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2005

12-29-05 YEAR IN REVIEW
Well another year almost done and gone, and I have to say that this was a very mixed year for us. We did have quite a few highlights, which we will discuss shortly. But on a personal (and more importantly financial) standpoint, this year sucked. So we are very much so looking forward to ending this year and starting afresh! We have also set up some goals for ourselves for this website. More updates, more contests, and more fun. So let's see what happens! We are working on a big update, including our CRY WOLF and WOLF CREEK reviews, along with a couple of Soundtrack reviews as well. But instead of waiting until the whole thing is done, we'll update what we get done each time, and go from there. Usually when I wait, it takes weeks to get everything done. So here's what we got so far. Enjoy!

What were some of the highlights of 2005 for us? Well, we've also posted this list on our Message Board, and would welcome anyone to add their own highlights, comments, or whatever they want. It's been pretty dead over there as of late, which I know I'm not helping either.

    I guess the biggest highlights off-hand would be the movie festivals that we were able to attend this last year. The first one was the Bill Rebane Moviefest, where we were able to meet this Wisconsin legend and see some of his....entertaining films on the big screen.
    And then their was the All-Night Horrorfest at the Drive-In that was put on by Mike and the Flashback gang. Not only was it cool to see some great movies at a drive-in, but my son was also able to experience seeing EVIL DEAD 2 on the same screen as I did some 20-years or so ago. And seeing him over at Tom Sullivan's table grilling him for all the details about the movies was even better.
    And then there was the 24-movie marathon that Rusty Nails put on at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago. I never thought I would be as awake as long as I was, and that I would have that much fun. I sure hope they do it again next year. That was a blast.
    And lastly, there was the time when we almost didn't meet director Alex de la Inglesia in Chicago. And I want to send a special thanks out to my buddy Phil, since when he's around, good things just tend to happen.

And what about DVD releases? Could there be anything out there that could top that Hammer Horror Series that Universal put out? Eight great Hammer movies for only $25! All in beautiful quality! And what about the TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD box set? And I think the best packaging for a box set had to be the import PHANTASM set that Anchor Bay UK put out. I have that lovely thing sitting right in front of me at my computer desk. Right next to the Zuni Fetish doll from TRILOGY OF TERROR.

And of course, we also like to take a moment to remember those that passed away this last year. These people have all contributed one way or another to the horror genre, and the genre fans like us feel the lost. But we know that with the films that they made, acted in, or just help create, they will live on and on to fans like us. And for that, they will never die.

Robert Clarke, Debra Hill, William Hootkins, Matt McGrory, Dan O'Herlihy,
Paul A. Partain, John Vernon, Mel Welles, Robert Wise

CONVENTION SEASON ALMOST HERE
    And with the start of each year, it's time to make those plans for the upcoming conventions that will soon be starting. It's been 4 months since the last Cinema Wasteland show, and we can't wait to get started again.
    The first one that we will be at will the Fangoria Weekend of Horrors in Chicago, on March 4th-5th. This is the first time in many years since Fango is venturing back into the Windy City. Let's hope they do it right this time. But from their guest list, it's not looking too promising. Yes, they do have George Romero as the headliner, and you can't go wrong there. But other than him, there really no big guests that are going to drawn from outside of the Chicagoland area. Not to say the other guests are nobody's, but just nobody who is going to drawn a huge attendance. Plain and simple. You can catch the guest list so far at their website HERE.
    A few weeks after that, we'll be heading to Ohio for the spring Cinema Wasteland show. Always a good time, this one looks no different. The guest consist of the 'victims' from DEVIL'S REJECTS, along with some Jasons and killer women. Check out their website for more details HERE.
    After that, in May, we'll most likely be heading to New Jersey for the Monster Mania show. We won't be dealers there, but just going to see some of the guests. They have Lance Henriksen as one of the headliners (HEY FANGO....GET A CLUE!). Never had the chance to see this genre legend at a show, so he's one to meet. But then they are also having a HELLRAISER reunion, with the Cenobites from part 2. Actually, Pinhead, Butterball, and Chatterer were played by the same actors in parts 1 & 2, with only the female changing actresses. So Barbie Wilde will be there, joining Doug Bradley, Simon Bramford, and Nicholas Vince, along with HELLRAISER screenwriter Peter Atkins, and Ashley Lawrence, rounding out a great HELLRAISER reunion. This is a must for any fans of the original 2 movies. Other guests will be George Romero, another genre legend Tim Thomerson, Diamond Dallas Page, and many others. Check out their website HERE.

12-14-05 STRUGGLING THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS
Well, this month is about 1/2 over and we can't wait for it to be done. This is the busiest time for me at my real job, and then throw in all the holiday stuff going on, and it really gives meaning to the phrase "All work and no play makes Jon a dull boy." We've been working on this update for about a week now, and have just gotten around to put up the following touches. So, enjoy the update, and hope you holiday season is going well.

REVIEWS
We have a couple of new movie reviews posted. The first is for the classic FOOD OF THE GODS. Can't go wrong with a film by Bert I. Gordon, can you? And then we have a review up for a low budget film called CUP OF MY BLOOD.
And in the soundtrack review section, we have a review up for the 2-disc Masters Of Horror soundtrack release.

MASTERS GIVEAWAY!
And speaking of Masters of Horror, we have pulled a winner from the emails that we received for the free CD soundtrack. And the lucky person is Amanda Passmore! Congrats to you, and thanks to all who sent in their emails.

B.I.G. QUIZLET POLL
    Since it's been so long since we've changed out little Quizlet poll at the top of this page, we figure it was well past due. So in honor of our recent review of FOOD OF THE GODS, we are now asking what you're favorite film by Bert I. Gordon is. Not familiar with that name? If not, then you must have never watched MST3K before. But in either case, check out the Quizlet poll for some of the titles, and I'm sure you've at least heard of a few of them. And then after thinking long and hard (use scratch paper if needed), post your favorite.
    As for our last poll, here are the results. I must say that I was a bit surprised at the totals. While I figured that Colin Clive would be near the top, I also thought that it would be a close race with Peter Cushing. I also knew that Jeffrey Combs' Herbert West would be in the top as well.
    But it seems that Combs was the top, with 30% of the votes, with Colin Clive's Henry Frankenstein close behind with 24%. And while Peter Cushing did get 3rd place, he only had 10% of the votes. But....the masses have spoken. Thanks again to everyone who participated. Here's the complete breakdown of the totals:

Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) - RE-ANIMATOR - 30%, with 107 votes
Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) - FRANKENSTEIN - 24%, with 85 votes
Baron Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) - CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN - 10%, with 34 votes
Dr. Logan (Richard Liberty) - DAY OF THE DEAD - 9%, 31 votes
Dr. Moreau (Charles Laughton) - ISLAND OF LOST SOULS - 7%, with 23 votes
Dr. Edward Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger) - BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN - 6%, with 21 votes
Dr. Obrero (Donald O'Brien) - ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST - 5%, 18 votes
Dr. Edward Pretorius (Ted Sorel) - FROM BEYOND - 4%, with 14 votes
Dr. DeMarco (John Carradine) - ASTRO ZOMBIES - 3%, 11 votes
Dr. Lorca (Ronald Remy) MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND - 3%, with 9 votes

NIGHTWATCH COMING IN FEBRUARY
While a lot of people on the internet don't seemed to be too impressed with this movie, I really was (check out review in our Archive section), and am really looking forward to the next installment which is finishing up now. But in any case, the film will be opening up in the US on February 17th. I think that everybody should check this out and see what some great camera style.

