Veronica Carlson – Rest in Peace

Boy, does this one sting. Back in 1994, when Fanex announced they were doing a Hammer themed convention with a few guests attending from the famous studio, I knew I was going to be there, which I did. One of the guests there was the lovely Veronica Carlson. Meeting this amazing woman that I had watched many times onscreen during screenings of Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968) to my favorite entry in their Frankenstein series, Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969), was just a delight. Sure, while this may have been before conventions began to be all about the autographs, she was so friendly and kind, and truly respected her fans. Even over the next couple of decades when I had the chance to meet her a few more times, that friendliness and respect never wavered.

So, hearing today that she has passed away truly was some saddening news. Being a huge Hammer fan, a studio that in reality stopped making films in the late ’70s, the older we get, the more of these amazing talented people we lose, as we did today. Thankfully, due to her kindness, and her performances in these movies, we can always remember how gracious and talented she was. Rest in Peace, Veronica. Our thoughts go out to her friends and family during this difficult time.

Rondo Time!

The nominations have been announced for the 20th Annual Rondo Awards! Once again, my column for HorrorHound magazine, They Came from the Krypt, has been nominated for Best Column. So, this is my one and only press push to persuade you to vote! In all honesty, I hope that everyone does vote because there are a lot of talented people out there giving it there all, most of which are doing it out of sheer passion, not profession. But nonetheless, it is something that all horror fans can share in. It doesn’t matter who you’re voting for but take a few minutes and go through the categories and cast your vote. You don’t have to vote in all categories but vote from the heart for those you do support. You can read the full list at the Rondo website HERE. Write them down and email them to David Colton, the man in charge at taraco@aol.com. You have until midnight on April 17th. So don’t delay!

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Soundtrack Review: Triangle

Triangle
Released by Moviescore Media, 2009
21 Tracks with a total running time of 48 min.
Music composed Christian Henson, featuring Dot Allison

This score starts out with this haunting little lullaby that just takes root in your brain. It reminds me a lot of the opening theme for Rosemary’s Baby but seems more like something you’d sing to sooth a baby to sleep, though with some darker elements to it! Between the vocals and the piano, it is highly memorable and works so well, both on its own, as it does in the film.

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Feedback & Reviews Welcomed!

Back in the summer of 2019, right before the world went crazy, I published my first book, Discover the Horror. You may have heard me mention it a time or two here on the site . . . I’ve heard from quite a few of you that have purchased it and enjoyed it, giving me a lot of great comments and thoughts about it. But I need to ask one more favor from you. If you have read it, please consider taking a few minutes and posting a review on Amazon. Doesn’t have to be too be wordy and long, but just a review. The more reviews on there, the more it will circulate along with other similar items. The more it pops up, the more a chance someone who doesn’t know me and the Krypt, will take a chance on it. Every little bit helps, so it would be very much appreciated!

But that also goes to my site, and my new venture into podcasting, with my friends Damien Glonek and Aaron AuBuchon. If you’ve listened to any of our episodes, we’d love to hear some feedback. You can post comments on the site (discoverthehorror.com), or on our Facebook page, or you can even email us at podcast@discoverthehorror.com. Feel free to leave not only comments, but suggestions for a future topic, or maybe some of your favorites from a subject we just discussed.

The point of all of this is to keep the trend of positivity going. By that I mean not just for my book, the site, or the podcast, but anything you’ve come across that has impressed you. Leave a positive comment. At a restaurant where you could tell the waiter was busting their butt, or if the food is really good. If you’ve heard a song or album recently, post about it and let others know!

A positive comment can go a long way.

A Very Scary Axemass to You All!

From everyone here at the Krypt, we wish all of you out there the happiest of holidays. Hopefully you are able to spend some time with friends and family (at safe distances, mind you!), even if it is on Zoom or simply the phone. Always keep those connections open and flowing.

May the Old and Mighty Lord Cthulhu smile upon you long enough before you go completely insane!

Mystery Photo 12-13

I would have had this posted earlier, but good old Infinity decided on the day I took off work to be “working on repairing” an outage in my area, so I just go my internet back on. I mean, how did we ever live without this?!?!? Madness. Our photo from last week is from the Jean Rollin 1982 film La morte vivante, or more commonly known as The Living Dead Girl. While I’m not a huge fan of all of Rollin’s work, I do really like this one! Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Aaron AuBuchon, Troy Howarth, & James Turner. Well done!

This week’s photo is another favorite of mine, so let us see who else might recognize it. Just remember to email me your guess (to jon@kitleyskrypt.com). Good Luck!

Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Stories!

I’ve been enjoying del Toro’s work since his debut feature Cronos (1993) and loved most of his work since then. This might be a little older news, but when I read about a new series that he has created for Netflix, I was immediately intrigued. The series is called either Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, or just 10 After Midnight (which is how it is listed on IMDB), which is going to consist of 10 different episodes, each helmed by a different director. Though I think del Toro himself will be directing an episode himself.

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What Am I Thankful For?

For me, this holiday is really about Turkey Day, my marathon of cinematic shipwrecks that I’ve been doing for almost two decades (which I hope you can join us tomorrow!). But no matter what your beliefs or feelings about the actual Thanksgiving, it should be a time to think about what you are thankful for. Granted, we shouldn’t have to wait until one day a year for it and should think and appreciate that every single day. But here are a few things that I am thankful for.

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Turkey Day 2021

While Thanksgiving is in a couple of days, where quite a few of us will be stuffing our faces with enough food to put us into a food coma, the real event in this Friday: Turkey Day 2021! Make sure you are well rested because we have some . . . uh . . . great titles lined up for this year’s marathon. Some of these might test your will as well as hope for humanity, but we are professionals. What doesn’t kill you, and all that stuff.

The Kosmi room will open up at 9am with an hour full of trailers. This will give you plenty of time to get logged in, hooked up, or whatever else you need to do to be ready by 10am, because that is when the first feature will start.

Here is the link to the Kosmi Room: https://app.kosmi.io/room/draqzn. When you check in, if it doesn’t let you put in your name, please announce who you are, just so everyone is not trying to guess. Makes it a little easier. Just remember to have fun and enjoy the films!

Here is our schedule for the features:

  • 9am – Trailers
  • 10am: Feature #1 – Features one of the great horror icons from the ’30s
  • 11:30am: Feature #2 – Perfect example of showing that just because you can shoot a couple of music videos, doesn’t mean you can make a movie
  • 1:15pm: Feature # 3 – We go south of the border for one of the most unusual monsters on film
  • 2:45pm: Feature #4 – Off to Italy with an all-star (maybe not BIG stars to most) cast of actors and monsters
  • 4:30pm: Feature #5 – Back to the states and to Florida. Like catfish?
  • 6:15pm: Feature #6 – Now out of the water and into the . . . well, probably shouldn’t