Author Archives: Jon Kitley

House that Hammer Built Coming Soon!

by in Book News and tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

That’s right folks, start gathering those pennies because the latest book coming from Peveril Publishing is coming soon! And as a fan of Hammer Studios, this is one you’re going to want for your library. The House that Hammer Built: The Complete Hinds/Carreras Years (1934-1979) Vol. 1: 1934-1949 will “hopefully” be on sale late November, according to Peveril boss Wayne Kinsey. The best way to be notified when it is ready is to subscribe to their website (just click HERE). But beware, these are not cheap and sell out fast. But every single edition I’ve bought from them has been well worth it. Not only are they incredibly well made and designed, but they are also filled to the brim with facts about one of our favorite film studios.

This series of books, which will be in 3 volumes, is Kinsey’s “definitive work on Hammer”. On the Peveril site, he states that he’ll be “taking a chronological look at all Hammer’s films (in production order) including all the early Exclusive pictures for the first time as well as Hammer’s many un-filmed projects. I’ll be amalgamating all my research from previous books with all new research and return to the oral history approach, so we can hear many of the stories from the mouths of those who worked at Hammer, many sadly no longer with us.”

If you love historical information about Hammer Studios and their films, this series is going to be a must for your library.

Mystery Photo 10-10

by in Mystery Photo and tagged

Are we having fun yet? I mean, we’re already a third way October and there has already been so much going on that it does seem like it is flying by, for better or for worse. But let’s keep the fun going, right? Our photo from last week was from the 1974 film Dark Places, starring Christopher Lee, Joan Collins, Herbert Lom, and Robin Hardy, that was recently released on Blu-ray by Severin Films in the Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee Collection 2. Hopefully this box set puts some light on this underrated little film. Great cast and a decent story. Congrats to Dave Fronto and Troy Howarth for sending in the correct answer.

This week’s photo is quite different than our last one. Oh yeah. But it’s a fun one, that is for sure. Just remember to send your guess to me in an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

Wasteland for Life!

by in Conventions and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On the Thursday before the show, my newsfeed starts to blow up with all these people posting “Wastelanded”. Why are they getting there a day before the show even starts??? Well, there is a reason for that.

When I used to post my convention reports, I usually would use the word “survivor”. But it really doesn’t do justice when you’re talking about Cinema Wasteland. Sure, after the weekend, you did feel like you ran a marathon (might be due to the lack of sleep) but the word “survivor” makes you feel like the event was an ordeal and that you’re glad it is over. That is not the case for this particular convention.

Continue reading →

Terror Tuesdays Continue at the Sulzer Regional Library in Chicago

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

Last Tuesday, my partner-in-crime Aaron Christensen (Horror 101 with Dr. AC), were at the Sulzer Regional Library to discuss the first part in our month-long discussion of the horror genre. Last week’s subject was vampires, where we started with Nosferatu that came out 100 years ago, through history to the modern-day bloodsuckers. If you were at the event last week and wanted the list of films that were covered, look at the bottom of this post.

But this coming Tuesday, Oct. 11th at 6:30pm, we’re going to be diving into the zombie sub-genre, from the very beginning where they were mind-controlled slaves to the more popular flesh-eating types. So, if you’re in the area, feel free to stop by. It is a free event and what better time of the year to hear about some of our favorite monsters!

The next two subjects for this series will be Giant Monsters on Oct. 18th, and Ghosts and Haunted Spaces will be on Oct. 25th. For more information about these events, just click HERE.

For those that were interested, here are the list of vampire films mentioned in our discussion last week. These are listed by release date of the films.

Continue reading →

Discover the Horror Podcast Episode 27 – Pete Walker

by in Discover the Horror Podcast | 10 Comments

When you’re talking about British horror films of the ’70s, while Hammer was on their way out as they were slowly losing their audiences to more modern-day horrors, along comes Pete Walker. While he didn’t make a ton of horror films, the ones he did, really make an impact. If you’re not familiar with Mr. Walker and his movies, now is your chance to wet your whistle to (hopefully) make you seek out these films, and his others.

In this episode, we discuss House of Whipcord (1974), Frightmare (1974), and House of Mortal Sin aka The Confessional (1976).

And if you need any other reason to check out his films, then it would be because of Sheila Keith, who appears in all three of these films we discuss. She is a real gem in the horror genre!

