World Tour Continues in August

July 9, 2026 by Jon Kitley in Conventions and tagged Alan Howarth, Ali Marie Matheson, An American Werewolf in London, Ana Alicia, Celeste O'Connor, Chris Alexander, Clayton Landey, Daniel Griffith, Dark Shadows, David Arquette, David Naughton, Dermot Mulroney, Dick Warlock, Flashback Weekend, Gloria Gifford, Griffin Dunne, Halloween 2, Jason Lively, Jeff Thompson, Jill Whitlow, Jim Storm, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Lloyd Kaufman, Mark Maddox, Marley Shelton, Mathesontennial, Monsterama, Night of the Creeps, Richard Christian Matheson, Richard Matheson, Roger L. Jackson, Roger Mitchell, Sam Irvin, Scream, Sharon Smyth-Lenz, Silent Night Deadly Night, Susan Shoop, Tim Bradsheet, Tom Atkins | Leave a comment

While we have a bit of a break here in July, we are definitely going to be busy next month. Actually, on July 31st, we head to our only local convention, Flashback Weekend, which Chicago’s biggest and longest running area horror convention. We’ve been to everyone of their shows since they started back in 2002 and always have a fun time.

Once again, they have a huge guest lineup, from a bunch of guests from the Scream series (David Arquette, Marley Shelton, Dermot Mulroney, Roger L. Jackson, Celeste O’Connor, Joseph Whipp, Jeremy Conner, Kraig Dane, Noah Garrett), to David Naughton and Griffin Dunne from An American Werewolf in London, Tom Atkins, Jason Lively and Jill Whitlow from Night of the Creeps, and Dick Warlock, Susan Shoop, Ana Alicia, Gloria Gifford and Alan Howarth from Halloween 2, and from the first two Silent Night Deadly Night films, Robert Brian Wilson and Eric Freeman, to Jane Levy from Evil Dead (2013), Quinn Lord from Trick ‘r Treat and Spencer Charnas from Ice Nine Kills.

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DtH Episode 121 – Made-for-TV Horror: Dan Curtis

April 29, 2026 by Jon Kitley in Discover the Horror Podcast and tagged Bob Colbert, Burnt Offerings, Dan Curtis, Dark Shadows, Darren McGavin, Dracula, Jack Palance, Karen Black, Kolchak The Night Stalker, The Night Stalker, The Norliss Tapes, Trilogy of Terror | Leave a comment

As a horror fan growing up watching TV in the early ’70s, you may not know or remember the name Dan Curtis, but you know his work. From his early gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, where one of the main characters just happened to be a vampire, to the countless adaptations of classic novels, such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and Jekyll and Hyde, to even more throughout the ’70s. Curtis continued to give TV viewing audiences plenty of nightmares during that time, always using a blend of classic monsters, as well as bringing new and unique ones to the small screen, all with the same results.

While some of his work might be lost on modern day audiences, his influence has never gone away, and his body of work is still one that is more than worth revisiting to, or if you’ve never experienced it yet, then now is the perfect time to start down that journey.

Films mentioned in this episode:

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Monsterama in Atlanta

February 3, 2026 by Jon Kitley in Conventions and tagged Alie Marie Matheson, Anthony Taylor, Clayton Landey, Dan Curtis, Dark Shadows, Jeff Thompson, Jim Storm, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Lloyd Kaufman, Monsterama, Richard Christian Matheson, Richard Matheson, The Twilight Zone, Tim Bradstreet, Troma Enterainment | 2 Comments

Ever since I heard about this show, we wanted to attend. But being in Atlanta, which is about a 12-hour drive, is a bit too long for us. Sure, might be easier to fly, but if we were going, we’d want to be vendors there, which means we’d have to drive. So, I would just sit and look at the events, the guests, and all the fun it looked like everyone was having. But not this year!

Because I wanted to try some other shows that were a little different than the huge convention with massive guests lists, to those where fans were coming to have fun and maybe learn something about the genre. Monsterama, which has been running since 2014, is the brainchild of Anthony Taylor, who I’ve known for a few years since we both attend Monster Bash every year. Just hearing about the way the show is put on, with all the different panels they have, plus the steady stream of films being screened from actual film prints, I knew at some point, I was going to have to make it someday. And this is the year.

