Author Archives: Jon Kitley

A Bigger House of Psychotic Women!

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Back in 2012, Kier-La Janisse published her book House of Psychotic Women, that I guarantee was like no other book you’ve read before. Part autobiographical, while discussing in great details about different films that had an effect on Janisse throughout her life. Now, a decade later, she has expanded it with almost a 100 more pages and more than a 100 new film reviews, as well in a large format than the original.

According to publisher FAB Press, this book is “an autobiographical exploration of female neurosis in horror and exploitation films. Anecdotes and memories interweave with film history, criticism, trivia and confrontational imagery to create a reflective personal history and examination of female madness, both onscreen and off.” This will make sure you look at some films very differently than you do now, which is always the best that a book on film can do. You might not agree with the thoughts in here, but at least it will make you think.

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Covid in the Krypt!

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That’s right folks, that is my excuse for the lack of updates lately. Last week, my wife tested positive, and two days later, I did as well. Luckily, we were both vaccinated and boosted, so our symptoms were pretty mild. She just basically had a runny nose, while I had a pretty bad cough and slight fever, but that was about it. I know it could have been a lot worse. I’m very grateful we did have our shots because I don’t want to imagine how bad it could have been otherwise, especially for me since I am diabetic. This just shows that this plague is still out there roaming around, so please, PLEASE, stay safe and treat each other with respect. It’s the only way we get to the other side of this.

So, while I’m still quarantined and working from home, I feel better enough to try and tackle the crapload of stuff on my plate here! Obviously, I missed a few things this week, such as a new Mystery Photo, but we’ll be back to that next week. I also missed posting about Paul Naschy’s birthday on the 6th, which really bummed me out, but was just in no condition then to get something out.

So, if you were wondering, that is why it’s been kind of radio silence here for a while. We are doing much better and are on the upswing, so no worries. Hopefully things will get back to whatever “normal” is for me and the Krypt. On a positive note, I did use that time wisely and watched a ton of movies while I was down and out, so not all bad news! So even when you’re sick, you can still Discover the Horror!

(Art used by permission from Don England!)

Discover the Horror Episode 18: Horror Toys

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Toys. Not for just kids anymore, are they? Especially when you’re talking about toys created from our nightmares and the countless horror films that we have devoured in our lifetime. It is amazing the amount of horror toys that are out now, as well as the wide variety of them too! From our favorite monster characters, to the classics, to the obscure, they are out there. Listen in to hear about the ones we “grew up with” as well as a little history lesson, especially about the Living Dead Dolls!

After you listen, head back here and let us know what some of your favorite horror toys are!

Movies mentioned in this episode:

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The Albert Glasser Collection Vol. 4

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For those who might now know the name Albert Glasser, he was a composter that mainly worked on B-movie titles, especially with director Bert I. Gordon. But it wasn’t just those films, but also worked in just about every other genre out there, composing scores for 135 films (some that he never even received credit for), from westerns to juvenile delinquent titles, as well as 300 television shows and 450 radio programs. So yeah, he was busy.

But thanks to the fine folks at Dragon’s Domain Records, Volume 4 of their series is all about Science Fiction Atomic Mutations! This release has the scores for Bert I. Gordon’s The Cyclops and The Beginning of the End, both released in 1957. The total running time for the CD is just under 80 minutes, so priced at $17.95 is a great deal. You can order your copy at Screen Archives Entertainment, by clicking HERE.

Mystery Photo 5-30

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Sorry that we didn’t have an updated photo last week but were a bit too busy getting ready for our trip to Ohio for the Columbus Moving Picture Show. But we’re back and somewhat rested up, so here we go. The last photo was from the 1991 H.P. Lovecraft film The Resurrected, starring Chris Sarandon and directed by Dan O’Bannon. While probably a little more graphic than Lovecraft would have expected, it’s a damn fine picture if you ask me! Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Chadwick Saint John, Nick Wilson, and William Wilson. Well done!

On to this week’s photo. Might be a little tricky but we’ll see how you can do with what you’re seeing. Don’t forget to send your answer to me in an email (so I don’t lose it . . . though no guarantee) to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

An Evening with Bigfoot at the Music Box

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On Wednesday, July 13th, head over to the Music Box Theatre in Chicago for a rare treat, being able to witness two Bigfoot movies, two very different kind of Bigfoot movies, on the big screen. The fact that there is a whole sub-genre of Bigfoot movies is amazing enough, but getting to see these two rare films, both that are about as far apart as you can get, will be screening in one evening.

