Mystery Photo 8-31

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Welcome to our last photo of the summer. That just means we’re even closer to the Halloween season. Then again, for most of us, Halloween is all year round! Our last photo was from the Japanese film Kuroneko (1968), directed by Kaneto Shindô, who also gave us Onibaba (1964). I would highly recommend both of these films, if you haven’t seen them. There’s a reason they are considered classics. Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Gregory Avery, Bob Hartman, Troy Howarth, Zeit Koloss, Lee Nattrass, Jeff Owens, Michael Shields, and Kristin Wicks. Well done!

So let’s get to another black and white one and see if we get more answers this time out. Take a peek and send us an email (jon@kitleyskrypt.com) with your guess. Good Luck!

Friday Favorites: BUGS!

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In honor of heading out to the Skyline Drive-In this weekend for their Super Monster Movie Fest, featuring an array of movies dealing with bugs, we thought that this Friday we’d go with one of the tried and true themes back in the ’50s were ordinary insects or spiders that were somehow cause to grow to enormous sizes. That’s right, let’s celebrate the tiny beasts that we all know someday will take over the planet! Now we’re looking for your favorite bug movie, so it doesn’t have to be a giant one, like Them! (1954) or Deadly Mantis (1957), but could be just intelligent cockroaches like in William Castle’s Bug (1975), or maybe killer bees, like in The Swarm (1978).

As a kid, I loved all of these kind of movies. Even remembering being terrified watching The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) as he battled the normal size spider that had become a giant monster to him! But from giant tarantulas, to praying mantis, to even grasshoppers, they were always so much fun.

So? What about you? What is your favorite BUG movie!

We Made it to 1500 Posts!

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In February of 2015, I had moved the Krypt from my Front Page created website to a WordPress Blog format. Hard to believe I’ve been using this format for this long. Granted, I had been running the website for 17 years prior to that, I must admit that I was a little nervous making the move. Wasn’t sure how it was going to work out, if people would still follow the site, or would it lose anything in the transition to a new format. Well, it seems that this being our post # 1500, I guess you’re still coming back to read my ramblings! And honestly, I can’t thank you enough for the support that you have shown, as well as the wonderful and kind comments you’ve given me over the years. It really helps keep me sane in this crazy world we’re living in now. So thank you.

We will continue with our reviews on books, movies, soundtracks, and giving our usual take and insight on what’s going on in the world of horror.

This weekend, we’re heading to the Skyline Drive-In for their Super Monster Movie Fest, trying to sell a copy or two of my book, so there won’t be any posts over the weekend, but keep an eye on our Facebook or Instagram page for exploits of our adventure!

Keep Discovering the Horror and see you on the other side!

Rod Serling’s Night Gallery: The Art of Darkness

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Back in May, I posted about an upcoming book on the artwork from the TV show Night Gallery. This one one of the most important shows in my childhood. Where most were anxious to see The Twilight Zone, I was more interested in the darker tales brought through the Gallery. I mentioned there was an upcoming book that would feature all the artwork from the series in a new coffee table book. Now is the time to place your order! Continue reading →

Lori Nelson – Rest in Peace

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Actress Lori Nelson only appeared in a couple of creature features but there were more than memorable to make sure that we mention her recent passing here. In 1955, she appeared in two monster flicks, one with a very low budget and one with a much bigger one. She appeared alongside Richard Denning in Roger Corman’s The Day the World Ended, fighting a mutated survivor of an atomic blast. That same year, she joined John Agar in the sequel Revenge of the Creature, fighting off the GIll-Man who is stalking her! So if you were looking for an excuse to bust out either of those tow movies, then now is your chance.

Nelson passed away on Sunday, Aug. 23rd, at the age of 87. Even though she only did appear in two monster movies, we know that us fans will never let her name and talent be forgotten. Our thoughts out out to her friends and family during this difficult times.

Mystery Photo 8-24

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Welcome to Monday… evening. Still counts though! It looks like our photo from last week was a little trickier than our previous one. It is a shot from The Haunting of Julia (1977), which is a very underrated film, though is in dire need of a Blu-ray release. Just throwing it out there. Congrats to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Todd Barwick, and William Wilson. Well done!

So on to this week’s photo. For some, it will be pretty easy. Others… ? Well, if you don’t recognize it, hopefully when you learn of the title you can seek it out. Remember, just send us your answer in an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

Horror History: Vic Diaz

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vicdiazVic Diaz
Born in 1932

If you have watched any movies from the Philippines, especially in the exploitation genre, then you’ve most likely seen Vic Diaz’s face somewhere. He has been a staple of the Philippine film industry since the late ’50s and had continued to work quite a bit through the ’90s. Whether he was just a bit player or given a bigger role, he was always recognizable and memorable.

He made 12 movies alone with director Eddie Romero, titles like Beast of the Yellow Night (1971), Black Mama, White Mama (1973) with Pam Grier, Beyond Atlantis and Savage Sisters (1974), both with Sid Haig and John Ashley. Not to mention other cult titles like Blood Thirst (1971), The Big Bird Cage (1972) which was directed by Jack Hill, Superbeast (1972), Daughter of Satan (1972), co-starring Tom Selleck, Vampire Hookers (1978), and many other delightful titles.

So the next time you’re watching a movie from the Philippines, keep your eye out for our pudgy little friend, Mr. Diaz. I’m pretty sure he will be in there somewhere.

