Author Archives: Jon Kitley

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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Changes Are a Comin’

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It’s that time again. It seems I have an 8-year cycle at my work life (in the really real world), and that cycle has come to an end. Next month, I start a new job that I’m hoping that has very little effect here at the Krypt, but we’ll have to wait and see. As you can see by the lack of updates lately, things have been kind of crazy here as of late, from the stress seeing if this new offer would be worth it, to all the other events and projects going on, let’s just say it has been a crazy month. And October might not be any better when it comes to being busy.

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Killer Tomatoes 3+ Hour Retrospective

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That’s right folks, not only is there is a retrospective documentary on one of the most infamous movie series in history, which started with Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! (1978) and went on to have 3 sequels and even a kid’s TV series, but this thing runs over three hours long!!!

It all started with an award-winning animated horror host show called Screaming Soup!, which featured a gas guzzling, ray gun slinging skeleton cowboy named Deadwest, who reviews obscure horror films from yesteryear. He always ends his reviews with “But what do I know? I like Killer Tomato movies!” After 50 episodes of the show, creator Dan Fowler decided to set out and make a documentary that was going to be filled with a bunch of Killer Tomato trivia, and hopefully answer all those unanswered questions from the fans. While some may jest at these titles, the fact that they are four features and a TV series, not to mention the merchandise involved, this isn’t something to scoff at since there has to be a fan base for it. And if you’re in that, then this is for you!

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Discover the Horror Podcast – Episode 51: Universal Mummies

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The Mummy (1932), The Mummy’s Hand (1940), The Mummy’s Tomb (1942), The Mummy’s Ghost (1944), and The Mummy’s Curse (1944).

In this episode, we go back the Universal Classics and take on one of the most unusual of the classic monsters, the Mummy. It’s probably one of the best costumes and memorable character, but never seems to reach the same level of notoriety as his fellow monsters. But strangely enough, it is the one Universal monster to have more films devoted to his character alone, without going into the Monster Rally films where they had more than one monster in the picture.

Here we dig up some facts as well as our own thoughts on the original 1932 film starring the one and only Boris Karloff, as well as the 4 other Mummy films that came out almost a decade later, but with much smaller budgets. These sequels started with a different mummy character and had a continuing storyline between the 4 films, or at least tried.

Films mentioned in this episode:

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Giant Gila Monster & Killer Shrews

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There are a lot of films that were made in the ‘50s & early ‘60s, specifically made for the market of that time, aimed at the teenage market, that us fans today had discovered in our youth from late night screenings on TV, or maybe hitting the video store aisles in the ‘80s. Unfortunately, we tended to put them on the same level of critiquing as we would a brand-new movie, without considering the time they were made, or especially their budget.

While some would say that a film should stand on its own merits, no matter what went into it, when it was made, how much it cost, which I do agree with to a degree. But it comes down to those elements that make the film what it is, and to know more about that, such as the budget or when it was made, might not make the film better, but it does let you see it differently.

These two films are a perfect example of that.

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Mystery Photo 9-4

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Welcome to not being Summer anymore! Sure, it’s not official fall yet, but we all know that once August is over, it is definitely Halloween season! The time us horror fans seem almost normal for a couple of months! So, let’s get started! Our photo from last week was a tricky one, I don’t believe it had gotten any sort of video or DVD release over here in the states. The title is Orlak, el infierno de Frankenstein (1960), but was also known simply as The Hell of Frankenstein. It’s one of those many horror films from Mexico made in the late ’50s and early ’60s, that are more than worth checking out. Maybe we’ll see it in the next Mexican Horrors box set??? Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Jason Lane, Erik Martin, and Alan Tromp. Well done!

Now on to this week’s photo, which might be pretty easy, or not. But there is a reason for this particular film. Take a peek and see what you can come up with. Just remember to send in your guess to me in an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!