Alive and Kickin’

Sorry for the lack of updates, besides a few RIP notices, which are never fun to post. We were at Flashback convention last weekend, and it honestly took a few days to recover. We’ve been there since the very first show and haven’t missed one yet, and always have a great time and so glad to be there to help celebrate their 20th Anniversary show! Mike and Mia and all the Flashback crew make it look easier than it really is, with the staff being so nice and helpful.

It was great to see so many horror fans coming through the door all three days of the show. There was a time at most conventions when Sundays were just for a few stragglers wandering around, but they were still lining up to come in that last day. Always a good sign for vendors! But it really is the afterhours conversations that is the highlight for me at these conventions. Getting to talk about our favorite genre with other friends is so much fun and always a great time.

Authentic Drive-In Theatres Unite!

Any regular followers of the Krypt will know of my love of the drive-in theaters, which I’m always trying to promote them and preach the gospel of this great, nostalgic, and just a damn fun time. Plus, it is a way to keep the history (and the drive-in theaters) alive and well in a day and age where some would rather watch a movie on their phone. Blasphemy!!!

But now, the presented by The United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association (UDITOA), this new website, Authentic Drive-In Theatres (www.authenticdriveins.com) is here to help you find a drive-in theater, learn some history about drive-ins in general, as well as the latest news and updates.

Flashback Weekend’s Dusk to Dawn Horror Fest!

Want to head out to a good old-fashioned drive-in theater to see some horror classics, as well as a brand new title? Then start making your plans for this Saturday, Sept. 18th, to head out to the Midway Drive-In in Dixon, IL. Below is the schedule:

5:00PM – Horror vendors – socially distanced
7:30PM – Introduction – The Manson Brothers stars Mike Carey and Chris Margetis
8:00PM – The Manson Brothers Midnight Zombie Massacre (2021)
10:00PM – The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
12:00AM – Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
2:00AM – Bloodsucking Freaks (1976)

If you have not had the chance to see TCM on the big screen (and the screen at the Midway is HUGE being 90 feet across!!!) then now is your chance to experience it in a completely new way. Doesn’t matter how many times you’ve seen it on your TV, the big screen is completely different.

Flashback Weekend A Howling Success!

I just wanted to give a little bit of a shout out to Mike and Mia Kerz, and the whole Flashback Family, for giving us fans an incredible weekend. That was our first show in close to 2 years, which was just killing us not to be around our convention family and friends. But it did happen this last weekend, at the beautiful Hyatt Regency Hotel, and we had a blast.

I didn’t get a chance to take too many photos over the 3-day event mainly because we were so busy at our table! Never a bad thing. But we got to chat with plenty of fellow fans, sold a bunch of horror reference books, and got to hang out until the wee hours in the morning talking about the genre we love!

2020 Year End Review: Part 4 – The Return of the Drive-In

One of the positives for 2020 was the resurgence of the drive-in theaters. With all the social distancing, a drive-in theater is the perfect place to go see a movie, staying safe by not having to be in a large group of people. In fact, we made more trips to the drive-ins this year than we normally do, and had a blast each and every time. It was just a magical return to somewhat of our normal convention or movie viewing get-togethers, even though everyone was very good about keeping our space and wearing masks. But even with that, it was so much fun, and a little resemblance of the much-missed conventions.

Classic Universal Horrors at the Drive-Ins!!!

Our favorite Drive-In, The Midway Drive-In in Dixon, IL, announced yesterday that on Saturday, October3rd, they will be screening THREE Universal Classic horror films on their huge 90-foot screen! If you’ve never seen one of these classic titles on a big screen like this, it is not to be missed!

They will be screening: The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) with Boris Karloff returning as the monster looking for a mate, The Wolf Man (1941), with Lon Chaney Jr., and finally Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948). Now some may say this isn’t really one of the Universal Horrors because of the comedy duo, but you’d be wrong. Not only does this feature Lugosi in really the only other time he played Count Dracula since the original 1931 film, but it also has Lon Chaney Jr. returning as the cursed Larry Talbot, not to mention being a very well made, and creepy film. And is pretty damn funny too.  

Discover the Horror….at the Drive-In!!!

With all the conventions cancelling for the year (and with good reason), it seems the only places we’re going to be hitting are the drive-ins! We’re looking into a few more events, but right now, we have 2 different Drive-In events that we’re going to be at.

The first one is next weekend, at the Skyline Drive-In in Shelbyville, IN, for their annual Super Monster Movie Fest! Taking place on Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th, with this year’s theme being BUGS!!! Here’s the schedule of what is screening and the other events:

Friday, August 28th:

Friday, August 28th:

8:15 pm Sammy Terry

9 pm – The Deadly Mantis (1957) – Giant Praying Mantis!

