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6-16-13 NEW BOOK REVIEWS
We have couple of new book reviews this time out, both of them newer versions of an older book. Our first one is for Mike Mayo's updated version of his Horror Show review book. The first edition, which we still highly recommend, came out in 1998. So is this newer version worth trading in that first one? Head over to our review to find out. Just click HERE.
For our second book, we have gotten a copy of this latest edition of Horror! This is actually the 3rd edition of this title, with the last one only coming out a few years ago. Is this a expanded edition of the previous one? Or just a repackaged with a new cover? Head over to our review to find out. Just click HERE. Or you could head over to our Library Section and kill some time reading our different reviews.

HEMLOCK BOOKS
While on the subject of books, we wanted to mention a book publisher in the UK that has been putting out some interesting horror reference titles over the last few years. Anytime anybody puts out a book or two on Hammer films, you already have my interests. Currently, we do not have any of there books in our collection...at the moment. We do have a couple of them on the way, so once we get the chance to take a look at them, we'll give a better update on them. But there's a couple of reasons I would recommend at least some of their titles without even seeing one. The first reason is the author is Bruce G. Hallenbeck. If you're a fan of Little Shoppe of Horrors, the best magazine out there on British horror (especially Hammer) which has been running for over 40 years, then you've probably read his work, since he has been writing for them for the last several decades. In other words, he knows his stuff! He has 3 books published from Hemlock, including the more recent one Hammer's Frankenstein Films. As we stated, we haven't haven't gotten our copies yet, but the reviews we've read so far have been very good. The other reason for our recommendation is even simpler: It's because they are books on horror films!!! Do you need another reason? Once again proving that print is definitely not dead.
The cost for the books are pretty reasonable priced, around £12.95 to £16.25 each (approx. $20 to $25). The only problem is that since these are coming from the UK, the cost to get them isn't the cheapest due to the overseas postage. But if you search the web a little, you can find some places that might offer some more affordable means to getting them, such as Amazon. I found two different places in the UK that shipped two of these books out for $4 each. Granted, I don't have them in my hands yet, so hopefully they will get here in one piece! But none the less, if you look around, you might be able to find a good deal. You can check out Hemlock's website by clicking HERE.

NEW SOUNDTRACK REVIEW

We have posted our review of another great release from Monstrous Movie Music. This time out, we give a listen to the double feature of THE SHE DEMONS / THE ASTOUNDING SHE-MONSTER. Head over to our Soundtrack Reviews to hear the details.

CINEMA WASTELAND REPORT POSTED
Slowly but steady, we are getting caught up on our convention reports. Last week we got our HorrorHound report done, and now we have our report for the Spring Cinema Wasteland show posted, with plenty of photos. Of course, after 23 shows, can't really say much different than what we have in our last 22 reports! You can head over to our Convention Report page to get there, or you can just click HERE.

HORROR HISTORY
We're back! Hope you haven't let that grey matter sit idle while class has been out. Let's head over to the classroom now to learn about an actor who is really known for his appearance in tons of Westerns, but became known in the horror genre for taking over an iconic role.

MYSTERY PHOTO

Last week's photo was from the film STIGMATA, starring Patricia Arquette. Kudos to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Cate Cameron, Dahlia, and Kristin Wicks. Nicely done.
So let's get on with this week's photo and see if anybody can recognize this familiar face and which movie it is from. Click HERE to send in your answer. Good luck.

6-9-13 SOMETIMES LIFE GETS IN THE WAY
Not a big update this week. Spent most of the day yesterday doing some yard work, which I'm paying for now. And if that wasn't enough, my body decided to pick up a real nice sinus infection to suck any and all motivation out of me today. Plus, it gets hard to type when I'm blowing my nose every two minutes, not to mention trying to see what I'm typing through watery eyes. Such is life. But hopefully we'll be back on point next week with a full update.

HORRORHOUND REPORT...FINALLY!
Well, it only took us almost 3 months, but we finally got our report posted of our first show of this year, the HorrorHound Weekend in Cincinnati last March. Head over to our Convention reports to check it out, or you could just click HERE.

MYSTERY PHOTO

For those of you who participated in last month's Kryptic Army might have watch the film that last week's Mystery Photo was from....none other than Jess Franco's COUNT DRACULA. That is our buddy Klaus Kinski up there in the window. Congrats out to the following for sending in the correct answer: Aaron Christensen, Doug Lamoreux, & Gavin Schmitt.
Now on to this week's photo. Take a good look and see what you can come up with. Click HERE to send in your answer. And Good Luck!

6-3-13 EDDIE ROMERO - REST IN PEACE

    I was very sad to hear the passing of Filipino director Eddie Romero earlier this week. It was reported that he was in and out of the hospital since earlier this month, before passing away on Tuesday the 28th, at the age of 88. Romero started writing and selling short stories when he was only 12 years old, selling them to the Philippines Free Press. Director Gerardo de Leon read some of his stories and got him in the film business by writing screenplays. His first one was made when he was only 17 years old. It wasn't long after that before he was directing, which was in 1947. His last film was in 2008. That is one hell of a career.
    Getting hooked on the exploitation/horror films that he was making in the late '60s / early '70s, usually with John Ashley, was a great time in my young life of a movie fan. They were so outrageous and so different than what I'd seen before. With such outlandish movie titles like THE MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND (1968) or BEAST OF THE YELLOW NIGHT (1971), you always knew you were in for one hell of a fun ride with Romero at the helm. With other great films in his pocket like BRIDES OF BLOOD (1968), BEAST OF BLOOD (1971), TWILIGHT PEOPLE (1972) and even his women exploitation pictures like BLACK MAMA, WHITE MAMA and THE WOMAN HUNT (both 1973), and SAVAGE SISTERS (1974), his films were always filled with action, blood, nudity, and plenty of horror.
    But while us horror fans might know him from these movies, he was also an accomplished filmmaker in the Philippines. He was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Cinemanila International Film Festival in 2000. He also won a Hall of Fame FAMAS (The Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards) award in 1986, a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993, and then a Presidential Award in 2000.
    I know that as long as their are horror fans out there, then people will also know about the infamous Blood Island movies, and all the other great titles that Eddie Romero gave us. And because of those, he will never be forgotten. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family.

