Mr. Murder: The Life & Times of Tod Slaughter

Within our horror history, there are still names that we need to not only remember, but know why they are important. One of those names is Tod Slaughter, who some call Britain’s first true horror star. Slaughter didn’t start making films until he was 50, after a long career of acting on the stage. But making films, especially when he appeared as the villain, is when Slaughter not only shined, but he seemed to just love it. Probably his most famous role, was that of bloody barber Sweeney Todd, in The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1936).

Coming this November from Hemlock Books and authors Denis Meikle, Kip Xool, and Doug Young, you will be given your chance to learn more about Slaughter than ever before. Mr. Murder: The Life and Times of Tod Slaughter will us a definitive biography of this unsung hero of horror. The book will even feature extracts from Slaughter’s unpublished autobiography, as well as tons of information on this actor who just relished being over the top and chewing the scenery. Appearing in other films such as The Face at the Window (1939) and Horror Maniacs (1948), Slaughter is a name you need to know within your horror education.

This 280 page book will be available in hardcover format, and will be fully illustrated throughout the book, with 8 pages in color. The retail price is £29.95, which is about $38 over here. It will be a bit pricy once you throw in the postage, but I know it will be one title I’ll be adding to my library! For more information, head over to their site by clicking HERE.

Soundtrack Review: The Haunted Symphony

We have been fans of Nox Arcana from their very first release, and 20 titles later, nothing has changed. They continue to create incredible soundscapes that are perfect for the Halloween season, or if you’re like most that are probably reading this, great for all year round!

Discover the Reviews!

Thanks to Richard Klemensen for this great little review of our book, Discover the Horror, which appears in the latest issue of Little Shoppe of Horror, which has a great cover story on Peter Cushing’s Blood Beast Terror! Here’s what Richard wrote:

“As the cover blurb puts it – “One Man’s 50-year Quest for Monsters, Maniacs, and the Meaning of it All”, I’ve known Jon Kitley for more years than I care to think about. Ran into him again and chatted at this year’s 2019 Monster Bash. My wife bought zombie pillows from his wife at Wonderfest a few years back.

So – what we have here is something I absolutely gravitate to – one monster fan’s trip to monsterdom and how he done got there! Growing up in a large family – his parents divorcing – finally ending up with his dad in a town where he knows no one. Moves to several different schools and ends up with few friends. How he grew; how he learned to love reading, then movies. His wonderful, understanding wife, Dawn, enters his world. He indoctrinates his son into his world of Gods and Monsters – and lots of other cool stuff.

Buyer Beware!

Everyone reading this knows I tend to collect horror reference books. More than your average fan. And because of my love of them, I always like to help promote them as well, either through reviews or just letting my followers know about upcoming titles that might be of interests. 

In the past, I’ve made posts about some books that publishers like to re-issue every couple of years, but change the title and cover a little to make it seem like its a new book. For example, Carlton Books have re-issued their Horror! title that was first published in 2006, at least 3 different times, all with a new cover and all with a slightly different name, adding a few pages at the end to “update” it to the current year. Sure, newer fans aren’t going to have the previous release, but at least they could do is state that it is an updated edition.

Mystery Photo 10-14

Back online and back again for another fun photo challenge. Because of the Halloween season, we’re going to stick with another classic. Well, maybe one not everyone would call a classic, but that is always debatable. But before we get to that one, let’s go back to our last one. It was from the original Tales from the Crypt (1972) that I feel still holds up today, with the stories as well as the acting! Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Todd Barwick, Dave Fronto, Troy Howarth, Martin Meeks, & William Wilson. Well done!

Okay, back to this week’s photo. Take a good look and see what you can come up with. But don’t strain that brain… wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself before Halloween. As always, don’t post your answers here so others can have a guess. Just send an email to us, at jon@kitleyskrypt.com. It’s that simple! Good Luck!

We’re Back!

Yes, we are back online! Sorry for the online absences but we had some new windows installed in the Krypt and to do so, that meant moving everything away from the windows. Well, if you’ve ever been to the Krypt, there is not a bit of free space anywhere! So moving stuff from one place to another was a bit challenging. Even in my office, I had to move a bookcase and my computer desk, which meant unhooking everything and finding places for all of the books in that bookcase. Ugh!

Book Review – Fear: The Autobiography of Dario Argento

Fear: The Autobiography of Dario Argento
Published by FAB Press, 2019. 288 pages.
By Dario Argento

No matter what you have to say about Dario Argento, he is a powerful voice in cinema, with a staggering amount of pictures that will be discussed at length, at movie conventions and film schools alike, for many years to come. So when news of his autobiography, which was first published in Italy in 2014, was going to see its first English version thanks to FAB Press, I immediately pre-ordered a copy.

Autobiographies can be a bit tricky, especially coming from someone as high up as Argento is. Sometimes they can be very self-indulgent, filled with self-praise, or even though while entertaining, you question the legitimacy of some, if not all of the stories. So I went into this volume with a slight trepidation as to what I was going to get. What I did get was something that felt completely honest and written from the heart. If there is one thing that is filled within each and every page, it is passion. Even in the opening chapter, when he touches on his thoughts of suicide, you can tell he is not holding back with his stories.