Hal Holbrook – Rest in Peace

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In my favorite segment, of one of my all time favorite films, Hal Holbrook played one of my favorite characters, brow-beated Henry Northrup, married to the one and only Wilma aka “just call me Billie”, played wonderfully by Adrienne Barbeau. Of course the movie is Creepshow (1982). I knew of Holbrook before that, from John Carpenter’s The Fog (1980), another top favorite of mine, but also from a lot of appearances on television and movies. He was an actor that no matter what he was in, or the role he was portraying, his presence would up the quality of the production. He was always just a treat to watch perform, being one of those actors who could give you that warm smile but with a glare that could chill you to the bone.

He had passed away back on January 23rd at the age of 95. With all the amazing characters he appeared as, he is probably known for his stage play of playing Mark Twain, that he did for well over a half a century! Years ago, he actually was in our home town on tour with his Mark Twain play and I really thought about waiting outside the theater in hopes of getting him to sign my Creepshow poster. Never did, but now my regret is even stronger.

You had a great run, Mr. Holbrook. Your work will definitely you alive for as long as there are film fans. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.

Mystery Photo 2-1

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Welcome to February! One more day, one more month, to hoping things start get back to normal. I know we have a ways to go, but let’s hope we’re moving in the right direction! But that’s now why you’re hear, so let’s get to the business at hand. We would have had this posted this morning, but we needed to make sure our new monthly mission for the Army was sent out. Not sure what that is, click on the Kryptic Army link on the menus to the right for more info.

Our last photo was from the British film Haunted House of Horror, also known as Horror House, from 1969, starring Dennis Price, Frankie Avalon and Jill Haworth. Kudos out to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Troy Howarth, Gary McGuire, Bryan Senn, Nick Wilson.

Now to this week’s photo. Give it a peak and see what you think! Remember, don’t post your answers in the comment section so that others can have a guess. Just send your guess to us in an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

Kryptic Army Mission – February 2021: Universal Classic Monsters!

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Tod Browning’s Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi, opened in theaters on Feb. 14th, 1931. As we already know, the success of this started the formula that over the next decade would become known as the Universal Classic Monsters, including along with Dracula, there would be Frankenstein (1931), The Mummy (1932), The Invisible Man (1933), and The Wolf Man (1941). Yes, the Creature from the Black Lagoon is considered as part of that team, but for this mission, we’re only going to focus on those first 5 character. Over the years, there has been many remakes, continuations, re-imaginings, and whatever else they want to call it these days when they take a character or story and twist and turn it into something they are looking for. Continue reading →

Soundtrack Review: The Dark Half

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The Dark Half
Released by Varèse Sarabande, 1993
13 Tracks, with a Total Running Time of46 min.
Music Composed by Christopher Young

I’ve been a fan of Young’s work since those first notes from his Hellraiser score reached my ears. He never ceases to impress me with the sounds and feelings from his scores, and this is no different.

This one starts out with such a beautiful opening track, a pleasant piano tune that is quiet and somber, before some strings and other strange sounds start to come in. And then the angelic vocals! But even with all this striking sounds, there seems to be a darkness lurking under there, waiting to break free. Considering the story, it makes perfect sense. Continue reading →

Friday Favorites: GODZILLA

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I’m sure everyone has either seen the trailer for the new Godzilla vs Kong movie, or at least know it is out there and have been avoiding it, either because of spoilers or you’re just not interested. So I figured it would be the perfect time to discuss some of Big G’s films. Once again, let us remember that since Godzilla has been around for over half a century, there can be many reasons why a particular time frame is your favorite. Doesn’t mean its a better film to everyone, but holds something special to you. This is where a lot of film criticism and fandom can get a bit dicey because we tend to think if some doesn’t agree with you, they just don’t get it. I know I’ve jokingly said that many times, but I’ve also said and truly believe that you can’t have a wrong opinion. Continue reading →

Book Review: Day of the Living Me

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Day of the Living Me: Adventures of a Cult Filmmaker from the Golden Age
Self-Published, 2020. 192 pages
By Jeff Lieberman