CONVENTION NEWS

After going to conventions for over 25 years, it is pretty tough to get me excited about a guest, but HorrorHound Weekend in September has added one that has done just that. And that would be David Warner. For someone that has been in so many cult films, both big budget and low budget, but always giving such a great performance and one that is always remembered. With appearances in movies like Amicus' FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE, to getting decapitated by a sheet of glass in THE OMEN, to other roles in NIGHTWING, TIME AFTER TIME (as Jack the Ripper), TIME BANDITS (one of our personal favorites), WAXWORK, NECRONOMICON, IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS, and many more, he really is an icon for us cult genre fans. Looking forward to meeting him. For all the info about this show, head to their website HERE.

    It's official. We will be adding the Contamination Def-Con 4 show to our Kryptic World Tour. It takes place this August on the 2nd-4th in St. Louis. This is our first time at this show and at a show in this area. So hopefully we'll see and make a lot of new friends there.
    They have a decent guest line up so far, with guests like David Naughton, the Ladies from EVIL DEAD, C.J. Graham and Kane Hodder for you FRIDAY THE 13th fans, Kassie Depaiva and Danny Hicks from EVIL DEAD 2, and many more. You can get a full guest line up by going to their website HERE.
    But I have to say the one name on their guest list that I'm really excited about, even though I have met him before, is Andrew Prine. This man is an icon when it comes to movies from the '70s and '80s. Just look at his filmography and see all the great movies (and not so great, but entertaining) he was involved with. Titles like GRIZZLY, THE EVIL, AMITYVILLE 2, CENTERFOLD GIRLS, V, and much, much more. He has got some great stories about his career, so if you're heading out to the show, please stop by and chat with him for a few minutes.

BOOK REVIEW: THE PRICE OF FEAR

Just when you think you didn't need to add any more books on your To Buy list...WRONG! We've posted our review of Joel Eisner's new book on Vincent Price, entitled The Price of Fear. Highly recommended. Just click HERE to get to our Book Reviews.

SOUNDTRACK REVIEW: SCARY MOVIE 5
We have posted our review for the soundtrack for SCARY MOVIE 5. Head over to our Soundtrack Review section.

CHICAGO'S PORTAGE THEATER CLOSED?
A Chicago theater that I have been to more times that I could count, seeing some amazing films on the big screen there, is now apparently closed until further notice. I honestly don't think it will be closed for good, but to me it seems to be more of a pissing match between the current owner and someone in the city counsel. I don't know or have all the details, but don't really believe in much what I read from the online reports. All I can say is that I hope that it gets straightened out and re-opens to let future events be held there.

MIDNIGHTS AT THE MUSIC BOX
While the fate of the Portage is still unknown, we do know that the Music Box Theatre in Chicago has got some interesting titles lined up for their upcoming midnight shows. Here's a list of some of those titles. You can get all the info at their website HERE.

TERROR AT THE DRIVE-IN?

While we don't have exact date yet, other than at the end of August, Terror in the Aisles is taking over the drive-in for their Drive-In Massacre film fest. Although, I wish they would since our August weekends are filling up pretty damn quick and we want to make sure we make this one. It will take place at the McHenry Outdoor Theater (click HERE for the website). So far, the only films they have announced is SLEEPAWAY CAMP and Lucio Fulci's ZOMBIE. We're not sure how many more features are going to be announced or when the exact date is, but when we find out, we'll post it here. You can also get the info from the Terror in the Aisles Facebook Page.

DEADITES INVADE THE MIDWAY
While on the subject of drive-in theaters, our favorite one is having a special one night only triple features next Saturday. On June 8th only at the Midway Drive-in, they will be having a triple DEAD feature playing. First up will be the new remake of EVIL DEAD (not the original), then the original EVIL DEAD 2 followed by ARMY OF DARKNESS. Gates open at 7:30pm and the features start at dusk, approx. 8:30pm. To see all three of these movies, it will only cost you $8 for adults and $4 for children. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday night, if you ask me. For all the details, go to www.themidwaydrivein.net.

SHOUT FACTORY TO RELEASE MORE CULT CLASSICS
Continuing their domination of the blu-ray market with new releases of some great classic titles, they have now announced they will be releasing the 1982 film THE BEAST WITHIN, which features some awesome old fashion rubber monster makeup, courtesy of Tom Burman. They will also be releasing David Schmoeller's CRAWLSPACE, starring the one-of-a-kind Klaus Kinski. Hopefully they will have a lot of input and extras with Schmoeller, like audio commentary and even his little short film he made about working with Kinski. Fingers are crossed.

MYSTERY PHOTO

Last week's photo was from the very first SUBSPECIES movie. I remember that was one of the things that impressed me about the film was the cinematography and style they had in such a low budget film. The ones that sent in the correct title was Hoby Abernathy, Mike Cole, Silke Goudo, Chris Kinniery, Erik Martin, Bob Richards, Mark Turner, and Will Wilson. Well done, people. You do us proud!
Now on to this week's photo. Much like the person in the photo, you don't have much to look at. Or do they? I'm sure some of you might find this quite easy, while with others, it just might drive you mad! But in either case, good luck. Click HERE to send in your answer.

