Alan Frank – Rest in Peace

For those out there who were horror fans before the internet, the only way to learn about these movies were reference books. Along with names like Denis Gifford and William Everson, Alan Frank was one of those authors who wrote several books on the horror genre, which gave us young and eager fans volumes filled with photos that were etched in our young minds. This was at a time when looking at some of the movie stills, we dreamed that one day we might be able to see the actual movie. These books were paged through, over and over, committing the names of the people, the titles of the films, and the amazing images that were throughout each of them. They sparked our imagination, sent our brains into wonderous pondering of what actually happened in the movies just from one image.

Now, all these years later, when watching a movie and a scene comes up where a still was used from, it all comes back to that time gazing into those books.

Alan Frank wrote a number of these volumes, most of which I have copies of in my library. These were some of the first that were available at that time and were the go-to titles for the longest time. We recently heard that Frank has passed away, at the age of 85. While our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time, I just want to say THANK YOU to Mr. Frank for helping become the horror fan I am today. Your work was essential for me, as well as many others, during those early years.

Discover the Horror Podcast: Episode 43 – Tape Trading and Bootlegs

Back in ancient times, before Netflix and Amazon Prime, before Hulu and YouTube, even before DVDs and Blu-rays, if films weren’t available to you from either your local video stores, or if you wanted to see an uncut print of a movie, or even one that wasn’t released on VHS, the place you could find them would be in fuzzy gray market of the bootlegs.

These types of vendors were a staple to a lot of the early movie conventions, where fans could find titles that never even knew were out there. Some of us are old enough to remember being able to finally see the uncut full letterboxed version of Lucio Fulci’s The Beyond, after years of suffering though only being able to see the heavily edited Seven Doors of Death.

As your collection grew, you would usually start trading with others, increasing your collection even more, as well as helping to spread the love and passion of these amazing films. This is what we’re discussing in this episode, so sit back and either reminisce with us, or learn about the good old days, when we were happy for a 5th generation grainy print of Anthropophagus that had the infamous fetus scene!

Films mentioned in this episode:

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Naschy’s Night of the Executioner

While this isn’t technically a horror film, it is Paul Naschy so of course I have to mention this. Any time one of his movies that had never been released here in the states (aside from a Spanish language version that was released) gets a release, it is something to be celebrated! And Mondo Macabro have continued to wave the Naschy flag in releasing a lot of his titles, that now American audiences are going to see Night of the Executioner (1992) for the first time.

Naschy plays a family man whose life is forever changed after his wife and daughter are both raped and murdered, and he has his tongue cut out. He then goes out on a killing spree avenging his family. This is a brand new 4K restoration from the original negative, in Spanish language track with optional English subtitles. It also has an audio commentary by Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn from the Naschycast podcast. Plus, there are interviews with Naschy son, Sergio Molina, and with actors Pepe Ruiz, Manuel Zarzo.

Right now, you can order the special “Red Case” edition, which comes with a full color booklet with a brand new essay by Troy Howarth, author of Human Beasts: The Films of Paul Naschy. This edition is limited to 1500 copies and can be ordered by clicking HERE.

Mystery Photo 5-15

Happy Monday! Yeah, I know. Doesn’t work too often for me either. But nonetheless, we do have a new Mystery Photo, so that’s a positive, right? We only got one correct answer sent in for last week’s grisly little photo, which was from the 1981 Hong Kong film Corpse Mania. Yes, lots of maggots in that one! Congrats to Jason Lane for sending in that one and only correct answer! Well done!

On to this week’s photo, which is a personal favorite of mine and one that I think is pretty underrated. So, give it a peek and see what you can come up with. Just remember, send your answer to me in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com, that way I won’t lose it. Well, I have a better chance NOT to lose it, put it that way! Good Luck!

I Do NOT Collect Toys!

This statement is getting harder and harder for me to continue to state. I’m usually really good and looking at some new figures or toys coming out and saying, “that’s pretty cool” and move on. But then I came across this one and it immediately took me back to my childhood.

