Author Archives: Jon Kitley

Music Box of Horrors 2022

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The Music Box Theatre in Chicago has announced the date for this year’s 24-hour horror movie marathon of madness! It will take place from noon on Saturday, Oct. 22nd to noon on Sunday the 23rd. They have only 2 films announced so far, Idle Hands (1999) and Bill Hinzman’s Flesh Eater (1988), but there will be much more to come!

Tickets are $30 until Oct. 21st, then they are $35. If you’re a Music Box Member, then you can take of $5 of those prices.

Unfortunately, we will not be vending there once again this year. Usually, we have been at the Monster Bash convention in PA on the weekends of the marathon. But this year, there is another event, that honestly is kind of a once-in-a-lifetime event that I don’t want to miss. There is always a chance that falls through, so if it does, we’ll at least be at the marathon if not vending. Only time will tell.

But for all the info and updates, head over to their website HERE.

Fred Ward – Rest in Peace

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There are those actors that may not be your biggest heroes on screen, but know when you see their names in the credits, you won’t be disappointed. In fact, you know the film just got a little better because you know they are going to help entertain you. Fred Ward was one of those actors.

The first film that I remember seeing him in, or at least that made an impact, was Uncommon Valor (1983), which I had only seen because it was playing at the theater I worked at. But with a great cast like Gene Hackman, Tim Thomerson, Reb Brown, and a young Patrick Swayze, it was a lot of fun. But two years later, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985) came out and I just loved that one. I knew of the Destroyer book series but had never read them. But I just enjoyed the hell out of Remo and thought that Ward did a great job in the role. A few more years later, and Ward appeared in one of the best monster films of the ’90s, Tremors (1990). Once again, Ward was able to make audiences relate to an everyday person, even though they lived out in the middle of nowhere.

So, hearing of his passing a few days ago really bummed me out. Such a top-notch actor who always gave a believable performance, no matter what kind of character he played. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.

James Olson & Dennis Waterman – Rest in Peace

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I meant to get this posted a few days ago when I heard about this but as we all know, life gets in the way. For Americans, James Olson’s name might not be too familiar, but his face was since he appeared in so many different TV shows in the ’70s. But the one thing that him and actor Waterman have in common is that they both appeared in a couple of Hammer Films, as well as a one or two other genre pictures.

Dennis Waterman
James Olson

James Olson passed away last April 17th, at the age of 91. For Hammer, he appeared in their space western Moon Zero Two (1969) and then one of their later day thrillers, Crescendo (1970), alongside Stefanie Powers. He would also appear in the made-for-TV movie The Spell (1977), The Mafu Cage (1978), and Amityville II: The Possession (1982).

Dennis Waterman was also known for a lot of TV work, but all in the UK. For Hammer fans though, he appeared in Scars of Dracula (1970), doing battle against Christopher Lee! Previously, he appeared in Hammer’s The Pirates of Blood River (1962). He also was in the very underrated film Fright (1970), along with Susan George and Honor Blackman.

As time goes on, and the older we become as lifelong movie fans, this is inevitable and sad. But I’ve always considered that people working in the arts that leave something behind that they can always be remembered by, whether it be acting, directing, or even painting or some other art form, leaving behind that work does make them immortal. And that is how we should remember them, by the entertainment that they have given us to continue to enjoy.

Our thoughts go out to their friends and family. Rest in Peace Mr. Olson and Mr. Waterman.

Mystery Photo 5-9

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A little late in the day for this update but it still counts. Actually, the fact that I’m still alive after getting our lawn, or whatever that wild growth of green and weeds was that I just ran over with my lawnmower, I guess that should be a positive for today, right? And it’s only going to get warmer out, which means it’s almost time for the A/C and avoiding the sunlight even more!

Okay, enough babbling. Last week’s photo was from the Val Lewton classic I Walked with a Zombie (1943), which I had to put up there since we just passed his birthday. Kudos to the following who sent in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Dada Debaser, Dave Fronto, Kevin Hart, Bob Hartman, Troy Howarth, Gary McGuire, Bryan Senn, and Kristin Wicks. Always nice to see fans of the Lewton films out there.

Now on to this week’s photo. Give a little peek and see what you think! Just remember to send your guess to us at jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

Discover the Horror Podcast: Episode 16 – Moments of Gore with Special Guest Artist Putrid!

