1-5-03 WELCOME TO THE NEW YEAR!
Yes, we are finally back, and did survive the holidays. Santa was very nice to us here at the Krypt, delivering not only one of those nice Cyberhome DVD players (the ones that are easily converted to a region free player) under our tree, but also a few nice DVD titles to add to our collection. What better way to spread holiday cheer around than to receive Zombi 3 and Zombi 4 on DVD? Continue reading
1-8-02 WELCOME TO THE NEW YEAR!
We have survived yet another year. But now that we are back online with no problems (knock on wood), plus we’ve just done some major upgrades on our system. Okay, so going to Windows XP may not be a major upgrade, but you try talking to some tech support people when something doesn’t work. Continue reading
Color Out of Space
Released by Milan Records, 2020
13 Tracks with a Total Running Time of 45 min.
Music by Colin Stetson
Let me start this by saying that I absolutely love the film Color Out of Space. So yes, this may make my review a little jaded, but I hope that you can at least understand why I think this score is an incredible piece of music when I’m done. So let us begin.
Watching the film, it really brings another world right in front of you, with strange and colorful things happening all around you. The music is right there giving you the audible angle to surround your ears with what your brain is seeing. It seems to just float around you while you’re listening to it, giving you a odd feeling of something… different. It may help when you have the volume cranked up! Continue reading
The Vengeance of Lady Morgan (1965)
Director Massimo Pupillo
Starring Barbara Nelli, Michel Forain, Gordon Mitchell, Paul Muller, Erika Blanc
There is something special about discovering a film that you had never heard of, especially when it came out over 50 years ago! Even better when it is an Italian gothic ghost story! At first, The Vengeance of Lady Morgan seems like your typical story about a ghost coming back from the dead for revenge, but it is quite different than what you’d expect from this genre, which for me, made it even more special. Continue reading
Taking Shape: Developing Halloween from Script to Scream
Published by Harker Press, 2019. 439 pages.
By Dustin McNeill & Travis Mullins
The Halloween series, as a whole, is not one that I would say I’m a huge fan of. I love the original and really like its sequel. This might have something to do with it playing at the theater I worked at upon the sequel’s initial release, where I would get to see parts of it over and over and over again, seeing its effect on the audience time after time. And yes, I was one of those original haters on Season of the Witch, but have since gotten over that and realize the pure genius of that entry. But from then on, there was never a sequel that I got excited over, or was waiting for its release.
Sacrilege, you say? I just felt the sequels got dumber with each entry. When Rob Zombie took his turn, while I thought the first one was better than the last several, I still didn’t care for it. And I still am confused at the reaction to the latest one, when we saw the re-re-re-return of Jamie Lee Curtis, with fans acting like it was her first return since the 1981 film.
Now you might be asking yourself why am I stating how much I really don’t care for the Halloween series as a whole? Because even with all of that being stated, I devoured this book! Continue reading
A little late today with the new photo, but here we are. But before we get to this week’s, let us review last week! It was from Paul Naschy’s Human Beasts (1980). Kudos to the following to sent in the correct answer. They are: Hoby Abernathy, Troy Howarth, Todd Warren, and William Wilson. Well done!
Okay, here’s today’s photo. Pretty much how I felt leaving work today. Hmmm… coincidences? As always, please remember not to post your answers here so that others can have a chance at guessing. Just send them to me in an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!
I love documentaries on the horror / sci-fi genres, especially when you get to hear from the people that were directly involved with them. There are ALWAYS great stories that we usually never get to hear unless you catch one of them at a convention, or maybe an extra on DVD or Blu-ray. So when I first heard of this new 3-disc documentary called Monster! Martians! Mad Scientists! Horror in the Atomic Age!, it had my interests. When I discovered the price was only $15, I did have some doubts because it was so cheap, especially for 3 discs, but I figured at that price, it was worth taking the chance.
I’m glad I did!