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2025 Kryptic World Tour Coming to an End

October 8, 2025 by Jon Kitley in Conventions and tagged Dario Argento, Dark Shadows, How to Make a Monster, Inferno, Invasion of the Animal People, Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural, Matango, Monster Bash, Music Box of Horrors, Music Box Theater, Terror in the Midnight Sun, The Flesh Eaters | Leave a comment

This weekend, we are heading to our last real convention, Monster Bash, which is taking place in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. They have a great guest lineup, including Gary Clarke from How to Make a Monster, Kathryn Leigh Scott and Sharon Smyth from the original Dark Shadows series, Barbara Wilson from Blood of Dracula, Invasion of the Animal People aka Terror in the Midnight Sun, and The Flesh Eaters, John Russo from the original Night of the Living Dead, and more. You can get all the info by clicking HERE.

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Monster Bash Approaches

June 4, 2025 by Jon Kitley in Conventions and tagged Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstsein, Classic Monsters, Daniel Roebuck, Dark Shadows, Frank Dello Stritto, Gregory Mank, John Russon, Land of the Lost, Lucy Chase Williams, Man Made Monster, Monster Bash, Monster Bash Conference, Sharon Smyth, Ship of Monsters, The Vampire's Ghost, Tom Weaver, Universal Classic Monsters, Universal Horrors, Zombies on Broadway | 2 Comments

In a little less than 3 weeks, we’ll be heading off to one of our favorite shows, the Monster Bash Conference, taking place from June 20th to the 22nd, in Cranberry Township, PA. While it might be a little smaller than some of the usual shows we attend, there is so much to do and see here, that it is always a great time. They have film screenings from Thursday night all the way through Sunday, going into the wee hours of the night! You’ll get the chance to see some classic horror films, usually screened from16mm prints, including titles like The Vampire’s Ghost (1945), Weird Woman (1943), Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), the not-to-be-missed Mexican horror/sci-fi spectacular The Ship of Monsters (1960), Lon Chaney’s The Penalty (1920), Night of the Living Dead (1968), Man Made Monster (1941), Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), and Zombies on Broadway (1945)! These are the kind of titles that makes me wish I wasn’t vending, just so I can sit and watch movies all weekend!

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DtH Episode 73: Pre-Code Horror Comics

June 26, 2024 by Jon Kitley in Discover the Horror Podcast and tagged Chamber of Chills, Dark Shadows, Dr. Dan Yezbick, EC Comics, Grimm's Ghost Stories, Haunt of Fear, House of Mystery, House of Secrets, Pre-Code Horror Comics, Tales from the Crypt, Tomb of Dracula, Tower of Shadows, Vault of Horror, Werewolf by Night, William Gains | Leave a comment

In the mid 1950’s an overzealous witch hunt took place in the United States focused on the corrupting effects of comic books on young people, which ended in horror comics being banned from the shelves by a draconian comics code. But why? What did those comics contain that got people so riled up? Well, it depends on who you ask.

WE asked Dr. Dan Yezbick, a comics scholar, and he sparked a lively discussion. If you’re only vaguely aware of this chapter of horror history, strap in, because pre-code horror is one of the more fascinating areas of the history of the genre.

Comics mention in this episode:

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Bob Cobert – Rest in Peace

February 25, 2020 by Jon Kitley in Rest in Peace and tagged Bob Cobert, Dan Curtis, Dark Shadows, Night Stalker | Leave a comment

bobcobert You couldn’t have been a horror fan that grew up in the late ’60s and early ’70s and not know the music of Bob Cobert. With the amount of work that writer/director/producer Dan Curtis was kicking out during that time, Cobert was right there through almost all of it, creating some incredible and memorable scores. Sadly, we heard the news that Mr. Cobert passed away back on Feb. 19th from pneumonia. He was 95.

