The Krypt has finally joined the rest of the universe it seems and signed up for a Twitter account. At this point, while I still learn how it works and what exactly I want to use it for, who knows what I’ll be posting. But if you want to follow us, we are at @KitleysKrypt, so we’d love for you to follow us.
Time of the Turkey
Yes, it is that time again. Time to celebrate the Turkey. Although, regulars of this site know that I’m not speaking of the poor fowl that will be devoured in mass today, but that of the other kind, the films that some might call a cinematic Titanic. Yes, I speak of the Turkey! The kind of film that only the dedicated and die-hard film fans will not only sit through, but even stranger, will be entertained by it. Because as we all know, described best by author Stephen Thrower (which I agree wholeheartedly), “the only bad movie is a boring one.” There are plenty of movies that have a low IMDB rating that I find wildly amusing. Ones that make me wonder how they ever were financed, produced, directed, edited, and even more amazing…actually released to the theaters! But it happened, time and time again. Obviously they must have made some sort of impact with their audiences because we are still talking about them today! Films like The Giant Claw, Plan Nine from Outer Space, Blood Freak, The Creeping Terror, Monster Dog, and so many more.
Hammer Films: The Unsung Heroes – The Team Behind the Legend Book Review
Hammer Films: The Unsung Heroes – The Team Behind the Legend
By Wayne Kinsey
Published by Tomahawk Press, 2010. 484 pages
Can there ever bee TOO many books on Hammer Films? I think not. Especially when they are like this one. So many books have been written about the films that Hammer made or on a few of their stars. But what about all the little people, as they say?We all know that film making is a huge collaboration of many different people to make the final output look like it does. Usually that attention goes to the stars, and maybe the writers and directors, or even the special effects people. But there are other names out there that worked just as hard that usually get very little, if any, credit. All the people behind the scenes, whether it was an assistant director, in the wardrobe department, or even the ones working in continuity. These people are all part of the reason that these films are what they are. When it comes to Hammer Films, Wayne Kinsey is trying to change all of that with this book.
A History of Horror Book Review
A History of Horror
By Wheeler Winston Dixon
Published by Rutgers University Press, 2010. 247 pages
Boy…where to start with this one. Whenever someone, usually of some huge academic background, writes a book about the history of the horror genre, it seems (to me at least) that they might be a fan of the classic era of horror films. But once they get to the ’70s and move through the modern day films, they either lose their interests, basically slide their way through them, or both, usually with some negative slant as well. Now I’m not expecting anybody to love each and every horror film out there. But if you’re writing a history of the genre, then it should be based on facts, not opinions. And even more importantly…now listen up folks because here is the important part…you have to your facts right. If you’re talking about a movie, you better make sure you’ve seen the movie. If you can’t get a basic plot point right, then how is anybody going to believe a word you’re writing? Want more details? Just keep reading.
Mystery Photo 11-23
It’s Monday, so that has to mean a new Mystery Photo, right? At least this should be ONE good thing to look forward for a Monday. At least I hope it is! Our last pic was from the Hammer thriller Nightmare. Don’t hear too much about this one for some reason, but it is a good one and worth checking out. In fact, I would recommend most of the black and white thrillers that Hammer made in the 60s, especially titles like Scream of Fear and Paranoiac. Kudos out to the following who sent in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Doug Lamoreux, Michael Shields, Adam Rockoff. Well done!
So….this week’s photo is not black and white, but a nice color one that I thought was a great looking shot. Well done to the DP for this one! But take a look and see what you think. Just send us an email at jon@kitleyskrypt.com with your guess. Remember…Please don’t post your answer here, so everyone can have a guess. Good luck.
Interview: Mariano Baino
This was another interview that was conducted at the Cinema Wasteland show back in October of 2008. Such a great show that was. We had the chance to sit down with this highly underrated and talented writer/director, Mariano Baino.
Kitley’s Krypt: You’ve often stated that H.P. Lovecraft was a big influence on you as a child. Who were the biggest cinematic influences on you in your youth?
Mariano Baino: I grew up watching the Italian stuff, of course, watching Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava’s films. But the reality of it was I watched a lot of American films. People are always surprised when I say that Steven Spielberg always remains one of my favorites. I grew up watching American films. Certain sensibilities and certain influences are very European. But at the same time, for example, it’s only afterwards watching some of my stuff that I think there’s as much Hammer influence in there as there would be Italian films of the 70s. When I watched some of the stuff from Dark Waters, I think, “God, this is like a Hammer film.”
Unnatural Soundtrack Review
Unnatural
Released by Varèse Sarabande, 2015
22 Tracks with a total running time of 69 min.
Music by Edwin Wendler
The 2nd track to this score, the Unnatural Main Title, is by far, my favorite of the score. It is a wonderful piece of music that is quiet but also builds in emotion. I love the way there is a faint sound of a bell or chime in the background that slowly comes more into the forefront. I think that is when this score works the best, with quiet, slow, but steady stream of sound, usually with something going on off in the background. Track # 9, The Unexpected Guest, is another example where this works really well. But the score isn’t all just slow and moody. Tracks like # 12, Closing In, shows how he can build up tension, starting slow and low but getting louder and with a faster pace, but yet still not just making a lot of fast paced noise. He still does it with style. Track # 14, The Hunter Becomes the Hunted, is another good example of that.
Wendler proves that he can create an powerful and emotional effects through his music. Seeing it with the film, we can already tell that it will just enhance the visuals, giving it more of an impact, which is exactly what a score is suppose to do.
Germán Robles – Rest in Peace
The horror genre has lost another legend, even though most fans probably don’t know who Germán Robles ever was. But in fact, he was one the very first movie vampire to ever bare his fangs on screen! That’s right, folks, right before Hammer’s Horror of Dracula was released, a black and white film from Mexico called El Vampiro came out, which featured Robles as the dreaded Count Duval.
Inside Hammer: Book Review
Inside Hammer
By Jimmy Sangster
Published by Reynolds & Hearn, 2001. 160 pages.
Sangster had already written autobiography, Do You Want It Good Or Tuesday?, which was very interesting, but he felt that he didn’t cover enough about Hammer that his fans probably wanted. With this new title, Sangster sticks to really what he’s famous for, and that is working with the Studio that Dripped Blood! Sangster covers every film that he worked on with the famous studio; from his first film Dick Barton Strikes Back as a lowly assistant to his last film Fear in the Night as writer, producer and director. Here are some my favorite parts of the book:
Interview: Cast of Bad Taste
Before we get to this interview, let me give a little bit of a background to it. Several years ago, I’d say around 2003 or 2004, I received an email regarding something I had mention on my site about Romero’s Dawn of the Dead. I don’t remember the exact details of it, but he said he was a huge fan of that movie, and it was signed Pete O’Herne. Now right away the name sounded a bit familiar but I couldn’t place it. But then I looked at the email address and saw that it was from New Zealand. Then it hit me. Could this be the very same Pete O’Herne that was in Peter Jackson’s crazy debut Bad Taste? After a quick follow up email, I found out it was.
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