WINSTON TAKES ON WEREWOLVES
    Moviehole.net had a little talk with effects man Stan Winston a few weeks ago and were asking about if WRONG TURN 2 was going to happen. According to Winston, “Wrong Turn 2 isn’t on the burner right now.”
    But he did mention some other news that peak my interests. He said that they had just finished filming a new werewolf movie, called SKINWALKERS. "We have a great script and we have created some of the coolest werewolves you’ll ever see. They’re not digital werewolves – we’ve given it back to the actors. It will be released next Halloween."
    It's nice to see that even though Winston has all that CGI technology at his fingertips, that he still is going for the old fashion 'man-in-a-suit' monsters. We'll be looking forward to this one.

DARK SKY HOSTS HORROR PARTY WITH MAGIC
    Dark Sky Films is one DVD company that is making quite a name for themselves. So far they have been releasing some great titles, and putting out some great discs as well. Just look at their release of HENRY!
    At the last Flashback show, I chatted with Dark Sky rep, Shade Rupe, about some of their upcoming releases. And the one that I was most excited about is the very underrated movie MAGIC, starring Anthony Hopkins. The disc will be coming out next April and has some cool extras.
    Such as a new anamorphic transfer (1.85:1) from a new high-definition master and Dolby digital 2.0 audio. There will also be a featurette called "Fats & Friends" about the ventriloquist puppet used in the movie. The disc will also include interviews with Anthony Hopkins, and cinematographer Victor J. Kemper, and more. The retail will be $19.98.
    But then Dark Sky will also be releasing a Del Tenney Double Feature disc with CURSE OF THE LIVING CORPSE and THE HORROR AT PARTY BEACH. I've always remembered PARTY BEACH because of the wacky looking monsters. Like they mention in IT CAME FROM HOLLYWOOD, the monster looks like he's got a mouthful of hot dogs. Both classic fun here folks. That disc will be released in March of 2006.

12-03-05 MASTERS OF HORROR CD GIVEAWAY
    We have a new Kryptic Giveaway for everyone. Who's been keeping up with the Masters of Horror series on Showtime? Or are you like me and are waiting for the DVD release next year? We'll, I've seen a few of the episodes and have been enjoying them quite a bit. Especially the segment from Dario Argento....what a bizarre and twisted little episode.
    So to mark this great series, we have a copy of the CD soundtrack to give away. This features 2 CDs with a total of 30 songs, from bands like Mudvayne, In Flames, and Buckethead. So what do you have to do to be entered in for the drawing? This is a tough one. Ready? Just send us an email by clicking HERE and let us know who your favorite director of the 13 from the first series. A name will be drawn from all that enter. Good Luck!
    In case you don't know who they are, here they are: Dario Argento, John Carpenter, Larry Cohen, Don Coscarelli, Joe Dante, Mick Garris, Stuart Gordon, Tobe Hooper, John Landis, William Mallone, Lucky McKee, John McNaughton, and Takashi Miike.

MYSTERY PHOTO
It seems that our last photo was a bit tougher. We only had one correct answer, and that was from William Wilson. The mutated surgeon character was from JACOB'S LADDER. Check out the new and see how you do.

NEW REVIEW
We have a new review up of another score from Graeme Revell. This time, it's for the new sci-fi flick AEON FLUX, starring Charlize Theron. Check it out in our Review section.

MORE BOOKS ADDED
We've added a few more titles to our Book Sale section, such as A Taste of Blood: The Films of H.G. Lewis, Hollywood Hex, and out-of-print filmography book The Complete Films of Vincent Price. Check them out HERE.

ROTH'S HOSTEL
While we did somewhat enjoy Roth's debut CABIN FEVER, I'm not too sure about his newest, HOSTEL. The movie just seems to be an excuse for an excess of violence. I know there is somewhat of a story in there somewhere, but from the trailer and what I've read so far, that really doesn't seemed to be the point of the movie. It's just about shocking the audience. Reminds me a lot of the GUINEA PIG series from Japan years ago. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the gore. But maybe as I get older, I guess I'm looking more and more for a really good story to go along with the horror.

NEW ISSUE OF LSoH!
In case you weren't aware of it, the latest issue of the best Hammer magazine, Little Shoppe of Horrors #17, is now out. The main feature of this issue is NIGHT CREATURES (aka CAPTAIN CLEGG). While this movie isn't necessarily a horror film, it is a great film none the less, featuring Peter Cushing in a great role. You can order the new issue directly from it's creator, Dick Klemenson at his website HERE. Dick has put out another wonderful issue, as always.

LAND OF THE DEAD 2?
According to a recent interview, zombie fans might not have to wait another 10 to 20 years for another DEAD film from George Romero. He says he has several projects in the works now, including 2 Stephen King adaptations, and a sequel to LAND OF THE DEAD. Romero stated that if that would get the green light that soon, then it would probably continue the story from LAND, following the truck and the characters.
While we didn't think LAND was up to par with his other DEAD films, we enjoyed it. So anytime Romero is going to make another entry in his zombie genre, we'll be there to support him. Or any film for that matter.

11-22-05 FLASHBACK GUESTS ANNOUNCED
    As it's never to early to start making those plans for next years conventions, the Flashback gang have updated their website, listing the start of their lineup for the next show. Fans of DEVIL'S REJECTS will have the chance again to see more of their favorite characters from the movie. Sid Haig and Bill Moseley both return to Flashback to join in the fun. And this time out, Mother Firefly, Leslie Easterbrook will be joining them as well. But that's not all. Also from REJECTS, there will be Geoffrey Lewis, Lew Temple, and Kate Norby as well. They will also be screening THE DEVIL'S REJECTS at their outdoor Drive-In screen during the weekend events as well.
    Plus, Charles Band, creator of Empire Pictures, and Full Moon, will be there as well promoting his newest movies.
    I'm sure Flashback's head honcho has some other ideas and plans up his sleeve, so stay tuned for more. Or you can check out their website HERE.

NEW REVIEWS
We have added a couple more reviews up. Dark Sky Films release of SCARY TRUE STORIES, and the Shriek Show's release of Paul Naschy's FRANKENSTEIN'S BLOODY TERROR.
We also have a review up of Graeme Revell's score to the remake of THE FOG in our Soundtrack Review section. Yea, I know everyone thought the remake sucked. But you may want to check out the soundtrack anyway. In either case, enjoy!

NEW BOOKS ADDED
With the Christmas holiday coming up, what better gift is there than the gift of knowledge. Sure, you could get them a DVD, which they'll probably watch once and then put it on their shelf with their countless other movies. Or you could give them a great reference book where they could expand their knowledge of the genre. A book that they will go back to time and time again, absorbing all the....yea...okay, I'll stop. But it is kind of a good idea, don't you think?
In any case, we have added a few books to our Sale section, in the Biography section. We also have a tons of books that we haven't gotten listed you. Check them out and see what you can find. And if you're looking for something in particular, just ask. Some of the titles we only have in single quantities, so if you see something you like, let us know right away.

POSTER GALLERY - HAMMER'S VAMPIRES
We've finally gotten around to getting a new exhibit up in our Poster Gallery. This time out, we are viewing the different posters from Hammer's vampire movies. Enjoy!

