expecting anything good. And I’m here to eat those words.

While it was a smaller theater where it was screened, all the seats were full, which I think is the best way to see this type of film. Roth really captured the feel of the ’80s slashers, while still making it in modern day. Like side dishes on the namesake holiday dinner, the red herrings and the gore are plentiful. The film is well crafted, with some really good jump scares, but also some really creepy moments as well. But it is the kind of film that is just a lot of fun and really is meant to be seen with a big crowd because there are plenty of scenes that are going to get a loud reaction.

If you get the chance to see this in the theater, I would highly recommend it. It is such a great throwback to those slasher films, but still made with love and care and not some cheap knock off that we usually see these days.