The 3 discs are divided into time frame categories. The first one, entitled The Atomic Age, starts in the early ’50s and gives us a look back at that time and the films that were coming out. While this is about the movies, we get to hear and understand what was going on at that time period, with the constant threat of atomic destruction hovering over their heads, and how that effected the movies. The second disc, entitled A World Gone Mad, covers the second half of the ’50s with the big-bug movies, alien invasions, 3-D movies, and more. The last disc, called Fade to Red, covers the early ’60s and how times were changing, due to the Vietnam War, the Civil unrest, and how the films were reflecting that with more realistic gore and terror. Continue reading
Writer and historian Robert “Bobb” Cotter passed away due to complications from a recent stroke. He was a regular member of the Monster Bash family, which is where I first met him, back in 2015, at our first time there. We talked for a few minutes while he graciously signed the copies of his books that I brought from my own library, chatting about Mexican horror films and how much crazy fun they are. You would always seen him one of the days at the Bash wearing his Carl Kolchak costume, tape recorder and all. While he might not been someone in front of or behind the movie camera, he was one of those behind the keyboard, working hard to help educate so many of us fans of the women of Hammer Horror, the Misfits, and of course, Mexican horror and masked wrestler movies.
His book The Mexican Masked Wrestler and Monster Filmography is an essential volume for anybody interested in that sub-genre. Anytime I’ve gone to write something on one of those films, I am always checking that book for information. That goes as well as this books on the ladies of Hammer as well.
The Mexican movie nights at the Bash just won’t be the same this year without him and it will be a sad time. But I want to say thank you to him, for helping not only me, but a ton of other fans learn through your hard work and generous fandom. Our thoughts go out to him and his family, and all of the Monster Bash family. His absence will be deeply missed.
I’ve been meaning to get this posted, but between being busy every night, and the fact that it took me forever to find this photo of the lovely Ilsa and myself at a Cinema Wasteland, but here it is.
As I’m sure most of you know, Dyanne Thorne passed away recently. She was mainly known for her role in the three official Ilsa movies: Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS (1975), Isla, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks (1976), Ilsa, the Tigress of Siberia (1977), and the one un-official sequel directed by Jess Franco, Wanda, the Wicked Warden (1977). But she also appeared in an episode of the original Star Trek, as well as titles like Point of Terror (1971) and Blood Sabbath (1972), which might not have been Oscar caliber, but at least for us fans of the grindhouse/exploitation type films, we enjoyed them.
She may have been an evil of a character in the movies, but in real life, she was an ordained, non-denominational minister in Las Vegas, where, along with her husband, Howard Maurer, would get couples traveling from all over the world to be married by the one and only Ilsa! Now, I’ve never been a huge fan of the Ilsa movies, which are not my particular cup of tea. But I’ve had the occasions to meet her a couple of times at the different Cinema Wasteland shows and she is another one of these actors that creates one of the most terrible of characters, but is total opposite of what they are like in real life. The photo to the right here was taken at her last Wasteland appearance, after she stopped by our table and chatted with me for more than a few minutes. When the conversation was done, she insisted that we take picture together. Such a sweet soul, kind and generous with her time with her fans, that it was so cool to have a chat with her. And she really did seem to love meeting her fans.
While she was worried that the Ilsa movies would hurt her career (which they did), she still didn’t let it bother her. In fact, this quote below from her really defines how she felt about her infamous character, and what it meant to meet her fans.
“I know I’ve brought pleasure to a certain group of people. If I had been in more conventional Hollywood films, perhaps I would have been lost in the shuffle.”
She definitely has not been lost in any shuffle and will always be remembered fondly, by myself, and thousand of other fans. Our thoughts go out to her friends and family. Rest in Peace.
The Haunted House on Film: An Historical Analysis
Published by McFarland, 2019. 222 pages
By Paul Meehan
The haunted house film is one of my favorite sub-genres so I was very excited to dig into this title when it finally came out. I was hoping to add a multitude to titles to my “Crap! I haven’t seen that yet” list, which is exactly what I did. Even before we get into the thick of this review, anytime a book has you seeking out different titles, that is always a good thing!
The introduction gives a great overview of the not only haunted house in cinema, but in fiction as well, giving the reader a nice background as to where all of this really started. When you consider that the very first haunted house film, Georges Méliès 1986 film Le Chateau Hante (aka The Haunted Castle), was also the very first horror film, makes this sub-genre really the oldest in the horror film category. But we also have early titles discussed such as D.W. Griffith’s One Exciting Night (1922) and Roland West’s The Bat (1926). Meehan covers the early “old dark house” films that really were a combination of mystery/thriller/comedies, giving a good explanation as to why these are really different than what one would normally define as a haunted house film. On many of the movies discussed, where there is a mystery killer, the author leaves it up to the reader to find the movie and watch it to find out who that might be. Since many authors will give away any surprises, which really is a letdown going into the film if you know the ending, it’s nice to know those secrets were left hidden. Continue reading
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