Category Archives: Rest in Peace

To highlight those that we have lost, that have made an impact to this genre we love so much. They may be gone, but will never be forgotten.

David Emge – Rest in Peace

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I know this is coming a little late, but it has been a wee bit busy here at the Krypt this week, so my apologies. But last Saturday, we lost an actor who was part of an iconic film that really did change the history of cinema. While George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968) started the zombie genre, it was the sequel, Dawn of the Dead (1978) that made it a huge sensation. And part of that cast, was David Emge, playing the helicopter pilot Stephen aka “Flyboy”, who also just happened to make the audience think he was the main male lead. But we all know it doesn’t work out too well for him in the end. But it was Emge’s performance that drew the audiences in and thought that with his friends, Peter & Roger, and his girlfriend Fran, that we just might make it. But then we remember this is a Romero film.

Emge only made a few film appearances in his career, but he will forever be remembered as Flyboy. He passed away last Saturday at the age of 77. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family. Rest in Peace.

David J. Skal – Rest in Peace

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When I saw this news start popping up in my feeds, I was really thinking / hoping it wasn’t true, especially since it apparently happened almost two weeks ago and we’re just hearing about it now. But it apparently is true, that David J. Skal has passed away, and its truly a stake in the heart for us horror cinephiles.

Usually, the names I post here are the ones that we have loved watching on screen, or know they were the ones directing the film. But this loss is different. Skal spent his time writing and teaching us fans about the genre we loved. In fact, not only did I learn something from each one of his books I tackled, but it made me want to seek out and see or see again different films. Now there have been more than a few times when I’ve disagreed with some of his comments or points, but it no matter what, it makes us think. It makes us ponder different points of view that may not change ours, but at least lets you think and see it from another vantage point. And for me, that is why losing his voice is such a great loss.

But like the movies from the recently departed, that we’ll always have to remember them by, for Mr. Skal, we have plenty of books, audio commentaries, and documentaries that he had a huge part in, that will continue to make us fans, as well as the new ones coming into them, smarter and just a better fan. Thank you, Mr. Skal. Rest in Peace.

Tisa Farrow – Rest in Peace

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Almost made it through the halfway point of the month without losing a very familiar face in the horror genre. Not because she made so many movies, but she appeared in one specific one that made her very famous to us horror fans. Tisa Farrow, at the age of 72, passed away today. She is best known for her role as the female lead in Lucio Fulci’s Zombie (1979), co-starring with Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson, Peirluigi Conti aka Al Cliver. She did appear in a couple of other genre related titles, including a great little made-for-TV movie a year before Zombie, called The Initiation of Sarah (1978). The second to her last role was in Joe D’Amato’s Antropophagus (1981). The movie life didn’t set well with her and decided to end her career and get into nursing.

While we applaud her decision to work at helping people, us horror fans will always have a soft spot in our twisted little hearts for the work that she did appear in. Our thoughts go out to her friends and family during this difficult time. Rest in Peace, Tisa.

2023 Year End Review – Part 3: Never to Forget

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As we start off 2024, always with the intent of making things better, doing more, and enjoying life more, it should always be a time of remembrance, especially of those that have affected your life in some sort of way. These people involved in the movie industry are a huge part of that for me. This is always the sad part of my recap of the year, because I’m reminded of the great talent that we’ve lost over the last 12 months. But then, I do think about them, and that is what is important, isn’t it? Not to just remember them, but the incredible work that they have left us, to forever enjoy, re-watching it over and over again. As film fans, I do feel it is our job to keep their memories alive by honoring them and their work. So, while we are sad that they are no longer with us here in the physical world, their legacy is and as long as we keep watching those films, reading their work, then they are still here.

To those that made a mark on the horror genre, no matter how big or small, Rest in Peace, and know that you will never be forgotten!

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Richard Moll – Rest in Peace

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While he’s mainly known for his role as Bull, the bailiff on the TV series Night Court that ran for 8 seasons, but it was his appearances in some early films that made me aware of who this towering figure was. In 1981, he appeared in a small role as Father Esteban in the film Evilspeak. The following year, while in cased entirely under makeup, he played the evil sorcerer Xusia in The Sword and the Sorcerer. Of course, when he played Big Ben in Steve Minor’s horror/comedy House (1985), between that and Night Court, everyone knew who Richard Moll was.

No matter what type of roll he played, from the evilest villain to the funniest, he always delivered, and was always entertaining. We lost Mr. Moll on Oct. 26th, at the age of 80!