5-26-13 HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY PETER CUSHING!
    Today is a special day of remembrance for this amazing actor and incredible human being. Up there in the ranks with Boris Karloff and Vincent Price, Peter Cushing was another one of those Gentlemen of Horror. He loved working in the genre because he knew that is what he's fans wanted.
    As quoted from the book Peter Cushing: The Gentle Man of Horror and His 91 Films, "I do the parts now that I think the audiences want to see me doing. Who wants to see me do Hamlet? Very few. But millions want to see me as Frankenstein, so that's the one I do." This shows that Cushing wasn't afraid of being typecast. Like Vincent Price and Boris Karloff, they knew that being remembered for a role, even if it was in a horror movie, is still being remembered. Isn't that what any actor wants?
    He never let us down then, and with his movies continually being watched today, he still doesn't let us down. With his performance as Baron Frankenstein, he re-defined the mad doctor, making his character the one to be fearful of, not his creations. But that was just one small part of his vast amount of films and performances. From Dr. Who, to Professor Van Helsing, to Grand Moff Tarkin, to all the great characters he created over the years, Peter Cushing is one of my favorite actors, and I know he will never be forgotten as long as their are fans of the horror genre.
    And with tomorrow being the birthdays of Christopher Lee and Vincent Price, there is another reason to watch some more movies! Long live these incredible icons of the horror genre. And also to the fans that keep their memories and their movies alive.

GRINDHOUSE TO RELEASE CUSHING'S CORRUPTION

Grindhouse Releasing has recently announced that they will be releasing this rare Cushing film from 1968, where he stars in a bit of a take off on the whole Dr. Orloff and EYES WITHOUT A FACE theme. He had invented a laser, which accidently burns his model wife's face, which he then stops at nothing to try to repair. While I wouldn't call this one of Cushing's best films, it is definitely a rare one, especially if it contains the footage of him wrestling with a topless woman, which was usually cut from most prints.
It will come out on Blu-Ray and DVD on Septemeber 10th, and apparently will also be hitting a few theater screenings as well at some point. If we hear about them, we'll post them here.

CONVENTION BREAK
    In the last two months, we've done 4 conventions, amongst all our other projects that keep us busy during the year, hence why you haven't seen any of these convention reports yet. But we're working on them....slow but sure. But it seems that time is just flying by and summer is upon us, with all that dreaded heat that comes with it. But now that we have a slight break in the convention madness, at least for another two months until it gets crazy again, we're planning getting caught up on some of our projects that have been waiting in the wings.
    We had a great time at Wonderfest last weekend, chatting with a bunch of big horror fans (including more than a few Naschy fans), picking up a few items for the collection, and just having a blast there. We will be back next year, that is for sure.
    In case you're keeping track, our next show for sure will be the Flashback show on August 9th-11th in Chicago. But while we're not 100 % sure just yet, but it looks like the week before that, we will be heading down to St. Louis for the CON-tamination convention. This is their 4th show but we've never been down there for one yet. We've got some good friends down there so it is going to be fun just to hang out with them no matter what. They've got a pretty good lineup so far, including Andrew Prine, who is a cult icon when you think of all the movies that guy has been in. We interviewed him a few years ago and he is a super nice guy. Looking forward to seeing him again. For more information about the show, just click HERE.

WASTELAND ADDS MELTING MAN DIRECTOR
    While on the subject of upcoming shows, the Cinema Wasteland show already had a great lineup scheduled for their October show, with a HILLS HAVE EYES reunion with 6 people from the cult classic. But now they have added someone to make it even better. And that would be director William Sachs, the man who help give us THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN! Being one of those guilty pleasures, this was a movie that I begged and pleaded my parents to let me go see when it played at the local theater when it came out, but since it was rated R...it just didn't happen. Once I did finally get to see it, it was just magic. Sure, not a great film, but with some great effects and just a fun movie to watch, how could it not be a classic? So we are thrilled that he has been added to the line up.
    Now if we could only find actor Alex Rebar and get him to the show...Anybody???
    For more information about the show, head over to their website HERE.

ROMERO FLASHBACK
George Romero makes his return to the Flashback Weekend for the DAWN OF THE DEAD reunion. It's been a few years since Romero has been to Chicago so what better time than to help celebrate his classic film DAWN OF THE DEAD with the major cast. Even if you're not a fan of his later works, like myself, you can't take away what he has done for the genre. And since he is now 73 years old, I don't think he's going to be doing too many more conventions. So if you haven't met the man yet, then this would be a great time to do it.
They also have reunions for PET SEMETERY, as well as several guests from Rob Zombie's latest film THE LORDS OF SALEM, including Willard himself, Bruce Davison. For all the details and updates, head over to their site HERE.

KRYPTIC ARMY SOUND OFF!

Well folks, the month of May is almost over. That means in less than a week our Army Soldiers will be getting their new mission assignments, with two more new movies to seek out and capture. What could be the topic? Well, they will just have to wait and see.
It seems our numbers are growing each and every month and people are having more and more fun with it. Still not a member of the Army? All the info you need is on our Army Page. Never too late to join. Here are just a few of the comments the soldiers have made regarding the Army and why they are enjoying the fun:

As a new "recruit" to the army, I'm enjoying the hell out of being a member of the Kryptic Army. Lots of fun, what a treat for horror fans. I've told friends about it, hope they join. Plus its a great excuse to watch horror movies. I'm able to watch and discover movies I have never heard of. - Tom Brennan
I am enjoying the army, and your increasingly challenging missions. I've always enjoyed watching horror films, but may not always have the time. Joining the army has given me an excuse to make the time. - Wayne Teeter
I love the army life! Every month I usually end up watching movies I had never even heard of. Sometimes I watch a few more just 'cause other people make them sound so good (or so bad). - Cate Cameron
Because good or bad, it gives me an excuse to see something I may have otherwise ignored. It's fun trying to track down something I haven't seen before in each months category. - Jerry Downing
I've been watching horror films for over thirty years, and I still find there are some that I've either never gotten around to or just plain overlooked. The Kryptic Army gives me the nudge to catch up, or dig a little deeper, or even just think a little more about what I watch. - Ray