Scooby Doo, Where Are You? ran for only 2 years, but went on in various versions, updates, live action films, and way more than any this 5-year-old kid could have imagined back in 1970 when he was first watching them. Being a buddy young horror fan, Scooby Doo was the show for kids like me. While I do find it pretty interesting that while the joke out there that this TV show let kids know that the only real monsters out there were humans, it honestly did help this little kid understand that what we see in the movies where just that . . . a guy in a mask. No matter how scared and real they looked, Fred, Daphine, and the gang always uncovered the mystery to find the ghost, monster, creature, or whatever, was just a guy.

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Discover the Horror Hits 10K Downloads!

Back in October of 2021, Aaron AuBuchon, Damien Glonek, and myself started the Discover the Horror podcast, with the goal of getting listeners to seek out other films that they hadn’t seen before, or taking another look at ones they had seen, maybe seeing it a little differently than before. I’d like to think we’ve consistently done that with each and every episode.

Well, it seems that last week, we hit 10,000 downloads! Now honestly, since I’m about as technical savvy as an abacus, I have no idea to what the magnitude of that number actually means, but it does tell me that people are listening to the shows and more importantly, coming back for more. We strive to create a show that hopefully sparks that passion inside the listener to take that extra step, or a bigger step, into the genre. As I’ve said before, as fans of the genre, this isn’t a race, but an incredible journey we’re all on together, all being on the same path, just at different points along the way.

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Mystery Photo 5-8

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, but it seems that things just keep getting in the way. But at least we’re here with a new Mystery Photo, right? Small steps! Our last photo was from the uber-family fun movie, The Other (1972). Boy, you want to kill a good mood, just sit down with this one! Great movie, but damn does it pack a punch, several times throughout the running time! Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Gregory Avery, Peggy Christie, Dave Friedman, Todd Warren, and William Wilson. Well done!

On to today’s photo. This one is also a little unsettling, or at least from the photo! So only take peek if you’re not squeamish! Oh no . . . too late. If you can stand to look, and think you know what it is, don’t forget to email your guess to me, at jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

Pete Walker Collection from 88 Films

If you’re one of those out there that just hadn’t made the deep dive into the films of Pete Walker, then now is your chance. That is, of course, if you have an import Blu-ray player. If you don’t, what is the hold up?

88 Films is goign to release a deluxe edtion of Walker’s films in The Flesh & Blood Show set, featuring 7 of Walker’s titles. They include Die Screaming, Marianne (1971), The Flesh and Blood Show (1972), House of Whipcord (1974), Frightmare (1974), House of Mortal Sin (1976) Schizo (1977) and The Comeback (1978). They haven’t released any price or any details of the extras, but they do say these will all be “presented in new HD remasters, and featuring a scary array of exclusive extras, including brand-new interviews with Walker himself.” This set is to be released in September.

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Discover the Horror – Episode 42: Universal Frankensteins

Frankenstein (1931), The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Son of Frankenstein (1939), and The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942).

Time to go back to the source! The films that started a mythology, created the stereotypes, and taught us everything we were going to need to know about the mad genius that created a “monster” and the innocent, child-like creature that would eventually be known by his creator’s own name. In this episode, we look back at the first four Universal Frankenstein films, before the monster-ramas, when the main point was the creature and his maker. While there is a lot of material to cover in only one episode, we cover as much as we can, trying to show you just how important, entertaining and well-made these films are after close to a century.

Films mentioned during this episode:

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New Titles from Peveril Publishing!

If you are a series fan of Hammer Studios, as well as reference books on the famous Studio that Dripped Blood, then you probably already know about Peveril Publishing. Wayne Kinsey and company have continued to create some amazing film books over the years, giving fans so much information about Hammer, that they really become essential volumes for anyone wanting to do sort of research on the studio.

Today, they have released the next three titles they will be releasing, granted, these will take well over a year for them to come out. But I know I will be ordering my copies as soon as they are taking orders. They are such works of beauty, filled with such glossy images, not to mention packed filled with information.

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