Category Archives: Misc. Ramblings

Intrada Goes to The Funhouse

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Tobe Hooper’s 1981flick The Funhouse was a nice combination between a slasher film and a monster movie and pretty entertaining. The score from John Beal, was originally released in a version that only ran 38 minutes. But now, thanks to Intrada, we’re getting the complete score, along with another half hour of extras and alternate musical tracks, all remastered from the 24-track session tapes!

The total running time for this release is over 77 minutes, which is going to make any fan of this movie and it’s score very happy. Priced at $21.99, you can order your copy either directly from Intrada HERE or from Screen Archives Entertainment HERE, which is where I usually get my soundtracks from. They have a huge selection and good prices.

Vinegar Syndrome Unleashes Curucu!

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Now what exactly is the big deal that Vinegar Syndrome is releasing a film that is rated at a 3.7 on IMDB? Could it be because that Curucu, Beast of the Amazon, an extremely rare film, had never gotten a release on DVD or even VHS? Or maybe because it was written and directed by Curt Siodmak, who wrote countless classics like The Wolf Man (1941) or Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)? Or maybe because it stars Beverly Garland, a favorite amongst fans of the sci-fi / horror films of the ’50s? Or maybe because the main character’s name is Rock Dean! Or maybe it is simply because VS has found this almost lost film, taken the time to make a newly scanned and restored print in 2K from its 35mm dupe negative and saved this title from becoming another one of those lost films. I say for that alone, VS deserves our gratitude!

Now I had a bootleg copy of this on VHS, that not only was in black and white, but the quality was so bad that I never could get through it! When I saw the trailer and the quality of the print, I was blown away. Sure, this is not supposed to be that great of a movie. Doesn’t matter. With a title like Curucu, Beast of the Amazon, with some freaking amazing poster art, plus with some of the people involved in it, I know there will be a copy in my collection. We all know that a lot of the older movies never lived up to the hype the posters and trailers made it out to be, but we still enjoyed them. I know I can’t wait to finally get to see this, in a print quality that probably looks the best it has since its initial release!

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Silver Bullet Soundtrack Arrives!

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Jay Chattaway’s score for the 1985 film Silver Bullet, an adaptation of Stephen King’s 1983 novella Cycle of the Werewolf, is finally coming to CD, in a much longer edition than before. Originally, it was released on LB and CD, but just over 30 minutes of music, just highlights. But now, Intrada has taken the original session masters from the Paramount vaults, reassembled and sequenced them in the order of the film, and now runs close to an hour.

Priced at $21.99, which a bit pricy, but I’ve already ordered mine. Not only am I a sucker for soundtracks, I’m also a big fan of Chattaway’s scores, especially the one he did for Maniac (1980), plus, I do remember this being a fun little flick.

You can order it directly from Intrada HERE, or head over to Screen Archives HERE, which is where I tend to get a LOT of my soundtracks from.

Beast Creatures Come to Blu-Ray!

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Decades ago, in the time of video stores, seeing a big clamshell VHS tape was an easy way to get a young film fan’s attention, especially when they were looking for something a little different. It was during one of those trips that I came across Attack of the Beast Creatures on the World Video Pictures label. I rented it but had no idea what I was in for. I had always been a huge fan of Dan Curtis’ Trilogy of Terror, mainly due to the segment with the little Zuni doll running around trying to kill Karen Black. What I didn’t expect with Beast Creatures was that it is basically a whole island full of these types of monsters! While not the “best” made production, it is damn entertaining and just so much fun. A lot of hard work, and heart and soul went into this production, and it shows.

Back in 2018, I added this title to our Turkey Day line up and it was one of the favorites of the day. For those that don’t know what you’re going into, it almost makes it even better.

Now I see that Vinegar Syndrome has announced they are putting this out on Blu-ray! Of course, I immediately ordered it. This new release has been restored from the original theatrical version of the 16mm camera negative, so this is going to be the best it has looked since its initial release. As much fun that VHS copy was, the print is still pretty rough, so I can’t wait to see this upgrade. The release also features a partial commentary with director Mike Stanley, as well as interviews with him and writer Robert Hutton, and some test footage. It also lists a preservation of the VHS version from the 1″ tape master, so not sure if that means the theatrical version is different from the VHS version? We shall soon find out!