11:15 pm – The Swarm (1978) – Killer Bees with an all-star cast

1:30 am – Mimic (1997) – Guillermo del Toro’s mutated cockroaches

3:30 am – Bug (1975) – William Castle’s flaming cockroaches

5:15 am Don Z’s 35mm Madness

Saturday, August 29th:

8:15 pm – Sammy Terry

9 pm – Them (1954) – The giant monster movie that started it all

10:30 pm – Sammy Terry

11:15 pm – Eight legged Freaks (2002) – David Arquette battles giant spiders

1:15 am – Starship Troopers (1997) – Join the Troopers!

3:45 am – The Black Scorpion (1957) – Giant scorpions in Mexico!

5:15 am Don Z’s 35mm Madness

Not only will we be there for this amazing event, but we will be selling copies of my book, Discover the Horror, which I will gladly sign for FREE! I’ll be somewhere where the vendors will be set up. Not sure the when and where exactly, but I’ll be there all weekend, so we should be pretty easy to find, unless I’m off getting a corndog!

For all the latest information, head over to the Skyline’s Facebook Events page HERE.

Then next month, on September 19th, we will be at the Midway Drive-in in Sterling, IL for their annual From Dusk Till Dawn Horrorfest. They have only announced two of the four features playing, but so far it looks like a great night of fun.

They will be screening a 4K restoration of George Romero’s original Night of the Living Dead (1968). If you’ve never had the chance to see this on the big screen, then you are truly missing out on an amazing experience. Also on hand for a book signing will be author Daniel Kraus who will be signing copies of his book The Living Dead, which is based on the story that George Romero started on before his death.

The second feature they have announced is John Carpenter’s The Fog (1980), another personal favorite of mine!

UPDATE! They have announced the other two features: David Cronenberg’s Rabid (1977) and Humanoids from the Deep (1980)! Really going to make sure I can stay up for all four of these great features!

There will be vendors there, including Kitley’s Krypt and Horror Slave, along with Jill & Gregg from Lix, featuring so many amazing shirts and hoodies, and so much more! For all the latest information about this event, just click HERE for the Midway’s website or HERE for their Facebook Events page.

So all that money you’ve been saving up for conventions, bring on out to the drive-ins! We hope to see you there!

Horror Fans Rejoice at the Midway Drive-In

We normally do 8 or 9 conventions, or some other event like a 24-hour marathon, throughout the year. Of course, with all the current events, those have all been cancelled or rescheduled to next year, or at least they have so far. We’ll see how the rest of the year plays out, but I’m honestly not expecting much. So when the Midway Drive-In announced they were going to have a 2-day event, with Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell appearing both days, screening the Evil Dead trilogy, along with two other features, as well as having some vendors there, we knew we had to be part of that. Friday, July 10th, they would be screening Evil Dead 2 (1987) and then Army of Darkness (1993). On Saturday the 11th, they would be screening Evil Dead (1981) with a 4K restoration with new sound mix and score by original composer Joseph LoDuca, The Beyond (1981), and finally I Drink Your Blood (1970). Not only would there be horror vendors and raffles, but Mr. Campbell would doing a Q&A before the features. It would also be a chance for fans to have some sort of a convention or event to head out to and have fun. And that is exactly what happened.

Bruce Campbell at the Midway Drive-In

Are you anxious to get out of the house and see some classic horror films in the theater? Wait? Indoor theaters not open yet? No worries. Now is your chance to still go to the theater and see some classic horror films on the big screen, all from the comfort of your own car!

Oh yeah… Did I mention that Bruce Campbell will be there as well.

On July 10th & 11th, the Midway Drive-In in Dixon, IL, will be hosting the one and only Bruce Campbell for two nights of fright films that we all love. Now this isn’t the usual event at the Midway, so you’ll need to head over to the Flashback Weekend site (just click HERE) for all the ticket information, as well as the latest information about the event.

Also, because of Covid-19, there are new rules that MUST be followed. Click HERE for those rules and policies. Remember folks, this is about keeping everyone safe, from you and your family, to everyone else coming out to enjoy the evening. So please make sure you read and follow the rules and we can all still have a safe and fun night at the drive-in.

Here is the events planned for each night:

Is the Drive-In Open Yet?

Okay, so while there is still snow on the ground and the temps are below freezing, maybe it might be a little early to be hitting the drive-ins. BUT… it is a great time to start making plans to attend them, especially when there are already all night horror shows scheduled.