Jeff Burr – Rest in Peace

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We had the wonderful opportunity to meet Mr. Burr a few times over the years at different conventions and not once was he anything but gracious, open, and damn friendly. I first became of him and his work with his first feature film, From a Whisper to a Scream (aka The Offspring) from 1987, which is a cool little anthology film with Vincent Price in the wraparound segment telling the different stories. There is some twisted tales in this one, as well as a great cast too. Burr would go on to do Stepfather 2 (1989) and the very troubled Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990), which at one point he was fired and then rehired again! He continued to work over the years, every now and then in the horror genre, but I’ve always enjoyed his work.

So, hearing today that he had passed away at the age of 60, it was a very saddening moment. Not only did we lose a real talent there, but it is also a shame that we won’t get to see another picture from him or see him at a convention chatting it up with fellow fans. Thankfully, we do have his films that he’s left us to remember his talent with, and for that, he will always be remembered. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.

David McCallum – Rest in Peace

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We read the news last night that we had lost another icon, not only film, but especially television, the great David McCallum. Probably best known for two roles on a TV series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. from 1964 to 1968, and over 3 decades later, appearing in the hit TV show NCIS (2003-2023) for 2 decades! But to us horror fans, while he may not have appeared in a ton of shows, he was there. He appeared in a couple of episodes of The Outer Limits, on episode of Night Gallery, the made-for-TV movie She Waits (1972), the title character in the TV series The Invisible Man (1975-76), and Disney’s creepy film The Watcher in the Woods (1980).

But for me, he will always be remembered as Dr. Henry Clerval in the 1973 made-for-TV movie Frankenstein: The True Story. While it is far from the “true story”, it is childhood favorite that remains a favorite to this day.

McCallum passed away on Monday at the age of 90 from natural causes. Because of his work in TV and films, and the huge fan base his work has created, his memory will continue on to entertain and delight audiences to come. Thank you, Mr. McCallum for your hard work and dedication to your craft. Gone, but not forgotten. Our thoughts go out to you and your family during this difficult time.

William Friedkin – Rest in Peace

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It’s hard to go on any social media today and not see the news of the passing of director William Friedkin, at the age of 87. While he made plenty of films, it really was only two that gave him the notoriety that he carried with him for the rest of his career, the first being The French Connection (1971) and, of course, The Exorcist (1973). On the later, one can argue about his tactics on set (and one should), but the end results that ended up on film are just incredible, giving us, without question, one of the scariest films of all time. It is a film that still holds up today and can still pack the same slap to the face, has he had done to Father William O’ Malley, playing Father Dyer, right before the scene where he gives Karras his Last Rites.

Because of The Exorcist, Friedkin will never be forgotten in the minds of not only horror fans, but movie fans in general. He was able to create one powerful film, obviously with the help of many talented actors, makeup artists, technicians, and everyone else involved in that film. But without his craziness leading the charge, who knows if it would have been as effective.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Friedkin. Thank you for the nightmares.

Gary Kent – Rest in Peace

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We were out of town at a convention when we saw the news that Mr. Kent had passed away and it just put a huge cloud over the rest of the day. I met him at a Cinema Wasteland show way back in 2005, where he was there with Bud Cardos, William Smith, and Greydon Clark, where they talked about the old days doing stunts, and all sorts of crazy stuff in the low budget and independent filmmaking world, as well as with working with Al Adamson. Kent had such great stories, as they all did. A few years later, I learned that Kent had written an autobiography called Shadows & Light: Journeys with Outlaws in Revolutionary Hollywood, that came out in 2009. I immediately ordered it and started reading it when it arrived. I have read a lot of autobiographies before, but never one as entertaining, and definitely not as funny as this one. Kent’s style and use of metaphors made it such an enjoyable experience, plus, hearing all the crazy stories of what they used to do in the stunt world.

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Alan Frank – Rest in Peace

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For those out there who were horror fans before the internet, the only way to learn about these movies were reference books. Along with names like Denis Gifford and William Everson, Alan Frank was one of those authors who wrote several books on the horror genre, which gave us young and eager fans volumes filled with photos that were etched in our young minds. This was at a time when looking at some of the movie stills, we dreamed that one day we might be able to see the actual movie. These books were paged through, over and over, committing the names of the people, the titles of the films, and the amazing images that were throughout each of them. They sparked our imagination, sent our brains into wonderous pondering of what actually happened in the movies just from one image.

Now, all these years later, when watching a movie and a scene comes up where a still was used from, it all comes back to that time gazing into those books.

Alan Frank wrote a number of these volumes, most of which I have copies of in my library. These were some of the first that were available at that time and were the go-to titles for the longest time. We recently heard that Frank has passed away, at the age of 85. While our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time, I just want to say THANK YOU to Mr. Frank for helping become the horror fan I am today. Your work was essential for me, as well as many others, during those early years.