DtH Episode 97: Chas Balun

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There have been many horror writers that have been important to the genre, but few have had the outsized impact of the one and only Chas. Balun. Whether it was his work in Fangoria, Gorezone, or his own magazine Deep Red, even if you didn’t see his name at the head of the article, you knew it was him within a few sentences, by either by the tone of the writing, or maybe the films he was covering. Chas’ style was humorous and more than a little confrontational, but he was always waving the flag in support of movies that he felt were important and hadn’t received enough attention. Sure, they tended to be on the gory side, but for Chas. it wasn’t just about the gore.

Not entirely, anyway.

While the three of us knew his work and the impact it had on us personally, for this very special episode, we felt we needed to talk with other folks who were just as impacted by him and also knew him personally. In the second half of the show, you’ll hear from John Szpunar, author of Xeroxferox: The Wild World of the Horror Film Fanzine and Blood Sucking Freak: The Life and Films of the Incredible Joel M. Reed; Art Ettinger, editor at Ultra Violent magazine; and finally, Shawn Lewis, creator of Rotten Cotten and Eibon Press. They all share their own stories of Chas, and we all discuss the profound the impact Chas. had on us and on the horror genre in general. Don’t miss this one!

Films mentioned in this episode:

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Mara Corday – Rest in Peace

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Mara Corday (1954)

I’m posting about this now because I just heard about it. But it seems the lovely Mara Corday had passed away back on February 9th, at the age of 95. While she had a relatively short career in movies, making only 46 appearances, in film and TV, mainly because she left the business to concentrate on her marriage and family. But she did appear in three of my favorites from the ’50s, Tarantula (1955), The Black Scorpion (1957), and my all-time favorite, The Giant Claw (1957)! That last title showed that no matter how silly the subject matter might be, Corday always played it straight and gave some wonderful performances. Later in life, after her husband had died, her friend and Tarantula co-star, Clint Eastwood, would cast her in small roles in his films, such as The Gauntlet (1977) and Sudden Impact (1983), that way she could keep her SAG membership (and all its benefits)!

I know she will always be remembered for a lot of fans because of the work she did, especially in the sci-fi/horror titles because those types of films never lose their charm. And one of those reasons is the work that Corday did in them. Gone, but she will definitely never be forgotten.

Mystery Photo 5-26

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I apologize for the lack of updates this last week, but we were getting ready for the Columbus Moving Picture Show that took place over the weekend. Being a 4-day show, it took a lot of our time away from the real world, which was actually kind of a nice break! But we’re back! Our last photo was a little tougher it seems, with only 3 correct answers being sent in. The film was The Curse (1987), one of the strange adaptations of the H.P. Lovecraft story The Colour Out of Space, which starred Wil Wheaton and Claude Akins. Congrats to Hoby Abernathy, Erik Martin, and William Wilson for sending in the correct answer.

This week’s photo is an easier one, posted today in honor of someone’s birthday. How’s about that for a hint? Take a peak and see what you can come up with. Just remember to send your guess to me in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. And Good Luck!

Mystery Photo 5-19

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Last week’s photo seemed to get a lot of attention. I thought by showing a famous scene, but right before the title terror shows up onscreen, maybe it would be a little harder to guess, but apparently not. The film is, of course, the original The Blob (1958). Congrats to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Mike Benedict, Peggy Christie, Dave Fronto, Kevin Hart, Bob Hartman, Joel Kolsrud, Lee Marohn, Erik Martin, Carrie-Ann Yeti Mohr, Michael Pniewski, Bryan Senn, and Mike Shields. Nice job everyone!

This week’s photo might be a little tougher to figure out. Of course, I always say that but then everyone seems to know it. Let’s see if that is the case this week. Take a peek, and as always, send your guess to me in an email, at jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

Joe Don Baker – Rest in Peace

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We lost another tough guy from American cinema, with the passing of Joe Don Baker. Now, he really only appeared in a couple of films that could be considered horror, especially the 1977 killer dog movie The Pack, which is highly underrated. But when he appears on screen, no matter if he’s playing the good guy or bad guy, he’s going to give one hell of a performance. His tough guy attitude was always intimidating, especially in roles like that of Buford Pusser in Walking Tall (1973), or even in a minor role the same year in The Outfit. But he could also appear in comedies, such as in Fletch (1985). He was one of the few actors to play a villain in a James Bond film, The Living Daylights (1987) and then play a good guy in GoldenEye (1995) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997).

The point is that he always made an impact with the roles he took. Baker passed away on May 7th, at the age of 89. He will always be remembered in these roles that are here for us fans to remember, as well as creating new fans each year. Our thoughts go out to him and his family during this difficult time.

