Mystery Photo 12-16

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Happy Monday! Sorry for the lack of updates this month, but with the holidays coming up, plus working on a lot of stuff for my Year End Reviews, it is taking more time than I planned! But hopefully it will be worth it. Okay…enough of that, lets get to the Mystery Photo! Our last photo was from the film Terror is a Man (1959). Congrats to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Michael Shields, and Vincent Simonelli. Well done!

So this week’s photo is a fun one, so hopefully a few of you out there recognize it. As always, please remember not to post your answers here so others can have a chance at it. Just send us your guess in an email (jon@kitleyskrypt.com). Good Luck!

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Soundtrack Review: The Void

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The Void soundtrackThe Void (2016)
Released by Lakeshore Records
32 Tracks with a Total Running time of 64 min.
Music by Blitz//Berlin, Joseph Murray, Menalon Music, & Lodewijk Vos

If you’re looking for a score that is more ambient sounds than an actual musical score, one that just might bring the Old Ones, or any forgotten deity back from the netherworld, this just might be the one. You’ll get no melodies, no quiet and soft piano keys here, but instead a vibration of sound coming through your speakers. In fact, there are times it almost seems like something is trying to escape from your speakers! It does an excellent job creating this mood with its buzzing, pounding, and other strange noises. A stellar job.

For example, track # 21 Sacrifices has a humming in the foreground while we hear some sort of distant chanting going on that creates an incredible amount atmosphere. I think this is where the beauty of this score lies, in its otherworldliness, with strange sounds and noises. When played loud enough… who knows what might happen!

I’m sorry it took me this long to track down this score. It was one of my favorite moves a couple of years ago and this score is one of the reasons why.

Best of the Decade?

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As 2019 comes to a close, it marks the start of a new decade, which also means the end of one. When I was going through my list of films that I’ve watched in 2019, to look for my Best Viewing pics, I realized that since this is the end of a decade, I should really go through and pick out my personal favorites that came out from 2010 to 2019. I’m still working on them and will (hopefully) have them done for my Year In Review postings in a few weeks.

So I’m throwing that idea out to everyone out there to do the same. If you keep a record of what you watch each year (which I strongly suggest you do), why not go through and jot down the titles that really impressed you over the last 10 years. You can always post them on Facebook, your own blog if you have one, or just wait until I post mine and you can reply in the comments. I’d love to read them!

Okay… back to work everyone!

Mystery Photo

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It seems the photo from last week was a bit too tough. Fair enough. The pic is from the movie Frostbiten (2006) and is a fun little vampire flick that takes place in the snow covered Sweden. Didn’t get any answers on this one so hopefully with this week’s photo, it will be a little easier. So let’s get at it!

As always, please don’t post your answers here so that others can have a chance at it. Just send us an email (jon@kitleyskrypt.com) with your guess. Good Luck!

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A Call to Arms: The Return of the Kryptic Army!

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Army Facebook Page

In 2010, the Kryptic Army was formed, where brave soldiers fought monthly battles, some much tougher than the last. But they stood tall and face those horrors with honor and pride. But once 2014 came to an end, when all the dust had settled, the wounded were cared for and mended, the war was over, and the soldiers were released from duty.

But now the call to arms has returned. To all the Veterans that served in the last 5-year battle, there are still more challenges ahead, if you wish to return to active duty. If you missed out on the Kryptic Army during those first 5 years, then now is your chance to stand up and show your merit. Continue reading →

Javier Aguirre – Rest in Peace

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Javier Aguirre - RIPJavier Aguirre is not a familiar names with most fans here in the US, mainly because he worked in Spain. But there are a couple of films that he directed that star Paul Naschy that you might be familiar with, Count Dracula’s Great Love and Hunchback of the Morgue, both in 1973. Aguirre has passed away at the age of 84 after a long illness. He was married to actress Esperanza Roy, who Spanish horror fans will remember from the second entry in the Blind Dead films, El ataque de los muertos sin ojos aka Return of the Evil Dead and Una vela para el diablo aka It Happened at Nightmare Inn, also both from 1973.

Being not only a director, but screenwriter, producer and even cinematographer, Aguirre was a true filmmaker. But we still have his work to remember him by, which is the best way to pay tribute to him, as well as the other people that worked on these films, by watching them and still enjoying them today. Gone, but not forgotten. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family.

Turkey Day 2019

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T-Day 2019 banner

“The only bad movie is a boring one”, a statement made by author Stephen Thrower that I not only agree with, but live by as well! This last Turkey Day, we put that statement to the test and proven it to be true! For the most part, that is.

Before we get to our 17th year of holding our annual Turkey Day Marathon, I have to first say how thankful I am to have so many like-minded friends that journey out to the Chicago suburbs twice a year to celebrate the types of films that we watch. They are not only true cinephiles, but know that there is entertainment and enjoyment in even the lowest rated film out there. Well… most of them! Continue reading →

Mystery Photo 12-2

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Since it is now December and some parts of the country are getting pelted with snow, I figured I’d throw in a season one… sort of. But before we get to the new photo, let’s go over last week’s photo. It was from the Spanish film Mientras duermes (2011), known here in the states as Sleep Tight. This is one disturbing film, my friends. In fact, after seeing actor Luis Tosar in this one, I’m not sure I can see him in another film without immediately not liking whatever character he might be playing! If you haven’t seen it, check it out. Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Aaron Christensen, Bryan Martinez, Tim Palace, Will Wilson, and Greg Wojick. Well done!

Okay, so for this week’s photo, the only hit is that there is snow in this one. There. Makes it easier already, doesn’t it? Give it a look and see what you can come up with. Please remember not to post your answers here so that others can have a chance at guessing. Just send your answer to me at jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

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Book Review: Darkening the Italian Screen

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Darkening the Italian ScreenDarkening the Italian Screen
Published by McFarland, 2019. 334 pages
By Eugenio Ercolani

As fans of Italian genre films, we all know the names of Argento, Bava, Soavi, and (hopefully) Freda. But there were so many that worked in the industry in the ’60s through the ’80s, that so many get lost in the shuffle. Maybe we’ve heard of them, or maybe we know a movie or two they did, but that’s it. That is what I love about this book, that it brings light to more than a few people that had connections to some of the films we love, but maybe didn’t know as much about them.

Going through the list of names interviewed in this book, there were a few that I was familiar with, such as Umberto Lenzi, Ruggero Deodato, Enzo G. Castellari, and Sergio Martino. But even with these guys, there were plenty of interesting and sometimes downright amazing stories to be learned within these pages, especially when we learn about their beginnings in the industry. Other names like Alberto De Martino or Mario Caiano, I was somewhat familiar with, but not a lot. Then there were names that I wasn’t as familiar with at all, such as Giulio Petroni or Franco Rossetti. But the great thing about if you’ve been a fan of the Italian film genre for any length of time, you will have at least heard of the films they are talking about, if you haven’t seen them already. Continue reading →

Interview: Sergio Molina

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naschyrememberedbanner

I normally don’t like to celebrate or make note of the passing of a celebrity because it should be about remembering them and their work, not when they left us. But back in November of 2009, we lost one of the last great horror movie icons: Jacinto Molina, better known as Paul Naschy. People who know me or regulars to this site know of my passion for Naschy’s work, so that loss really hit. He really is one of my horror heroes, and truly is an icon, one that I would put right up there with names like Karloff, Lugosi, Cushing, Price, and Lee. With close to 50 years worth of work in cinema, as a writer, actor, director, he created so many memorable characters, from monsters, villains, heroes, and so much more. Continue reading →