Hammer Horror Soundtracks!

 

Coming in 2019, Hammer fans will finally get the complete scores from Horror of Dracula and The Curse of Frankenstein, created by the late, great James Bernard. The scores have been reconstructed by Leigh Phillips, with booklet notes by David Huckvale, and produced by James Fitzpatrick and Leigh Phillips. They will be created through the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Nic Raine.

To say that I’m excited to see these two scores finally get a release is a slight understatement. Hopefully they can get the right sound and feel of the originals, but I know I’ll be adding them to my audio library once they come out. Once I hear more info, I will pass it on here.

Onetti Brothers’ Abrakadabra!

ABRAKADABRA poster
Back in 2015, Luciano and Nicolas Onetti gave us Francesca, a giallo made with the same look and style of those classic Italian films of the ’70s. In fact, if you didn’t know any better, you probably wouldn’t have known this was not only a made recently, but also by a crew that mainly consisted of these two brothers! Their talent is pure amazing.

And now, we have their new film, entitled Abrakadabra. Check out the trailer below.

McFarland Book Sale 25% Off!

 

How could I not post something about this huge book sale that the scholarly publisher, McFarland is having a 25% off all their horror related books! If you check out our Horror Reference Book reviews, you’ll find more than a few McFarland titles. That’s mainly because they continue to put out high quality editions. Yes, they normally are a bit pricy, but now is your chance to save a good chunk of change of some of these.

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Williams’ Dracula Special Edition Release

Dracula special edition

One of the very first film scores that hooked me was that of John Williams’ score for the 1979 version of Dracula, starring Frank Langella. It was also one of the first soundtrack LPs I bought back in the day, being every bummed that it just wasn’t that long of a score. But now all of that is going to change, thanks to Varèse Sarabande.

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Notes from the Krypt…

As you’d expect, this is a busy month for us. With events going on every weekend, not to mention coming into Chicago every Monday for something as well, the days are just flying by. Not a bad thing, mind you, but really tough to squeeze in some good horror flicks with all this going on. But this is the path we choose, right?

my bloody valentine1

 

Last weekend, we were in Strongsville, OH for the 18th year at Cinema Wasteland. Hard to believe it has been going on that long and still continues to be a great time. The draw this year was for a reunion for a favorite of mine, the original My Bloody Valentine (1981) and the Q&A was very informative and entertaining. Although I must admit being a little depressed when they asked a packed room right before the screening of the film, just how many people there have never seen the film before, and about two thirds of the room raised their hands. I would have thought this would have been key film to watch during your slasher education. Or at least, if you were going to a convention that the main guest lineup was a cast reunion from a film you hadn’t seen…that you’d watch it before the show! Sorry…Old Man Kitley is coming out again. Times for my meds.

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Hammer’s Plague Hits Blu-Ray

plague of the zombies 1

Plague BlurayYeah, I know this was all over Facebook yesterday, but damn if I’m not going to help spread the word a bit more! While I may be a huge Hammer fan, their 1966 film The Plague of the Zombies is one of my all time favorites of theirs. So I am more than thrilled to see this hit Blu-ray, thanks to Shout Factory!

This was Hammer’s only movie that dealt with zombies, though these are the voodoo type, not the flesh-eating type. Maybe because Romero didn’t unleash his until two years later. But this is a prime example of what Hammer did best. They had an great cast with two powerful leads, André Morell as Sir James Forbes and John Carson as Squire Hamilton. Morell is so much fun to watch, being so proper and the whole stiff upper lip, but yet still has a dark sense of humor. Carson, who plays the villain, was born to play this part. Whether it is his voice, which is very similar sounding to James Mason, or his evil stare, that can easily hide behind a smile. Of course, throw in Michael Ripper in a minor role, and it makes it even better!

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Severin Goes to Blood Island

Blood Island CollectionI’ve been a huge fan of the horror films made in the Philippines, especially the Blood Island films. So I was thrilled when I first heard mention that Severin was going to be releasing these films on Blu-ray. Even more so when I saw the kind of promo stuff they are making available. Granted, the limited edition Dr. Lorca’s Head Bundle is already sold out (Also note…that’s not Dr. Lorca’s Head…just saying), which was a major bummer. But the stuff in the Blood Oath Bundle is pretty damn cool too. Got to give Severin major props for the stuff they come up with. From the Anthropophagus Plush figure, or the beach ball from The Horror of Party Beach, to even the little rubber ball from The Changeling, they are killing it when it comes to new promo items.

So what is in this box set?

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Naschy Tribute in Legend of Hombre Lobo

Legend of El Hombre Lobo 1

I’m usually not one for cheap knock-offs or so-called tributes when it really looks like the filmmakers are just ripping off the subject they are supposedly trying to pay homage to. But after viewing the below trailer for The Legend of El Hombre Lobo, I am pretty intrigued about this short film and look forward to seeing it. I mean, when you’re paying tribute to the one and only Paul Naschy, you’re going to get my attention right away. From the look of this trailer below, it looks like they’ve nailed the look and feel of his gothic films. One can only hope!

 

Naschy Werewolf Bust!

Naschy bustYears ago, I used to be into resin and vinyl model kits. I wasn’t the greatest painter, but I enjoyed it and I did okay. But I got out of it quite some time ago because it just was taking too much of my time. I would get a kit and then spend every waking minute on it until it was finished. Several years ago, when we were setting up at Wonderfest in Louisville, it was very hard not to give into the temptation and buy more kits. But I stood my ground and kept myself from getting any. I still have a lot of my kits that I did paint around the Krypt, but haven’t bought a new kit in years.

Until now.

My buddy (and key enabler) Phil, sent me the below pics of a new kit that just came out, knowing that it was going to be very hard for me to pass up. And moments later, I was chatting with the man responsible for putting this kit out, Paul Gill, and ordering one of the kits.

This El Retorno Del Hombre Lobo kit was sculpted and painted by Mark Van Tine. It is 9 1/2″ inches of all Naschy! Obviously if you order one, it does not come assembled or painted. The parts are the bust, hand, base, and black plastic chains. Just making sure that is clear.

The price is $100 plus s&h. Keep in mind, these are made in limited quantities, so if you have any interests, I would contact Paul Gill through Facebook right away to make sure there are some left.

Naschy Figures!!!

Naschy figure - Night of the WerewolfWhile I might dabble occasionally in horror figures here and there, I was smart enough to stay away from that part of horror collecting. Mainly because there are so freaking many different ones out there, had I started, I would have gone broke by now! Sure, they are very cool and usually well done. But I just personally have a problem paying $80 to $120 for a 8″ or 12″ figure. Trust me, I understand they are handmade and only a limited number made. Just hard for me to part with that kind of cash for one.

I will say that I’m thrilled to see Paul Naschy represented in these character figures. Not just once…not twice…but now a third figure has been announced. The first two were from Werewolf vs the Vampire Woman (1971), one an 8″ figure and the other a 12″ figure. This newest one is another 8″ but is from Naschy’s Night of the Werewolf (1981), my personal favorites of his Daninsky films. I believe the 8″ figures were created by Distinctive Dummies, but not sure about the 12″ one. Although, finding information about them and browsing their website isn’t the easies.

Either way, kudos to them for helping keep Naschy’s spirit and films alive with these great figures. Who knows…maybe one of these days I’ll break down and get one. Or two. Or all three….stranger things have happened.