DESPERATE DOLLS - NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT
Normally we don't like to pimp film projects here because we don't want it to become a place where we are trying to sell you something. But a good friend of the Krypt, Darren Callahan, is working on a few film project called DESPERATE DOLLS and needs some extra support. According to the Indiegogo site, here is what the film is about: "Set in Hollywood in 1968, it is the story of three young actresses with hand-picked nicknames who become entangled in a web of murder, hypnosis, and ghosts. Considered a smart take on retro exploitation films, the film will have flashes of sex and violence, but keeps focus on a strong, classic style with chilling scares." So it sounds pretty interesting and Callahan is a talent man, so if you're feeling supportive of independent filmmakers, head over to their Indiegogo page by clicking HERE and donate what you can. And even if you can't just pass on the info to help spread the word.

STARTING THEM YOUNG....EVEN TODAY
When I was a little tyke, there was a series of books on put out by Crestwood Publishing that came out in the late '70s that featured individual books on different movie monsters. There was one on Frankenstein, Dracula, Godzilla, King Kong, Mad Scientists, the Wolf Man. These first 6 titles were written by Ian Thorne (aka sci-fi writer Julian May using a pseudonym). in 1981, they published 9 more titles to the series, which included The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, The Phantom of the Opera, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, Murders in the Rue Morgue, It Came From Outer Space, The Deadly Mantis and The Blob. Then in 1985, the produced a new series called Movie Monsters, featuring 12 titles such as Dracula's Daughter, Bride of Frankenstein, Tarantula and a few more. This series was more about the particular movie itself, like a chapter book, where the original series were on the sub-genre of movies under that particular title, such as the Frankenstein title covered a variety of Frankenstein movies. Nowadays, getting a hold of any of these books are going to run you a few $$, especially finding them in good condition. But as a young monster fan, these books were awesome.

But we recently discovered that a new publisher, Rosen Publishing, had released something very similar to these back in 2005 to I believe 2007. We're still trying to get some more definite information, but we found it pretty interesting that these seem very similar to these original books. But these newer titles were pretty much written all by individual authors. They are all about the same page count as the originals, around 48 pages, and all are written for the same age group and reading level. While we don't have any of these newer series in our collection (yet...that is), we are very curious to see what they are like. The retail prices on them are outrageous, listed at $26.50 per book, but were primarily made for school libraries! Granted, with a little interest searching, you can find them much, much cheaper.

I guess the cool thing is that no matter how much people might complain about horror movies and the adverse effect it does on people, especially children, it hasn't stopped them from continuing to publish these types of books to start that young monster fan on his way. And for that, we salute you! I mean...how cool is it that you can get a book in grade school that has a shot from Lucio Fulci's ZOMBIE on the cover!?!?!?

CUSHING BOOK REVIEW
While on the subject of books, and since it is pretty fitting on Cushing's 100th Birthday, we have posted our review of the book Peter Cushing: A Life in Film in our Reference Book Review section. While it might be a new edition of David Miller's Peter Cushing Companion, we're still going to give it a thumbs up.

SOUNDTRACK REVIEWS
We have posted new reviews for 3 soundtracks in this update. The first one is for E.C. Woodley's score for Brandon Cronenberg's film ANTIVIRAL. The other two are from the incredible label Monstrous Movie Music, which continues to put out some amazing releases. The first one is for Walter Greene's scores for THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS & TEENAGE MONSTER. The second one is for Nicholas Carras' scores for MISSILE TO THE MOON & FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER. Lots of fun here, people. Head over to our Soundtrack Review section to get all the details.

MYSTERY PHOTO

Our last photo was from the Hammer film X - THE UNKNOWN, which is a great little monster blob movie if you haven't seen it. Well worth checking out. But the ones that have seen the movie and were able to send in the correct answer was: Chris Kinniery, Mike Shields, and Will Wilson. Well done!
Now on to this week's photo. While I thought momentarily about going with either a Franco film to tie with this month's Army mission, or a Cushing photo to tie in with his 100th Birthday, we decided to save those for another day. So this one might be easy, or might not. You'll have to take a look and see if it comes to you. In either case, good luck! Click HERE to send in your answer.

5-12-13 A SLIGHT BREAK FROM OUR NORMAL BROADCAST
While we try not to let 'real life' venture into our Krypt, we felt that it was important to point this particular event out because it has so very much to do with the Krypt. On Tuesday the 14th of this month, it will be my 25th wedding anniversary. In this day and age, I know that is even more of a milestone. My wife Dawn and I spent this last weekend in Galena, IL to celebrate this occasion, taking a break from the internet, and the rest of the world. From doing some shopping at the all the little shops they have there (including a few book stores...yes, can't go by a book store without me stopping in!), eating some great foods, and just relaxing, it was an amazing weekend.
What does this have to do with the Krypt, you might ask? Simple...if it wasn't for Dawn, who has not only let me work on this site for almost 15 years, but wants and encourages me to continue as well, there would be no Krypt. I have known a few die-hard fans like me over the years that can only be that fan when their wife is away or busy, sneaking off to the darkened depths of their basement, before being called back into husband duty. My situation couldn't be farther from the truth, and I owe all of that to my wife Dawn. She is always willing to watch anything that I decide to put on the television...most of which she actually enjoys. While not as fanatical about the genre as I am, she is a fan. As she as put it several times, this is what defines us...it is who we are. I know I wouldn't be the person I am today if it wasn't for her. So a huge shout out and thank you to my wife Dawn, who has stood by me for all of these years, even during those times when she had every right to kick my ass but didn't. She is the reason for me still being here, as well as really showing me why there is so much to enjoy in life. Here's to another 25 years.