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When most horror fans they first get into the genre, they tend to look for the juicy, red, and meaty stuff . . . the gore. Okay maybe not all horror fans, but a lot of us. Always looking for the next over-the-top or extreme, or just being dazzled by the top-notch gory makeup effects that were bursting out from the screen, we ate that shit up! In this episode, we highlight some of our favorite moments of gore. Joining us on our journey through the gore-soaked trenches is the incredible artist Putrid!

Putrid has been consistently killing it when it comes to his incredible gore-filled artwork. Highly influenced by Bernie Wrightson, Putrid’s style continues to astound, disturb, and downright gross-out his fans. Enjoy!

These are the films mentioned and/or discussed in this episode:

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Windy City Pulp & Paper Convention This Weekend!

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This is a local show for us that I’ve been wanting just to go and check it out for a few years now but finally just decided to get a table and check it out that way. Of course, then the pandemic hit and that put more than a few things on hold. But this weekend, the show is back, and we will be set up there for the first time. This show has been going on for over 2 decades and while it’s not strictly a horror themed show, it does have its fingers in the genre. Not sure what to expect but since it is local, I figured at least we’d have some fun.

So, if you’re in the area, and are interested in things like Pulps, paperbacks, original art, movie memorabilia, and a whole lot more, head on out and check out the show. It is taking place at the Westin Lombard Yorktown Center, in Lombard, IL. You can check out all the info from the website HERE.

Mystery Photo 5-2

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Welcome to May! One month closer to October and Halloween, right? We’re more than halfway there! But let’s get down to business. Our photo from last week, which a lot of people recognized right away, was from the 1958 “Hammer-ish” film Blood of the Vampire, written by Jimmy “Frankenstein” Sangster, which was how he was actually billed on the poster art. While it obviously isn’t a Hammer production, I’ve always found it pretty entertaining. Congrats to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Dave Fronto, Kevin Hart, Bob Hartman, Troy Howarth, Erik Martin, Gary McGuire, Bryan Senn, Vincent Simonelli, and Michael Shields. Well done!

Now believe it or not, but it seems this week’s photo is our first black and white pic of the year. I was kind of surprised myself. So why not have the first one from a classic. You believe me, right? Or am I trying to trick you? Either way, take a look below and see what you think. Just send us an email with your guess to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

Terror Down Under

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Back in 2008, when Mark Hartley’s incredible documentary Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation came out, I had no idea just how many horror and exploitation films had actually came from Australia. More and more titles that I had heard or seen, but never knowing they actually were made ‘down under’. Plus, it also put the spotlight on a few titles that I had never seen yet. No matter what though, it showed that country had definitely made its own mark on the genre.

More importantly, I’m not sure that I knew the Australian government had actually banned horror films, from making them to even importing and showing them, all due to religious communities and righteous watchdog groups. Now thanks to author Daniel Best, we’re going to have a chance to learn all about the history of the ban, the censorship, and getting past it, in his book Terror Down Under: A History of Horror Film in Australia, 1897 – 1973. For me, there is nothing more enjoyable than opening up a new world of information about the horror genre, giving one a new insight to the history of the genre that us here in the States (or other countries) might not have a clue of what was going on during certain times. At first, I thought this was a standard film guide for Australian horror films but after reading what the book was actually about, I am even more intrigued and interested in digging into it!

Priced at $39.95 and 204 pages, it set to come out from McFarland this October.

Movie Review: A Chinese Ghost Story

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(1987)
Directed by Sui-Tung Ching
Starring Leslie CHeung, Joey Wang, Wu Ma, Wai Lam, Sui-Ming Lau, Zhilun Xue

In the early ‘90s, I was really getting into the Hong Kong action flicks that were just starting to break out here in the underground market, especially the works of John Woo. Around that time, there was a British TV show called Incredibly Strange Film Show (1989-1989), hosted by Jonathan Ross who would interview strange directors and characters from cult and exploitation films, such as Doris Wishman, Russ Myer, Ray Dennis Steckler, and Ted V. Mikels. On one of these episodes, he talked to Tsui Hark, producer of a lot of the early John Woo films, showing clips from the different titles he’s produced or directed. During this montage, they showed some scenes that just blew me away. It had flying heads, a guy with a HUGE tongue, beautiful ghosts, and things I had never seen before. These were from A Chinese Ghost Story (1987), and I knew I had to find to see if it was as amazing as the short clips I saw.

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