Author Archives: Jon Kitley

Mystery Photo 10-9

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It’s amazing how much can change in just one week. Won’t go into any details but let me just say that I couldn’t be happier the way turned out right now. Now looking forward to enjoying the rest of this month! And to that note, let us get to the reason at hand, this week’s Mystery Photo. But wait . . . last week’s photo was from Mountaintop Motel Massacre (1983), which is actually better than the video box ever let on! Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Gary Miller, and William Wilson. Well done!

Okay . . . so this week’s photo is here for a reason, but we’ll see if anybody picks up on the reasoning or connection. How’s that for a clue?!?! Either way, take a peek below and see if you can recognize what film this shot is from. Just remember to send your guess to me in an email (so I don’t forget or lose it) to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

Music Box of Horrors Final Lineup

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The full lineup for this year’s Music Box of Horrors has been announced on their website, and it looks like one hell of a 24 hours to spend with other like-minded horror fans! Although, the ones crazy enough to come out for a 24-hour marathon aren’t just fans, but dedicated deviants that want to revel and dwell in these amazing horror titles. And I love them for that!

To make the marathon even better, the Music Box has once again filled up their lobby and lounge with a wide variety of vendors to help you pick up some great stuff! I know we are so excited to make our return to vending at this event, but there are plenty of other great vendors like Pretty Spooky Handmades, House of Monsters, Vinegar Syndrome, Severin Films, Graveface Records, and more! Make sure you stop by and check all the vendors out! And of course, stop by and see us at the Kitley’s Krypt booth!

For all the latest information, head over to the Music Box’s page for this event HERE, and also check out their main site (HERE) to see all the other great stuff they are screening!

Below is the full lineup with the start times:

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Discover the Horror Podcast – Episode 53: H.G. Lewis

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Blood Feast (1963), Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964), The Gruesome Twosome (1967), The Wizard of Gore (1970)

When Herschell Gordon Lewis made his first nudie cutie film in 1961, nobody would have expected that he’d become one of the most important names in the history of horror. But with the release of Blood Feast just two years later, Lewis and his producing partner David F. Friedman would invent the gore subgenre and would fundamentally reshape horror as we knew and understood it. And for about a decade after it, Lewis would continue to release gore-obsessed fare to grindhouses and drive-ins across the nation. When those sorts of theaters started to fade away in the 70s, so did Lewis, who went back to his previous career in advertising. But in the 80s and beyond his fame was resuscitated on home video and in the pages of magazines like Fangoria and Deep Red where he became known as The Godfather of Gore.

With some help from Christopher Wayne Curry, author of A Taste of Blood: The Films of Herschell Gordon Lewis, we dive into four of his films and manage to talk about a whole slew of others.

Movies mentioned in this episode:

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McFarland Halloween Sale

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We all know that McFarland puts out some amazing books, but they do tend to be on the pricy side. But during the month of October, they are having a 25% off sale on all their horror titles! I just pre-ordered Bryan Senn’s MASSIVE new book, Mummy Movies, which normally retails for $75, but with this sale, I got close to $20 off that price! So, if you’re looking to add a few more titles to your own library, now is your chance to pick up some great titles and save a little money as well.

The code is simple . . . just add in HALLOWEEN2023 in the promo code during check out and see the savings! Head over to McFarland’s site HERE to see all the amazing titles you can find. May I suggest the latest from Christopher Wayne Curry, The Incredibly Strange Features of Ray Dennis Steckler, where you can save $10. Or any number of titles from Tom Weaver, Gregory William Mank, Bryan Senn, or any other number of titles. Just do a McFarland search on my site to see all of their books that I’ve reviewed over the years if you’re not sure which one(s) to get!

Mystery Photo 10-2

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We survived our trip to Ohio for Cinema Wasteland, still one of the best shows around. Probably spent way too much money but had plenty of fun. Always great to see and hang out with our convention family there. But onto the business at hand. The photo from last week was from The Power (2021) a great British ghost story with powerful message that unfortunately still needs to be talked about today. Make sure you seek this one. Congrats to Aaron Christensen & Dada Debaser for sending in the correct answer.

