2010 Year End Review

(Originally published on our old site on January 2nd, 2011)

2010 YEAR END REVIEW

Another year gone and another one right behind the corner. Once again, the year was filled with great movies, plenty of conventions and film fests, and plenty of time spent with great horror friends, which is really what it is all about. You people out there have made this year a great one, and am really looking forward to this new year, for many different reason. So let’s take a look at back at this last year and what some of our highpoints were.

KRYPTIC ARMY

Last January, we started a new little project called our Kryptic Army. Our goal was to come up with a concept that would give people a new challenge each month to seek out two horror movies that they hadn’t seen before, following a certain theme. We weren’t sure how big of a success it was going to be. While we were hoping for more people participating, those that have been seemed to be having a great time with it. After all, that is what matters. But no worries, because our numbers seem to be growing each month. Continue reading

2009 Year End Review

(Originally posted on our old site January 3rd, 2010)

2009 Year End Review

Okay folks, here’s what you’ve all been waiting for. This turned out a quite a bit longer than I originally imagined, but I guess that just means the year was jammed packed. Let’s take a look back…..shall we?

ALWAYS REMEMBER – NEVER FORGET

PaulNaschyThere were several high points last year, as well as a few low ones as well. One of the lower one that hit me the most was the death of Paul Naschy at the end of November. The horror genre really lost one of the last remaining icons that day. But even with his passing, it is making me strive even more to get his work out there to people that are not aware of his massive filmography, let alone talent. So while we are still sadden by this lost, we do know that we will also keep his memory alive and can even bring him back to life, each time we pop in one of his movies. And this is something that we will continue to do so, on a regular basis. Continue reading

2008 Year End Review

(Originally posted on our old site on Dec. 28th, 2008)

2008  YEAR IN REVIEW

Here at the Krypt, 2008 was definitely a year of changes. Back in January of this year, I was fired from my job of 8 years. After what seemed like forever (really only months) of being out-of-work, I was lucky enough to get hired on to a company that I have so far loved working for. The people are great and the work is never boring. I had given up hope that one could actually have a job and enjoy going to work. But it can and does happen, folks. I’m living proof.

After 10 years of running the Krypt, we are just having as much fun as when we started. So please keep coming with the emails, the Mystery Photo answers, and all the other comments. It really means a lot to me, and shows that we are still on the right path. Continue reading

2007 Year End Review

(Originally posted on our old site on December 30th, 2007)

2007 IN REVIEW

First of all, as we do every year, we’d like to take a moment to remember all the celebrities that had made some contribution to the horror genre that passed away this last year. Whether they were actors, directors, or writers, these people have made an impact on the genre, and to film fans like us. Because of fans like us, these names will never be forgotten. I think that is the best gift that fans like us can give to any of these talented people… the gift of immortality. Thank you for all those wonderful films, performances, images, and memories!

Bob Clark, Yvonne DeCarlo, Freddie Francis, Charles B. Griffith, Karl Hardman,
Bruno Mattei, Tony Tenser, Roger Watkins Continue reading

2006 Year End Review

(Originally posted on our old site on December 31st, 2006)

2006 IN REVIEW

In re-capping this last year, I think the best thing throughout the year, still continues to be all the great films that are being released on DVD. Yea, there’s always those 2 and 3 disc special editions of the major blockbusters. But how about that 5 disc special edition of Richard Stanley’s Dust Devil that came out? And for only $20! There were also 2 different Boris Karloff collections, a great collection of classic horror films, including Mad Love, and even some great cheese-fest fun titles like Horror at Party Beach. And of course we have to give a nod to CasaNegra Entertainment for releasing those great Mexican classics like Curse of the Crying Woman, Witch’s Mirror, and Brainiac, in beautiful releases, as well as Dark Sky Films for continuing to put out some amazing titles and in even more amazing releases.

kitley_200pxOne of the biggest highlights of this year was thanks to the incredible talents of Joseph Vargo and Christine Filipak of Monolith Graphics. They are the ones responsible for creating our logo. Working from just a thought, Vargo came up with an image that fit our site and our “Discover the Horror” tagline perfectly. I can’t thank them enough for their work.  It has really given an recognizable image for this site. Continue reading

2005 Year End Review

(Originally posted on our old site on December 29, 2005)