FRIGHTENERS - UNCUT!
Coming November 29th, Universal will be releasing Peter Jackson's FRIGHTENERS in the uncut version, that was only previously released on the special edition laserdisc years ago. While some may consider this film 'too Hollywood', I've always thought it was a great film, with some great characters, brought to life by some of the genre's best, and some cool effects.
But now's your chance to see the full version of the filmIt's been ages since we watched all the documentaries from the laserdisc, so we're not sure if any of this is new or stuff taken from the laser. But in either case, it will now be available for everyone to see. Here's what the disc will include:

A special introduction by Peter Jackson
Audio commentary by Jackson
The Making of FRIGHTENERS - A feature-length documentary on the film, featuring interviews with Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, Dee Wallace Stone, Jake Busey, and Chi McBride
This documentar includes bloopers, lost footage, script development, cast rehearsals, a look into the special effects, motion control and blue-screen techniques, and much, much more.

REVIEWS
Yes, we actually did get a couple of reviews done, believe it or not. This time out, we have our reviews for THE EYE 2 and the 80's monster flick THE BEING. But if you're looking for a great little horror movie, I would suggest seeking out THE EYE 2. Check out review for more details. We're hoping to have a few more done shortly.

SOUNDTRACK NEWS
    Percepto Records finally has released a highly anticipated release of the soundtrack from KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE....well, at least I was waiting for it. Come people, this great soundtrack not only has the complete score from composer John Massari, but also includes the great title song from The Dickies. What more could you want for this holiday season?
    Well, in other soundtrack news, our buddies at La-La Land Records have a great title coming out for your Godzilla fans.   They will be releasing the score to KING KONG VS. GODZILLA, with a remastered original score by Akira Ifukube. Right now, they are taking pre-orders for their release of EFFECTS and a 2-disc set of the original LOST IN SPACE music.
    And last but not lest, Perseverance Records has announced this week that in March of 2006, they will be releasing "the scariest score I have ever heard", according to Perseverance producer Robin Esterhammer. And that would be CRYPT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Once again, they seemed to do a great job of finding these little obscure titles that fans like us would never think to ever see on CD. I know we're looking forward to it.

MYSTERY PHOTO
Only a couple of correct answers for our last photo. Mainly since if you'd seen this movie on video back in the day, you probably couldn't make out this monster since the print was so dark. That is from the 1983 film THE BEING, which just so happens to be the same film we now have a review up for. Coincidences?
Contrats to Terry Luster and Stephen Weakley for sending in the correct answers. So let's check out this latest one. Come on people, this one is a little easier. Promise.

ARKOFF CLASSICS HIT DVD...OVER HERE THIS TIME
Lions Gate Films will be releasing 4 titles from the Arkoff Film Library in January. Previously, these films were released as an import, meaning the few of you out there that still don't have multi-region player couldn't see them. But now, even you will be able to enjoy such classics like EARTH VS. THE SPIDER and WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST, which will be on one double feature disc. And the other double feature disc will have HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER and BLOOD OF DRACULA. Each double feature will retail for $14.98. Funny, I had gotten the other Arkoff Film set, but not this one. But I definitely will be picking this one up.

PHANTASM PHANS
For those of you have picked up that awesome Sphere set that Anchor Bay U.K. put out, thanks to the fine folks at the awesome site, Phantasm Films, have found some cool easter eggs for that new box set. So head on over there to get all the info.
But even if you don't have the set, and a fan of the series, head on over there anyway for some great information, some cool wallpapers, and much more. Enjoy!

11-13-05 A BELATED BIRTHDAY TO OUR FAVORITE PSYCHO
Yes, folks, just a couple of days ago was the birthday of Mr. Bill Moseley aka Mr. Otis Driftwood aka Choptop. And with the recent release to THE DEVIL'S REJECTS, what a better way to wish him well then to plop that in the DVD player and enjoy some of his work. Happy Birthday Bill!

JULIET MILLS INTERVIEW
We were at the Ray Courts show last weekend and had the chance to chat with Juliet Mills. I'm sure that name might not jump out as a horror star to some of you, but she starred in probably the most famous EXORCIST 'inspired' movie, BEYOND THE DOOR (aka CHI SEI? aka DEVIL WITHIN HER). She loved talking with us about this movie, and is surprised that it still has such a following. Check out our full interview with her HERE.
Also at this show was Jeanne Carmen, star of THE MONSTER OF PIEDRAS BLANCAS, and she told us a great story that we have to pass on. Apparently during the final part of the film, when the monster is chasing up the lighthouse stairs, you can see the creature start to move a little sluggish, dropping his hands to the side. According to Carmen, the actor in the suit was having a heart attack! In the next scene, when the creature comes out on the top of the lighthouse, he seemed to have gotten it's second wind. When in reality, it was a different person in the costume. The little things like that, that most people never know about.

REVIEWS COMING!
Yes, we realize it's been a slow month for updates. But we do have several new reviews that should be posted in the next couple of days. While we may not have been spending time in front of the computer here, we have been spending time in front of our TV, so we have manage to get some through some of all these titls that have been coming out lately.

IN MEMORY OF....
I'm sure everyone has heard about the bombings last week in Jordan, that took the lives of the HALLOWEEN series producer Moustapha Akkad and his daughter Reeme. While our thoughts go out to their friends and family for their lost, it also goes out to all the other lives that were lost in that tragic bombing. I guess sometimes in these tragic times, we tend to forget all the non-famous people that die every day.

AND JUST A LITTLE RANTING TO END THIS UPDATE...
I had recently started reading Fangoria's 101 Best Horror Movies You've Never Seen. I guess it might be okay for the newer fans that might not have heard of some of these titles, since they state that was their goal. Though, I do think that even the newest of fans would have heard of, if not definitely seen Romero's DAY OF THE DEAD.
But none the less, I couldn't believe when I came across the plot description for Richard Stanley's HARDWARE.

"Our protagonist, Mo (Dylan McDermott) is a junk collector, who ventures out into the desolate, dangerous zones to collect his scraps, then sells them to his main client - an artsy sculptress and welder named Jill (Stacey Travis), who, in postapocalyptic fashion, has never left her home to see the outside world. Sexual sparks fly between Mo and Jill, and before long the two get hot and heavy. There is just one problem: the junk Mo has collected for Jill this time around is actually pieces of MARK 13. While the lovers embrace, the MARK 13 slowly reassembles itself. Once alive, it's rather pissed off - and no one is safe."

Okay, without giving the REAL storyline away, anybody who has seen this movie will realize that the person writing that description...hasn't. Once again, I just don't understand how people can get away with writing stuff about they don't know. Yea, I know this was only 1 out of 101 movies, but I'm still checking the rest of the write-ups. The real kicker is that the co-authors are Adam Lukeman & Fangoria magazine, and the editor is Fango's editor Tony Timpone. Maybe I'm just being a little too anal about my reference books being accurate. What do you think? Go on over to our Message Board and let us know what your thoughts are about this? Am I making too big of a deal of this?

10-30-05 HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
But before we get started, I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Halloween! And if you have any special festivies planned, or your own movie marathons, let us know. Head over to our Message Board let us know what you've been watching!

