The New Krypt Hits 100 Post Milestone!

June 27, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings | 1 Comment

Well, it has been about four months since we’ve switched the Krypt over to the new site and this is our 100th post! It was a struggle in making the transition but I still think it was for the best. I know I am enjoying the new way of doing this, which I have to say is much easier. I can only hope that everyone out there is still enjoying the updates and my ramblings.

Even though we’ve changed where we are doing it, my goal is still the same, that I am still delivering you the same quality content that I had been doing with the old site for the last 17 years, and hope to continue to do so for more years to come. As it has been since the beginning, this is a labor of love and passion and am grateful to all of you out there that follow this site and show your support. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.

Don’t forget you can follow this site by clicking either the Follow button on the right, or entering your email address in there. That way, each time we post something, you’ll automatically get an email letting you know. Pretty fancy, huh? Also, we’d love to hear more thoughts and comments from you out there. One of the things I really liked about this new format is the ability for you, the reader, to post your own thoughts and comments directly here on the site. There is nothing more I enjoy then having a nice conversation about this genre that we all love. So please, feel free to add your own two cents in to whatever I’m yapping about, or even if you have questions. I’m all ears.

Alright…back to work for now.

Looking for a Hidden Horror? The Sender Comes to Blu-ray and DVD

June 26, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged Olive Films, The Sender, Zeljko Ivanek | Leave a comment

A couple of years ago, we published a book called Hidden Horror. Heard of it? Well, it was a collection of essays on 101 horror films that we felt more people needed to see as well as maybe not even being too familiar with. Author Will Wilson’s pick for his essay was the 1982 film The Sender. And now thanks to the fine folks at Olive Films, access to this wonderfully creepy film is a little more…accessible!

The story deals with a young trouble man who attempts to kill himself at the opening of the film. He is placed in a psychiatric facility for observation. But strange things start to happen, with bizarre and terrifying images start appearing in people’s minds. The young man, is played by the brilliant character Zeljko Ivanek, making his debut performance here.

I don’t want to go into much detail about it, but only that it is well worth your watch. So order your copy now and I’m sure you won’t regret it and might even be wondering why you had never even heard of this film before.

Unfortunately, Olive Films website doesn’t list any extras on the disc, so we’re not sure what, if any, they are. We’ve already reached out to them to find out and will post it here if we hear back. But you can check out their site HERE for what info they do have.

Larry Fessenden’s Habit Comes to Blu-ray

June 14, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged Habit, Larry Fessenden, vampires | Leave a comment

Scream Factory announced that they would be putting out the Larry Fessenden Collection later this year. The films include No Telling, Wendigo, The Last Winter, and lastly, his film Habit, which I personally think is one of the best low budget and realistic modern-day vampire films out there. This was the first film I had seen of Fessenden and have become a fan of his work ever since. I’m also excited about getting to see No Telling, which is the only one of these titles that I haven’t seen yet.

There’s no release date yet, or what extras are going to be on here, other than the promise of a lot of them. No matter what they are, I know I’ll be picking this up when it hits the streets. Fessenden is an extremely talented man and I’ve pretty much loved most of the stuff he is involved with, whether as an actor, director, or producer.

My good friend Aaron Christensen not only is responsible for pointing this film in my direction, but also chose to write about it in the book Hidden Horror.

I urge everyone out there to check these out…especially Habit, and even more so if you’re one of these that is tired of the vampire genre. This one just might change your mind.

Evilspeak # 4….coming next month

June 4, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged Evilspeak Magazine, Paul Naschy | Leave a comment

Next month will see the release of Volume 4 of Evilspeak Magazine. With close to 300 pages, you’ll get to read about some of Pete Walker’s films, Creepy Canine Cinema, A Nightmare in a Damaged Brain, Daria Nicolodi, Naschy’s Night of the Howling Beast, and much more. Plus they have this amazingly wicked cover by Ed Repka! Stay tuned to find out when this beast has been unleased!

For all the information on this volume, along with the previous 3, as well as some kick-ass horror shirts that they are offering, just click HERE. They have a great selection of some simple horror worship t-shirts, including a couple of great Paul Naschy ones, so how could not need one of those!?!?!

Little Shoppe of Horrors # 34

May 23, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged Hammer Films, Little Shoppe of Horrors, magazines, Phantom of the Opera | 1 Comment

I don’t buy too many magazines these days. They are a bit pricey for the content you actual get, plus they are not the hardest to find these days. Sure, I’ve tried subscribing to a few, but some of them don’t seem to worry about when you get your issue. Since most of them are 1/3 of ads, I feel that you’re better off putting that $10 towards an actual book. But that is just me.

