Category Archives: Misc. Ramblings

Must Have Box Sets

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You got to give some major props to these smaller boutique labels like Vinegar Syndrome, Synapse Films, and so many more, that keep putting out some rare titles that are either out-of-print on DVD or maybe never even been released in a digital format before. Today saw the announcement of two different box sets that I’m pretty excited about. One of the sets, I already all the titles, but upgrading to Blu-ray, especially with all the extras, it’s a no-brainer.

But let’s get to the first one that I’m most excited about. Today Severin Films announced Danza Macabra: The Italian Gothic Collection – Volume 1! For someone that is a huge Euro-Horror fan, especially the gothic horror titles, I’m very excited about this one. Coming out at the end of May, this box set will contain 4 features: The Monster of the Opera (1964), The Seventh Grave (1965), Scream of the Demon Lover (1970), and finally, Lady Frankenstein (1971), each one packed with extras.

The Monster of the Opera has a new 2K scan from the original negative, and will include audio commentary by Kat Ellinger, author of Daughters of Darkness. It will also have interviews with screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi, Italian film devotee Mark Thompson-Ashworth, and an archival interview with director Renato Polselli.

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Julia vs Julia

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A short time ago, I posted about the upcoming release of The Haunting of Julia on Blu-ray from the Australian company, Imprint Films. Shortly after that I was told that Shout Factory had also announced to release this film here in the states. But there are some dramatic differences between the two releases, which really has me in a quandary. We’ve waited decades for this film to get an actual release and now that we do, we get two of them!

As previously posted, the one from Imprint film has their presentation in a new 1080p High-Definition presentation on Blu-ray from a 4K scan from the original negative. But the Shout Factory release is a 4k UHD presentation.

The only extra it seems on the Shout Factory disc, if you order from them directly, is a 18×24 rolled poster of the theatrical artwork.

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The Haunting of Julia to Hit Blu-Ray

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Before the success of the 1981 adaptation of Peter Straub’s 1979 novel Ghost Story, and earlier novel simply called Julia, published in 1975, was made into a film called Full Circle, but was released over here in the states under the title The Haunting of Julia. Mia Farrow stars as a recently separated woman who is struggling to regain her life back after the death of her young daughter. She moves to London to start that new life, but the place she picks seems to have another presence there, one of a young girl. Also starring Keir Dullea, Tom Conti, Jill Bennett & Robin Gammell.

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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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