BACK TO NORMALITY???
I swear, this month has been just the craziest time for us. With all the Halloween festivities going on, and all the other stuff that has been keeping us very busy this month, I'm embarrassed to think that I haven't had a real update here since the beginning of the month. Not sure if that's a good thing or not. It has been a great month for me as a horror fan. From the movie marathons, conventions, and all the great titles hitting DVD, this has been an awesome month. So enough of this drivel, let's get down to a serious update.

WILLIAM HOOTKINS....REST IN PEACE
Yes, I'm sure most of you might recognize this name. But if you're a fan of Richard Stanley's movies, then you might remember him. He had a bit part in DUST DEVIL as local police captain. But in HARDWARE, he had to of played the most sleaziest and creepiest neighbor in the history of film. Of course, he also had a small part in some space movie that some guy named Lucas did back in the late 70's. Add that with roles in Burton's BATMAN, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, and many, many other great roles. So while he was never the main man on the screen, he always delivered when he had to.

MUSIC BOX MASSACRE REPORT
We finally got around to finishing up our report of this wonderful 24-hour marathon. Click to HERE our review.

NEW REVIEWS
We've added our review up for the recently released DVD of THE FLESH EATERS. We have also added two new reviews in our Soundtrack section. One for the newest release from Nox Arcana, Transylvania, and the other is for a slightly older release, the original AMITYVILLE HORROR. Enjoy!

MYSTERY PHOTO
Nice job to Terry Luster and to Chris for getting our last mystery pic, from THE FLESH EATERS! Okay, here's another classic one for you people. Enjoy!

FANGO FINALLY COMES BACK TO CHICAGO
    After many years, and many rumors of them coming back to the Windy City, next March, Fangoria brings their Weekend of Horrors back to Chicago. Granted, Creation is still running the show, so we're not that excited about it. But since it's local for us, we plan to be there. Hopefully this time they can put on a decent show here.
    They have already announced some guests, and so far it seems better than they have in the past. So our fingers are crossed. Headlining the show is the father of all zombies, George Romero. It's always nice to see him, and it's even better that he still draws the crowds in.
    Also there will be James Gunn, screenwriter for the DAWN remake, but also director of SLITHER. Joining Gunn will be SLITTER cast members Greg Henry, Elizabeth Banks, and our favorite movie serial killer, Michael Rooker. I tend to think he'll be drawing more fans of HENRY than this new one.
    Other guests listed are Kelly Stables, who was in the American RING movies, the first Jason, Ari Lehman, and Gary Sherman, director of DEATH LINE, DEAD & BURIED and POLTERGEIST 3.   And fans of indie filmmakers, Marc Seiz and Rusty Nails will be there to give you some tips of the trade.
    They also have said that "several MASTERS OF HORROR directors to be named later" will be there. It'll be interesting to see just who they get from that incredible list of directors to show up. We'll be watching and waiting.
    But since the Flashback Weekend shows have been growing stronger and stronger every year, Fango won't be the only show in town. So they're really going to have to pull out all the stops to show that they can do this and do it right. And with Creation at the wheel....well, let's just hope that they've actually contacted the guests this time.

10-17-05 MASSACRE SURVIVOR...
    We are still recuperating from the 24-hour marathon at the Music Box theatre over the weekend. While we didn't catch all the movies, mainly since we were chatting with the other fans, grabbing some food, and just hanging out, we did manage to stay awake through most of it. Near the middle of DEMONS, I dropped out at some point. Woke up to see the credits starting. But after that, we were good to go.
    A huge congrats to Rusty Nails for doing one hell of a job putting this thing together. We had a blast.
    We did get a chance to meet up with Gary Sherman, director of DEAD & BURIED and DEATH LINE. He was a super nice guy and had the chance to chat with him a bit.
    With our favorite holiday coming up and our job in the real world just taking so much of my time right now, I'm not sure when I'll get the official review up, or another update for that matter. I'm hoping to get one of this week, but if not, definitely sometime early next week. Promise.

10-12-05 HENRY, KOLCHAK & GHOSTLY CATS GET REVIEWED!
We've posted our review of the new Dark Sky 2-disc release of HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER, the Japanese classic KURONEKO, as well the long awaited box set for KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER. Enjoy!

10-06-05 THE UPDATE CONTINUES....
Yes folks, we weren't finished the other night, but it was getting a little too late for us to be working at the computer. When we do that, things tend to not make too much sense every once in a while. So let's continue where we left off...

ONE HOWLING GOOD SOUNDTRACK
We have added our review of this much anticipated release of Joe Dante's THE HOWLING, from La-La Land Records. Enjoy....we have.

REFERENCE REVIEWS
We have added some reviews for a couple more reference books: Boris Karloff: The Man Remembered, and A Vault of Horror. Check them out in our Review sections.

MYSTERY PHOTO
Well, that last one was a very tough one, especially being from a made-for-TV movie from the 70's. If you were thinking it was from THE NORLISS TAPES, then you were correct. But the only ones to send it the correct answer were Will Wilson and Broncohouse. Contrats.
Now take a look at our new one and see what you can come up with. Good luck.

MUSIC BOX MASSACRE COMING!
    Don't forget folks, but in a little over a week, horror fans will be able to gather to the northside of Chicago, for a 24-hour madness inducing marathon at the Music Box Theatre. With 12 titles being screened, there will be more than enough to sate any horror movie fans appetite. From the classics like NOSFERATU (with live organ music), to CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (in the best 3-D presentation that I've ever seen), to the cult classics like RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, DEMONS, TWO THOUSAND MANIACS, and many, many more. For more details, go to the Music Box website, or to the Movieside Film Festival site.
    As fans of these movies, we really need to support theaters like this when they hold these festivals. If nobody shows up, they'll stop having them. And besides, places like the Music Box needs the support as well. Without places like that, we'd be stuck seeing only the newest remake being pumped through the Hollywood system, in one of those generic 1 of a 1000 kind multiplexes.
    We'll be heading out to the Music Box this Saturday to catch Robert Wise's THE BODY SNATCHER. Any chance I get to see Boris Karlof on the big screen, I am so there! So come on people. Let's show our support.

10-04-05 ONE MUTHER OF AN UPDATE...PART 1
    In case you weren't aware of it, this is our favorite time of year. And this is for a few reasons. Sure, the main one is due to the Halloween season. This is a time that people like us are not as 'different' as everybody else the rest of the year. The stores have all their Halloween goodies out for us to add to our ever-growing collections.
    And then of course, it's also this time a year that tons of our favorite movies are being released on DVD. Just today, we picked up several classics that have recently come out. Such as NIGHT OF THE LEPUS (who would have ever thought???), TORTURE GARDEN, and 2-disc special editions of THE FLY and THE FLY 2 (yes, I still like that movie!).
    Plus, it also seems that more and more activities are happening to keep us very busy this year. While we are done with our convention travels this year, we still have the 24-hour movie marathon coming up in a couple of weeks at the Music Box Theatre, as well as some other parties and fun things. So when there's not a lot of updates here, it's not that weren't not trying, but that we're just so damn busy enjoying the season.
    So here's our latest update, with new reviews, convention reports, and tons of other info for you. There is only a few things with this update, but we got a bunch more stuff on the back burner that should surface in the next day or so. Enjoy! And don't forget. If you have any comments to anything in our updates, or just want to voice your opinion, please stop by our Message Board and let us know.

DRIVE-IN FLASHBACKS
While we don't have too many pics, check out our review of the great time we had at the Flashback Drive-In Horrorfest a couple of weeks ago. Click HERE to go there, or go to our Convention Report section.

