Category Archives: Reviews: Movies

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad

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(1958)
Directed by Nathan Juran
Starring Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant, Richard Eyer, Torin Thatcher, Alec Mango, Danny Green

Okay, so why are we reviewing a Sinbad movie here in the Krypt? Simple… it does have monsters! And more importantly, they were created and animated by the one and only Ray Harryhausen. It cannot be stated enough of what the impact of Harryhausen’s work had influenced not only the industry at that time, but all the people that would be so inspired by his work that they decided their future path would be connected somehow to what Harryhausen had started. So, while this film isn’t going to give you chills and goosebumps, I’m pretty sure it will still thrill you and just be in awe of some of the work that Harryhausen has given us. And now thanks to this incredible 4K that has just come out, along with a ton of extras, it’s going to help you fall in love with the master’s work, as well as still being so impressed with what he accomplished, I’m sure you’ll soon forget that it’s not a horror movie.

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Movie Review: Night of Bloody Horror

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Night of Bloody Horror (1969)
Directed by Joy N. Houch. Jr.
Starring Gerald McRaney, Evelyn Hendricks, Gaye Yellen, Herbert Nelson, Lisa Dameron, Charlotte White, Nick Krieger

This is a title that I remember renting back in the VHS days and wondering what the hell was going on in the film. Not because it was an intricate or confusion plot, but because it was so damn dark! I honestly didn’t remember any of the film from back then. It’s been released on DVD before, but the quality always looked the same. When this new Blu-ray from Leomark & Shoreline Entertainment came out, I figured I’d give it a try. Unfortunately, it looks exactly the same. Dark as hell. Any time there are night shots, you can barely see anything. Even indoors, the lighting isn’t the greatest. Very disappointing. But let’s get to the actual movie.

This is the first film directed by Joy N. Houch Jr., who would go on to direct other grindhouse and drive-in fair like Women and Bloody Terror (1970), which has one hell of an exploitive title, The Night of the Strangler (1972), which starred Mickey Dolenz from The Monkees, The Brain Machine (1972), which stars James Best, and Creature from Black Lake (1976), which is probably his best film, as well as his best known film. So, I’ll have to give Bloody Horror a little bit of a break since it was Houch Jr.’s first feature, and maybe he didn’t realize what filming at night meant needing lights.

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Movie Review: The House of Hammer: Volume 1

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For decades, Hammer fans would get excited when the famous studio would get a new owner and we’d hear promises of a return of the name of Hammer. And then we’d wait. And wait. And nothing. Then another new owner, and the same would follow. But ever since John Gore bought Hammer Films, those promises has not only happened but have gone way beyond any fans’ dream. It started with the glorious 4K restorations of not only some of their most famous classic titles, but even some more obscure and non-horror titles that started Hammer on their path years before the gothic revival they started in 1957. And they continued on.

Then they started to announce titles that were not from the Hammer catalog but other British titles, acquiring licenses from studios like Tyburn, AIP, United Artists, and others. They are giving these films the same treatment and restorations as their own titles, giving movie fans a chance to see them like never before. Not to mention the extras included in the releases.

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Movie Review: Sacrificios

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(2025)
Directed by Mauricio Chernovetzky
Starring Jorge A. Jimenez, Frida Astrid, Siddhartha Tonalli

There are a lot of movies that are made just to give you some mindless entertainment, excitement, fun, and maybe even make you laugh. And that is not a criticism because we need those movies, especially in this day and age. But when a film takes a series subject, one that I hope no one would ever have to deal with, takes that trauma, those feelings of grief and guilt, and intertwine them into a movie with a possible supernatural element to it, I’m even more impressed. But let me just say, I have no idea if that is what co-writer and director Chernovetsky was dealing with when he and other writer, Alexander Ioshpe, came up with this story. No matter how they came out it, it is a very impactful story.

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Movie Review: Jackalope

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(2026)
Directed by Bryce Hirschberg
Starring Alex Mandel, Bryce Hirschberg, Catherine Corcoran, Dallas Hart, Howie Mandel

Bryce Hirschberg directs, co-wrote, produced, edited, and stars in this picture, so you could say he’s put a lot of work into it. While I’m not sure it’s the best title for the film, only from a marketing aspect, it does play into the film and is an interesting story with some depth to it. The picture stars Hirschberg as Aidan, who is taking his younger brother Connor (Alex Mandel) on a little brothers getaway. From a flashback sequence and a call to their father (played by Alex’s real father, comedian Howie Mandel), we know there is something going on with Connor. There was some sort of a bad breakup with a wife or girlfriend, but Connor does not want to talk about it. We can tell that there is something deeper going on though. What seems to be an attempt to do the “relax and get away from it all” at their father’s vacation home, doesn’t seem to be going the way Aidan had expected.