I’ve always said that by reading more about a filmmaker, such as in a biography or even an autobiography, you will learn so much more about that person’s life and work, usually including a ton of information you didn’t know, which will undoubtedly make you see things in a different way. This book is another perfect example to prove that point. I knew of Lieberman’s work because I was always a big fan of Squirm (1976) and had the chance to meet him a couple of times at Cinema Wasteland over the years. I knew of his other films, such as Blue Sunshine (1977) and Just Before Dawn (1981), but figured that was about it. But reading through this recently published autobiography, not only did I learn much more about him, but he gives such a great insight into the world of filmmaking, from low-budget horror flicks, to working in Hollywood with some of the major players. Continue reading →

Mystery Photo 1-25

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Welcome to our Mystery Photo for the month. See that? We’ve almost made it a whole month in the new year without any huge disaster. Upward and onward! Our photo from last week was from the Tyburn film Legend of the Werewolf (1975), starring Peter Cushing. Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Troy Howarth, and Gary McGuire. Well done!

For this week’s photo, I picked a real nice classy shot. See if you can recognize which film it is from. As always, please don’t post your answers here so everyone can have a chance at guessing. Just send your guess to us in an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

Movie Review: Nightbreed

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(1990)
Directed by Clive Barker
Starring Craig Sheffer, Anne Bobby, David Cronenberg, Doug Bradley, Nicholas Vince, Simon Bamford,
Charles Haid, Hugh Quarshie, Hugh Ross, Catherine Chevalier, Oliver Parker, John Agar

There is something about the mythology of monsters that is so fascinating. It seems that with ever new monster flick if we don’t have the back story to the creature, we want it! Or if there is some hints to it, we want more! What Clive Barker has done with this film, or the novella it is based on, is do exactly that, by giving us a tale of monsters that have been shunned from normal society, either choosing to or force to run and hide from it, all gathering to a place called Midian. Continue reading →

Friday Favorites – Kolchak: The Night Stalker

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One of my favorite memories growing up was watching the seemingly bumbling reporter Carl Kolchak meet a different mystery or monster (or both) each week on Kolchak: The Night Stalker, which ran from September 1974 to March of 1975. Of course, the series was a spin-off from two successful TV movies, The Night Stalker (1972) and The Night Stranger (1973), produced by Dan Curtis. Curtis was done with the character but the studio and star Darren McGavin wanted to continue so the series started without Curtis. It only lasted one season but for us young monster kids, it made quite the impact. The charm about Kolchak was that he was just as scared about what was going on as anybody else, but knew he had to do what was right. Also, nobody ever believed him! As a kid, that really hit home because parents would never believe what their kids told them. Here was this guy that was trying to tell people there really was a monster out there, only to be laughed at. Continue reading →

Book Review: Making of The Deadly Spawn

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Making the 1980s Science-Fiction / Horror Monster Cult Classic The Deadly Spawn
Independently Published, 2020. 136 pages
By Ted A. Bohus

If you grew up wandering the video store aisles, you will probably always remember the first time you came across the box for The Return of the Aliens Deadly Spawn, a big box case with one of the strangest monsters on the cover, one that is basically mouths and teeth! Then looking at the back cover shows the gory delights to found within. How could any young monster fan not immediately rent this, let alone forget that moment. This title still remains to be a fun little monster movie, with plenty of gore and the red stuff, and one of the most creative and never before seen style of monster.

Ted A. Bohus was the man behind The Deadly Spawn (the actual title), producer and co-writer, he was the one that got this beast started and worked all the way through to get it released to the world. The book is packed filled with some incredible photos, from behind-the-scenes shots, a ton of different images of VHS & DVD releases, poster art, lobby cards, and plenty of art interpretations of the creature. Bohus goes very quickly through the genesis of the project, going through the people involved, and a lot of the roadblocks along the way, which are great points for up and coming low budget filmmakers. There are some great stories within these pages, some that will amaze you how great things turned out, and even more so when you read about some of those “challenges” filmmakers are hit with. Continue reading →