Book Review: Horror Express

by in Reviews: Horror Reference Book and tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Midnight Movie Monographs: Horror Express
Published by Electric Dreamhouse, 2018. 137 pages
By John Connolly

This is another one that I just don’t know where to start. I came across this publisher about a month ago when they were having a Black Friday sale. I thought about ordering a few of their titles but being from the UK, it would have been a bit pricy. Out of all the titles, this is the one that had my interests the most, so I just ordered it from Amazon. Now, at a book that is only 6″ x 8″, and priced at $29, AND is only 137 pages, makes you wonder if it would be worth it. In this particular case, I would have to say no.

This is a strange one, since being so short, you’d think the author would dive right into the thick of it, but we go 30 pages before the author even starts to write about the movie! That’s almost a quarter of the book?!?! We read about traveling on trains, about the Spanish film market, the British film market, with some details that really have no bearing on the subject at hand. Now maybe if this volume was several hundred pages long, this information would fit in, but it’s not. So why waste precious pages on subjects that have only a distant connection with the movie? There is even a paragraph where the author states that at this point in his writing, he hasn’t seen the movie since he first saw it as a kid! Again, why waste space for that? Continue reading →

Mike “McBeardo” McPadden – Rest in Peace

by in Rest in Peace and tagged , , | Leave a comment

You don’t need to be a filmmaker, screenwriter, actor, or even makeup artist to have an effect on the film industry. When you’re a writer that is constantly waving the flag of cult and obscure, and just plain fun and crazy cinema, you are doing wonders for the genre. And this week, we lost one of those people.

Mike McPadden was an author and true champion of the weird and strange film titles that went across many different genres. His two books, Heavy Metal Movies and Teen Movie Hell, were proof of that. I had only met McPadden a couple of times over the years, seeing him at a few local Chicagoland events, but you couldn’t help but see his crazy enthusiasm. Mike passed away in his sleep earlier this week.

Our condolences go out to his friends and family at this difficult time. A friend has started a GoFundMe page (click HERE) to help funeral and living expenses for his wife and newly foster child they had just recently opened their door to. Mike’s voice was a strong one and one that I hope keeps going through his written word. Rest in peace, McBeardo.

Mystery Photo 12-14

by in Mystery Photo and tagged | Leave a comment

For our photo from last week, I decided to go with something a little more mainstream, but tried to pick a shot that maybe wasn’t as well known. Apparently I was wrong. It was from Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist (1982) and the man leaning into the window is none other than Lou Perryman, better known to most horror fans as the lovable L.G. from Texas Chains Massacre 2. I had the opportunity to meet him at a Cinema Wasteland show in April 2004, and he was such a great and friendly guy. When he was invited back to Wasteland five years later, we arrived Friday afternoon to hear the news that he had been murdered in his own home the night before. Such sad news to start the weekend off. So I chose that photo because most people didn’t know that was him, and to pay a little tribute to this great human being.

We did get a lot of correct answers, even some trying to post their answers on the site and Facebook. For shame, people, for shame. But kudos to the lot of you: Hoby Abernathy, Aaron AuBuchon, Cary Conley, Dahlia Daniels, Chris Dyer, Rick Hayden, Bryan Martinez, Martin Meeks, Gary McGuire, Erich Polnow, and Karen Shaub, William Wilson.

Since that one was so easy, I guess I’ll have to throw a curve ball and go with one that might be a little more challenging. If you feel up to it, take a look at the photo below and see what you can come up with. Once again, PLEASE do not post your answer here so that others can have a guess. It just makes it more fun for everyone. Just send your answer instead to me in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck.

Movie Review: Night of the Demon (1957)

by in Reviews: Movies and tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Night of the Demon (1957)
Directed by Jacques Tourneur
Starring Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins, Niall MacGinnis, Athene Seyler, Liam Redmond, Reginald Beckwith, Maurice Denham

There are those films regarded as classics, even amongst the horror genre. This is one of them. Released here in the states as Curse of the Demon, the story is a simple battle between the forces of good and evil. But it is also about what you believe in and if maybe, just maybe, there is something out there in the dark waiting for you. That the supernatural and all that goes with it, is real. Continue reading →

Friday Favorites: Holiday Horrors?

by in Friday Favorites | 15 Comments

Everyone has their traditional horror movie titles they bust out every Halloween, from Night of the Living Dead (1968) to Trick ‘r Treat (2007), to so many other fun flicks. But we know us horror fans do the same thing for Christmas, don’t we? So with the holiday just a couple of weeks away, we want to know what Holiday Horrors you always watch this time of year? While others might be decorating the tree with It’s a Wonderful Life on, you’ve got Silent Night Deadly Night (1984) playing! What are some of the other seasonal favorites for this time of year? Gremlins (1984)? Rare Exports (2010)? Sint (2010)? Krampus (2015)?

