Author Archives: Jon Kitley

Ricou Browning – Rest in Peace

by in Rest in Peace and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

It truly is the end of a legacy. Mr. Browning was the last actor alive that had played one of the famous classic monsters from Universal, in The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), as well as playing him in both the sequels. So many things go into making a film that still has fans close to 70 years after it came out, such as the designers of the monster and those that made the costume. But it is the performer inside of it that really breathes life into it, making the viewers forget that it is simply a man in a suit but we’re really watching a creature from a lost age. Ricou Browning did that with his underwater performance as the Gill-Man. To this day, watching this film, it is amazing how well it still plays, as well as what Browning did to make it look like we were really watching some sort of fish creature following the lovely Julie Adams.

Mr. Browning passed away on Monday, Feb. 27th, at the age of 93. From monster kids, monster fans, and all the other horror fans out there, we bow our heads today as we lose the last of the icons of an era that ended more than half a century ago. But it still makes me smile in wonderment, when we bust out one of these old classics and feel like a little kid once again. Rest in Peace, Mr. Browning, and thank you for what you have given the fans then, the fans now, and those new ones that will soon discover your talent.

Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.

Mystery Photo 2-27

by in Mystery Photo and tagged

Here’s our last photo for February. Already another month gone, which means convention season is just a month away (for us, at least). Last week’s photo was from the 1977 film The Pack, directed by Robert Clouse and starring Joe Don Baker. If you haven’t seen it, you might want to check it out. Would make a great double feature with Day of the Animals, or any number of those animals run amok films that were very prominent around that time. Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Kevin Hart, Lee Nattrass, Michael Pniewski, and William Wilson. Well done.

Here’s our photo for this week. A little dark, but you might be able to make something there. If you can, send your answer to us in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

A Bookseller’s Quandary . . .

by in Misc. Ramblings | 6 Comments

As we get closer to starting our 2023 Kryptic World Tour, there is something that has been on my mind for more than a few months that I feel the need to get it out there.

Those of you out there that know me from conventions, know that I mainly deal in horror reference books. It is one of my strong passions as a horror fan, and love being one of the few dealers at the horror conventions that deal in them. I love being able to get a book out there to another fan, handing over the potential to learn more about a particular actor or film.

But the times are a changing, as they say.

Continue reading →

Must Have Box Sets

by in Misc. Ramblings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

You got to give some major props to these smaller boutique labels like Vinegar Syndrome, Synapse Films, and so many more, that keep putting out some rare titles that are either out-of-print on DVD or maybe never even been released in a digital format before. Today saw the announcement of two different box sets that I’m pretty excited about. One of the sets, I already all the titles, but upgrading to Blu-ray, especially with all the extras, it’s a no-brainer.

But let’s get to the first one that I’m most excited about. Today Severin Films announced Danza Macabra: The Italian Gothic Collection – Volume 1! For someone that is a huge Euro-Horror fan, especially the gothic horror titles, I’m very excited about this one. Coming out at the end of May, this box set will contain 4 features: The Monster of the Opera (1964), The Seventh Grave (1965), Scream of the Demon Lover (1970), and finally, Lady Frankenstein (1971), each one packed with extras.

The Monster of the Opera has a new 2K scan from the original negative, and will include audio commentary by Kat Ellinger, author of Daughters of Darkness. It will also have interviews with screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi, Italian film devotee Mark Thompson-Ashworth, and an archival interview with director Renato Polselli.

Continue reading →

Discover the Horror Podcast – Episode 37: Universal’s Dracula Films

by in Discover the Horror Podcast and tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Dracula (1931), Dracula’s Daughter (1936), and Son of Dracula (1943). This is the series of films that really created and started what is now known as the Universal Classic Monster films. Dracula came out in Feb. in 1931 and did such business, the studio followed suit with another film. And another. And another.

But are these classics remembered just because of nostalgia, or are they really well-made films that are still effective today and rightly deserve the monster of “classic”? In this episode, we delve into the first three Dracula films and take a closer look at these titles to see if they hold up to us, and even more so, maybe getting you, the listener, interested enough to revisit them along with us!