WONDERFEST NEXT WEEKEND
We've been looking forward to this show for quite some time and next week it happens. But that means there will be no update next week. But this is our last show for a couple of months, so hopefully we'll have time to get all our past show reports done and posted. I mean...we'll only have 4 to get done after next weekend!
One of the things that we are looking forward to at the show is the special premier screening of the new documentary by Cortlandt Hull & Bill Diamond called THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA: UNMASKING THE MASTERPIECE. This will take viewers through the different versions of the classic story by Gaston Leroux, with the main focus on the original version starring Lon Chaney Sr., but also the remakes with Claude Rains and Hammer's version with Herbert Lom. There will be interviews with Ron Chaney, Carla Laemmle, Daniel Roebuck, Chaney historian Michael Blake, Steve Haberman, and many more. Not sure when this would actually getting a release somewhere, so if you want to see it, you better head to Wonderfest this weekend! Hope to see some of you at at the show.

RAY HARRYHAUSEN - REST IN PEACE
    What can be said about this legend. That work, legend, was used in just about every obit that I read on Harryhausen. I wonder why. Could it be because he created such magical images on screen for movie goers, at a time when we never thought we'd get to see such things, like giant monsters coming from the sea, or flying saucers crashing in to the White House, hordes of skeleton warriors in swordfights with our movie heroes, or dinosaurs attacking and trying to get to Rachel Welch. But because of Ray Harryhausen, we got to see those. And for a lot of people out there, it changed their life.
    A young Ray went to see the original KING KONG at the Grauman's Chinese Theater on its initial run in Hollywood. He has been quoted several times saying that after seeing that film, "I haven't been the same since." He came away from the movie with the desire to create his own stop-animation creatures. And that is exactly what he did. He started to make his own dinosaurs and make his own little short animated films in his family's garage. As luck would have it, he eventually got to meet Willis O'Brien, the man behind creating King Kong. O'Brien gave him tips and pointers on what he needed to work on to improve his talent. O'Brien later hired Harryhausen to work on MIGHTY JOE YOUNG, which would be Ray's first major picture. And there was no stopping him after that.
    He gave us a giant rhedosaurus in THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (1953), he showed us a giant octopus attacking the Golden Gate Bridge in IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA (1955), in EARTH VS THE FLYING SAUCERS (1956), he showed us giant space ships crashing into such famous buildings as the White House! And the list goes on and on. In the '60s & '70S, he help give birth to the wondrous fantasy creatures in the Sinbad movies, like THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD (1960), THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD (1974), and SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER (1977). And of course, in 1966, he helped Hammer Films create the dinosaurs in their prehistoric epic ONE MILLION YEARS B.C.
    Needless to say, Harryhausen was an amazing talent. From his work in stop animation, the incredible artwork that he produced, as well as inspiring so many people to follow their own dreams, he really is one that defines the word "legend". This legend passed away last Tuesday, May 7th, at the age of 92. Because of this incredible portfolio of work that he has left us within these movies, he will never be forgotten. His legacy will live on every time a youngster catches a rerun of one of those Sinbad movies and gets blown away by what he sees. Gone, but never forgotten.

CUSHING BOOK UPDATE
    Last update I talked about the new version of David Miller's 2000 book The Peter Cushing Companion, now called Peter Cushing: A Life in Art. We're going to have a normal review of it, but wanted to give a little bit of an update. We got a copy of the new edition and did a little comparing. It is in fact the Companion book, but it is not exactly the same. Right off the bat, you can see that it has 16 full color pages that has some great stills and posters that are not in the original edition, as well as some new black and white photo throughout the book. While it is laid out the same, with the same chapters and oddly enough even the same page length for each chapter, but the text has been edited slightly. While a lot of it is exactly the same, there are some slight revisions, as well as completely new paragraphs. So it is not simply a reprint like we first thought.
    But what I don't understand is why not advertise it as such? Why not say that is it a re-edited & updated version of the Companion book, with now having 16 color pages, and even more information added? Who knows.
    But all that confusion aside, it is a nice hardcover edition of this book, and is a lot more reasonably priced compared to what the original paperback versions are going for. So if you don't have the original, this updated version needs to be on your Want List. This is about Peter Cushing after all. If you already have the original, it wouldn't be out of the question to upgrade it. I know we did. But then again, that's just me.

CUSHING'S 100th BIRTHDAY
While on the subject of Peter Cushing, May 25th of this month would have been Cushing's 100th birthday. I know there are many different things being planned to celebrate that, especially over in the UK. I'm sure there will be plenty of Hammer films being screen on TV, as well as some specials or something to commemorate this event and this incredible actor and amazing human being. One of the things that we know is going to happen is a Peter Cushing Centennial Blogathon, starting on May 25th and going through the 31st, which is being hosted by the Frankenstenia Blog. If you want to be involved in the blogathon, contact them through their website. But starting on May 25th, head over to HERE to get all the different low down on what's going on, as well as to see all the different blogs and info about Cushing.
Even if you're not participating in anything like this, this month would be the perfect time to break out some of those Cushing movies to re-visit, or visit for the first time you just haven't gotten around to them. Cushing really was a one of a kind actor, who was always (and still is) a thrill to watch. From his incredible work he did with Hammer, as well as all the other studios he worked with, such as Amicus or Tyburn, and the rest of them, Cushing was always a joy to watch.

HORROR HISTORY
Welcome back to the Classroom after a few weeks off. Hope you are well rested and are ready to pay attention! So let's get to the classroom and learn about this director who worked for a certain British film studio that was known to drip blood.

MYSTERY PHOTO

Our last photo was from the Amicus anthology film TORTURE GARDEN. Well done to those that did get it since this wasn't the easier pic to figure out. So kudos out to the following who did figure it out: Hoby Abernathy, Cate Cameron, Craig Clark, Kevin Matthews, Jeff Owens, Mike Shields, and Will Wilson. Well done.
So now on to this week's photo. We're going back a few years to when films were black and white. Remember those days? Hope so. But we're not giving you much to go on with this shot, but if you've seen the movie, you'll probably remember this sequence. So give it a peak and get that brain matter working. Just click HERE to send in your answer.