Let’s here you!

Movie Review: Barracuda (1978)

by in Misc. Ramblings and tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

(1978)
Directed by Harry Kerwin & Wayne Crawford
Starring Wayne Crawford, Jason Evers, Roberta Leighton, Cliff Emmich, William Kerwin, Bert Freed

Being fans of Jaws, and all of his underwater brethren, I’m always curious, though tread lightly, on movies that deals with a type of killer fish. But if was made in the ’70s, on the box office wave the Spielberg movie made, it is even more appealing, mainly because they never could hold water compared to the original. Granted, no matter how good or bad they might be, it always enforces my fear of what just might be in the water waiting for me. Continue reading →

Soundtrack Review: Dracula A.D. 1972

by in Misc. Ramblings and tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dracula A.D. 1972
Released by BSX Records
15 Tracks with a Total Running Time of 53 min.
Music Composed by Mike Vickers

Growing up watching a lot of television in the early ’70s, you became pretty accustomed to theme shows from shows. So the first time I remember hearing the score for Dracula A.D. 1972, in my head, I heard “A Quinn Martin Production”. While most of you out there have no clue what I’m referring to, they were a production company that made more than a few shows back then.

Anyhoo… That is the big difference with this score, coming from Hammer that was known for their bold and gothic musical scores, hitting your ears as hard as the bright red blood hit your eyes. Vickers came up with a very modern, almost jazz sounding Main Theme, that while dramatically different from Hammer’s past, it actually works quite well here. The music, as well as the film, are quite dated in their look and feel. But Vickers does a pretty good job blending in the new with the old. Track # 5, Devil’s Circle Music: Excerpt from White Noise, is a wild mixture of percussions, distorted screaming, and other disturbing sounds, blended together like a bad acid trip. But when viewed in the film, it works just right. Continue reading →

Mystery Photo 12-7

by in Mystery Photo | Leave a comment

Welcome to the first Monday of December. Only one more month folks before this year will be officially done. Let’s just hope it wasn’t a warmup for 2021!

Our photo from last week was from Dario Argento’s Cat O’Nine Tails (1971), of the poor soul pushed in front of the train. Not the best way to start your morning, huh? Congrats to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Troy Howarth, Bryan Martinez, Vincent Simonelli, and William Wilson.

Now we’ll just have to see how easy our photo below will be for you. Is it an easy one? Obscure? Only you will know! Just remember not to post your answers here so others can have a guess. Just send your guess to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

Holiday Ideas for Horror Book Lovers

by in Book News and tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

If you’re looking for a gift for someone that is an avid book lover that also loves the horror genre, there are so many titles out there to choose from. And they just seem to keep coming out too! In fact, it’s really hard for me NOT to buy them for myself! Yes, having a library of horror reference books is not as cheap as it once was, but I’m not complaining. To be fair, I do not have copies of any of these yet. Key word… YET! But I know at some point, I’m going to have to kick my son out of the house so my library can take over his room!

If you know a big fan of Dario Argento, then I would highly recommend the latest book by Troy Howarth, Murder by Design: The Unsane Cinema of Dario Argento. If you’re not familiar with Howarth’s work, this would be a great place to start. I haven’t gotten my copy yet, but I have never been disappointed by his work, always making them not only very informative, but entertaining as well. This covers not only his work as director, but writer and producer as well. You’ll read about everything from his early work in westerns to his move into the director’s chair, giving us plenty of memorable films, from The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) to Suspiria (1977) to Sleepless (2001). You read new interviews with Argento himself, along with daughter Fiore Argento, actress Sally Kirkland, Irene Miracle, composer Claudio Simonetti, cinematographer Luciano Tovoli. Continue reading →

Soundtrack Review: Maniac (2012)

by in Reviews: Soundtrack and tagged , , | Leave a comment

Maniac (2012)
Released by Hamburger Records  2013
16 tracks with a total running time of 35 min.
Music by ROB

When this remake was first announced, most fans (including me) were scratching their head, wondering once again why are they bothering remaking a classic, trying to replicate the incredible performance given by the late, great Joe Spinell. But it happened. And no one was more surprised than me on how good it actually was. One of those elements that helped it break that “shitty remake” barrier was the music. Continue reading →