Monster Bash…Part 1

June 23, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Conventions and tagged Hammer Films, J.W. Chen's, Monster Bash, Paul Naschy, The Blob, Valerie Leon | Leave a comment

We made it home safe and sound from our first trip out to The Monster Bash Conference in Mars, PA. It was a bit of a drive out there, but I have to say it was just a great time and well worth the trip. Ron Adams from Creepy Classics, and his Monster Bash crew, really knows how to put on a show. Sure, it is aimed more for the older classic monster fans and those movies, but none the less, we had a blast.

Ron has events planned from early in the AM until the wee hours of the morning, during every second of the weekend. There is no way anybody could be bored at this show. Hell, he even had films screening on Thursday because he knew quite a few people were arriving early for the show! But something that was different that I liked (even though I didn’t get to spend too much time in there) was that besides the Q&A’s and the movie screenings, there were also presentations given, such as one on films being banned by Britain in the ’30s and ’40s. Not only does it give the attending fans something to do during the weekend, but they can actually learn something too!

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Monster Bash Next Weekend

June 14, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Conventions and tagged Hammer Films, Horror Conventions, Monster Bash, Valerie Leon | 1 Comment

Next weekend, we will be making our first trip out to Mars Pennslyvannia for the Monster Bash Convention. This is a show that we’ve been wanting to do for quite some time but just never make it out there, mainly due to the distance from us here in Chicagoland. But we decided that we were going to make it happen this year and the show is almost upon us now. A much smaller and more personable show from what I’m told, it will be a nice change of pace and really looking forward to it.

Of course, one of the main reasons we decided to take th plunge was they have Valerie Leon as a guest, who appeared in Hammer’s Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb. So I will be thrilled to add her signature to my Hammer Films book, making her’s the 13th signature. I know I’m not an autograph person anymore, but we’re talking Hammer here, and for that, I’ll make an exception.

But we will be there with our usual wares, with plenty of horror reference books for you to build and increase your own library. We’ve got a ton of titles in stock, both some new as well as some hard to find and out-of-print ones as well. Of course, my wife Dawn (aka Horror Slave) will have her display of pillows and tote bags as well.

So if you’re coming out to the show next weekend, make sure stop by and give us Monster Bash Newbies a warm welcome! For all the details about the show, just click HERE.

Got Gothic?

June 3, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Book News and tagged American Gothic, English Gothic, Euro Gothic, Hammer Films, Jonathan Rigby | Leave a comment

If you’re a fan of British horror and have a few reference books around on said genre, then you just might have one by author Jonathan Rigby. I know I have a few of his titles proudly in my library. He’s one of the guys from across the pond that really knows his stuff. Back in 2005, Rigby wrote a book called English Gothic: A Century of Horror Cinema, which covered the British horror film from pretty much the beginning of film to the current era (at that time…more on that in a bit). Filled with tons of photos, the book covered different eras of the genre, like the early works of Todd Slaughter, moving onward to of course Hammer Films, but many others as well. Certain films are highlighted with cast & crew info, and some quotes about the film, either a review or from someone involved in the film.

In 2007, Rigby put out another edition in what seems to be a series, called American Gothic: Sixty Years of Horror Cinema. It pretty much followed the same format as the previous book, except this one covers films from the states, and has an insert of some color pages, mainly showing poster art. For some reason though, this out-of-print title goes for over $50 on the market. Not sure why, other than maybe it was a small number of books published. But again, worth it if you can find one.

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Little Shoppe of Horrors # 34

May 23, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged Hammer Films, Little Shoppe of Horrors, magazines, Phantom of the Opera | 1 Comment

I don’t buy too many magazines these days. They are a bit pricey for the content you actual get, plus they are not the hardest to find these days. Sure, I’ve tried subscribing to a few, but some of them don’t seem to worry about when you get your issue. Since most of them are 1/3 of ads, I feel that you’re better off putting that $10 towards an actual book. But that is just me.

But, one magazine that I think is much different than those, and one that I buy each and every time a new issue comes out, is Richard Klemensen’s Little Shoppe of Horrors. I have been picking up them religiously since issue #8, which came out back in 1984. “The Klem” as he is called, has been putting this magazine out for over 40 years. If there are two things that shows in each and every issue is passion and dedication for Hammer Films, as well as British horror in general. With every issue, information is packed to the gills from the topics they are covering, with some stunning artwork filling out the pages. You’ll find information and interviews that give you a lot of insight of these films. And the “making of” pieces, which are usually written by Bruce G. Hallenbeck, are worth the cost of the issue alone. He never fails to shed new light on whatever film he is writing on.

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