Book Review: Icons of Fright

Icons of Fright: 100 Interviews with Legendary Horror Filmmakers
Published by Harker Press, 2025. 469 pages
By Mike Cucinotta, Rob Galluzzo, Adam Barnick, and Jason Alvino

When you first look through this massive volume of interviews, it’s astonishing the number of people covered within the pages. The subjects range from directors, actors, screenwriters, makeup artists, stuntmen, and just about everyone in between! And the names in those categories ranges from the very well-known to the more up-and-coming ones that have just started in the industry or are just getting some notoriety from their work. But then I quickly noticed that the interviews are old… like decades or older. And I quickly thought, “Who wants to read interviews from 15 years ago?”

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DtH Episode 96: Made-for-TV Horror Part 4

May 14, 2025 by Jon Kitley in Discover the Horror Podcast and tagged A Taste of Evil, Barbara Stanwyck, Bo Svenson, Made-for-TV Horror, Parker Stevenson, Roddy McDowall, Slim Pickens, Snowbeast, This House Possessed, Yeti | Leave a comment

A Taste of Evil (1971), Snowbeast (1977), This House Possessed (1981)

Since this is our 4th time covering some made-for-TV movies, you can tell that we’re kind of a big fan of them. It might have something to do with the time that we grew up and not having the plethora of movies at our fingertips 24/7, or that a lot of these productions were just really well-made stories, and some of them truly frightening.

In this episode we go back to the small screen and discuss three different titles that while not be the best of this sub-genre, but we feel are still worth checking out. Whether you like deviants running amuck at your house, trying to ski and not get caught by a Yeti, or an unusual haunted house, you might find yourself entertained. And if not by the story, then most likely by the cast!

Films mentioned in this episode:

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Soundtrack Review: Dead of Winter

December 23, 2023 by Jon Kitley in Reviews: Soundtrack and tagged Arthur Penn, Dead of Winter, Don't Go in the House, Mary Steenburgen, Richard Einhorn, Roddy McDowall, Shock Waves, The Prowler | Leave a comment

Dead of Winter (1987)
Released by Kritzerland, 2010
21 Tracks with a Total Running Time of 65 min.
Music Composed by Richard Einhorn

I first came across this little thriller back when it first came out on video, back in the late ‘80s. Being a fan of both Mary Steenburgen and Roddy McDowall, I was all in. What I wasn’t expecting was this well-crafted thriller, that I still think is highly underrated. Now being a huge fan of soundtracks, when I see one available from a film that I liked, I tend to get it. Plus, this soundtrack was done by Richard Einhorn, who also did a few of my favorite films, such as Shock Waves (1977) and The Prowler (1981), so I thought what the hell.

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Movie Review: It!

February 11, 2022 by Jon Kitley in Reviews: Movies and tagged Herbert J. Leder, Ian McCulloch, It!, Jill Haworth, Roddy McDowall, The Frozen Dead | Leave a comment

(1967)
Directed by Herbert J. Leder
Starring Roddy McDowall, Jill Haworth, Paul Maxwell, Aubrey Richards, Ernest Clark, Oliver Johnston, Noel Trevarthen, Ian McCulloch.

Another title from my childhood that I first saw on TV one afternoon. I already knew who Roddy McDowall was because of The Planet of the Apes movies and TV series, as well as a few other films and TV shows he was known for. This was a viewing that came early in my years of a horror film fan, but way before I was remembering titles and such. But when I started getting some film books and saw the title creature, I knew I had seen that before, and then set out finding a copy. Funny thing was that this one seemed to take forever before it came out on DVD! I don’t believe it ever got a VHS release, or if it did, I could never find a copy. Instead, I had to do with a TV print that someone had recorded from late night TV. But at that point, I was just thrilled to be able to revisit it. Of course, now it had been put out on DVD, on a double feature disc with The Shuttered Room (1967), another title that took forever to get a release.

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Don’t Pass These By…

July 26, 2016 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged Arthur Hill, Dead of Winter, House that Screamed, La Residencia, Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, Roddy McDowall | Leave a comment

With the recent announcement from Scream Factory about some upcoming titles that will get blu-ray releases later this year, most of them being collector’s edition, there is a lot for us horror fans to be excited about. Willard is finally getting a legit release, as well as the film Dreamscape, and of course, how can you not be excited about more of Cronenberg’s films getting a special edition, right?

But there were a couple of titles listed that I think are getting lost in the shuffle and need a little bit more attention. The first one was last on the list, Dead of Winter, a 1987 film from director Arthur Penn, starring Mary Steenburgen and Roddy McDowall. I had first seen this film back when it first hit VHS back in the day and was blown away by it. It is a great little thriller that has an amazing score by Richard Einhorn. It’s a shame that we couldn’t get more than just a standard release for this, but at this point, I’m thrilled that it is coming out and hope newer fans take a chance on this one.

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