Hammer is Killing My Wallet!

March 28, 2026 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged AIP, American International Pictures, Christopher Lee, Cry of the Banshee, Curse of Frankenstein, Doctor Blood's Coffin, Hammer Films, Mark Jenkin, Michael Gough, Peter Cushing, Roger Corman, The House of Hammer, Vincent Price | 2 Comments

After years of complaining about Hammer Films getting a new owner and a promised reboot that never happens, I would almost say that I’m regretting that it is actually happening now. But I won’t. Because even though it’s costing me more and more money, I’m loving every minute of it! We all know the incredible special edition box sets they have put out on the first two Quatermass films, as well as The Curse of Frankenstein, as well as some other more rare non-horror titles, but now even releasing some non-Hammer but still British horror titles, such as Doctor Blood’s Coffin and Cry of the Banshee. Then there is their new documentary Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters documentary that his coming out. What more could we ask for? How about The House of Hammer: Volume 1?

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DtH Episode 116 – Corman / Price / Poe

February 18, 2026 by Jon Kitley in Discover the Horror Podcast and tagged AIP, American International Pictures, Barbara Steele, Daniel Haller, Edgar Allan Poe, Floyd Crosby, Hazel Court, House of Usher, Jack Hill, James Nicholson, Patrick Magee, Roger Corman, Sam Arkoff, The Masque of the Red Death, The Pit and the Pendulum, Vincent Price | Leave a comment

House of Usher (1960), The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), and The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

In the beginning of his career as a producer / director Roger Corman was known for cranking out cheap and fast black and white pictures that always made money. He worked in all genres, but it was mainly the horror and sci-fi pictures in the mid to late ’60s he was known for. All that changed in 1960, when he convinced AIP to let him adapt a story from Edgar Allan Poe, but in color, with a bigger budget, and longer shooting schedule. That started a new phase of Corman’s career, which also made an even bigger star of Vincent Price.

In this episode, we take a deep dive into three of these Poe adaptations, and not necessarily looking in the faithfulness of them, but in their production, the incredible casts, the look, the style, as well as the feel of them. They really do get better each and every time you watch them. Hopefully after listening to this episode, you’ll decide to either venture down this dark path for the first time or take a revisit to admire the doom and gloom they all have.

Films mentioned in this episode:

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Movie Review: The Terror

December 3, 2023 by Jon Kitley in Reviews: Movies and tagged American International Pictures, Boris Karloff, Dennis Jakob, Dick Miller, Dorothy Neumann, Francis Ford Coppola, Jack Hill, Jack Nicholson, Jonathan Haze, Leo Gordon, Monte Hellman, Roger Corman, Sandra Knight, The Terror | 1 Comment

Directed by Roger Corman, Francis Ford Coppola, Jack Hill, Monte Hellman, Dennis Jakob, Jack Nicholson
Starring Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson, Sandra Knight, Dick Miller, Dorothy Neumann, Jonathan Haze

The Terror (1963) was one of those films that you always would see on the shelf when you went to any video store back in the day, or at places like the grocery stores if they had these bins of cheap VHS tapes. The main reason for that was because this was public domain title, so there were multiple different releases out at any given time, and all of them looking pretty shabby quality-wise. The more you learned about the film itself and how it came to be, you probably found that to be more entertaining, or at least more fascinating, than the actual picture itself!

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Witches, Bitches and Banshees Now Available!

November 3, 2022 by Jon Kitley in Book News and tagged AIP, American International Pictures, Amicus, Die Monster Die, Dr. Phibes, Gordon Hessler, John Hamilton, Little Shoppe of Horrors, Tigon, Witches Bitches and Banshees, Witchfinder General | Leave a comment

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.

New Book on British AIP Films

April 2, 2022 by Jon Kitley in Book News and tagged AIP, American International Pictures, Hammer Films, John Hamilton, Little Shoppe of Horrors, Tigon, Witches Bitches and Banshees | Leave a comment

While there have been a few books that have covered the productions from American International Pictures, or AIP as they are better known as, but during their reign at the box office and drive-ins, there were 29 titles that were made in the UK, from making deals with Hammer Films, Tigon, and a few other production companies, to release the films over here in the states. Titles like Cat Girl (1957), Horrors of the Black Musuem (1959), Witchfinder General (1968), and The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971), plus many others. Now, being published through Little Shoppe of Horrors, author John Hamilton has spent over 20 years working on this volume that will cover 29 film titles, each with in-depth coverage, including over 700 images!

