Movie Review: Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein

January 12, 2020 by Jon Kitley in Reviews: Movies and tagged Alberto Dalbés, Dennis Price, Dracula, Dracula: Prisoner of Frankenstein, Frankenstein, Howard Vernon, Jesús Franco, Jess Frano, Luis Barboo, The Screaming Dead, Wolfman | Leave a comment

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Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein (aka Drácula contra Frankenstein, 1972)
Directed by Jesús Franco
Starring Dennis Price, Howard Vernon, Paca Gabaldón, Alberto Dalbés, Britt Nichols, Geneviève Robert, Anne Libert, Luis Barboo, Fernando Bilbao, Josyane Gibert

DPoF poster I know it is hard for some fans to think of Jess Franco as a highly crafted filmmaker, but there are more than a few examples in his filmography to prove that. This, however, is not one of them.

The first time I saw this film was from the Wizard Video VHS tape, under the title The Screaming Dead, which is quite different when comparing it to the DVD of Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein. Right away you’ll notice that it is extremely cropped with most of the opening names in the credits being cut off on the sides. The film is sequenced differently as well, having some parts in there that are not in the DVD version! For the sake of sanity, I’m just going to talk about the DVD version from Image Entertainment back in 2006. Continue reading →

2019 Year End Review: Part 1 – A Look Back

January 2, 2020 by Jon Kitley in Year End Reviews and tagged Dario Argento, Dark Delicacies, Discover the Horror, Frankenstein, HorrorHound, HorrorHound magazine, Lookingglass Theatre, Monsterpalooza, Paul Naschy, Rick Baker | Leave a comment

End of another year. Another decade. I know one thing for sure that this last decade will not be remembered as one that didn’t produce any good horror movies! Just look at 2014 and you’ll find a ton of amazing films, from here in the US to around the world. As a horror fan, I feel pretty blessed with these last ten years of terror. Let’s hope the ’20s bring us another long list of great cinema.

I had thought that this would be a personal low when it came to films watched, only because it didn’t feel like I had watched that many. In fact, there were a couple of months were I only got to a handful of films. With my book coming out, doing another retrospective for HorrorHound, and the usual holidays, it takes time away from being able to sit and watch movies. But once the tally was done, it turns out that I had watched more in 2019 than I did since 2013! The final number was 236, with almost half of them, a total of 115, being first time viewings. There were a few trips to the drive-ins, some movie marathons, a couple of Turkey Days, and other mini-marathons with friends or just by myself. And I intend to do it all over this year! Really going to try and hit 250 viewings in 2020. Continue reading →

Dracula & Frankenstein on the Big Screen!

September 25, 2019 by Jon Kitley in Movie Events and tagged Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Dracula, Frankenstein, Pickwick Theatre, Universal Monsters | Leave a comment

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Back in 1938, a theater owner named Emil Umann rented prints of the original Dracula and Frankenstein, along with Son of Kong, and screen them as a triple feature. He got the rental of the films pretty cheap because the studios didn’t think anybody cared about these monster films anymore. Oh how they were wrong. These screenings became so popular, that Umann started running them close to 24 hours a day to keep up with the demand. He even contacted Bela Lugosi to come down to make appearances during the screenings. Once Universal discover this, not only did they increase the film rentals, but made 500 more prints and started renting them to other theaters. Plus, they immediately put another Frankenstein film into production!

If you haven’t had the chance to see these two classic monster films on the big screen and are in the Chicagoland area, now is your chance. The Pickwick Theater in Park Ridge, IL, will be screening both Dracula and Frankenstein on October 30th, starting at 7pm. The Pickwick is a great theater to see these films too! So make your plans now to make sure you attend and see our horror history come to life on the big screen!

For more information, just click HERE.

Super Monster Movie Fest Coming Soon!

August 13, 2019 by Jon Kitley in Movie Events and tagged 4D Man, Alligator People, Boris Karloff, David Cronenberg, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein, Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, Hammer, Island of Terror, James Whale, Jurassic Park, Lionel Atwill, Lon Chaney Jr., Man Made Monster, Peter Cushing, Re-Animator, Skyline Drive-in, The Fly | Leave a comment

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In a little less than 2 weeks, the Skyline Drive-In will be hosting their annual Super Monster Movie Fest. This year’s theme is Man Made Monsters and they have posted the final and complete list of titles that are scheduled to play. As always, they have one hell of a great lineup! Here’s is what will be playing: Continue reading →

Frankenstein on Stage!