Friday Favorites: H.P. Lovecraft

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Yes, Friday Favorites is back. Been a very busy these last couple of weeks working on a project but that is done so I can get back to rambling on here! I would also blame WordPress for changing their editing format for their site, making me have to learn new stuff. I’m old now dammit, so I don’t have time to try and learn new things! Change is bad. Anyway, let’s get to why we’re here, and to discuss a favorite.

Yesterday was the birthday of Howard Philips Lovecraft. An American writer that created new worlds of gods and monsters, just giving his readers a glimpse here and there, only to save their sanity. My first introduction to the works of his literary master was due to Stephen King’s Danse Macabre, where I quickly started seeking out stories from Lovecraft and wondered where this guy was coming up with this stuff?!?! But the movie world has not been too kind to his work when it comes to faithful adaptations, mainly because it is one of those things that is really the reader’s interpretation of what lies on the pages. But even with all of that, I think there have been several filmmakers that have taken Lovecraft’s inspiration and vision enough to create some damn fine features and a ton of different short films.

In honor of this master of the unsaid, the indescribable, the unexplainable, let’s hear what your favorite feature or short film adaptation of a H.P. Lovecraft story. I’m not talking what you think is the most faithful (because we all know that is about as subjective as you can get), but a personal favorite of yours, for whatever reason. So what say you?

Discover the Horror….at the Drive-In!!!

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With all the conventions cancelling for the year (and with good reason), it seems the only places we’re going to be hitting are the drive-ins! We’re looking into a few more events, but right now, we have 2 different Drive-In events that we’re going to be at.

The first one is next weekend, at the Skyline Drive-In in Shelbyville, IN, for their annual Super Monster Movie Fest! Taking place on Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th, with this year’s theme being BUGS!!! Here’s the schedule of what is screening and the other events:

Friday, August 28th:

Friday, August 28th:
8:15 pm Sammy Terry
9 pm – The Deadly Mantis (1957) – Giant Praying Mantis!
11:15 pm – The Swarm (1978) – Killer Bees with an all-star cast
1:30 am – Mimic (1997) – Guillermo del Toro’s mutated cockroaches
3:30 am – Bug (1975) – William Castle’s flaming cockroaches
5:15 am Don Z’s 35mm Madness
Saturday, August 29th:
8:15 pm – Sammy Terry
9 pm – Them (1954) – The giant monster movie that started it all
10:30 pm – Sammy Terry
11:15 pm – Eight legged Freaks (2002) – David Arquette battles giant spiders
1:15 am – Starship Troopers (1997) – Join the Troopers!
3:45 am – The Black Scorpion (1957) – Giant scorpions in Mexico!
5:15 am Don Z’s 35mm Madness

Not only will we be there for this amazing event, but we will be selling copies of my book, Discover the Horror, which I will gladly sign for FREE! I’ll be somewhere where the vendors will be set up. Not sure the when and where exactly, but I’ll be there all weekend, so we should be pretty easy to find, unless I’m off getting a corndog!

For all the latest information, head over to the Skyline’s Facebook Events page HERE.

Then next month, on September 19th, we will be at the Midway Drive-in in Sterling, IL for their annual From Dusk Till Dawn Horrorfest. They have only announced two of the four features playing, but so far it looks like a great night of fun.

They will be screening a 4K restoration of George Romero’s original Night of the Living Dead (1968). If you’ve never had the chance to see this on the big screen, then you are truly missing out on an amazing experience. Also on hand for a book signing will be author Daniel Kraus who will be signing copies of his book The Living Dead, which is based on the story that George Romero started on before his death.

The second feature they have announced is John Carpenter’s The Fog (1980), another personal favorite of mine!

UPDATE! They have announced the other two features: David Cronenberg’s Rabid (1977) and Humanoids from the Deep (1980)! Really going to make sure I can stay up for all four of these great features!

There will be vendors there, including Kitley’s Krypt and Horror Slave, along with Jill & Gregg from Lix, featuring so many amazing shirts and hoodies, and so much more! For all the latest information about this event, just click HERE for the Midway’s website or HERE for their Facebook Events page.

So all that money you’ve been saving up for conventions, bring on out to the drive-ins! We hope to see you there!

Book Review: 1000 Women in Horror

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1000 Women in Horror1000 Women in Horror: 1895 – 2018
Published by BearManor Media, 2020. 600 pages.
By Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

This book is amazing for a few reasons. First of all, it is an incredible source of information about women in the horror genre, from directors, screenwriters, costume designers, actresses, and just about every other job there is in the business. As the title states, we get to learn about women from way back to 1895 to the more recent 2018, as well as from all around the world, from Thailand to Turkey, from California to Canada, and everywhere in between. It shows this talent is everywhere.

It also proves a couple of fallacies within the horror genre. By the numbers listed in this book, it is obvious that there has been, and still are a great number of women working in the horror business, in a variety of jobs, some of which that have become immortal, such as actresses Fay Wray or Gloria Stuart. This also proves that the horror genre is definitely not just for the guys! Just by reading the author’s introduction, you’ll quickly realize there are plenty of women within these pages that are just as passionate about the horror genre as some of the men that I’ve met over the years, some even more so. It shows that gender has no bearing on one’s love of cinema. We’re all going to like and dislike different titles, which is to be expected. But sharing one’s love for the genre should not have any boundaries or hurdles. Continue reading →