CINEMA WASTELAND #8
That's right folks, Cinema Wasteland has been around long enough to produce a whopping 8 shows so far. And from the looks of it, there's no stopping them now. Check out our report HERE, or go to our Convention Report section.
But don't think that it's too soon to start making plans for Wasteland #9, next April. Ken & company have already started on their guest list. Since they had the killers from DEVIL'S REJECTS at this past show, next April, they will have some of the victims: Geoffrey Lewis (Roy Sullivan), Priscilla Barnes (Gloria Sullivan), Lew Temple (Adam Banjo), and Kate Norby (Wendy Banjo). And then fans of the FRIDAY THE 13th movie series will be able to see Betsy Palmer, the killer mother who started it all. Joining her will be Steve Dash, who was the Jason in Part 2, and C.J. Graham who was the Jason in part 6. Add the one and only Dolemite himself, Rudy Ray Moore, Camille Keaton, and the Wasteland regular Tom Sullivan, and you got a great list already. I'm sure Ken will be pulling more surprises out well before the show, but don't wait too long to get your hotel room and tickets. You don't want to miss out.

NEW REVIEWS
While we hope to have some more coming shortly, here's a couple reviews to hold you over. This time, we take a look at the WWI film DEATHWATCH and the Korean film FACE. Stay tuned for more.

ROMERO'S LAND HITS DVD UNCUT....AND A FEW THEATERS
    On October 18th, the world will get to see the un-rated version of George Romero's LAND OF THE DEAD on DVD. Not only with this version contain more "heart-pounding and blood-curdling thrills", but will also have some nice special features. The first will be a making of featurette, called UNDEAD AGAIN: THE MAKING OF LAND OF THE DEAD, and will go onto the set to see what went into the making of Romero's latest zombie film. Another featurette will be the day-in-the-life of actor John Leguizamo during the making of the film. There is also director's commentary, plus even some more deleted scenes. Even the director and star of SHAUN OF THE DEAD, Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright, have a little bit of fun while they were on the set for their cameo.
    And of course, what would a zombie film be without a featurette on the make up of the film. BRINGING THE DEAD TO LIFE has Greg Nicotero discussing his zombie tips. Plus a few other features, making this a must have for zombie fans.
    But if you're one of the lucky ones, you might have the chance to check out the un-rated version in the theater. To check and see if it will be in a theater near you, click HERE.

FEEL THE NEED FOR EXTREMES?
How about THREE...EXTREMES? On October 28th, Lions Gate will be releases a new anthology by three different Asian filmmakers. Japanese director Takashi Miike, Hong Kong director Fruit Chan, and Korea's Park Chan-Wook. From the looks of the trailer, this could be pretty interesting. If you want to check out the trailer for it, click on one of the licks below.

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9-22-05 BUSY, BUSY, BUSY
    As we get closer to our favorite holiday season (and it sure ain't Christmas), there seems to be more and more stuff going on. I use to complain that there wasn't anything cool going on around the Halloween season. And now, just about every one of my weekends between now and Halloween has something going on.
    In two days, we'll be spending a very nostalgic day at our local drive-in that apparently will be closing down after this year, at the Flashback Horrorfest. You can check out our previous updates for details, or just go to Flashback's website as well. But we'll be there to celebrate the days of yesteryear, when all-night horror fests were not that uncommon. It's a shame that this will be an end of an era for this area, since this particular drive-in theater has been there for over 50 years. When EVIL DEAD 2 first was released, I actually seen it at this drive-in. And now on Saturday, almost 20 years later, I'll be seeing it again on the same screen. Sniff, sniff.
    And the following week, we make our bi-annual trip to Ohio for the Cinema Wasteland show for the amazing 8th show in their 5th year. Who could have believe that 5 years ago Ken would finally stop bitching about other conventions and put on his own. And now 5 years later, he's still going strong and has put on the best shows around...every year! And this one looks like it will once again top the previous spring show they had in April.
    Once that show is done, add in a 24-hour movie marathon at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago, our annual Halloween party, and a few other exciting things, we are going to be very busy in these next few weeks. We've been trying to get a decent update here, including some new reviews, but have just been too busy getting ready for our upcoming shows. But I'm sure you understand. Right?
    And as always, if you're coming out to any of these events, stop by and say hello!

A MUST FOR HAMMER FANS.....NO, SERIOUSLY...WE MEAN IT THIS TIME
    In past reviews and comments about certain movies, I would that it is a "must for fans". But after receiving the recently released Hammer Horror Series that Universal has put out, I could say this is a "must" over and over again, and it still wouldn't do this set justice. For only $25, you get 8 classic Hammer films, including NIGHT CREATURES, which had never been released on video before, let alone DVD.
    And to even top that, the prints look simply gorgeous. I popped in BRIDES OF DRACULA and was just blown away at the colors. What a glorious treat for us Hammer fans. And if you are one of those who hasn't really taken the plunge into the wonderful world of Hammer Horror, now is your perfect chance. You will not be disappointed.
    The films included are BRIDES OF DRACULA, THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, PARANOIAC, THE KISS OF THE VAMPIRE, NIGHTMARE, NIGHT CREATURES, and THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN.

KOLCHAK STAKES HIS CLAIM
    If you grew up in the 70's like me, and were eating up anything horror related that came out on TV, then you were probably a fan of the original NIGHT STALKER series. Darrin McGavin starred as Carl Kolchak, a investigative reporter who always came across those things that bump in the night. The series only lasted for 20 episodes before it was cancelled, but it created a whole league of fans.
    And now, thanks to Universal Studios Home Entertainment, on October 4th, you will be able to have the complete series for your own collection. And while it did only last for 20 episodes, they were filled guest stars such as Scatman Crothers, Phil Silvers, Jim Backus, Jamie Farr, and even Dick Van Patten.
    The set will retail for $29.98.

SOUNDTRACK FANS? LA-LA LAND SALE!!!
    For fans of great movie scores, if you don't have them already (of course, any of these would make great Christmas gifts!), La-La Land Records is having an awesome sale on quite a few of their horror titles, some at prices you just can't beat.
    Their limited releases of RE-ANIMATOR and FROM BEYOND are only $14.98.
    DEVIL'S REJECTS, UNDEAD, CREEPSHOW, SEED OF CHUCKY, the 50th Anniversary edition of GODZILLA, THE PUNISHER, THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT, SAINT SINNER, and THEY are all $9.98 each!
    And CABIN FEVER, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, KING OF THE ANTS, and TERROR TRACT are only $5.98!!!!
    Their latest release, THE HOWLING, is also now shipping, so don't wait too long on that one either.
    Click HERE to get to their website to start ordering!

9-15-05 ROBERT WISE PASSES AWAY
    While we've been pretty busy here lately at the Krypt with a few projects going on, I haven't had time to work on a decent update. But when I read the news today of the passing of director Robert Wise, I wanted to make mention of it. I can vividly remember watching THE HAUNTING on regular TV for the first time when I was a young lad. And I can remember having the living crap scared out of me. This wasn't one that would just make you jump here and there. This was a movie that made a lasting impression long after the movie was over.
    And then when you throw in some of the other genre titles that he worked on in both the horror and sci-fi genre, like THE BODY SNATCHERS and THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, the man made some unforgettable classics.
    Just a few days after celebrating his 91st birthday last Saturday, Wise passed away from heart failure yesterday. Our thoughts and best wishes are with his family and friends.