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Movie Review: Broken Beak

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(2026)
Written & Directed by Christian Carroll
Starring Briar Rose, Lydia Peckham, Katlyn Wong, Joel Tobeck, Jonny Brugh, Bruce Hopkins

I love when films bring something new to the table when it comes to the “monster”. And by that, I mean, when we delve into the rich, untapped folklore, or even creating a new creature that sounds like it could come from a hundred-year-old tale, it is so refreshing compared to just another vampire, zombie, or other monster that we’ve seen over and over again. Don’t get me wrong, I love those monsters too, but it’s always nice to see something different. And we get that with Broken Beak.

The story, originally called The Burning of Broken Beak, was written and directed by Christian Carroll, who also provided the score too! Busy guy. This is Carroll’s first horror feature, and I like what I’ve seen. The film stars off with a brutal murder of a man who just made a huge deal to sell some land in New Zealand that is going to be turned into a huge tourist area. After the deal, he wanders a deserted beach area, not sure if he’s celebrating or regretting what he’s done, but then he is brutally stabbed to death by what looks like a person in a bird costume?

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Movie Review: The Devil Whispered My Name

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aka Un susurro invocó mi nombre (2025)
Directed by Emilia Cotella & John Mathis
Starring Clara Kovacic, Valeria Beltramo, Cristian Cavo, Andrés Malakkian

It seems that Argentinian horror films are becoming a thing. After what we’ve seen lately, especially from Demián Rugna, it seems that country has been making some impressive entries in the horror genre. And we love it!

This story takes a little folklore, a little mysticism, and of course, some religion thrown into the mix. A group of five young adolescents who go off on a little camping trip, as well as another trip. They concoct some sort of brew to drink that will expand their minds. Carla promises her best friend Maria that she’s got her back and that everything will be fine. But when Carla finally wakes up after having some frightening visions, she finds Maria laying in a pool of blood on the riverbank, with what looks like some sort of a ritualistic design carved into her chest.

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Movie Review: Audition

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(1999)
Directed by Takashi Miike
Starring Ryô Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki, Jun Kunimura, Renji Ishibashi, Miyuki Matsuda

I can vividly remember the first time I watched this film when it first came out, thinking it was moving kind of slow in the beginning. I mean, this was a horror film, right? All we’re seeing is this guy going through a lot of trouble to meet a future wife, which seemed kind of creepy when you think about it. But then we start to see some cracks in the story, meaning it isn’t going the way it seemed like. And then comes the infamous third act. Holy shit.

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Movie Review: The Navy vs the Night Monsters

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The Navy vs. the Night Monsters (1966)
Directed by Michael A. Hoey, with Jon Hall & Arthur C. Pierce (both uncredited)
Starring Mamie Van Doren, Anthony Eisley, Billy Gray, Bobby Van, Pamela Mason, Walter Sande, Edward Faulkner, Phillip Terry

What a title, huh? That would surely draw the attention of any young monster fan. And I’m sure it did, especially if you were cruising through the TV guide and saw this listed some Saturday afternoon. Which is exactly where most younger fans saw it. Now I’m not saying this is a terrible film by any means, but it is definitely a Turkey. Recently released on Blu-ray from Leomark Studios, in about as bare-bones edition as you can get. I had a copy of this movie on DVD from Cheezy Flicks or some other low budget place, and this Blu-ray is just slightly a step up from that. Barely. The movie just starts when you start the disc. No menus and definitely no extras. In fact, the cover art shows a guy with a beard staring at some sort of alien creature, face to face. Neither of these characters are in this movie, which is about killer plants. In fact, I’m trying to remember if there was even a guy with a beard!?!? But nonetheless, since it looks like they spent about $1 on the packaging, let’s get to the actual movie.

The movie starts with the typical narration, letting us know about how the U.S. is exploring Antarctic, to discover all its secrets! And after finding some strange plant life in an apparently warm spot down there, they load it on a plane to take it to the states. But on their way to Gow Island to refuel, they run into issues as they try to land. Low budget icon Anthony Eisley stars as Lt. Charles Brown (I kid you not) who is now in command of a Navy base located there, since his commanding officer left the night before, and now he must step up and take charge.

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Movie Review: Dust Bunny

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(2025)
Written & Directed by Bryan Fuller
Starring Sophie Sloan, Mads Mikkelsen, Sigourney Weaver, David Dastmalchian, Sheila Atim, Rebecca Henderson, Line Kruse, Caspar Phillipson

There aren’t too many movies I feel that can perfectly blend in fantasy and reality together, with a heavy touch of surrealism, and maybe a little life lesson in there, and do it well. Tim Burton is one that comes to mind, and only after a few minutes of watching Dust Bunny, I wondered if he had anything to do with this picture! It really is like a child’s dream/nightmare come to life and seeing it through the eyes of a little 8-year-old girl.

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