Claudia Barrett – Rest in Peace

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While this happened a couple of months ago, we just read about it on the Monster Bash Facebook page and wanted to mention it here as well. Claudia Barrett passed away back on April 30th, at the age of 91. Now most are not going to recognize that name, but seeing the photo below, you will immediate recognize the movie she had appeared in. Barrett was only 24 years old when she starred alongside a man in a gorilla suit wearing a space helmet, in the ultimate Turkey Day movie, Robot Monster (1953).

While she did make her (uncredited) screen debut in 1949 alongside James Cagney in White Heat, she worked quite a bit in different movies and TV shows, even after Robot Monster, until she retired from the business in the early ’60s. In 2016, she was a guest at the Monster Bash Conference, as well as her co-star Robot Monster co-star, Gregory Moffett, who played her little brother. They both had some fun stories about the making of his classic and were just so friendly to chat with.

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40th Anniversary of Dead & Buried

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Many years ago, apparently like decades or so, when perusing the video store aisles looking for a great film to spend your evening with, there was always Gary Sherman’s Dead & Buried (1981). It never failed to hit all the marks, from being creepy, even scary, having some incredible special effects, but also a very interesting and captivating story that was played out by some very talented actors, from veterans like Jack Albertson or James Farentino, or up-and-coming ones like Melody Anderson, Lisa Blount, or even a guy named Robert England, just a few years from becoming a huge star. I really loved it back then and still remains as one of my favorites and unfortunately one that doesn’t seemed to get the recognition it much richly deserves. But now, with a stunning new transfer coming out, maybe it will change all of that.

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Mystery Photo 6-14

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Welcome to Monday! Hope everyone had as much fun as I did this last weekend, though now am trying to play catch-up! But let’s get down to business, shall we? Our photo from last week was from Renny Harlan’s 1987 film Prison, which starred a very young Viggo Mortensen. Definitely a title that needs some more love. Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answers: Hoby Abernathy, Aaron AuBuchon, Karl Hanks, Bob Hartman, Gary McGuire, James Turner, Mark Turner, and Nick Wilson. Well done, everyone!

Now on to this week’s photo, another one that might be pretty easy, or maybe not. That’s the fun part, isn’t it? Do you think you know it? Are you sure? None the less, send your guess to us by sending us an email at jon@kitleyskrypt.com, or just click HERE. Good Luck!

Mystery Photo 6-7

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Another Monday, another week closer to getting back to reality, or as close as we can hope! But let’s get this week started on the right foot, shall we? Our photo from last week was from the cult classic The Undertaker and His Pals (1966). Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Chris Dyer, Kevin Hart, Gary McGuire, Michael Shields, and Alan Tromp. Well done!

Now this week’s photo is a little more current. Well, maybe a little. Take a peek and see if you can recognize where this little pictorial puzzle is from. Just remember to send your guess to us in an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

Need More Horror Books?

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Of course you do. What a silly question. Here are a few that have recently come out, or will be coming out this year that you might want to add to your library.

Puppet Master Complete: A Franchise History by Nat Brehmer

For better or for worse, Full Moon’s Puppet Master series is one of the longest running straight-to-video horror series since the first one came out in 1989. Author Brehmer covers all 14 films (to date, at least!), with an in-depth exploration into each of them, including the made-for-TV crossovers, and theatrical reboots. He also covers the action figures, comic books, and the other merchandise that has been coming over the last 30+ years. It features new interviews with the people behind the franchise, as well as dozens of behind-the-scenes photos. If you’re a fan of the series, you are probably going to need this one!

This is being published by McFarland with a price tag of $39.95. No exact release date yet.

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You’ve Got Red on You

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1984 Publishing, the same company to give us Michael Gingold’s Ad Nausem, Aaron Lupton & Jeff Szpirglas’ Blood on Black Wax, and Ghoulish: The Art of Gary Pullin, now brings you the book spilling on the guts on Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead, in Clark Collis’ You’ve Got Red on You: How Shaun of the Dead Was Brought to Life.

This 424 page book will tell the how a group of friends got together and decided to make a horror/comedy/zombie film that broke records around the world. The book includes in-depth interviews with director Edgar Wright, producer Nira Park, and cast members Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Bill Nighy, Lucy Davis, and even Coldplay singer Chris Martin, as well as storyboards, rare behind-the-scenes photos, with over 70 black and white images.

Pre-order price is only $25 and I believe comes with a signed bookplate by the author, and due to ship out this October. For all the details, head over to their website HERE, and even follow them on Facebook HERE,

Movie Review: The Power (2021)

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The Power (2021)
Directed by Corinna Faith
Starring Rose Williams, Diveen Henry, Shakira Rahman, Sarah Hoare, Charlie Carrick, Gbemisola Ikumelo

There is nothing better than searching through Prime or Shudder and deciding to take a chance on a title that you know nothing about, and just being completely blown away by what you picked. That happened with me with The Power. First of all, I’m a sucker for old fashion ghost stories, where there is a secret that needs to be discovered and the main character(s) have to fight their way through different terrors to bring something to light. The beauty here is that while this is a period piece, the “secret” is just as relevant today, even more so, than it is when the story takes place.

Set in the early ‘70s, Rose Williams stars as Val, a young nurse on her first day on the job at an old hospital where people are being relocated. Due to the labor strikes going on, there are forced blackouts throughout the city. For some reason, Val does not due to well in the dark. But when she is “asked” by the head Matron to work the night shift, she can’t say no and start her first day on a bad note. Starting out as a genuinely nice and friendly person, just wanting to help people, Val seems like the perfect person for this kind of career. As the surroundings start to get darker, not only do we start to see how it effects Val, but we also start to realize there is something else, hiding in the shadows. I don’t want to go too much into the storyline because I think it is better to go into a story, sort of walking into a darkened hallway, not knowing what you might run into.

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Turkey Day in May 2021 Report

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This was a tough one for me this year. Not the movies actually, but just getting the whole marathon together. I am usually making plans and promoting it right from the first part of May, if not sooner, but for some reason or another, just couldn’t get motivated to get it going. But thanks to my Turkey Day co-pilot for over 15 years, Aaron Christensen, kicking me in the butt enough times to make sure it happened. So if you did join in the fun and had a good time, you can thank him as well! Got to give credit where it is due.

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Kryptic Army Mission: June 2021 – House of Horror

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The haunted house goes back to the very beginning of the horror genre, from literature to the earliest of cinema. Whether the evil within the place is supernatural in nature or just plain old human, it still causes fear into those entering the dwelling. Unless, they go in unknowing what lies inside for them. But we all know that they will soon discover for themselves. The word “house” is often used in horror movie titles to let the audience know that in this one particular location, something bad has happened, or continues to happen to whoever decides to go in.

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Mystery Photo 5-31

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Happy Memorial Day, everyone! Hope everyone has the day off and is enjoying it, while we also take a few minutes to remember those that have fallen in service to this country. We are forever grateful. It looks like we only got two correct answers to last week’s photo, which came from Brian Doering & Kevin Hart, who correctly identified the movie as Pete Walker’s The Comeback (1978). Well done!

Now on to this week’s photo, definitely a more interesting title! Take a peek and see what you can come up with. Remember to send your answer to us at jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!