But, one magazine that I think is much different than those, and one that I buy each and every time a new issue comes out, is Richard Klemensen’s Little Shoppe of Horrors. I have been picking up them religiously since issue #8, which came out back in 1984. “The Klem” as he is called, has been putting this magazine out for over 40 years. If there are two things that shows in each and every issue is passion and dedication for Hammer Films, as well as British horror in general. With every issue, information is packed to the gills from the topics they are covering, with some stunning artwork filling out the pages. You’ll find information and interviews that give you a lot of insight of these films. And the “making of” pieces, which are usually written by Bruce G. Hallenbeck, are worth the cost of the issue alone. He never fails to shed new light on whatever film he is writing on.

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I, Madman escapes to Blu-Ray

May 20, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged I Madman, Randell Cook, Tibor Takacs | Leave a comment

It’s not too often these days that a movie comes out that is quite different and even original compared to most of the films coming out. That really goes for any era of cinema. But in 1989, this film snuck out with not much attention, other than from the likes of Fangoria and a few other horror outlets. And that is a damn shame because I feel that Tibor Takacs’ I, Madman is an exceptional film and still remains one of my favorites today.

The movie does a great job bending reality and fiction together, with our beautiful protagonist Jenny Wright never knowing what is real or from the book she is reading. Or has the story from the very pages come to life? Clayton Rohner stars as the police detective and boyfriend of Wright, trying to uncover the strange murders that have started recently. Wright seems to think she knows who the villain is, but barely believes herself, let alone trying to convince the police. Takacs and screenwriter David Chaskin does an excellent job weaving the two worlds together, and giving us one hell of a movie.

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And the Award for Worst Interview Ever Goes to…

May 20, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged Satan's Blade, Slasher Video, Turkey Day Marathon | 1 Comment

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of viewing the blu-ray release of Satan’s Blade, from producer/co-writer/director/actor L. Scott Castillo Jr. Followers of the Krypt all know about my annual Turkey Day Marathons that I hold every November. Well…I decided to do an impromptu event and hold the First Annual Turkey Day in May event! Yeah, it was kind of last minute, but I already had a plentiful list of titles for the next Turkey Day, I didn’t see a problem with doubling the fun during the year! Some of the usual suspects were there and I’ll have a full report posted at some point this month.

But this rant is really about the 1984 film Satan’s Blade. Actually, not about the movie itself, but one of the extras on this new blu-ray. There is an interview with director Castillo on the disc. Honestly…it is kind of hard to say it is in an interview with the director does 99% of the talking, while the poor woman interview is looking into the camera with the definite “shoot me now” look. Of course, that is when you can SEE her on camera. Let me explain. I’m not sure who they had working the camera, but when compared to the likes of Ed Wood or Ray Dennis Steckler, those guys should have been multiple Oscar winners for cinematography.

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Giant Spider Invades Blu-Ray!

May 18, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged Bill Rebane, Giant Spider Invasion | Leave a comment

Regulars to the Krypt not only know of my love for Turkey movies, but especially when they come from Wisconsin and involve a giant spider that has been made out of a Volkswagen beetle. It just boggles the mind when a movie like Bill Rebane’s The Giant Spider Invasion not only gets a blu-ray edition, but a 2-disc edition with a ton of extras, including a new documentary by the talented Daniel Griffith. But it is all true.

VCI Entertainment will be unleashing this Rebane’s monstrous arachnid, The Giant Spider Invasion next month on June 6th. It will feature the new documentary Size Does Matter! Making of The Giant Spider Invasion which is probably the thing that I’m looking forward to the most. Below is all the other extras included on this special edition. Some of it looks like it might have been filmed back at the Bill Rebane Film Fest that took place in Madison, WI, back in 2005, which I was honored to be in attendance. So it will great to see that being archived.

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Meet Adam Rockoff – Author of The Horror of It All!

May 17, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged Adam Rockoff, Book Signing, Horror of it All, horror reference books | Leave a comment

I know we just posted our review of Mr. Rockoff latest book recently, but he will be doing a few book signings in the next month or so in the Chicagoland and Wisconsin area. If you are nearby one of these bookstores, I would highly recommend stopping by and picking up a copy of it. It is a fun book and Adam is a great guy with plenty of great stories about the genre. Tell him we sent him.

Here’s where he will be appearing:

May 19th at Anderson’s at Two Doors East in Naperville, IL
May 20th at Boswell Books in Milwaukee, WI
May 21st at The Book Cellar in Chicago, IL
July 20th at the Madison Public Library in Madison, WI

Jeff Burr Interview

April 28, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged From A Whisper to a Scream, Jeff Burr, Shout Factory, Vincent Price | Leave a comment

While we didn’t conduct this interview, our good buddy and friend of the Krypt, Aaron Christensen did and it is well worth your time. Mr. Burr is one hell of a nice guy, who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a couple of times over the years and doesn’t get the credit that he should. So not only would I sugguest everyone pick up a copy of Shout Factory’s latest release, From a Whisper to a Scream, but take a few minutes to read AC’s interview with Burr.

Just click HERE to get to the interview.