Movie Review: Hollywood Legends of Horror

November 9, 2025 by Jon Kitley in Reviews: Movies and tagged Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Carroll Boreland, Constantine Nasr, Doctor X, Dr. Steve Haberman, Fay Wray, Frances Drake, Gregg Toland, Hollywood Legends of Horror, Humphrey Bogart, Karl Freund, Kim Newman, Lionel Atwill, Lionel Barrymore, Lon Chaney, London After Midnight, Mad Love, Mark of the Vampire, Michael Curtiz, Peter Lorre, Return of Doctor X, Stephen Jones, The Devil Doll, The Mask of Fu Manchu, Tod Browning, Vincent Sherman, Wayne Morris | Leave a comment

While it might have something to do with the fact that I’m an older horror fan, but there is something special about going back and watching the classic films from the beginning of the golden age of the horror film. And we’re all familiar with the Universal classics that really helped create that first big impact, but they weren’t the only studio trying to make their own footprint in that horror heritage. While they might not have made as big of a footprint, studios like Warner Bros. and MGM were making some serious efforts at the same time. And some of these definitely should be held up in the same respect as some of those Universal entries.

Thanks to Warner Archives you can add 6 of these titles to your collection, all in one set! They have released the Hollywood Legends of Horror Collection that features Blu-ray releases of the following films: Doctor X (1932), The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932), Mad Love (1935), Mark of the Vampire (1935), The Devil Doll (1936), and The Return of Doctor X (1939). The set retails for only $59.99, so that really is about $10 a title. But honestly, the films alone are must for any horror fans movie library.

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Music Box of Horrors – October Lineup!

August 15, 2025 by Jon Kitley in Movie Events and tagged 39: A Film by Carroll McKane, Addams Family Values, Carrie Hold de Lama, Charles Pinion, Cure, Donald Farmer, Elizabeth Purchell, Frogs, Gary Sherman, Highway Hypnosis, Hour of the Wolf, In My Skin, In the Mouth of Madness, Invincible Czars, Island of Lost Souls, John Carpenter, Let the Right One In, Lon Chaney, Next of Kin, Parents, Red Lips, Robbie Banfitch, Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, Terrified, The Last House on Dead End Street, The Phantom of the Opera, Tinsman Road, Twisted Issues, Wake in Fright | Leave a comment

Not to be satisfied with just having their annual 24-hour marathon, for the last few years, Chicago’s own Music Box Theatre has lined the entire month of October with a wide variety of horror offerings, some with special guests, others with just some rare opportunities to see some very unique films. And this October is no different.

If you are in the area of the Music Box, I can’t recommend enough coming out and supporting the theater during this month of programming, for a few reasons. First and foremost, it shows the theater that these kind of events are worth it, meaning they will continue to program events like this in the future. For a guy that used to drive out the this theater in the 90s for a midnight screening of some cult title, only to have 5 other people in the theater, its a wonder they continued at all! So when you can, make sure you show your support by attending one or more of these incredible screenings.

Second of all, you are getting the chance to see some truly great and interesting titles in this lineup. For us classic horror fans, getting to see Charles Laughton as the mad Dr. Moreau in Island of Lost Souls, a film that has themes of bestiality in 1932, not to mention some incredible makeup effects. And then there is having the chance to see Lon Chaney Sr. in The Phantom of the Opera (1925), the original love obsessed stalker! Even though its a silent film, you will be amazed at Chaney’s performance. And that is just the start!

And there so many more listed here. Mark your calendar and make those plans! Just click HERE to go to the Music Box event page.

Oct. 1st – 9:15pm
In My Skin (2002)
Theatre 2 DCP

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Monster Bash Spring 2025

July 2, 2025 by Jon Kitley in Conventions and tagged Crawling Eye, Curse of the Swamp Creature, Daniel Roebuck, Dominique Lamssies, Dracula Prince of Darkenss, It Conquered the World, Larry Buchanan, Lon Chaney, Monster Bash, Monster Bash Conference, Pete Walker, Roger Corman, Scripts from the Crypt, The Comeback, Tom Weaver | Leave a comment

A few weeks ago, we made our annual trip to PA for the Monster Bash Conference, which we started attending way back in 2015. I can’t believe it’s been over a decade now, but we still continue to have so much fun there.

One of the reasons is some of the great items we find in the dealer room, most of which aren’t even something we’re looking for, but just happen to come across! For this show, since money has been a little tight as of late, my main goal was to try and not spend much at the show. I guess the key word there is “try”, because by Saturday, that was completely out the window.

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DtH Episode 74 – Silent German Expressionism Films

July 13, 2024 by Jon Kitley in Discover the Horror Podcast and tagged Conrad Veidt, German Expressionism, Lon Chaney, Max Reinhardt, Paul Leni, Paul Wegener, Phantom of the Opera, Silent Horror, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, The Golem, Waxworks, Werner Krauss, Wilhelm Dieterle | Leave a comment

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), The Golem; How He Came into the World (1920), and Waxworks (1924).

In the very beginning of cinema, it was the German filmmakers who took cinema to the next level, even when it was still in its infancy. Creating strange angles, weird landscapes and buildings, and bizarre stories, these filmmakers gave audiences something completely new and different. It made such an impact, that it would inspire future filmmakers for generations to come.

While being silent, these films still created such haunting images, wild characters, and fantastical designs of the sets, that can still make an impact to today’s modern audiences. When Discovering the Horror, it is always important to know how we got to where we are, and the German expressionist horror films of that era is a great place to start. If you want to scoff at silent cinema, then you are depriving yourself of some truly great pieces of art, and of history.

Films mentioned in this episode:

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New Book on London After Midnight

December 31, 2022 by Jon Kitley in Book News and tagged Daniel Titley, Lon Chaney, Lon Chaney Sr., London After Midnight, London After Midnight: The Lost Film, Silent Horror | Leave a comment

One of the most sought after lost films, especially for horror fans, is the 1927 film London After Midnight, starring Lon Chaney as the strange and sharp-toothed vampire. Every few years, there are reports that it has been found, but nothing ever comes of it. While we still wait in hopes that one day, a complete print will be discovered.

Until then, we now have a new book by author and film historian Daniel Titley that delves into the film history, from the production, distribution, original critical reviews, which will include “a wide gallery of never-before-seen materials from stills, to rare lost newly-translated texts, to the early production documents, posters, and press-books.”

This 452-page hardcover book, priced at $46, just came out at the end of this year, but I know we’ll be adding it to our library. And at some point, we’ll be posting a review about it here. Not sure if that will happen before the film is eventually found, but we’ll see. In the meantime, if you’re a fan of Lon Chaney and this film, you may want to check this one out.

Happy Birthday Lon Chaney!

April 1, 2022 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged Blackbird, Flesh and Blood, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Joan Crawford, Lon Chaney, Outside the Law, Phantom of the Opera, The Penalty, The Unknown, Tod Browning | Leave a comment

While a lot of people will be posting little April Fools jokes throughout the day, I thought I’d rather spend the time talking about one of the greatest actors that has ever graced the silver screen, who just happened to be born on this day, 139 years ago. His name is Lon Chaney. And I say is because thanks to those wonderful people that have worked on keeping films restored and alive over the years, we can still watch and enjoy, and be amazed at the performances that Chaney gave in his films, meaning he is still with us!

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