Mystery Photo 10-9

by in Mystery Photo and tagged | Leave a comment

Almost let the day go by without getting this posted. After surviving a 24-hour movie marathon over the weekend, where I developed a nice and nasty cold, I’m lucky I’m still able to function at all! But I came across this photo and it made me smile, so I knew I had to use it. Might not be hard, but if you know it, I’m sure it will make you smile as well. But first, let’s get to our photo from last week. It was from Roger Corman’s House of Usher (1960). I must say, a great flick for a chilly October night. Kudos out to the following for sending in the correct answer: Bill Harrison, Troy Howarth, and Kuba Haczek. Well done!

Now…on to the fun. See if this photo doesn’t grab hold of you! Yeah, I know…too easy! But good luck none the less. Remember…don’t post your guesses here, but send them to me in an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com.

mp100917

Music Box Winners and Details

by in Movie Events and tagged , , , | Leave a comment

dark-waters2

Our little trivia contest is over and Mother Superior has given us  the 4 names from the people that sent in the correct answers. The correct answers were: 

  1. This film is one of three versions that has hit the theaters. – The Cat and the Canary (1927)
  2. The film features members of The Order of the Gash. – Hellraiser (1987)
  3. One directors that has a film in the lineup, one of his earlier movies featured a title that would make Leatherface proud. What is the movie title? William Girdler’s Three on a Meathook (1972).

So thank you to everyone who did send in their guesses, most of which were correct. But there can only be the 4, so here they are:

Continue reading →

Want to Win Tickets for the Music Box of Horrors???

by in Movie Events and tagged , , | Leave a comment

dark waters 1

This Saturday, the Music Box of Horrors returns, with a slew of devilish pleasures for the die-hard horror fans! They have a dozen titles on deck to give 24-hours of terror, with all but one of the features being screened from either 16mm or 35mm. The only one in a digital format is the first Midwest screening ever of Mariano Baino’s 1993 film Dark Waters, with the director appearing for a Q&A and signing (for FREE)! This is indeed a rare screening to get to see an incredibly atmospheric movie with some strange nuns hiding a terrible evil. Add in some amazing horror vendors, food trucks, and so much more fun, how could you want to pass this up!

Continue reading →

Mystery Photo 10-2

by in Mystery Photo and tagged , | Leave a comment

Welcome to October! We survived our little trip to Ohio for the Cinema Wasteland show, which is why this is just getting posted now! But better late than never, right? So let us get to it. Our last photo was from the 1975 film from Tyburn Productions and directed by Freddie Francis, called The Ghoul. Not to be confused with the Karloff one from the ’30s, this one starred Peter Cushing, John Hurt, and Veronica Carlson. Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answers: Hoby Abernathy, Bruce Crelin, Dave Fronto, Chris Kinniery, and Doug Lamoreux. I have a feeling I have missed a name or two, so if I did miss your’s, then I apologize now. Been a hectic week.

Now on to this week’s photo. This might be a challenging one…or not. But either way, good luck! As always, please remember not to post your answers here so others can have a chance at it!

mp100217

Soundtrack Review: Christine

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

christine

Christine
Released by Varèse Sarabande
18 Tracks with a Total Running Time of 34 min.
Original Music by John Carpenter in Association with Alan Howarth

 

Another classic soundtrack from Carpenter and Howarth. I don’t know how Carpenter continued to do it all those years ago, coming up with a score that was so simple and never over-the-top or intricate, but almost made them damn effective. And the score for Christine is no different.

Using just a keyboard, they once again create such an eerie score, building tension and atmosphere that some couldn’t do with a full orchestra. Even on a track like #5 Discovery, it is slow with on a few notes but is still able to make in impact, not to mention what it adds to the actual film. When you get to tracks like Moochie’s Death, we get a lot of suspense through the beating pulse along with a little melody in the background, with a few stingers here and there. Highly effective.

At the end of this month, Varèse Sarabande is releasing this on vinyl, with brand new art from Gary Pullin.