BODY SNATCHERS AT MUSIC BOX
If you are a fan of Wise's work, and live in the Chicago area, the Music Box Theatre will be showing THE BODY SNATCHERS on October 8th & 9th at their 11:30am matinees. Of course, they are playing a whole slew of Val Lewton produced movies, which started last week. For more information, check out their website HERE. And don't forget about their 24-Hour Horror Movie Marathon coming up on October 15th.

FLASHBACK HORRORFEST
And let's not forget that next weekend (once again if you live in the Chicago area), you can join the celebration and remembrance of those all-night horror drive-in movie marathons of yesteryear. At the Hi-Lite 30 Drive-In theater in Aurora, on Sept. 24th, they will hosting a horror flea market, and an all night movie marathon, featuring some great titles. For more information, check out their website HERE. Obvious, being in our own home town, we'll be there joining in the fun. Hope to see you there!

9-4-05 NEW REVIEWS
We have posted our review of the new Russian film NIGHT WATCH and also our review of BEYOND THE WALL OF SLEEP, a failed attempt at a Lovecraft inspired movie. Check them out in our review section.
And speaking of NIGHT WATCH, since we enjoyed the movie so much and am anxiously awaiting for it to hit the American screens, here are some different poster art that we found while surfing the net. Go over to our Message board (yes, we're still pimping this) and let us know which you like the best.

NASCHY'S FIRST WEREWOLF MOVIE HITS DVD
Well, as exciting as that news is, don't get your hopes up too much. Finally, Paul Naschy's first werewolf movie, FRANKENSTEIN'S BLOODY TERROR (which was the American International's release title for MARK OF THE WOLFMAN) is set to hit DVD at the end of next month. Recently DVD Drive-In talked with Sam Sherman about the upcoming release. It's suppose to be presented widescreen anamorphic, but will also contain all the footage that was cut out for the FBT release print. There is suppose to be a bunch of different extras, including audio commentary by Sherman (why not Naschy???).
The problem is that it is being released by Media Blasters. From their spotted past with other releases, I can't really get my hopes up until we get to see the final product. I'm ever so hopeful that they give this film the release it deserves, but I am holding my breath for the time being.

THE NIGHT WE ALMOST DIDN'T MEET ALEX DE LA INGLESIA...
    One of my favorite t-shirts is a simple black one (ain't they all?) with the great logo from Alex de la Inglesia's first film, ACCION MUTANTE. Handicapped terrorists....can't get any better than that, right? Anyway, I also enjoyed his second movie, EL DÍA DE LA BESTIA (aka DAY OF THE BEAST) and La Comunidad is just twisted. So needless to say, I was thrilled to hear that the Gene Siskel Film Center was going to have a mini film-fest of his work, including a premiere of his newest film, EL CRIMEN PERFECTO (aka THE PERFECT CRIME), where the director himself was going to appear for the screening.
    Although, this started to go bad when we get there only to find the movie sold out. So as we stand there trying to figure out what to do, all the while bitching and complaining about the fact that it's sold out. Now let me explain. As we were waiting by the theater entrance, I noticed maybe 2 or 3 people that looked like real fans of de la Inglesia The rest were your average run of the mill preppy/artsy-fartsy type that wanted to meet some director. Now I know this is just my opinion, but I highly doubt that a majority of the people going into the theater had even heard of this guy before. More on that a little later.
    So we decided to wait until the movie starts, in hope of catching him on his way in. We get to the lobby of the place when he does arrive. In true fan-boy fashion, I was wearing my ACCION MUTANTE shirt and Phil was wearing his DAY OF THE BEAST shirt, and also brought along an extra one to give to de la Inglesia. He liked the fact that we were both wearing these shirts and asked us to get a picture with him. That was great. But then when I noticed that my camera flash had been left on, so now having dead batteries, that was not so great. And then he was off into the theater to introduce the movie.
    We decide to hang out in the lobby with the hopes that he'll come out after the movie starts. After an employee announces the film has been sold out, everybody, but us, leaves. Right after that, the same employee tells us that they do have some extra tickets. So we quickly hurry up into the theater.
    While the movie wasn't a horror movie, it did have the same wonderful dark humor that I enjoy from his other films. After the movie, he comes down to the front for a brief Q&A, wearing the DAY OF THE BEAST shirt. Very cool. And after the Q&A, everybody fills out in the lobby, were a few of us, the real fans, got a chance to get some autographs and talk to him. What a great guy. I also want to give a special thanks to Anna, who heard about my camera problems and offered to take our picture with her camera and send it to me. Got to love the internet!
    So to wrap this all up, the following Tuesday, I head out to the theater to see ACCION MUTANTE. Now since the previous screening we went to was sold out, you'd think there would be a crowd for this one right? After all these people were fans of this guy, right? There were maybe 20 people there to see this. But none the less, it was great seeing MUTANTE, as well as his newest film, and of course being able to meet him as well. Plus, I'm so grateful that there are still places like the Gene Siskel Film Center, and the Music Box Theatre in Chicago, that are still going out of there way to have movies and festivals like this one. Keep up the great work.

SOUNDTRACK CONTEST WINNERS
Thanks for all who participating in our latest contest. The lucky winners are Chuck Emery (REJECTS soundtrack) and Dave Milojkovitch (Nox Arcana CD). Nice to see that the brains out there are not going numb. Stay tuned for our next contest.

MYSTERY PHOTO
This one last one was a little tougher to chew on....sorry, had to do it. But fans of the big box videos of the 80's would remember seeing that bad-boy face staring right at you on the cover. The video title was called ALIEN PREY, where the original title was just simply PREY. Entertaining little movie if you get the chance. Mr. Luster and Don England were the only ones with the correct answers, while we did have a few other close (and not so close) ones.
Check out the new one and see what you think. The quality isn't the greatest, but considering the source, it's the best we got. It also might be a little obscure for the general populace, so Good Luck!

8-25-05 WHAT A GREAT TIME FOR HORROR FANS...ESPECIALLY ONES IN THE CHICAGOLAND AREA!
    As we been talking about in our last few updates, Mike and the Flashback crew are having an all-night Flashback HorrorFest next month, on Sept. 24th, at the Nova Cinema's Hi-Lite 30 Drive-In, in Aurora, Illinois. They have now announced the movie lineup, as well as some additional guests. As mentioned before David Hess, star of LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT will be there to meet and greet his fans, as well as introduce LAST HOUSE as part of the marathon.
    Tom Sullivan, the real creator of the EVIL DEAD, will also be on hand to introduce EVIL DEAD 2! Mr. Sullivan will also be bring his EVIL DEAD Museum for the fans to drool over!
    Do you like Italian zombies? Eye popping gore? Well then you'll really enjoy it when they screen Lucio Fulci's THE BEYOND. Grindhouse Releasing co-founder Sage Stallone will be there to introduce this genre classic.
    And rounding out the titles are the independent film DEAD AND BREAKFAST, and the ultra classic PIECES!
    But it just isn't about the movies. Check out our last update for more details, or go to the Flashback website for more information. We hope to see you all there!!!

