What do titles like Sting of Death, Stanley, Mako: The Jaws of Death, Wild Rebels, The Naked Zoo, Death Curse of Tartu, Impulse all have in common? They were just a handful of the films directed by Florida based filmmaker William Grefé! And now, the incredible history of this low budget filmmaker comes to the screens in this new feature lenght documentary, thanks to Ballyhoo Motion Pictures this April!
While other low budget directors were running off the the sunny skies of California to make their independent pictures, William Grefé stayed in the other sunny part fo the country, in Florida everglades area and made that his own little Hollywood. There he created about sharks, snakes, a jellyfish man, bikers, and many more titles that were sure to lure them into the drive-ins. And he always delivered.
Doctor Jekyll Versus the Werewolf aka Doctor Jekyll y el Hombre Lobo (1972)
This weekend, we will be making our 29th trip out to Strongsville, Ohio, for the Cinema Wasteland Movie and Memorabilia Expo, as we’ve been doing since Sept. of 2000. No other show out there has run this long, being held at the very same hotel since the first one, and has created a reputation for being a show for the real die-hard movie fan. This is one of the few shows left that really is about celebrating the movies and the people behind them. There is always plenty of things going on to keep a movie fan occupied and entertained. From the Q&A panels to the film screening in two different rooms, you will never be bored. This time out, you’ll get the chance to see titles like The Green Slime (1968), Queen of Outer Space (1958), and Stanley (1972), all screened from 16mm prints! In the video room, you can watch classics like King Kong Escapes (1967) or Psychos in Love (1987), and much more.
In Cincinnati this last weekend, it was our first stop on the 2016 Kryptic World Tour, and boy, was it a doozy! I’ve been doing this show since the very beginning and am always amazed at the crowds they bring in each and every time. Of course, in this day and age, being a dealer at any convention is always a challenge, since you’re competing not only with other dealers, but more importantly, with the price of autographs and Photo Ops. But I have to say I was thrilled to see so many people stop by our table over the 3-day weekend and purchase a book (or two, or three) from us. It showed me not only that the interests in horror reference books is still out there, but also the desire for fans to learn more about the genre we love. And I have to say, that makes this old man pretty happy.