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Wishing Everyone A Very Scary Axemass!

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I know there hasn’t been a lot of updates this month, but I’m working on getting that back to normal, with several updates a week. Been a strange month, with trying to get ready for the holidays, and now the lovely drop in temps here in the Midwest, making me finally put on a coat over my hoodie. But everyone at the Krypt is still alive and kickin’ and ready for the new year to start. I’ve also been working on my Year End Reviews which always takes a lot longer than I anticipate. But the work is there, and it is coming.

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Mystery Photo 12-12

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Welcome to another Monday Mystery Photo! Our last photo must have really stumped everyone because I only got one correct answer and that was from Hoby Abernathy. The photo was from Guillermo del Toro’s first film, Cronos (1992), which still remains one of my favorites.

But let’s not waste time and get to today’s photo. Might not be on the same quality as del Toro’s work, but I think it is an interesting shot, nonetheless. Take a look and see what you can come up with. As always, remember to send your guess to me in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

To-See List!

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Around this time of year, everyone is making their Best Of lists for the last year, myself included. But here’s an idea . . . how about you make a list of films that you will watch next year. There are more than a few books (some pictured below) that give you a list of films you must see before you die or the Top 100 in whatever genre out there, plus there are plenty of those lists online if you just google it. Or, since everyone will be posting their lists within the next month, you could even go through those and see which ones you haven’t seen. For me, usually when I go through there, I’ve seen quite a few, but there is usually a title or two that I’ve never gotten around to. So, while I’m working on my Best Viewings for this year, I am also compiling a list of films that I plan to knock out in 2023.

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Happy Turkey Day!

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While our real Turkey Day is happening tomorrow, for everyone else out there, from everyone here at the Krypt, we wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. No matter how commercialized the holidays become these days, it doesn’t take long to take a few seconds and realize how thankful one should be. I know it’s hard sometimes, especially when you’re in the thick of it, but there are some bright spots out there that I think a lot of us tend to not notice. I know that is the case for me. So, when I have the chance to stop and look around and see with a little more clarity, things always do look a little better.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Karloff!

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As a young horror fan, Boris Karloff was the first of my horror heroes, and all of these years later, remains my all-time favorite. He was the first one that I knew the name of the person who was behind the monsters that he played. That came from probably his most famous role as the creature in James Whale’s Frankenstein (1931), or possibly because he narrated the Grinch, but I would later learn and appreciate more and more of his roles.

One reason for this was due to Richard Bojarski’s book The Films of Boris Karloff, which I checked out so often from my middle school library that I was told I couldn’t check it out any longer, to apparently give others a chance to check it out. I would page through there, looking at all the different roles that he appeared in, especially the horror ones, and dream of the day when I might be able to stumble across it on TV some Saturday afternoon. Oh, how naïve we were back then, huh?

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Italian Gore . . . Way Back in 1936

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A couple of things here. Italian horror cinema has always been known for its gore, especially when you consider the films that came out in the late ’70s and ’80s. From the works of Deodato, D’Amato, Lenzi, Fulci, Bava, Soavi, and the list goes on and on. So why am I surprised to see this Italian short film, called Il caso Valdemar, made way back in 1936? Directed by Gianni Hoepli & Ublado Magnaghi, it was based on the Edgar Allan Poe short story, The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar, first published in 1845. What I didn’t expect was the amount of gore for that time. When Corman adapted this story in his film Tales of Terror (1962), which Vincent Price melting at the end, was pretty cool, but seeing this done 26 years before is just amazing. This is a silent film, though there is some written Italian in the form of letters or notes. But the ending, though pretty dark, is just incredible that they came up with those effects that long ago.

Secondly, it amazes me each and every time that no matter how long I’ve been a fan and student of the horror film genre, that one can still learn new things. I always like to point this out to fans that are newer to the genre and that might feel a little intimidated by what some older and more experienced fans might know or all the films they have seen. Honestly, the way you need to think of it is that we are all on the same path, just that some have been on it a little longer. I don’t see a point where someone is going to be where they’ve seen it all. There will always be new things to discover, even if they came out decades ago. The goal should be to always to continue to discover more, whether it be new films or old ones, the excitement will be the same.

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