The Art of Don England

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IBlind Dead - Charcoal‘ve known Don England for many years, first meeting him at one of the early Cinema Wasteland shows. We’ve become good friends since then and see each other several times a year at different conventions. He is one incredibly talented artist, and one that still does it the old fashion way…with his hand. Sure, using the computer to do your coloring and all that can look pretty impressive, and nothing against it, but honestly, for me personally, there is something special about a good old fashion pen and ink drawing. But lately Don has been doing some work with charcoal that has once again impressed the hell out of me. One of the first ones that he did recently was a Blind Dead one, which I immediately knew I had to have for my collection and purchased it right away. Since then, he has continued to crank out these little masterpieces and always make me envious of his talent.

So when you get a chance, head over to his website (HERE) and check out some of his artwork. Who knows, maybe you’ll be adding an original piece to your own collection as well. Remember, supporting people like Don shows that what they are doing is still important and appreciated!

Phibes - Charcoal pinhead-charcoal American Werewolf - Charcoal

Book Review: Boris Karloff: More Than A Monster

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KarloffmorethanmonsterBoris Karloff: More Than A Monster
By Stephen Jacobs
Published by Tomahawk Press, 2011. 568 pages.

Out of all the actors in the horror genre, Boris Karloff has always been my favorite. I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that Frankenstein is one of my favorite films, where his performance there has never lost its impact on me. But even though he was typecast as a “boogyman”, he didn’t mind it, nor did it stop him from having such a diverse career, working in so many different genres, on film as well as the stage. He was also never ashamed of his work in the field, especially with the role that made him immortal, often calling the creature his “best friend”.

There have been quite a few books written on Karloff over the years. I even have 10 different titles in my own collection, such as Dear Boris by Cynthia Lindsay, Karloff by Peter Underwood, and The Films of Boris Karloff by Richard Bojarski and Kenneth Beals, which was a title that I was eventually told to stop checking out at my school library because I needed to give other people a chance to get it! One of the best biographies I had read on him was Boris Karloff: A Gentleman’s Life by Scott Allen Nollen, which came out in 1999. I learned so much more about this great man reading this book. But now, I have recently finished another biography that I have to say surpasses that incredible volume. And that would be Boris Karloff: More Than A Monster by Stephen Jacobs.

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Super Monster Movie Fest 2015 – The Fur is Going to Fly!

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kingkongAt the end of August, at the Skyline Drive-In Theater in Shelbyville, IN (just south of Indianapolis), they are holding their annual festival of classic monster movies being screened over 3 days. We were there for one of them a few years ago and have been trying to get back again for the fun, but just don’t seem to make it. But once again, we’re going to try to make it this year.

Starting on Friday, Aug. 28th, they will be screening Mighty Joe Young (1949), Hammer’s Curse of the Werewolf (1961), Island of Lost Souls (1932), Tarantula (1955), and Horror Express (1972). Then on Saturday the 29th, they will be showing the original King Kong (1933), American Werewolf in London (1981), Hammer’s Abominable Snowman (1957), Toho’s War of the Gargantuas (1966), and then Teenage Monster (1958). On Sunday, they will have repeat screenings of Curse of the Werewolf, Island of Lost Souls, and Abominable Snowman. I can’t tell you how excited I am thinking of having the chance to see some of these amazing films on a huge screen, not to mention at a drive-in! How cool is that? I mean seriously….the original King Kong!?!?!

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Nightmare Castle Comes to Blu-ray!

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nightmare-castleAs horror fans, we all know that Barbara Steele made a few gothic horror flicks in her day. Some of the plots might even sound a bit similar….I mean, how many films can you make about ghosts coming back from the dead for revenge? Well…quite a few it seems. But the difference with these films is that they were made by talented filmmakers! So it didn’t matter if the plot had been used several times before, it was still a great movie. A prime example of that is Nightmare Castle

Sure, we all know and love Mario Bava’s Black Sunday, which was the film to catapult Steele into her path towards being a Queen of gothic horror, but I have to say that Nightmare Castle is one of my favorites of hers. The tale is about a deceitful wife and her lover who are tortured to death by her sadistic husband. But the story doesn’t end there, when they come back to haunt the husband and his new wife. With some incredible music by Ennio Morricone, and co-starring Paul Muller and the beautiful Helga Liné, I couldn’t recommend this film enough.

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The New Krypt Hits 100 Post Milestone!

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Well, it has been about four months since we’ve switched the Krypt over to the new site and this is our 100th post! It was a struggle in making the transition but I still think it was for the best. I know I am enjoying the new way of doing this, which I have to say is much easier. I can only hope that everyone out there is still enjoying the updates and my ramblings.

Even though we’ve changed where we are doing it, my goal is still the same, that I am still delivering you the same quality content that I had been doing with the old site for the last 17 years, and hope to continue to do so for more years to come. As it has been since the beginning, this is a labor of love and passion and am grateful to all of you out there that follow this site and show your support. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.

Don’t forget you can follow this site by clicking either the Follow button on the right, or entering your email address in there. That way, each time we post something, you’ll automatically get an email letting you know. Pretty fancy, huh? Also, we’d love to hear more thoughts and comments from you out there. One of the things I really liked about this new format is the ability for you, the reader, to post your own thoughts and comments directly here on the site. There is nothing more I enjoy then having a nice conversation about this genre that we all love. So please, feel free to add your own two cents in to whatever I’m yapping about, or even if you have questions. I’m all ears.

Alright…back to work for now.

Christopher Lee Tributes!

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hammerbluraysetAfter the passing of Christopher Lee earlier this month, there has been a lot of tributes being presented, which I’m grateful to the fact that he is being remembered for his huge contribution to cinema in general, not to mention what he gave us horror fans over the years, that thankfully we will still be able to enjoy for many more years to come.