2005  YEAR IN REVIEW

Well another year almost done and gone, and I have to say that this was a very mixed year for us. We did have quite a few highlights, which we will discuss shortly. But on a personal (and more importantly financial) standpoint, this year sucked. So we are very much so looking forward to ending this year and starting afresh! We have also set up some goals for ourselves for this website. More updates, more contests, and more fun. So let’s see what happens! We are working on a big update, including our Cry Wolf and Wolf Creek reviews, along with a couple of Soundtrack reviews as well. But instead of waiting until the whole thing is done, we’ll update what we get done each time, and go from there. Usually when I wait, it takes weeks to get everything done. So here’s what we got so far. Enjoy! Continue reading

2018 Year End Review – Part 4: Final Thoughts and Reflections

20 year banner22018 was a special year here at the Krypt because it marked the 20th anniversary of it. Back on October 19th, 1998, the Krypt came online. I’ve always said there’s been more than a few times that I’ve considered closing the door and spending more time reading the never-ending books in my library or watching the countless movies in my collection. But the Krypt has kept me sane over the years, giving me my little soapbox, an outlet to express my thoughts about the horror genre and those that work within it. Without it, I think I would have gone mad! Either that, or would have driven my friends crazy from always ranting and raving to them! There were even times that I thought I was just wasting my time here, but I know from the feedback that I get from you out there that is very far from the truth. And those that have reached out to me to express their praise of my ramblings, I can’t thank you enough because they have encouraged me to continue on. Which I have, and will continue to do. Like everyone’s else, this year has been full of ups and downs, but keeping the Krypt running has really been therapeutic and keeping me sane. So thank you to all of those that continue to follow and support me and the Krypt. I am so very grateful for you all. Here’s to another 20 years.

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2018 Year End Review – Part 3: Best Readings!

gromit-reading

I once again went beyond my goal of reading at least book a month this year, devouring a total of 15 titles. I seem to be on a trend because I’ve done that for the last 2 years. Granted, even at this rate, I still won’t get through every title I have, and that’s even if I stopped adding more titles to the library. And we all know that isn’t going to happen! But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try! Out of those 15 titles, here are the top 5 that I would recommend the most, listed alphabetically, even though I have a little adder at the bottom. If you want to read more detail about these titles, as well as the other ones I read, click on the link for Horror Reference Book Reviews on the menu to the right.

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2018 Year End Review – Part 2: Best Viewings

ritual

2018 was not a good year for movie watching for me. I think I spent more time on my book project, which took time away from me in the Kryptic Theater. We only got through 178 titles, I believe a record low since I’ve been keeping track. 66 of them were new films, so at least that percentage is up higher than normal, so that’s a positive, right? Hopefully 2019 will give me more time to get that number back up to at least 250 for the year. But we’ll see how that plays out!

Once again, here is my usual disclaimer. These are my “Best Viewings” of 2018. This means these titles were my favorites that I watched for the first time during this last year. So they may not necessarily be a new movie, I just got around to them. Strangely enough though, all of these titles came out within the last 3 years. That gives me great hope for the genre.

These are listed in alphabetical order, and not in any order of how much I liked them. These 5 titles impressed the hell out of me, for a variety of reasons. I don’t plan on going into any details about the films, as far as plot or storyline because if you haven’t seen them, I would suggest you seek them out. If you have, shoot me a note or stop me at a convention and we can discuss in greater detail if you wish.

So let’s get to them.

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2018 Year End Review – Part 1: Never to Forget….

cemetary old

This time of year, we always see those list of names that we’ve lost over the last year, that were responsible for some of the great entertainment that we’ve enjoyed over our own lifetime. It is no different here at the Krypt.

Seeing these lists are always such a double-edge sword. On one hand, we feel the loss of this great talent. But on the flipside, we’re reminded that we have bits and pieces of their genius forever on film, that we can revisit time and time again. They make us cry, laugh, think, shrink back in terror, or just sit back and be in awe of this talent that has been captured on screen. The beauty of this is that these people listed below may have gone on to whatever the next journey is, but because of their work in movies, we can still enjoy them, over and over again. Because we are all true movie lovers, we’ll get that warm and fuzzy feeling whether we’re watching Scott Wilson’s smooth talking killer in Richard Brooks’ In Cold Blood (1967), Celeste Yarnell trying to escape the crazy Dr. Lorca in Beast of Blood (1970), or even laughing out loud when we see the quiet and patient Donald Moffat trying to get untied from a couch in John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982).

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