Films mentioned in this episode:

Continue reading →

Soundtrack Review: Symptoms

by in Reviews: Soundtrack and tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Symptoms (1974)
Released by Dragon’s Domain Records
10 Tracks with a Total Running Time of 38:59 min.
Music Composed by John Scott

The violin has always been one of my favorite instruments when it comes to setting an eerie mood, which is the first thing we hear when the score starts. Then composer Scott takes it up a notch, using some wind instruments (maybe a clarinet?) to further add some suspense, before going into some slow and echoing piano notes. All of this in the first track.

This isn’t a score that is going to fill you with a sense of terror or dread. But what it does hit is a lot of different levels of mood. There are several pieces that are very somber and almost peaceful, but then we’ll get a change where it almost tells the listener that something is about to upset that mood. The way the bass tones, sounding like from either a standup bass or maybe a cello, gives that deeper and darker sound to give more depth into what we’re feeling.

Continue reading →

Mystery Photo 2-20

by in Mystery Photo and tagged

Here I was trying to be tricky by posting a photo from Hellraiser (1987) but not of the cenobites, thinking I might fool everyone, but apparently that wasn’t the case. Yes, it is from the Barker film, of the wonderfully villainous Julia, right after doing some poor bloke in to help feed Frank. Kudos to the following that sent in the correct photo: Scott Bradley, Dada Debaser, Kevin Hart, Christopher Highland, Kristin Wicks, and William Wilson. Well done.

For this week, this one you might think is easy, but you just never know because there are a lot of films out there with these mean little characters in there. Put that grey matter to work and then send us your answer, in an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

April Ghouls Drive-In Monster-Rama

by in Movie Events and tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

For those fans of slasher films, this is one weekend you might want to plan on heading out the Riverside Drive-In in Vandergrift, PA. Over Friday and Saturday nights, Aril 28th & 29th, you’ll have the opportunity to see 8 classic slasher films on the big drive-in screen! There are some classic titles in there, as well as some rarities that will probably be the first chance of you seeing them on the big screen! Below are the titles listed for each day, along with all the other details. We’ve been there a couple of times and it is always a blast.

Love Live the Drive-In!

Book Review: Claude Rains: An Actor’s Voice

by in Reviews: Horror Reference Book and tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Claude Rains: An Actor’s Voice
Published by University Press of Kentucky, 2008. 290 pages.
By David J. Skal with Jessica Rains

Like most horror fans, I knew the name of Claude Rains because of his starring role in The Invisible Man (1933), as well his performances in The Wolf Man (1941), and Phantom of the Opera (1943). Eventually I would learn of his other pictures and that he had come from the world of the stage, starting out at a very young age, and even battling a speech impediment and strong cockney accent. I even wrote a retrospective on The Invisible Man for HorrorHound magazine, doing quite a bit of research, and thinking I had a good insight into the actor himself. But like most things in life, there is always room to learn more. And after reading Skal’s book, I realized how much more.

There are several biographies currently in publication on Rains that I had planned on adding to my library, but it was Skal’s book that I acquired first. While looking for the next book to read, this was still sitting off to the side, not yet put away in the bookshelf, I picked it up and started to read the introduction. The next thing I knew, I was already 50 pages deep into this wonderful story. I think that is where Skal excels here, in telling a very compelling story filling it in with bits of information here and there.

Continue reading →

Mystery Photo 2-13-23

by in Mystery Photo and tagged

Greetings, and welcome to another installment of the Mystery Photo Mondays! Now since tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, one would almost think I would use something from My Bloody Valentine, but I’m not that easy. But the I did choose is sort of a love story . . . kind of. Probably going to be pretty easy for the lot of you, so we’ll see how much you’re paying attention. But before we get to that, let’s cover last week’s photo. It was from Luigi Cozzi’s unofficial entry as the Third Mother film, The Black Cat (1989), starring the lovely Caroline Munro. Kudos to Dave Fronto and William Wilson for sending in the correct answer.

Okay, take a peek at the photo below and see what you come up with. Just remember to send your guess to me in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!