Rosanna Norton – Rest in Peace

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I had every intention of posting this several days ago, but life has a tendency to get in the way. But wanted to make sure I did get it posted, even if it’s a little late. Rosanna Norton is a name that few of us horror fans might know. She was a costume designer and had passed away on May 7th, at the age of 80 years old. She had gone to UCLA as a painting major but got into costume design. After she retired from film, she went back to her love of painting.

When I saw the news of her passing, it made me realize there yet another part of the filmmaking process that tends to get very little credit from fans. Sure, there is an Oscar category for it, which Norton got a co-nomination for her work on Tron (1982). But as deviant cinephiles, where we often recognize the cinematography, the makeup effects, the story, and of course the direction and acting, but how many times have we brought up costumes in those conversations.

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FAB Press Reissues Tony Tenser Book

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If you’re not familiar with the name Tony Tenser, you will know the movies he produced. Titles like The Blood Beast Terror (1968), or Witchfinder General (1968), or The Beast in the Cellar (1971), The Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971), or even Frightmare (1974). In fact, he was producer on Roman Polanski’s earlier films like Repulsion (1965) and Cul-de-sac (1966). Back in 2005, FAB Press published a book by John Hamilton called The Beasts in the Cellar: The Exploitation Film Career of Tony Tenser, which covers his work as a producer, with his company Tigon Films. The book is way out of print, with 2nd hand copies going from $70 to close to $200! But no worry. FAB Press is re-issuing the book, and even available in a hardcover edition, which is only available through the website. PLUS . . . they still had about 100 bookplates from the initial release that were signed by Tenser and will now be in a special edition of the book.

The book has a detailed analysis of his films, with all the stories behind the making of them, production details and notes, reviews, and box office numbers. It covers both the films he produced as well as distributed. It’s filled with plenty of photos, both rare and unpublished before the first release, and an extensive interview with Tense himself. If you’re a fan of British horror films of the ’60s and ’70s, this should be an interesting read for you.

Click HERE to go to FAB Press’ website for all the ordering details. For the limited signed HC, that goes for £50.00 or $66.54, or £25.00 or $32.27. Remember, you’ll have to cover the postage, which is pretty high right now. So, it will be an expensive purchase for us here in the US. But just remember look at what some of the original editions are going for, and I’d say you’re not losing any money, but investing in your education!

DtH Episode 96: Made-for-TV Horror Part 4

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A Taste of Evil (1971), Snowbeast (1977), This House Possessed (1981)

Since this is our 4th time covering some made-for-TV movies, you can tell that we’re kind of a big fan of them. It might have something to do with the time that we grew up and not having the plethora of movies at our fingertips 24/7, or that a lot of these productions were just really well-made stories, and some of them truly frightening. 

In this episode we go back to the small screen and discuss three different titles that while not be the best of this sub-genre, but we feel are still worth checking out. Whether you like deviants running amuck at your house, trying to ski and not get caught by a Yeti, or an unusual haunted house, you might find yourself entertained. And if not by the story, then most likely by the cast! 

Films mentioned in this episode:

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Movie Review: Jason X

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Directed by James Isaac
Starring Kane Hodder, Lexa Doig, David Cronenberg, Jonathan Potts, Lisa Ryder, Boyd Banks, Todd Farmer, Dov Tiefenbach, Philip Williams, Dylan Bierk, Chuck Campbell, Kristi Angus

Much like the previous entry, Jason Goes to Hell, I had avoided watching Jason X because well . . . it’s Jason X, and it was in space. I mean, that is worse than jumping the shark. Anytime when someone runs out of ideas for a series, inevitably someone will say “how about we set it in space?” and then here we are. But also like the previous film, when you have reached a certain number in your series, you do have to think outside the box when it comes to original plot ideas. The beauty of this entry is that while they did do something different by setting it in space, I feel they also retained the essence of what made a good Friday the 13th entry and put it in a whole new setting.

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Mystery Photo 5-12

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Our last photo was from the 1969 film Malenka the Vampire, better known here in the US as Fangs of the Living Dead! This was one of the titles in the famous triple feature Orgy of the Living Dead, which also featured Revenge of the Living Dead aka Kill, Baby… Kill! (1966), and Curse of the Living Dead aka Murder Clinic (1966). We only got two correct answers sent in, from Bob Hartman & Erik Martin. Well done!

Now on to this week’s photo. Might be pretty easy, but maybe not. Not showing something that would immediately tell everyone what film it is, so you’ll just have to imagine what this nurse is terrified of! Remember to send you guess to us in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!