Living the Dream at the Drive-In

by in Movie Events and tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

20170923_160916

This last Saturday, we were at the Midway Drive-In in Dixon, IL, for their annual From Dusk to Dawn Horrorfest, set up out in front of the concessions, like we usually are. Now usually in September when these are held, the only part of the weather we usually have to worry about is if it might rain or not. Thankfully, there was not even a chance of rain in the forecast. Instead, it was a bit warmer than normal. In fact, record breaking temps hitting 91 degrees. And it felt like it too. Would it be too hot for anyone to want to come out and celebrate the great films they were showcasing? Would they come out early enough to shop with us vendors and hang out? Or if they were planning to come out, would they just get there right as dusk in time for the films? We would soon have the answer to that.

Continue reading →

Mystery Photo 9-25

by in Mystery Photo and tagged | Leave a comment

Monday has arrived, once again. Hope everyone had a good weekend, for what its worth. So let us not delay and get to our Mystery Photo recap, shall we? Last week’s photo was from the 1980 film Death Ship, starring the always entertaining George Kennedy and Richard Crenna. This is one of those films that really isn’t that bad, but is very rarely one that comes up in conversation, especially when you’re talking about a haunted ship. But kudos to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Kuba Haczek, and William Wilson.

Now on to this week’s photo. Let’s see how well you can do with this ugly mug! As always, remember not to post your answers here, so everyone else can have a chance. But send your guesses to us in an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com.

mp092517

Suzan Farmer – Rest in Peace

by in Rest in Peace and tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Susan Farmer - RIPThis is a name that might not be too familiar, but if you’re a Hammer fan, then you’ll know the face. Farmer appeared in several titles from Hammer, including two of their swashbuckling  movies, The Crimson Blade (1963) and The Devil-Ship Pirates (1964). But it was mainly for her role in Dracula, Prince of Darkness when horror fans took note. She followed that film up immediately with Rasputin: The Mad Monk, once again coming up against the sizeable Christopher Lee. Another non-Hammer picture that she made that I remember fondly is Die, Monster, Die! (1965), starring alongside Boris Karloff. This was one that I saw in my youth and really made an impact with me. While she might not have been as glamorous or as known as some of the other Hammer starlets, her performances always stood out and are very memorable.

She passed away on Sept. 17th. Our thoughts go out to her friends and family. Thankfully, like all of our movie heroes and heroines, they will live on for fans of their films, especially for Hammer fans!

Nox Arcana Returns for the Season…of the Witch!

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

“All Hallow’s Eve… Deep within the Haunted Forest, beyond the old gypsy camp, shadows gather in a place known as Raven’s Hollow. Strange chants echo through the trees and join rhythmic drumming, summoning forth creatures of the night. No one enters these woods after dark, for this night begins the Season Of The Witch.”

Since I’m a big fan of movie soundtracks, when I first came across Nox Arcana, I just loved what they were doing. If you’re not familiar with them, they create amazing soundscapes, like a soundtrack but without a movie. Except, there is a story or theme inside the music. Whether they’ve tacked vampires, haunted houses, Lovecraft, Poe, or a demented circus, they continue to create creepy audio nightmares for listeners. Here’s is a track from the new album.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Twisted Visions

by in Reviews: Horror Reference Book and tagged , , | 1 Comment

twisted-visionsTwisted Visions
By Matthew Edwards
Published by McFarland, 2017. 280 pages

There are more than a few of these types of “interview” books, where the author has sat down with a variety of people involved in movies, getting their opinions, thoughts, and feelings towards their craft and the movies they’ve worked on. So what makes Twisted Visions different from all of those? A couple of different reasons, really. Edwards not only knows the history of the subjects being interviewed, but also really knows the films being discussed. And the group of underrated filmmakers chosen for this book are probably unknown to most of the mainstream genre fans, but are more than worthy of having their chance to talk about their career. But most importantly, the great thing about this book is that you are going to learn. That’s right…didn’t think you’d find that while reading an interview with the guy that made Nightmares in a Damaged Brain or Combat Shock, did you? But you will.

In his introduction, Edwards writes “In Hollywood, the marketing of the movie has become more important than the quality of the film.” So true, and so sad. Thankfully, the filmmakers covered in this book were not anywhere close to Hollywood and that is a good thing. Edwards has picked a great selection of talent and talks with real passion and respect for them, as well as seeing a lot more here than your average fan. In other words, the guy knows what he’s talking about!

Continue reading →