5-5-13 MOTOR CITY MADNESS
Last weekend, we headed into Michigan for the 5th annual Motor City Nightmares convention. We had a blast there the whole weekend and just had a great time. For being able to hang out with our old convention friends/family, to meeting and making a lot of few friends, it really was a great time. We definitely plan to be there again next year. Stay tuned for our complete report in the future.

NEXT STOP ON THE 2013 KRYPTIC WORLD TOUR...WONDERFEST
In two weeks, we will be heading down to Louisville Kentucky for our 2nd time setting up at the Wonderfest Hobby Expo. We had such a great time there last year and are hoping to do it all again. It is a great chance of pace to the normal shows that we go to throughout the year. While they do have some celebrity guest at the show, the main focus of it is the dealer room and the model kits. If you're in to resin and vinyl kits, then you probably already know about the show. But even if you're not, just walking around the dealer room and seeing these amazing kits is a lot of fun. So if you are coming out to the show, make sure you stop by our table and say hello. We'll be there pushing our horror reference books as usual. Hope to see you there.

BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS...OLD, NEW, AND NEW OLD TITLES
    As a well known 'book guy', nothing thrills me more than when I hear there are new titles coming out that I can add to my collection. But these days, even with books, we really need to look a little past the cover. Originally we were going to announce a bunch of new titles that were coming out, proving once again that print certainly is not dead. Every year we see more and more titles being published about the genre we love so much. Sure, it does get expensive, but some of these are pretty reasonable in price. And as we've said time and time again, the more you read about these movies and the people that make them, the more you can enjoy the genre.
    But apparently some of these "new" ones we were going to mention aren't really new titles at all, but books that were previously published that are just getting a new title and facelift. Not saying that is entirely a bad thing, but hear me out.
    The first one, which is at least being upfront about what it is, is Peter Cushing: The Complete Memoirs. This is a new hardcover edition that combines Cushing's two autobiographies, An Autobiography (1986) and Past Forgetting (1988), into one book. They had been previously published together in one book back in 1999 by Midnight Marquee. This 424 page edition will be released next month with a price of $24.99 (though Amazon has it listed for $17.08). If you are a fan of Cushing, or Hammer films, or just of actors, then you really need to have this book in your collection. So many great stories, as well as getting a good look inside the head of this incredible man and actor.
    Since this year would have been Cushing's 100th birthday, it makes sense that publishers are trying to release something to tie in with that. Which brings us to our second book, Peter Cushing: A Life in Film, by David Miller. Now back in 2000, Miller published a book called The Peter Cushing Companion, which was also reissued in 2002, under the same title. Since Amazon listed this Life in Film book with same number of pages as the Companion, and both had an introduction by Hammer starlet Veronica Carlson, it got me wondering if this was actually a new book. So checked out a few recent online interviews with the author about this "new" book. Nowhere did anybody mention or ask if this had already been published before, in some cases even calling it a "new" book. Guess some people don't do their homework these days before interviewing. So I went to the publisher's website to read more info about the "new" book. They make also no mention about the Companion book or if this is a reprint of it. But they did have an excerpt from the "new" book, which just happens to match exactly a section in the Companion.   So I sent them an email asking them directly, but haven't heard back from them yet. While we don't have any official confirmation, it really looks like it is the same book.
    Why am I making a big deal about this? Simply because it is getting fans to purchase book that they might already have because they think it is something new. The previous edition is out-of-print, so who cares if it is getting re-published, right? But why couldn't they just state that from the beginning? None the less, the book is out with a retail price of $24.95 (Amazon has it listed for $18.13). But...if you don't already either of these books in any versions, then I highly suggest you pick them up.

    Which leads to another title coming out that seems to have done another re-title and new cover of an older book, unleashing it to the unsuspecting public. The book is called Horror! The Definitive Companion to the Most Terrifying Movies Ever Made, by James Marriott and Kim Newman. Which seemed to me to be pretty close to Horror! 333 Films to Scare You to Death, which came out only in 2010. Now, we have not seen this new book so we are not entirely sure what this volume contains. But we did contact one of the authors to get their input. Since Mr. Marriott had passed away last July of 2012, not sure what he might have done with any revision. But Mr. Newman said not only did he not do anything new for this edition, but he didn't even know it was coming out. We also send a note out to the publishers to get some more info. So until we hear from them or see a copy ourselves, we're just going to have to label this one a tad bit suspicious. Again, if this was an older book that is impossible to find, then kudos to them for re-releasing it. But this first edition is STILL available! The "new" book is due out in August, with price of $24.95, though Amazon has pre-orders for $16.47.
    Now we do have a 3rd Cushing book, The Unknown Peter Cushing, by Michael G. McGlasson, looks to be a brand new book. While only at a 132 pages and priced at $14.95, not sure what to expect with this one. But I know we'll be adding to our collection no matter what. I mean...it is about Peter Cushing after all and I am a sucker for reference books, especially when they are one of my favorite actors.
    And speaking of favorite actors, there is a new book coming out on Vincent Price, called The Price of Fear, one that has been in the making for 25 years. Author Joel Eisner had been working with Price before his death to create his official and definitive biography and finally it is now coming out. Having full cooperation with Price's estate, his daughter Victoria, and hearing from so many people that Price had worked with over the years, it will be one interesting and entertaining read, learning more about this incredibly talented and great men of the genre. The book runs 244 pages and is priced at $19.95, though you can save a few dollars through Amazon. But once again, it is one of these books that needs to be in any serious collector of horror reference books. Like Cushing, Price is one of those types of stars that we probability won't see ever again. So the more we can learn about him and his work, the more we can make sure that neither of them are ever forgotten.

