Italian Gore . . . Way Back in 1936

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A couple of things here. Italian horror cinema has always been known for its gore, especially when you consider the films that came out in the late ’70s and ’80s. From the works of Deodato, D’Amato, Lenzi, Fulci, Bava, Soavi, and the list goes on and on. So why am I surprised to see this Italian short film, called Il caso Valdemar, made way back in 1936? Directed by Gianni Hoepli & Ublado Magnaghi, it was based on the Edgar Allan Poe short story, The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar, first published in 1845. What I didn’t expect was the amount of gore for that time. When Corman adapted this story in his film Tales of Terror (1962), which Vincent Price melting at the end, was pretty cool, but seeing this done 26 years before is just amazing. This is a silent film, though there is some written Italian in the form of letters or notes. But the ending, though pretty dark, is just incredible that they came up with those effects that long ago.

Secondly, it amazes me each and every time that no matter how long I’ve been a fan and student of the horror film genre, that one can still learn new things. I always like to point this out to fans that are newer to the genre and that might feel a little intimidated by what some older and more experienced fans might know or all the films they have seen. Honestly, the way you need to think of it is that we are all on the same path, just that some have been on it a little longer. I don’t see a point where someone is going to be where they’ve seen it all. There will always be new things to discover, even if they came out decades ago. The goal should be to always to continue to discover more, whether it be new films or old ones, the excitement will be the same.

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Movie Review: Werewolves on Wheels

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(1971)
Directed by Michel Levesque
Starring Stephen Oliver, D.J. Anderson, Deuce Berry, Billy Gray, Barry McGuire, Severn Darden

This is one of those famous cult titles that we all remember reading about or seeing mentioned in some reference book.  What a great exploitation title, huh?  Right there you have two different types of exploitation movies together…bikers and monsters!  What more could you ask for? Well, maybe that the film delivered on what the title promised? Okay, this is exploitation after all, so I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised to discover that it’s only ONE werewolf on wheels, and that is only at the end of the film. But since when did these kinds of movies from this era deliver 100% of the time on what their ads promised?

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Is What We Do Important?

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Not to get too philosophical on a Monday, but with the way the world is right now, where it seems to be the norm for politicians to blatantly lie over and over again without worry about being held accountable, to a dozen other world crises going on, it makes me wonder every now and then that the time I spend writing, reading, and talking about the horror genre, if it is really important. Shouldn’t I be spending that time helping to better the world in some sort of way?

My father was not a fan of movies. In fact, I know of only one time my stepmother dragged him to a theater (which he quickly fell asleep and snored through the whole thing), and I don’t think I ever saw him stay awake for a movie on TV. But if he were alive today and saw what I am doing, even more so on the convention circuit, he’d lose his mind because he would see all this as people wasting their time and money and such stupid things.

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Mystery Photo 11-7

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Yes, Halloween is now in the past for this year, but we all know that Halloween is a state of mind, and not a season that comes around once a year. For us horror fans, it is all year round! Granted, now I might have a little more free time to get some other projects done as well as get a few more updates here as well! So, let’s get started!

I had a feeling the last photo was going to stump a few people since it is a pretty obscure title. So, if you didn’t get it, don’t feel too bad. It is from the film I Like Bats (1986), a Polish film recently released on Blu-ray from Severin Films. Definitely a curious one, that is for sure.

On to this week’s photo, which might be a little easier to some. Just take a peek and see what you can come up with. Just remember to send your guess to me in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

Movie Review: Wicked Little Things

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(2006)
Directed by J.S. Cardone
Starring Lori Heuring, Scout Taylor-Compton, Chloë Grace Moretz, Geoffrey Lewis, Ben Cross, Chris Jamba, Martin McDougall

This film is about a small mountain town that is haunted by the victims of a mine accident back in the early 1900s. From the prologue, we learn that these victims were all children that were working in the mine and left to be buried alive in the shaft at the start of a cave-in. Of course, the mine’s owner was found innocent of any wrongdoing in the accident, and so starts the vengeance of the dead children.

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Discover the Horror Episode 29 – Conventions: Dealers!

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We’ve already discussed conventions from a fan’s perspective, so now we’re going to go to the other side of the table and discuss what goes into becoming a dealer, what that means, what it costs, and all the other fun stuff that comes with the territory, that maybe most fans might not be aware of!Hopefully you’ll find this episode insightful, informative, and even entertaining as you hear stories about what it takes to being a dealer. With two of your three hosts being dealers for over two decades, we’ve seen a lot and hopefully can shed some light on all the pros and cons of being on that side of the table at conventions.You can always let us know your thoughts about conventions, dealers, or just being a fan by posting comments here, or through our Facebook page or Instagram.