BUT WAIT...THERE'S MORE!
Not satisfied with just one horror movie marathon? Then if you can wait another month, then on October 15th, there will be a Music Box Massacre...a 24-hour Horror Movie Marathon! The Music Box Theater is a great older art house theater that we've been going to for years, seeing all sorts of cool movies from the original FRANKENSTEIN, to Peter Jackson's BRAIN DEAD to TETSUO! So if you can take a full 24 hours of horror movie madness, just take a look at the titles they will be playing:

NOSFERATU (the original 1922 version, with live organ accompaniment)
PULSE
CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (in 3-D!!!!)
LOCAL CHILLS (short films by Chicago filmmakers)
DEATH LINE (aka RAW MEAT) - With director Gary Sherman there in person!!!!!
THE CRAZIES - The early Romero film
AFTERMATH (yes, the Nacho Cerda's uber-gorefest)
SCANNERS - Exploding heads...Cronenberg-style
RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD - Punk Rock Zombies!
DEMONS - Argento & Bava together
TWO THOUSAND MANIACS - H.G. Lewis....need we say more?
THE HOWLING - Joe Dante's excellent werewolf flick
NEAR DARK - One of the most underrated vampire films out there

So if you are interested, tickets are going on sale tonight at midnight, and I would suggest getting them as quickly as you can, since I definitely see this selling out. Check out the Music Box Theatre website for more information.
But also at the Music Box in October, they are having a series of weekend matinee's featuring several of the classic Val Lewton films. Titles like CAT PEOPLE, CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE, I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, THE SEVENTH VICTIM, THE BODY SNATCHER, and BEDLAM. Check out the above website for more details.

MEL WELLES - REST IN PEACE
We were very sadden to hear the news of Mr. Welles' passing from heart attack, on August 18th. While we first seen him as Mr. Mushnik in Roger Corman's LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, we will always be a fan of his for LADY FRANKENSTEIN. That's always been one of our favorites. While Welles had done many movie conventions, sadly we were never able to make to one that he was at. For someone who wasn't embarrassed of his past work, we'll always remember him well. Our best wishes out to his family and friends.

REJECTS COMING IN NOVEMBER
    In only a four month span from when it hit theaters, Rob Zombie's THE DEVIL'S REJECTS will be hitting DVD on November 8th. Unlike Zombie's HOUSE, this will have both an R rated version as well as an unrated version. The disc will feature commentary by Zombie, Sheri Moon Zombie, Sid Haig, and Bill Moseley. There will also be a blooper reel, Spaulding's Monkey/Fried Chicken commerical, a Spaulding Christmas spot, a home movie from Otis, deleted scenes, music videos, and probably a whole lot more.
    But the real cool thing I've heard so far is that there will be a 2 1/2 hour documentary on the making of the film, right from the very beginning of the project in the pre-production meetings to the very end. Really looking forward to seeing that.
    I've seen both of these box art for the film, both stating they are the 'un-rated' version, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. The retail price is set for $28.99.

AS IF IT COULDN"T LOOK ANY COOLER....
Here's a pic of the final product of the PHANTASM box set that is coming out from Anchor Bay UK at the end of October. Once again, if you don't have a region-free player....GO BUY ONE NOW!

8-20-05 ONE MUTHA' OF AN UPDATE!
Okay folks, pay attention. We got tons of news and info with this update. We got reviews, contests, and bunch o' news. So read carefully so you don't miss anything! ENJOY!

FLASHBACK DRIVE-IN UPDATE
    Here's a little bit more info about the Flashback Horror Fest Drive-In coming next month. The first feature to be announced is the sleazy classic film LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, which will be introduced by HOUSE star David Hess. He will also be there selling photos and cds and greeting his fans.
    Ari Lehman, who played Jason in the first FRIDAY THE 13th movie, will also be there performing with his band FIRST JASON. Plus, the Fitzgerald's Realm of Magic will be there, which is a live performance gothic spookshow, which features girls, ghouls, burlesque, and magic!
    Now, I've heard rumors that this drive-in will be closing down after this year. So if you're in the area, this is might be your last chance to celebrate and experience the drive-in. Plus, with the horror flea market that will be set up during the day, this looks like an amazing way to get ready for the Halloween season. Keep checking back here for updates, or you can go to Flashback's website HERE.

MANSON FAMILY GIVEAWAY!
Congrats to Jeff Howe for being our winner of the DVD of Jim VanBebber's THE MANSON FAMILY. Thanks to all who participated in the contest. I just wish we had more than one copy to give away.

SOUNDTRACK NEWS, REVIEWS, AND CONTEST
    La-La Land Records, who have an exceptional record of putting our great releases, is now taking pre-orders for their release of Pino Donaggio's score of Joe Dante's THE HOWLING. This is the first time this score has ever been released on CD. The release date for this is September 12th. If you pre-order now, you can get one of the limited edition ones that is signed by composer Donaggio. The price is only $15.98. And if you're a fan of Donagio's work, La-La Land still has CDs available of SEED OF CHUCKY, which you can get from them for only $9.98 when ordering with THE HOWLING.
    Fans of atmospheric music in the gothic tradition, are probably familiar with Nox Arcana. In our Soundtrack Review section, we've posted our review of their latest release, Winter's Knight. While this isn't the chilling and eerie sounds like their first two releases, if you a fan of their music or even just haunting scores, you'll enjoy this one. Check out the review HERE. Plus, this October, they will be releasing yet another new CD, entitled Transylvania, which is back to their usual eerie and dark music. Stay tuned for more info about this one as well.
    As long time readers of this site know, we are big fans of atmospheric music and soundtracks. So this time out, we have two different types of scores that we're giving away. The first one is one copy of the original score for Rob Zombie's DEVIL'S REJECTS, by Tyler Bates. The second one is a copy of Nox Arcana's latest, Winter's Knight. But this contest you're going to have to do more than just send us an email. We thought about making you sign up and post something in our message board, but figured that might sound a little pathetic and desperate....we're not there yet....So we decided to go back to our old friend, the Trivia contest. We don't want those brains getting lazy, do we? So head on over to our Trivia page and do your best. There's a separate question for each of the CDs. Good luck!

MYSTERY PHOTO
We've posted a new Mystery Photo to give you yet something else to keep that brain working. The last photo was of Stacy Keach and Deborah Harry from John Carpenter's BODY BAGS. It's seems our usual suspects were the only winners this time: Hoby, Kevin, and Terry.