For this week’s photo, we’re going back a little farther, but I think it is still a fun one. Remember to send your guess to us in an email (so I don’t lose it) to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

David McCallum – Rest in Peace

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We read the news last night that we had lost another icon, not only film, but especially television, the great David McCallum. Probably best known for two roles on a TV series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. from 1964 to 1968, and over 3 decades later, appearing in the hit TV show NCIS (2003-2023) for 2 decades! But to us horror fans, while he may not have appeared in a ton of shows, he was there. He appeared in a couple of episodes of The Outer Limits, on episode of Night Gallery, the made-for-TV movie She Waits (1972), the title character in the TV series The Invisible Man (1975-76), and Disney’s creepy film The Watcher in the Woods (1980).

But for me, he will always be remembered as Dr. Henry Clerval in the 1973 made-for-TV movie Frankenstein: The True Story. While it is far from the “true story”, it is childhood favorite that remains a favorite to this day.

McCallum passed away on Monday at the age of 90 from natural causes. Because of his work in TV and films, and the huge fan base his work has created, his memory will continue on to entertain and delight audiences to come. Thank you, Mr. McCallum for your hard work and dedication to your craft. Gone, but not forgotten. Our thoughts go out to you and your family during this difficult time.

Return of the Mystery Photo 9-25

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Yes, we’re back! After missing it the last two Mondays, we are back with an all-new photo. I apologize for not having these up on our regular schedule, but life happens. Those in charge have been sacked, and a completely new staff has been hired and beaten into submission to make sure it is not missed again. So . . . before we get to this week’s photo, let’s cover the one from way back to the first part of the month. It was from the 1973 film La orgía de los muertos, also known as The Hanging Woman, or Orgy of the Living Dead, or Beyond the Living Dead, or The Return of the Zombies, or Zombie 3: Return of the Living Dead, or my personal favorite, Bracula: The Terror of the Living Dead. Ah yes, the fun we had trying to figure out which movie was what, before the days of IMDB . . . Congrats to the following for sending in the correct answer: Ronnie BUrton, Dave Fronto, Erik Martin, Bryan Senn, Mike Shields, and Troy Howarth.

So let’s get to that new photo, shall we? Wouldn’t want to forget again to get it posted! Take a look and see what you think. Just remember, send your guess to me at jon@kitleyskrypt.com to make sure I don’t forget to list you! Good Luck!

Return of the Terror Tuesdays!

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Once again, the Sulzer Regional Library in Chicago has asked me and my partner-in-crime, Aaron Christensen (aka Horror 101 with Dr. AC) back for another 4 weeks of lectures, with the first one starting Tuesday, October. 3rd. This year, each week we will be tackling directors that are known for their contributions to the horror genre throughout the decades. The first Tuesday, we’ll be going over directors from the 1920s through the 1960s, such as names like Tod Browning to Terence Fisher. The second Tuesday, October 10th, we’ll be discussing directors from the 1970s and 1980s, from Al Adamson to David Cronenberg. Next up, on Tuesday, October. 17th, we’ll cover directors from the 1990s to the current date, with names like David Bruckner to Peter Jackson. And the final lecture, on Tuesday, October 24th, will be on the makeup masters. People like Roy Ashton, Jack Pierce, to Chris Walas, these are the ones that have created some of the cinematic nightmares that we’ve enjoyed over the years!

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Discover the Horror: Episode 52 – Álex de la Iglesia

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Perdita Durango (1997), Common Wealth (2000), Witching and Bitching (2013).

There are a few directors like Álex de la Iglesia. No matter what kind of film he’s making, he weaves in and out of different genres like changing lanes on a busy highway. But no matter what, you will usually see his twisted and dark sense of humor, unique and interesting stories, and usually something you’ve never seen before on film. And that could all be before the opening credits!

In this episode, we dive into three of his features, one a brutal tale of sex and violence, one a tale of greed and what people will do because of it, and finally a supernatural tale of witches that is quite different than anything coming from Disney!

Movies mentioned in this episode:

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Humanoids from the Deep Soundtrack

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Long before composer James Horner scored the soundtrack for James Cameron’s Titanic (1997), back at the start of his career, he worked on a few horror films, such as the Roger Corman produced Up from the Depths (1979) though listed as uncredited, Wolfen (1981), and Deadly Blessing (1981). But one of his earlier scores was that of another Corman produced film, Humanoids from the Deep (1980).

When Humanoids hit HBO in the early 80s, it was all the guys were talking about at school, for obvious reasons. It was a film that anxiously awaited to get to see, and when I did, it paid off in spades! Now fans of the soundtrack from James Horner can hear it really for the first time.

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