HALLOWEEN HOT SAUCE
We are big fans of hot sauces. And what better way to combine our passion for that than mixing it up with horror! And with Halloween only 6 months away, what better way to celebrate than to order some hot sauces from Halloween Hot Sauce! These make the perfect little gift for your friends who love to spice up their food, not to mention that they look great. They have three different flavors of varying degree of heat and you can get them just in the bottles, or you can get them in a little hand made cedar coffin! Or go for the big gift box and get all three in a larger coffin.
For more info, head over to Halloween Hot Sauce's website by clicking HERE. Tell Victor the Undertaker, who is the devil there behind these creations that we sent you!

FAMOUS MONSTERS & INTRUDER AT THE PORTAGE
    Chicago fans of Roger Corman might want to head to the Portage Theater on August 14th to catch a rare screening of his 1962 film INTRUDER, starring William Shatner. This was a very different type of film for Corman, about a man traveling to a small southern town to try and stop the racial integration. This is a scary film in only because it can show the real darkness of humanity. No cheesy monsters running around in this Corman film, but a one that makes you take a look at yourself and the society around us.
    This is being screen from a 35mm print, courtesy of the Joe Dante and Jon Davison Collection, and will be screened at 7:30pm. There will also be a episode of Twilight Zone (A Nice Place to Visit) screened from a 16mm print.
    Also at the Portage this month, is a all-star monster lineup on May 25th, where they will be screening the following films: ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE (at 12pm), HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (at 1:40pm), HOUSE OF DRACULA (3:15pm) and then the '70s classic BLACULA (at 4:45pm).

For all the information on the Portage Theater, head over to their website by clicking HERE.

HANDS OF THE RIPPER BLU-RAY
Finally, after many years of waiting, one of Hammer's later films gets a release on DVD & Blu-ray. Peter Sasdy's HANDS OF THE RIPPER will be coming out on July 9th of this year and features an uncut print that has been completely restored in high-definition. This special features include a featurette called The Devil's Bloody Playthings: Possessed by HANDS OF THE RIPPER, a Motion Still Gallery called Slaughter of Innocence: The Evloution of Hammer Gore, trailers and more.
Plenty of red stuff flowing in this film and is a must for Hammer fans, as well as horror fans. This film was made in the transition period of Hammer as they were trying to hold onto their audiences who were growing tired of the gothic pictures that Hammer had been making (and quite successfully doing) for years. So in the '70s, they started to increase the amount of skin and blood on the screen. So while a lot of people criticize these later Hammer films for going "too far", I've always felt that some of these later films are some of Hammer's best. So when this disc comes out, run out and buy it, watch it, and then see what you think!

MORE PRICE HORROR COMING TO BLU-RAY
Shout Factory has announced a Vincent Price box set that will be issued around Halloween time this year. Haven't seen/heard any details other than it will be the following titles: FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER, THE HAUNTED PALACE, THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH, THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM, WITCHFINDER GENERAL (and apparently the cut version of the film under the US title CONQUEROR WORM) and finally THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES. Once we get more information on them, we'll let you know.

NEW LITTLE SHOPPE OF HORRORS COMING SOON
And while on the subject of Hammer, the new issue of Little Shoppe of Horrors will be out soon. They just released the new cover and it looks pretty damn cool. As you can see by the cover, this issue will be covering VAMPIRE CIRCUS. There is no other magazine out there that gives you the kind of Hammer coverage than LSoH. If you want to increase your knowledge of not only Hammer films but of British horror films in genre, start picking up their back issues, since each one is a small book of insight and information. Each one is always filled with tons of interviews and in-depth researched articles. Well worth the cost of admission!
They don't have it listed on the site just yet, but I'm sure it will be up there any day now. You can always drop them an email if you want to order right away. Just click HERE to get over to their site.

EVIL DEAD (2013) SOUNDTRACK REVIEW
We have posted our review of Roque Baños' score for the recent remake of EVIL DEAD. Head over to our Soundtrack section to read our thoughts on this remake that has been dividing the fans!

MONSTROUS MUSIC
And while on the subjects of movie soundtracks, Monstrous Movie Music is a small label that has put some some incredible movie soundtracks over the years, which we have several of them. We have even reviewed one of their releases, such as IT! TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE (click HERE for our review), but have several of them in our own collection. They basically stick with classic 50's sci-fi & horror titles, but we've really enjoyed what we've heard so far from them. I would highly recommend the score for THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD as well. Other more recent releases are of THE LAST MAN ON EARTH, MISSILE TO THE MOON, THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS, and many more. They are a lot of fun for fans of these classic movies.
Well, now they have another double feature release from a couple of the sci-fi horror films of the late '50s. It has Nicholas Carras' score for SHE DEMONS and Guenther Kauer's score for THE ASTOUNDING SHE-MONSTER. This release has close to an hour's worth of music, along with a 20 page illustrated liner book that goes over the music, the compose and the movie. So head on over to their website HERE and order a couple of them. I think you'll be pleasantly impressed with their work here.

KRYPTIC ARMY REMEMBERING FRANCO
For our Army members, they will spend the month of May remembering the late Jess Franco, spending time with at least two of his movies. Depending on which ones they pick, they are going to have a great time. Or...could be at least interesting. So let's hope for the best!
Not a member of the Army? Just click HERE to find out more and join the fun!

ENGLAND ART CONTEST
Thanks to everyone who sent in their answer for our England Art Trivia contest. We had some great titles, some of which I didn't even think of. Because we got such a good response, we decided to drawn two names! And those lucky winners are Catherine Cameron, who chose THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY & Lisa Stewart, who picked the episode of Night Gallery series, The Cemetery. If the two winners can send me an email with your mailing address, I'll get your print sent out to you. Thanks again to everyone who participated, and an especially to Don England who donated the prizes. Stay tuned for more trivia prizes and some of England's artwork soon.