No real date set for this volume, but I know I will definitely be adding it to my library. The films that AIP presented to audiences during that era were some of the ones I grew up on, especially in the days of the VHS boom when so many titles were hitting that new market. When we get more details, we’ll post them here. In the meantime, if you’re interested, fire off an email to Little Shoppe of Horrors main man Richard Klemenson (klemdia@msn.com) to let him know you’re interested.

Book Review: American International Pictures: A Comprehensive Filmography

April 11, 2020 by Jon Kitley in Reviews: Horror Reference Book and tagged AIP, American International Pictures, Larry Buchanan, McFarland, Rob Craig, William Girdler | 4 Comments

American International Pictures: A Comprehensive Filmography
Published by McFarland, 2019. 451 pages.
By Rob Craig

I was a little apprehensive on tackling this book for review, mainly because I had already reviewed two previous volumes of Craig’s work and found them written a little above the subject. By that I mean he seemed to find a lot of subtext in some low budget features that I personally don’t think were ever there. But that is just a difference of opinion, and I hoped with his latest book on AIP films, it would be a little different. And it was. For the most part.

If you are a fan of American International Pictures, then simply put, this book is a must. It covers over 800 feature films, television series, and TV specials that were from AIP or under one of their many partners. It is an A to Z filmography, covering titles that are very familiar to ones that you might never of heard of. One of the things I really liked about this volume is that each film has a brief synopsis, usually taken from a pressbook, and that’s it when it comes to the plot. This leaves the story left open for the viewer to really discover instead of the author laying it out play-by-play style when that can lead the reader not even to bother with it! The beauty lies in everything the author writes about after the synopsis, with plenty of little informational tidbits and trivia. Continue reading →

Horror History: Paul Blaisdell

July 12, 2017 by Jon Kitley in Horror History and tagged American International Pictures, Beast with a Million Eyes, Bob Burns, Fantastic Monsters of the Film, Invasion of the Saucer Men, It Conquered the World, Paul Blaisdell, The She-Creature | Leave a comment

Paul Blaisdell
Born July 21st, 1927, Died July 10th, 1983

Any fans of the monster movies of the ’50s have probably seen the work of Paul Blaisdell. He was the man responsible for creating the monsters and creatures for a lot of those early AIP films, usually done with very little time and even less money. But he always came up with some unique and very memorable designs. He started his career after graduating from the New England School of Art and Design, and started to work for Douglas Aircraft as a technical illustrator. He would also send in his drawings to sci-fi fantasy publications like Spaceways and Otherwords. His work was noticed by a very important figure in the horror / sci-fi genre fandom, that of Forrest J. Ackerman. He became Blaisdell’s agent and introduced him into the world of movie making.

Blaisdell would go on to create some of the most memorable monsters from that era, in films like The Beast with a Million Eyes (1955), The She-Creature (1956), It Conquered the World (1957), Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957), and many more. In the early ’60s, he even started his own magazine called Fantastic Monsters of the Film, with Bob Burns. Unfortunately, the magazine was short lived.

With all of his creations being still remembered today by dedicated fans, it’s a shame that Blaisdell still does not receive the recognition that he should. So let’s change that. If you’re not familiar with him or his work, look some of his films up and take a look at the fun stuff he was coming up with, just with a few dollars and a lot of creative talent. I think you’ll enjoy what you see.

Horror History: Ronald Stein

December 9, 2016 by Jon Kitley in Horror History and tagged AIP, American International Pictures, Ronald Stein | Leave a comment

Ronald Stein
Born Apr. 12th, 1930 – Died Aug. 15th, 1988

He started his musical career writing scores in college, working with different opera houses and orchestras in throughout the early ’50s. It was in the mid ’50s that he started working for American International Pictures (known then as American Releasing Company). His first film was the Roger Corman directed western Apache Woman (1955). He worked for them for many years, scoring classic horror and sci-fi films like It Conquered the World (1956), The She-Creature (1956), Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957), Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957), Dementia 13 (1963), and many more. He even composed the theme song for Jack Hill’s Spider Baby (1968) with Lon Chaney singing, as well as the rest of the score for the film.

Stein was obviously a perfect match for AIP since he worked fast and cheap. Between the years of 1956 and 1958, he scored 8 films each year. Not a lot of time when you think about the way it is done these days. Thankfully quite a few of his scores are still available today on CD and are really fun to listen to.