Presented by Shudder and starting at 7pm, you’ll first get to experience a comprehensive and exhaustive Sasquatch mixtape, featuring Bigfoot’s appearances in film and TV shows, ranging from documentaries, children’s films, to horror and X-rated titles. How’s that for just getting started?

The first feature will be Cry Wilderness (1987), which is basically a children’s Bigfoot story but unlike anything you can imagine. The second feature is Night of the Demon (1980), which definitely isn’t a kid’s movie, featuring the famous scene where a biker learns what happens when you piss on Bigfoot. This is from a recent 2K scan from a recently discovered 35mm answer print. Both films are screened from DCP and look amazing.

Also, to entice you even more, both Severin Films and Vinegar Syndrome will have Pop-Up Shops set up in the Music Box Lounge starting at 4:30pm and there until after the screenings.

For all the information, just click HERE.

Chattanooga Film Festival 2022 – ONLINE!

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Last year, I had the chance to join in on the fun at the online version of the Chattanooga Film Festival. Due to the pandemic still raging on, the fine folks wanted to continue to bring cinema to the masses and did it online instead of just cancelling the festival outright. Which was great, because I had the chance to see a variety of different titles over the course of the week. Well, due to the pandemic still threatening to raise up once again, they have decided to do this year’s festival online once again. But if the programming is as good as it was last year, we are all in for a treat.

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Columbus Moving Picture Show This Weekend!

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This weekend we are making our return to Columbus for the Columbus Moving Pictures Show, formally known as Cinevent. We haven’t been there since before the pandemic, so we are not only very excited to make our return, but excited to be part of a new beginning of the show under new management. For those that don’t know, the Cinevent Classic Film Convention ran for over 50 years! One of the co-founders, Steven Haynes, had passed away in 2015, and his son Michael took over for a few years. But they sold it to new owners and have changed the name to The Columbus Moving Picture Show, promising to keep the spirit of Cinevent alive and living. This is a good old fashioned movie memorabilia show, where you can find posters, stills, lobby cards, and just about any other kind of stuff related to movies. Granted, they tend to be on the classic side, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have “younger” movie related items. I’ve always found a few gems each time I’ve gone.

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Discover the Horror Episode 17: Hammer (Is It) Horror

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Never Take Candy from a Stranger (1960), The Damned (1963), Plague of the Zombies (1966). These are the three titles covered in this episode, as well as a little discussing on what can be considered “horror” when talking about the famous Studio that Dripped Blood. While some of these titles don’t immediately come to mind when you think of Hammer Horror, digging a little deeper, you might discover it to be there after all. After all, isn’t the whole point of being a horror fan is to go beyond the borders? You never know what you might find and even might be surprised.

These are the titles mentioned in the episode:

Cross of the Devil (1975), The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), The Damned (1963), The Ghost Breakers (1940), Horror of Dracula (1958), I Walked with a Zombie (1943), Never Take Candy from a Stranger (1960), Night of the Living Dead (1968), Plague of the Zombies (1966), Paranoiac (1963), The People Who Own the Dark (1976), The Quatermass Xperiment (1955), The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988), To the Devil a Daughter (1976), White Zombie (1932)

Mystery Photo 5-16

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Another late posting, but still got it up, so that counts! Always try to get these ready to go over the weekend but seemed to have kept myself busy with some other things. But here we are! Our last photo was from the classic Mexican horror film El Vampiro from 1957, starring Abel Salazar and Germán Robles. If you haven’t seen this one, I can’t express how important of a title it is, not only because it’s a great film, but it shows what the Mexican studious were cranking out in the late ’50s. Congrats to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Todd Barwick, Dave Fronto, Bob Hartman, Kevin Hart, Gary McGuire, Bryan Senn, and Alan Tromp. Well done!

On to this week’s photo. Not as much as an older classic like our last photo, but still a great little film. Check it out and see if you recognize where it is from. Just remember to email me your answer (to jon@kitleyskrypt.com). Good Luck!