My personal favorite has always been the theme he did for The Night Stalker (1972), but there are also so many other great ones, such as Dark Shadows, both the series and the two films. He pretty much worked on almost all of Curtis’ productions, which earned him a Grammy nomination for his composition Quentin’s Theme from Dark Shadows series and a Emmy nomination for his work on Curtis’ epic miniseries War and Remembrance (1988-89).

For a composer to create a theme that is remembered as much a the movie or series itself is a high compliment for any musician. Cobert seemed to do it over and over again. He may have left his planet, but he has left us hours and hours of fantastic music that we can listen to over and over, bringing those images back in our brains again and again.

Our thoughts go out to his friends and family in this difficult time. Rest in Peace, Maestro.

Master of Dark Shadows

March 7, 2019 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged Dan Curtis, Dark Shadows, David Gregory, Dracula, Master of Dark Shadows, Night Stalker, Norliss Tapes, Trilogy of Terror | Leave a comment

Master of Dark Shadows You couldn’t grow up watching TV in the ’70s and not know of the work of Dan Curtis. His work had a huge impact on my life, from The Night Stalker (1972), The Norliss Tapes (1973), Trilogy of Terror (1975), and so many other made-for-TV movies. Oh yeah, and there was that series Dark Shadow that you might have heard of. Needless to say, if it was from Curtis, you know it was going to be worth your time. And now, thanks to director David Gregory, we’re going to have a chance to learn a little bit more about this amazing man.

Set to be released next month, this feature length documentary covers Curtis and his work, hearing from a ton of people that worked with him and were fans of his work, such as Ben Cross, Roger Davis, Jonathan Frid, Whoopi Goldberg, John Karlen, William F. Nolan, David Selby, Barbara Steele, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Bob Cobert, and many more.

While he definitely worked outside the horror genre a few times, like writing, producing, and directing the Emmy Award Winning mini-series War and Remembrance (1988-89), he made such an impact with horror fans with his films. And they are still as entertaining now, decades later, as they were then. Kudos to Gregory for helping bring light to this talented man that was use to working in the shadows.

Horror History: Bob Cobert

November 14, 2018 by Jon Kitley in Horror History and tagged Bob Cobert, Dan Curtis, Dark Shadows, Dracula, Night Stalker, Norliss Tapes | 2 Comments

bobcobert Bob Cobert
Born Oct. 26th, 1924

If you were a fan of Dan Curtis and his early TV work, then you are well aware of the work of Bob Cobert, even if you don’t recognize the name. He is probably best known for working on the famous Curtis TV series Dark Shadows, that ran from 1967 to 1971. He also worked on the two feature films based on the series, House of Dark Shadows (1970) and Night of Dark Shadows (1971), as well as the 1991 revival. But he also did a ton of different made-for-TV shows in the early ’70s with Curtis. Titles like The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1968), The Night Stalker (1972), The Night Strangler (1973), The Norliss Tapes (1973), Scream of the Wolf (1974), Dracula (1974), Trilogy of Terror (1975), Burnt Offerings (1976), and so many more.

Working outside of the horror genre, he also composed the music for Curtis’ war epics The Winds of War (1983) and War and Remembrance (1988), as well creating his fair share of game show themes!

Cobert’s music had its own unique style that was recognizable, memorable, and always added to what we were watching on screen. Those films and shows would definitely had lost something without had it not been for his music.

Naschy at the Drive-in???

May 17, 2016 by Jon Kitley in Movie Events and tagged Blind Dead, Dark Shadows, Drive-In Super Monster-Rama, DVD Drive-In, Paul Naschy, Riverside Drive-In | 2 Comments

driveinmonsterama2016

Okay, so I’ve posted many times here about my love of not only the Drive-ins but also of the work of Paul Naschy. So needless to say, when I saw the lineup for the Drive-In Super Monster-Rama at the Riverside Drive-In in Vandergrift, PA, well….let’s just say I was a little excited. They were showing not just one Paul Naschy flick, not two, but THREE! And to push me over the edge even more, they were also showing one of the Blind Dead films! How could this even be possible?

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