Kryptic 20-Year-Old Anniversary Tour

meNext October, Kitley’s Krypt will officially be 20 years old. That’s right…that means come October, I’ll have been ranting and raving on my little world wide web soapbox for two whole decades. While I’m not 100% positive, I’m pretty sure the Krypt is the longest running site out here on this inter-web thingy, at least here in the States. That is a lot of ramblings over those years, and hopefully inciting a little spark or two in some of you to look and learn more about the horror genre, and to really Discover the Horror. That is a moniker that I still truly stand by and belief in.

Trust me, it’s hard sometimes for me to believe that I’m still at this and haven’t given up on it. There’s been a few times I thought about it, but always continued on. And sure, the Krypt isn’t one of the big boys on the block, but honestly, if that would mean being owned by a studio and having to give up some journalistic integrity, then I guess I’m pretty happy right where I’m at. But when it all comes down to it, I do this because this is what I love doing….talking about horror movies. It really is my life’s passion and one that I don’t see myself ever stopping. All I need to know is that I’ve given a fan a little push in the right direction, having them decide to look a little deeper into the genre, then I know I’ve done right by the genre.

Continue reading →

Mystery Photo 12-4

Happy December! That’s right…only a few more weeks before 2017 is over and done and we can hope that 2018 is a little better. I did say “hope”….but for now, let’s get to our new Mystery Photo. Before we do, our last photo was from Hammer’s 1963 black and white thriller Maniac. This was after the success of Hitchcock’s Psycho, Hammer decided to try their hand and these kind of thrillers with a nice twist at the end, which they did a rather nice job of too! The following sent in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Cate Cameron, Craig J. Clark, Troy Howarth, and Michael Shields. Well done!

Now on to this week’s photo. Might be an easy to some, others might have to study it a little bit before it comes to them. I will say this was a staple viewing of my childhood, if that gives you any hint. Just remember not to post your answers here so that everyone can have a chance at them. Just send them to us in an email at jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good luck!

mp120417

Book Review: It Came from the Video Aisle!

IT CAME FROM THE VIDEO AISLE

It Came from the Video Aisle!
Published by Schiffer Publishing, 2017. 480 pages.
By Dave Jay, William S. Wilson, & Torsten Dewi

You couldn’t have grown up in the video store era of the late ’80s/early ’90s, and not know who Full Moon Entertainment was. In fact, their product was usually all over the shelves in the horror section. They really were a staple of the horror market back then. Sure, it didn’t matter if most of the films weren’t any good, there were sure enough of them to make you hope that maybe the one you were currently holding in your hands would be one of the good ones! All seriousness aside, we all know the quality of the end result in a majority of Full Moon titles are, but no matter what, you have to give them, and Charles Band, credit for what they were continuing to do, which was making low budget features the old fashion way…a lot of work and a lot of ballyhoo. There are more than a few of Full Moon’s titles that I actually enjoy, but nowhere near is that a high percentage. But just as started into this new book on the company and the man behind it, I was amazed at how it drew me in more and more into the world of Full Moon, and those fighting for the cause of low budget filmmaking.

Continue reading →

Gone…But Never Forgotten

naschyrememberedbanner

I’ve been seeing posts all day on social media about today being the anniversary of the death of one of the greatest horror icons to work in the genre, Jacinto Molina. Or as most of us knew him as, Paul Naschy. I can still remember being at work when my friend Aaron called to tell me that he had passed away. Following genre for so long, it wasn’t an uncommon thing when a horror celebrity passes away, but this one stung.

Naschy-mummy's revenge

Continue reading →

Mystery Photo 11-27

Hopefully everyone survived Turkey Day and are ready to dive back into the work week! Or at least a new Mystery Photo. How about we just start with that and see how the rest goes…

Last week’s photo was from Frozen Scream (1975), which just happened to be one of the titles featured in our recent Turkey Day Marathon. So right there should tell how good the movie is! We only had two correct answers sent in this time. Hoby Abernathy and Aaron Christensen. Nice job, guys!

But let us get this week started and get to our new photo. Another black and white classic, so maybe that might be a little easier. We’ll just have to see.

As always, please remember not to post your answers here so others can have a chance. Just send your guess to us in an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

mp112717

Turkey Day 2017

tday 2017 banner

Fifteen years. I can’t even fathom the idea that for the last one and a half decades, I’ve been spending my Black Friday sitting in front of my TV watching some of the finest is cinematic shipwrecks. But even better, for most of those years, I have been watching them with some great friends, which makes the experience even better. Including this year’s titles, we’ve “experience” over a hundred titles in those fifteen years. And I do mean “experience”, because some titles it is so much more than just watching. Sitting there with a bunch of like minded crazy cinephiles, really does make it an “experience”. This year, there was moments when the laughing was so loud and hard, that I actually feared for some of the sanity in the room!

20171124_174804

Continue reading →

Soundtrack Review: The Stand

The Stand soundtrack

The Stand
Released by Varèse Sarabande Records, 2017

Disc 1 – 16 Tracks with a Total Running Time of 46 min.
Disc 2 – 17 Tracks with a Total Running Time of 42 min.
Music by W. G. Snuffy Walden

It has been years since I’ve seen Stephen King’s The Stand, but can remember there sitting in front of my TV when it first debuted, anxiously awaiting it to start, like millions of other King fans. But since it has been so long, I don’t recall much of the score, other than hearing Blue Öyster Cult’s Don’t Fear the Reaper in the opening minutes, so this was almost like listening to it for the first time. And I have to say, I am amazed that I don’t remember more of this highly entertaining set of music.

Continue reading →

Mystery Photo 11-20

Sorry for the missed photo last week, but the weekend was just that busy! But even with an extra week, we only got two correct answers sent in. They were from Hoby Abernathy and Tim Palace. Well done! The shot was taken from Night of the Sorcerers (1974), from Amando de Ossorio, the same director that gave us the Blind Dead series.

Now on to this week’s photo. Hopefully this one won’t be as hard. Maybe. Just remember not to post your answers here so everyone can have a chance at it. Just send your guess to us in an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

mp112017

Need Some Holiday Horror?

Yuletide Terror

When thinking about the upcoming holiday, most people don’t think about horror films. In fact, it is supposed to be a joyous time, with gifts, food, family, commercialism…oops…skip that last one. But as I said, “most” people don’t think about horror films….but we do! So one way for us to stay with the “holiday spirit”, we can now read some essays on the Christmas by some of the genre’s talented writers!

Continue reading →

Time of the Turkey

T-DAY 2017

That’s right, folks. October may be over, but that just means that Turkey Day is approaching. And no, I don’t mean the Thursday that we sit around the table and stuff ourselves more than the Turkey you’re eating, but an even more important occasion…our Annual Turkey Day Marathon! And this year marks our 15th year of our little crazy tradition.

Continue reading →