Continue reading →

More Naschy on Blu-ray and UHD!

by in Misc. Ramblings and tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

I’ve been wanting to post something about this earlier but have been too busy or maybe just too giddy to type comprehensive sentences! But last weekend, Vinegar Syndrome announced that they would be releasing Paul Naschy’s 1971 film The Werewolf vs the Vampire Woman. Anchor Bay had originally released on DVD back in 2002 under the title Werewolf Shadow, followed by another release by BCI in 2008 under the same title. But it had never been released on Blu-ray here in the states, let alone in 4K UHD! This Vinegar Syndrome release will have 3 different cuts of the film: the international export version (which has the nudity) that runs 87 min, the Spanish clothed version, which runs 94 min, and an integral “nude” version. that runs 95″ min.

Continue reading →

Mystery Photo 10-3

by in Mystery Photo and tagged

I apologize for the lack of updates last week, but it was a doozy. Since we are now in our favorite month, it is going to be a busy one. Got a lot of prep work to get done for different events this month so we’re slowly trying to knock them out. Which means less time spend here. But I’ve got plenty of stuff to report, just need to whittle out some time to work on it.

But let’s get down to business. Last week’s photo was from last year’s Antlers (2021), starring Keri Russell and Jeremy T. Thomas. If you haven’t seen it, check it out. It is well worth your time. Congrats to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Todd Barwick, Chris Dyer, Kevin Hart, Eli LaChance, Gary McGuire, John E Meredith, and Lee Nattrass. Great job everyone!

This week’s photo isn’t from last year . . . or is it? (Insert devilish laugh here). Take a gander at it and see if you can place it. Just remember to send your answer to me in an email (that way I remember it) at jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

Mystery Photo 9-26

by in Mystery Photo and tagged

Yeah, a wee bit later than normal, but I didn’t forget. So much going on right now but it is all good stuff and that I brought upon myself so I can’t complain. Well, I could, but nobody will listen . . .

Okay, enough whining, let’s get to the Mystery Photo, right! Last week’s photo from from the 1957 film The Vampire, starring John Beal. While not really a supernatural vampire film, it is still a fun watch. And boy, when that image pops up that I used for the mystery pic, didn’t expect that for a film back then! Only got three correct answers sent in and they were from: Hoby Abernathy, Kevin Hart, and Bob Hartman! Well done!

This week’s photo is a little newer than 1957, but we’ll see how easy it might be. Take a peek and see what you think! As always, remember to send your guess to me in an email (makes it easier for me to remember!) to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

Discover the Horror Podcast Episode 26 – Conventions: The Fans!

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

Horror movie conventions are one of the best places to be at if you are a die-hard fan. There’s plenty to see, buy, and people to meet, both new and old friends, as well as celebrities. Horror conventions were a very important part of a lot of us horror fans “growing up” as we learned more and more about the genre, building our collections, or just meeting new people that have become lifelong friends, or even a wife!

This is our first part in a series of episodes on conventions, so we’re going to start out at the beginning for us, such as how they all started for us and which ones did we go to, to the current shows that we still attend.

These are the different conventions that we mention during this episode:

Chiller Theatre, Cinema Wasteland, Cinevent, Crypticon, Famous Monsters, Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors, Fanex, Flashback Weekend, HorrorHound Weekend, Mid-Summer Scream, Monster Bash, Monsterpalooza, 25th Anniversary Night of the Living Dead Convention, Scarefest, Texas Frightmare

Mystery Photo 9-19

by in Mystery Photo and tagged

I apologize for not only no Mystery Photo last Monday, but also for the lack of updates. Last weekend was HorrorHound and that was quite a weekend. In a good way, but exhausted when I got home. Plus, with October looming over, I’ve got a lot on my plate right now. Granted, I kept asking for it, so I have no one to blame but myself. But if the passion is still burning, might as well keep throwing wood on it! Enough of that. Let’s get to the business at hand. Our last photo was from the Lovecraft “inspired” film The Shuttered Room (1967), starring Oliver Reed and Carol Lynley. Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Gregory Avery, Dada Debaser, Dave Fronto, Kevin Hart, Charles Miller, Lee Nattrass, Michael Shields, and Nick Wilson. Well done!

Going for something a little more obscure with this week’s photo, so buckle up and put those thinking caps on! Take a peek and see what you think. Just remember, send your guess to me in an email, at jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!