MYSTERY PHOTO

Our photo from last week was from the 1988 film CAMERON'S CLOSET. That demon there was designed by Carlo Rambaldi, the very same man who created E.T.! Congrats to the two people that were able to correctly identify that movie. And they were Mark Turner and Will Wilson. Well done!
So let's get on with this week's photo. Take a look....get the brain working...and see what you can come up with. Good luck! Just click HERE to send in your answer.

4-21-13 DRIVE-IN MADNESS

    Last night, we traveled out to the Midway Drive-in, which is about a 70 miles away, to a triple feature. They screened Carpenter's THE THING, ALIENS, and then THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN. While we normally sit outside the van on lawn chairs, it was a little too chilly last night, so we stayed in the van this time.   But none the less, we had a great time. It was pretty cool to see THE THING at the drive-in, which is where I got to see it the very first time, at the Skylark Drive-in, one of the 2 drive-in theaters Aurora use to have. Of course, both of them are gone now, being replaced with condos and housing. Damn shame.
    Maybe it is just me, since I grew up up at the end of the drive-in era, but even though they were slowly closing down at the time, I still had plenty of fond memories of going to these places for double and triple features. Maybe that is why events like these are so much fun. Sure, you might not have all the technical stereo sound and all the bells and whistles of one of the newer theaters, but there is something about it, like a special charm to it, like a little step back in time, that makes it more than worth it. If you haven't made it out to one, then please make it a point to do it the next time the opportunity is there. I'm sure you'll have a great time.
    It was great to see there were more than a few people that came out to brave the weather for the movies last night. It is events like these that we continually need to support so they can keep going. Like all of these types of events or special screenings, it is the fans that keep them alive and breathing. So please make sure you give them the support to keep them going. Special thanks to Mike and Mia Kerz who run the Midway and giving fans like me, plus plenty more, the opportunity to continue to enjoy these kind of events.

MOTOR CITY NIGHTMARES
Once again, we will be without an update next week since we will be traveling to Michigan for our first time appearance at Motor City Nightmares. We've heard good things over the years so we figured we'd give it a try and see if we can't spread a little of our 'Discover the Horror' gospel while we're there. Looking forward to it. Of course, that will be the 3rd convention report that we'll need to get done! Work, work, work. But if you're coming out to the show, as usual, please stop by and say hello.

MORE HAMMER BUSTS FROM TITAN
While we haven't even gotten around to acquiring the first three busts that Titan has put out in their Hammer series, it looks like they are going to continue this line with even more figures. The first three concentrated on their vampires series, with Lee's Dracula, Cushing's Van Helsing, and Ingrid Pitt's Countess Dracula. This time it seems they are going over to their Frankenstein series, with Cushing's Baron. Does this mean we will have one of Lee's creature soon? While I don't think they did as good as a job with Cushing's face as they did on the Van Helsing one, it is still pretty cool that they are going this route. Just too bad they are damn expensive, running about $80-$100 each. These will be released in October of this year.

ENGLAND TRIVIA CONTEST
    Not sure why, but for some reason I tend to have a lot of friends that are artist, especially that I've met at conventions. I'm talking illustrators here, that actually create amazing pieces of work with a pen, pencil, paint and paper. With such talented people like Putrid, Steve Bejma, Chris Kuchta, you'd think some of that would rub off on me. Afraid not. Only thing I can draw is flies. But another artist friend of ours, one that I've known for somewhere close to 10 years, is Don England. And since I've known him, his artwork has just gotten better and better each and every year. Just take a look at some of the pieces that he's done below. This isn't done on a computer, or enhanced by some program, but these are old fashion hand drawn illustrations. And great ones at that. Head over to his website to see some of his other amazing work by clicking HERE.
    Don was gracious enough to donate some of his prints to our Prize Coffin for our Krypt Army. In fact, he gave us quite a few prints, suggesting to mayble use them for a trivia contest here on the site. What a stellar idea, giving everyone a chance to get one of these great pieces of art.
    So here is what we're going to do: We are going to have a drawing for a drawing! All you need to get your name in the drawing is send us one single title of a horror themed movie or TV episode that deals with an artist or a piece of art. Something like where a painting comes to life, captures their soul, anything like that. We want to help celebrate this talented guy, as well as all the other people that sometimes can literally put their heart and soul into their work. This artist doesn't have to be the main focus of the movie or show, but it must have something to do with the main plot. Easy enough? Just send your movie/show title to me at jon@kitleyskrypt.com with your name. It will go into a drawing with the rest of the names. After two weeks, we will draw one of the names and find our winner. If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line and ask away. Then you can proudly display one of these great pieces below in your collection. Good Luck!

HORROR HISTORY
Our lesson this week is about a man who worked his way up, but had the great opportunity to work with a great producer, who took gave him his break behind the camera. Head over to the classroom to find out more.

MYSTERY PHOTO

Okay folks, as we warned you, our last photo was going to be a tough one. Of course, that didn't stop some of you die-hards out there from sending sending the correct guess. Well done! The little snapshot was from a 1941 film called HORROR ISLAND, directed by George Waggner, who also gave us MAN MADE MONSTER right before giving us the Universal classic THE WOLF MAN. While it might not be seeping with horror, it does have some pretty interesting spooky moments, such as the great work with the shadows. But kudos going out to the following for correctly identifying the movie: Hoby Abernathy, Gavin Schmitt, and William Wilson.
So, let's get to this week's photo. Once again, since we won't be having an update next week, you will have two weeks to figure this one out. But don't put it off too long...those two weeks will be up before you know it. So gaze at the photo, get that brain sparking, and click HERE to send in your answer. Good luck!

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