July 30, 2019 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged Cordelia Dewdney, Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel, David Catlin, Debo Balogun, Frankenstein, Keith Gallagher, Lookingglass Theatre, Mary Shelley, Walter Briggs | 1 Comment

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Last Sunday, Dawn and I headed into Chicago for our third stage adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The first time wasn’t really live theater, but the National Theatre Live’s version of the story, directed by Danny Boyle and with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller in the rotating roles as Victor Frankenstein and his creation. It was decent enough, but maybe because it wasn’t live, it didn’t have the punch I was hoping for. Next was the Lifeline Theatre’s version last year, which was much different than Shelley’s story. It was more about with dealing grief, with Victor actually being a woman named Victoria trying to resurrect her father. Again, it was a very interesting take on the story, but not what I was hoping for. Continue reading →

Frankenstein at the Lookingglass Theatre

June 27, 2019 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged David Catlin, Frankenstein, Lookingglass Theatre, Mary Shelley | Leave a comment

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Right now, playing at Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre, there is a new stage production of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. We went last year to see a Frankenstein play at the Lifeline Theatre, which was a different take on the story, but was still entertaining. So when I heard there was a new adaptation of the story, well… I’m a sucker for anything Frankenstein, so it’s hard for me not to want to see what they are doing with this amazing and timeless story.

It is playing from now through Aug. 4th, which seems to be filling up rather quickly. When I went online to buy tickets, seats are becoming few and far between, so if you’re remotely interested, I would jump on it now! Continue reading →

Super Monster Movie Fest at the Skyline Drive-In

June 26, 2019 by Jon Kitley in Movie Events and tagged 4D Man, Alligator People, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein, Island of Terror, Man Made Monster, Re-Animator, Skyline Drive-in, Super Monster Movie Fest, The Fly | 1 Comment

What has seemed like forever, the Skyline Drive-In in Shelbyville, IN has finally announced their lineup (well… most of it) for this year’s Super Monster Movie Fest. Earlier, they had mentioned the theme was going to be Man Made Monsters, which lead to a lot of guessing and speculation. But now, other than one more title on each night that is to be announced, we have our titles. And here they are: Continue reading →

2018 Year End Review – Part 4: Final Thoughts and Reflections

January 4, 2019 by Jon Kitley in Year End Reviews and tagged Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, The Shape of Water | 1 Comment

20 year banner2 2018 was a special year here at the Krypt because it marked the 20th anniversary of it. Back on October 19th, 1998, the Krypt came online. I’ve always said there’s been more than a few times that I’ve considered closing the door and spending more time reading the never-ending books in my library or watching the countless movies in my collection. But the Krypt has kept me sane over the years, giving me my little soapbox, an outlet to express my thoughts about the horror genre and those that work within it. Without it, I think I would have gone mad! Either that, or would have driven my friends crazy from always ranting and raving to them! There were even times that I thought I was just wasting my time here, but I know from the feedback that I get from you out there that is very far from the truth. And those that have reached out to me to express their praise of my ramblings, I can’t thank you enough because they have encouraged me to continue on. Which I have, and will continue to do. Like everyone’s else, this year has been full of ups and downs, but keeping the Krypt running has really been therapeutic and keeping me sane. So thank you to all of those that continue to follow and support me and the Krypt. I am so very grateful for you all. Here’s to another 20 years.

Continue reading →

Frankenstein 1910

December 29, 2018 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged Augustus Phillips, Charles Ogle, Frankenstein, J. Searle Dawley, Marry Fuller, Thomas Edison | 1 Comment

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Because this is the 200th Anniversary of Mary Shelley’s famous tale, before the end of the year, I thought it might be a good idea to post this, just in case there might be a few out there that hasn’t seen it. This is the first filmed version of Shelley’s tale, that was thought lost for many decades, but a print was finally discovered. It is only about 13 minutes long, but if you haven’t seen it, please take the time to do so. Seeing the special effects used here might seem a bit crude, but just imagine the folks seeing this over 100 years ago.

The film was directed by J. Searle Dawley, and stars Augustus Phillips as Frankenstein, Mary Fuller as his Elizabeth, and Charles Ogle playing the “Monster” for the first time in cinematic history. So please, take a few minutes now and watch a very important piece of our horror history, and be thankful that this was even discovered.

“One Man Crazy!”

September 28, 2018 by Jon Kitley in Book News and tagged Colin Clive, Frankenstein, Gregory William Mank, Life and Death of Colin Clive, Midnight Marquee, One Man Crazy! | Leave a comment

Colin Clive Biography It’s strange how the name of Frankenstein always puts images of the monster that was pieced together by a mad doctor in our heads, when in fact the name is of the creator, not the creature. And the man who is considered to be the first Frankenstein (yes, I know there were others, but I did use the word “considered”), was Henry Frankenstein and played by British actor Colin Clive. He was the one to utter those famous lines “It’s alive! It’s alive!”. But much like the curse his character fell upon, the actor himself seemed to be cursed as well.

Now thanks to Gregory William Mank and Midnight Marquee, you’ll be able to read all the details about his life and death, in “One Man’s Crazy!” The Life and Death of Colin Clive, which should be out anytime now. I’ve read several of Mank’s books and he always fills them with so much information, details, stories, as well as heart and soul, that really shows us his subject for who they were. Mank is top-notch scholar who always delivers with his books. I can’t wait to dig into this one.

This book retails for $30 but if you order it directly from Midnight Marquee, you can get it for only $19! For ordering details, head over to their website HERE, or drop them a line at mmarquee@aol.com.