Movie Review: Lady in White (1988)

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(1988)
Directed by Frank LaLoggia
Starring Lucas Haas, Alex Rocco, Katherine Helmond, Jason Presson, Len Cariou, Renata Vanni

The very first horror convention that I attended was the Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors, out in California, in April of 1988. One of the guests there was Frank LaLoggia promoting his new film, Lady in White. I remember seeing the trailer there, and it looked like a cool little ghost story. I went to see it in the theater after it came out, and to this day, it still remains as one of my favorite ghost films of all time.

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Andrew Prine – Rest in Peace

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This one just plain sucks! I saw it posted earlier this morning, but couldn’t find any confirmation, so I was hoping it wasn’t real, but unfortunately, it has now been reported by the Hollywood Reporter. Actor Andrew Prine passed away on Monday the 31st, at the age of 86. Prine had close to 200 film and TV credits over his career, appearing in westerns, war films, and more than a few titles in the cult and horror genre. I got to meet Mr. Prine a few times over the years at different shows, and even had the honor to interview him way back in April of 2005. Such a kind and funny man, with a ton of great stories. He had recently been a guest at the Monster Bash show in PA and his Q&A was just so funny and entertaining.

His portray of the title character in Simon, King of the Witches (1971), while it may not be a true horror film, is an incredible tale of someone that may or may not be a real warlock. Of course, there’s ways William Girdler’s Grizzly (1976), where Prine was the only actor to get inside the caged area where the very real and very huge bear was in! But so many other great titles, like Crypt of the Living Dead (1973), The Centerfold Girls (1974), or The Evil (1978). Hell, even Barn of the Naked Dead (1973), which was made under the title Terror Circus, is pretty fun to watch. Again, that comes down to Prine and his performance.

Thankfully, all of those films mentioned, plus plenty more, are readily available for fans to enjoy over and over again. And thanks to Rob Zombie, who cast Prine in a small role in his 2012 film The Lords of Salem, maybe that will bring in some newer fans to might want to look into his long and entertaining career. So, while we might have lost him from this realm of existence, he will continue to not only be alive to us fans, but he will continue to entertain us with his performances. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.

Witches, Bitches and Banshees Now Available!

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Okay, so who needs another book on British Horror films? Specifically, one that titles that American International Pictures produced and/or released here in the states? I know, I know. We ALL do, right? We all know you can never have too many reference books in your film library, so now is your chance to add one more!

AIP was always known for their quick black and white low budget exploitation flicks on the 50s, but once they realized how much money they were making on Corman’s Poe features, they continued that trend, even having films produced across the pond, creating some of our favorite films, such as the Dr. Phibes films, Witchfinder General, Die, Monster, Die!, and so many other great ones.

In Witches, Bitches and Banshees: The British Films of American International Pictures, author John Hamilton spent over two decades doing research on these films, interviewing more than 60 names in the business that were involved, from “inside corporate AIP dealings as well as extensive behind-the-scenes coverage on the films”, all now encompassed in this 354-page hardcover edition. Includes a foreword by director Gordon Hessler and actress Valli Kemp.

You can order your copy directly from Little Shoppe of Horrors through their website HERE. The price is $55 plus $6.50 shipping, if you’re in the states. If you’re in the UK, Hemlock Books should be getting them in stock shortly. Otherwise, email Mr. Klemensen from LSoH for a shipping quote.

Soundtrack Review: The Dark and the Wicked

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The Dark and the Wicked (2020)
Released by Bandcamp
34 Tracks with a Total Running Time of 78 min.
Music by Tom Schraeder

As I mentioned in my review of the actual film, it’s a very strong and emotional draining ride, that constantly pulls at your emotions. And one of the things that helps with that is the score. This is not one with music per say, with melodies and such, but of sounds and emotions. And it works so well.

Schraeder uses a couple instruments, in very unusual ways, to create these amazing sounds that immediately put the viewer on edge. There are haunting piano notes given a slight echoing to them, or what sounds like metal slowly being dragged across another piece of metal, with different speeds and tones, but again, highly effective. A perfect example of that is track 8 – Not the Carrots, especially if you’ve seen the film which means you’ll probably remember the scene. It’s almost hard to watch and hear the music that Schraeder created for this, makes listening to it almost as effective as the visuals.

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