One of those reasons that we are able to keep the memories alive of these wonderful actors that gave us so many chills over throughout our lives is that even though they have passed on, their movies still remain. And now thanks to Warner Home Video, 3 films that feature the late Christopher Lee will be unleashed in a 4-disc blu-ray set entitled the Hammer Horror Collection. this will feature The Mummy, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, Taste the Blood of Dracula, and Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed. Since this is being called Volume 1, we can only hope that there are more to come. Not sure of any extras that might be on these discs, but even if they are just the films alone, I’m sure they will be well worth the price. The set will be released in October, a perfect time too, with a retail price of around $55. Not bad for 4 films if you ask me.

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Burying the Ex Soundtrack Review

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burying-the-excdBurying the Ex
Released by Lakeshore Records
25 Tracks with a total running time of 45 min.
Music by Joseph LoDuca

This score caught me totally off guard. It seems to borrow several different genres out there, but makes them blend together to where they work. I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this score, since I was pretty familiar with LoDuca’s work from the Evil Dead films but was very impressed.

Hearing this score without seeing the movie really has me curious since the music does seem to jump around into different styles. Right away with the first track, we get a gothic feel, almost like a Tim Burton film or something like that. But then later on, like on track #5 The Bitch is Back, we get a bit of music that could almost be in a Pink Panther movie, or maybe even a detective picture. Very unique but highly entertaining. Then later on, we get tracks that have a bluesy sound to them, adding even more layers to this score. Track # 11 Breakfast Sex almost makes feel like it something from Joe Satriani! That’s how diverse this score is! The last track, a musical number called Poison Love, seems to be a slight parody of Soft Cell’s Tainted Love, but still is a fun track.

I think this shows the wide range and talent that LoDuca has, by being able to go from what style to another, but still nail it each and every time. Very impressive. This is going to make me want to check out more of his work.

Poltergeist (2015) Soundtrack Review

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poltergeist2015Poltergeist (2015)
Released by Sony Masterworks
20 Tracks with a total running time of 43 min.
Music by Marc Streitenfeld

Taking on the job of composing a score for a remake of a very familiar movie must not have been an easy choice. When listening to scores, especially to review them, we try hard not to let that come into our mind when listening to this new take, trying to give it a fresh chance. Sometimes that is harder than others. But while Streitenfeld does do a decent job here, it just doesn’t have anything that reaches out and grabs hold of you. Not meaning that it isn’t a scary score, but that the music doesn’t seem to make its own footprints, rather than just accompany what might be on the screen.

He uses a lot of loud thundering notes, which seems to be more and more common these days with scores, which is a shame. He does come up with a nice opening theme which is decent, but it really doesn’t follow through with the rest of the score. He does use some nursery or children’s music which does give it a nice touch, but I would have liked to have heard more of that intertwined within the rest of the score, instead of the loud jump sounds.

Bottom line is that this isn’t a bad score by any means, but just one that doesn’t hold my attention too much. Maybe it is just me, but I want a score that will take hold of your ears and brain and pull you through the story, even if you’re not watching the film right then.

Looking for a Hidden Horror? The Sender Comes to Blu-ray and DVD

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senderBlurayA couple of years ago, we published a book called Hidden Horror. Heard of it? Well, it was a collection of essays on 101 horror films that we felt more people needed to see as well as maybe not even being too familiar with. Author Will Wilson’s pick for his essay was the 1982 film The Sender. And now thanks to the fine folks at Olive Films, access to this wonderfully creepy film is a little more…accessible!

The story deals with a young trouble man who attempts to kill himself at the opening of the film. He is placed in a psychiatric facility for observation. But strange things start to happen, with bizarre and terrifying images start appearing in people’s minds. The young man, is played by the brilliant character Zeljko Ivanek, making his debut performance here.

I don’t want to go into much detail about it, but only that it is well worth your watch. So order your copy now and I’m sure you won’t regret it and might even be wondering why you had never even heard of this film before.

Unfortunately, Olive Films website doesn’t list any extras on the disc, so we’re not sure what, if any, they are. We’ve already reached out to them to find out and will post it here if we hear back. But you can check out their site HERE for what info they do have.

All About Respect….Monster Bash…Part 2.

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First off, just want to give fair warning that this is going to be a bit of a rant. And something that you’ve heard me mention many times before. And again, this isn’t about any convention specifically out there, just in general, so don’t anybody get their panties in a bunch. But being at this last convention, I noticed something that I feel I need to mention. Another one of the reasons that I had finally made the decision to head east to Monster Bash this time was because of books. Followers of this site know my affection towards horror reference books and my ever increasing library, so the fact that several authors were going to be at this show, made the trip even more attractive.

karloffandlugosiOn the guest list for this show was Gregory William Mank, who is a film historian and author of many great books. One of the things I love and admire about Mank’s work is that he isn’t just writing about the bigger names like Karloff and Lugosi, but also about the smaller and lesser known names from the genre that we love, such as Lionel Atwill, George Zucco, Dwight Frye, and many others. I had brought along several of his books from my collection, such as the wonderful book Karloff and Lugosi: The Story of a Haunting Collaboration and a few others, to get signed. While at his table, we had a really nice conversation about his work and how much I enjoy as well as appreciate it. He mentioned that his upcoming book will be on actor Laird Cregar, best known for his roles in The Lodger (1944) and Hangover Square (1945). The book is entitled Hollywood Ripper: The Rise and Fall of Laird Cregar, and according to Mank’s website, “explores the true story of Cregar and examines his film performances, the blessings and curses of the Hollywood contract system of the 1940s and the legacy of an actor who might have become one of the cinema’s greatest horror stars – and character actors.” It will be published by McFarland & Company.

For the 6 books that I got signed, the cost was….nothing.

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