Mystery Photo 1-30

Welcome to our last photo of the month. That’s right, we’ve almost made it through the first month of 2023 and we’re still here. Hopefully that is a good sign. Our photo from last week was from the one and only Grizzly (1976), one of the first and most successful “inspired” films that came from the blockbuster Jaws (1975). Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answers: Hoby Abernathy, Scott Bradley, Dada Debaser, Bryan Senn, and Michael Shields. Well done!

For this week’s photo, we’re going a little more obscure. Fans of the old VHS days might know this one. But give it a look and see what you can come up with. If you’ve seen it before, you’ll most likely remember it because it is quite different. Just remember to send your guess to me in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

The Haunting of Julia to Hit Blu-Ray

Before the success of the 1981 adaptation of Peter Straub’s 1979 novel Ghost Story, and earlier novel simply called Julia, published in 1975, was made into a film called Full Circle, but was released over here in the states under the title The Haunting of Julia. Mia Farrow stars as a recently separated woman who is struggling to regain her life back after the death of her young daughter. She moves to London to start that new life, but the place she picks seems to have another presence there, one of a young girl. Also starring Keir Dullea, Tom Conti, Jill Bennett & Robin Gammell.

Intrada Goes to The Funhouse

Tobe Hooper’s 1981flick The Funhouse was a nice combination between a slasher film and a monster movie and pretty entertaining. The score from John Beal, was originally released in a version that only ran 38 minutes. But now, thanks to Intrada, we’re getting the complete score, along with another half hour of extras and alternate musical tracks, all remastered from the 24-track session tapes!

The total running time for this release is over 77 minutes, which is going to make any fan of this movie and it’s score very happy. Priced at $21.99, you can order your copy either directly from Intrada HERE or from Screen Archives Entertainment HERE, which is where I usually get my soundtracks from. They have a huge selection and good prices.

Discover the Horror Podcast: Episode 35 – The Devil

The Evil (1978), Angel Heart (1987), and Mr. Frost (1990). From the very first horror film, Georges Méliès’ The House of the Devil from 1896, the Devil started his film career and has been going strong ever since! Appearing in a variety of roles, from bit parts to main characters, from comedies to dramas, from the campy to straight up terrifying, Satan has made his appearance numours times over the last century. But it is his appearance in the horror genre, of course, where we are focusing.

In this episode, we discuss three different titles, with three very difference actors, playing different characterizations of Satan, but all of them entertaining and well worth seeking out. Or at least we think so.

Films mentioned in this episode:

Eugenio Martín – Rest in Peace

Well, we almost made it through the month.

While he might not have directed a lot of films in the horror genre, the ones he did were enough to make his mark in my book. Spanish filmmaker Eugenio Martín has passed away at the age of 97. His 1972 film Pánico en el Transiberiano, or as we know it here in the states, Horror Express, is one of those films that no matter how many times you see it, it still retains the same entertainment level, if not more, than before. Martín led an amazing cast of highly talented actors and actresses to such a strange story of an alien being found in the ice and awakening after centuries of being asleep. The following year, he gave us It Happened at Nightmare Inn aka A Candle for the Devil (1973), which was another highly memorable film, though with a much smaller cast.

I know that because of these two titles along, not to mention the other films he created, working in just about every film genre, he definitely will be remembered and highly regarded. We were very sorry to hear this news and our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.

House of Monsters Presents Euro-Horror Shock Show

Chicago fans are in for a real treat this April. House of Monsters is presenting a night of Euro Horror, some of which has probably never been screened in Chicago! Taking place on Saturday, April 22nd, at The Davis Theatre, they will be screening 4 different titles, two from Italy and two from Spain, but all giving fans a nice taste of Euro-Horror!

You’ll get to see Joe D’Amato’s first official directorial debut, Death Smiles on a Murderer (1973), starring the one and only Klaus Kinski. Then there is Lucio Fulci’s Don’t Torture a Duckling (1972), a dark and sweaty giallo about someone murdering the local children.

For the last two films, we travel over to Spain for a double dose of one of the most iconic figures in the horror genre, Paul Naschy! That comment won’t be a surprise to any regulars to this site. But now is your chance to see two of Naschy’s finest: Hunchback of the Morgue (1973) and then The Mummy’s Revenge (1975).

The doors open at 3pm and the features start at 4pm. There will be vendors, trailers, and free stuff! So, mark your calendars because this is an event that you will not want to miss. Presale tickets are available now and I wouldn’t wait too long because this just might sell out!

For all the latest information, check out the Facebook event page HERE.

Mystery Photo 1-23

Last week’s photo was from the Oscar winning . . . okay, not exactly. But had director Ray Dennis Steckler had a real budget, you never know what he might have accomplished. The pic was from his 1964 film The Thrill Killers, which I must say, if you haven’t seen it, is actually a pretty decent film. Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answer: Scott Bradley, Michael Shields, and William Wilson. Well done!

Now since we’ve somehow managed to use black and white films for every pictorial puzzle this month, I figured it was about time we went color. So, take a look at this week’s photo and see if you can recognize where this one is from. Just remember to send your guess to me in an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

Universal Classic Horrors at the Strand Theatre

The Strand Theatre in Shelbyville, IN, has announced this year’s Friday Night Frights schedule and once again, makes me wish I lived closer to the theater! We all know and love the Universal Classic Monsters (or at least we should!) but few fans have had the opportunity to see them in a movie theater on the big screen. Well, if you live near the Indianapolis area, now you have your chance.

Mystery Photo 1-16

You people surprised me with last week’s photo, and it made me proud! I thought if I posted a shot from the best tree monster movie ever (okay that might be debatable…), and didn’t include the actual monster, there’s no way anybody would get this. So, I posted a shot of a woman sinking to her death in a pit of quicksand from the 1957 film From Hell It Came. And much to my surprise, I was getting messages right away with the right answer. Shows what I know! Kudos out to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Kevin Hart, Bob Hartman, Ken Johnson, Doug Lamoreux, Charles Miller, Lee Nattrass, Bryan Senn, and Alan Tromp. You guys make me proud to be amongst you!

Okay, let’s see if we can continue that trend with this week’s photo, shall we? Take a look below and see what you think. Just remember to email me your guess, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

Book Review: Here There Be Monsters

Here There Be Monsters
Published by BearManor Media, 2021. 464 pages
By Bryan Senn

Being a lover and collector of horror reference books, it should be no surprise that I’ve been a fan of Senn’s work and have quite a few of his books in my library, even before I met him at a Monster Bash show in 2016. His work is always a joy to dive into because he not only packs it full of information, but you can tell it is coming from a fellow fan. And while we might always agree on some films, I still enjoy reading his take on whichever film he is writing about.

With this book, it is a collection of essays, reviews, and other writings that were either published in magazines or other books but were cut down due to size limitations or just didn’t fit in that particular publication. In this new volume, we get it all. Plus, we get a LOT of it. This volume is huge and is filled to the brim with just about every classic horror subject there is. The films covered go from the early classics of the ‘30s through the ‘60s, as well as a huge section on Mexican monster films, which I particularly enjoyed. There are even a few book reviews and some personal essays included as well.