PHANTASM BOX SET
Okay people....this is the last time that we are going to press the point that you need to make sure you have a region-free DVD player. Okay, so maybe not the last time, but I think our point here is a big one. This October, Anchor Bay UK will be releasing their PHANTASM box set that is going to make any PHANTASM PHANatics wet their pants. Each of the films will have a widescreen 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS, and original Dolby Digital mono 2.0 soundtracks. Here's the details of just what the set will contain as far as extras:

    For the first film, it will contain an audio commentary with director Don Coscarelli, and actors A. Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, and Reggie Bannister. I believe this would be an all new commentary, since the original one was missing Reggie and included Angus. It will also contain deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage, introductions from Angus Scrimm and an interview with Coscarelli and Scrimm. and orginal trailer. Some of these items might be the same from the original laserdisc and first release of the DVD.
    For PHANTASM 2, which has never been released on DVD here in the states, there will be audio commentary with Coscarelli, Angus Scrimm and Reggie Bannister. It will also have an intro by Scrimm, photo gallery, biographies, US TV spots, and theatrical trailer.
    On PHANTASM 3: LORD OF THE DEAD, the disc will contain audio commentary by Coscarelli, Scrimm, and A. Michael Baldwin, deleted scenes, photo gallery, biographies, and theatrical trailer.
    PHANTASM 4: OBLIVION will have audio commentary by Coscarellie, Scrimm, and Reggie Bannister. There will also be some biographies.
    And if that wasn't just plain enough for you get spend your hard-earned cash, there's a bonus disc with these extras: There is a 'Phantasic Tour' with Reggie Bannister, who takes the viewer to different locations where the movies where made. There is also a poster gallery, international promotional material, TV and radio spots, biographies, lobby cards, the PHANTASM Super8 release, and some featurette called 'Nicotero: The Gory Days", which I can only assume is some home video footage from Greg Nicotero when he worked on part 2.
    Plus, there in an all new documentary on the whole Phantasm series entitled "Phantasmagoria". According to the Anchor Bay UK site, this is suppose to be a feature-length documentary on the whole series. It's great to see that this series, and the people involved, are finally getting the attention that it has deserved for so long.
    So start saving those pennies people, and make sure you snag one of these sets. I don't see them lasting that long. If you're not sure where to get them, contact Xploited Cinema. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to help you out. And if you are a fan of this film series, you should also check out this great website dedicated to the PHANTASM series. They have tons of info about the series, and even have some very cool desktop wallpapers too. Check them out HERE.

ÁLEX DE LA IGLESIA FILM-FEST & APPEARANCE
Just as a reminder to all you de la Inglesia fans in the Chicago area, next Saturday (the 27th) at the Gene Siskel Film Center, they will have a sneak preview of his newest film EL CRIMIN PERFECTO, and where he will also be appearing. They are also showing ACCION MUTANTE, DAY OF THE BEAST, PERDITA DURANGO, and LA COMUNIDAD throughout the week. Check out the film center's website HERE for more details or feel free to email us.

HAMMER FANS?
For fans of the House that dripped blood, the newest issue of the ultimate Hammer magazine, Little Shoppe of Horrors is almost out. Issue #17 cover feature is about the rare film CAPTAIN CLEGG (aka NIGHT CREATURES), which is finally going to be coming out on DVD here next month. The magazine will feature interviews with the director Peter Graham, the producer John Temple Smith, and the star Patrick Allen.
There's also interviews with Hammer girls Linda Hayden and Caron Gardner, as well as tons of other Hammer news that this wonderful magazine always covers. Go to their website HERE where you can pre-order this upcoming issue.

MESSAGE BOARD
And once again, just as a reminder, we'd love to have you stop over at our new Message Board and participate in some thought-provoking issues....or just to chat about horror movies! Don't make us be like other sites and bribe you over there with prizes and stuff.....that would be just silly.
But if you're looking for a friendly place to spout your thoughts, come on over. We'd love to hear from you.

8-13-05 HORROR COMES TO AURORA!!!
    Mike and the Flashback Weekend crew have decided on continuing the fun everybody had at the show a few weeks ago, but having a 1-day Horror Movie Convention & Drive-In! The date is set for September 24th. And the best part, for us anyway, is that it's in our hometown of Aurora, IL at the Hi-Lite 30 Drive-In Theater. This drive-in has been open and running since 1947. I used to go there years ago to see all sorts of great flicks.
    While there's not a lot of details about the show, so far there will be dealers set up in the afternoon, kind of like a horror flea market, and then at night, they will be showing horror movies all night, at least 5 features! How cool is that!!!!
    You can check out the Flashback site for more details, but as of yet, nothing has been posted yet about the show. Or stay tuned to this site, since we will be advertising the hell out of it.

    But if you are a little south of Illinois, or a little closer to Atlanta, you might want to check out another great all-night horror movie marathon over Labor Day weekend, when the Star Light Theatres are featuring the 6th Annual Drive Invasion.
    On Saturday the 3rd, they will be playing BIG BIRD CAGE, SPIDER BABY, FOXY BROWN, and BLOODBATH, with special guests Sid Haig and Jack Hill. On Sunday the 4th, they will be showing DR. PHBIES RISES AGAIN, MADHOUSE and COUNT YORGA, and will have Yorga himself as special guest, Robert Quarry.
    For more information about this, click HERE.

DVD NEWS
    From the "IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME" file, THE FRIGHTENERS: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT will finally be hitting DVD on November 29th. Only released on laserdisc, the 123 minute version contains over 12 minutes of extra footage have been put back into the film. Plus, the release will have a new anamorphic transfer and 5.1 surround sound. Okay, now the bad news. The four hour + documentary that was on the special edition laserdisc doesn't look like it will be included. The release is only a single disc, so unless it's a double-sided disc, we're out of luck....unless you still have a copy from the laserdisc....
    Plus, the rare cult classic film THE FREAKMAKER (aka THE MUTATIONS) is finally coming on DVD from Subversive Cinema, on September 27th. Directed by Jack Cardiff, this great little flick tells the story of the mad scientist (played wonderfully by Donald Pleasence) who is experimenting with splicing humans with plants. The mistakes are giving to a traveling circus to be used in with the sideshow freaks. DR. WHO's Tom Baker plays Lynch, the disfigured brute that is Pleasence's muscle. The film got a lot of criticism for using real life freaks in the movie.
    The DVD will feature an audio commentary by the director along with Subversive founder Norman Hill, as well as doing an intro for the film. There will also be a second commentary track with screenwriter / actor Robert Weinbach, associate producer / actor Brad Harris, and once again Norman Hill. The disc will also have a featurette entitled "How To Make A Freak". The movie has been fully restored and a new Dolby stereo track along with the original mono track. Mark you calendars for both of these releases. They are musts for the collection!

MANSON DVD GIVEAWAY
Okay folks, were only giving you one more week to enter your chance for a drawing for a free copy of Jim VanBebber's THE MANSON FAMILY. All you have to do is click HERE to send us an email and we'll throw your name into the pile. Next Friday will be the cut off, and the winner will be announced shortly there after.

UNDEAD REVIEWS
We have our review of the movie UNDEAD, as well as the soundtrack too. Check them out in our Review sections.

8-7-05 MATT McGRORY - REST IN PEACE
    Actor Matt McGrory passed away from apparent natural causes yesterday. Best known to us horror fans from his roles in Rob Zombie's HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES and THE DEVIL'S REJECTS, as well as Tim Burton's BIG FISH.
    I still can't believe when I read this, that only less than 2 weeks ago, we seen him at the Flashback Weekend. He was so friendly and seemed very happy to be there meeting his fans. This really is sad news.
    Our condolences go out to his friends and family.

WASTELAND COMING UP FAST!
    Don't forget folks, it's only about 1 1/2 months away from the October Cinema Wasteland show, featuring reunions for both DAWN OF THE DEAD and THE DEVIL'S REJECTS. If you haven't made your plans yet, don't wait too much longer or you're going to miss out on the best show around.
    Here's the list of the guests that will be appearing:
David Emge, Gaylen Ross, Ken Foree, Scott Reiniger, Sharon Ceccatti, Clayton Hill, Jim Krut, Leonard Lies, Tom Savini, G. Joe Shelby, Michale Berryman, Sid Haig, Robert Kurtzman, Bill Moseley, Steve Railsback, Len Barnhart, Amy Lynn Best, Kyra Schon, Howard Sherman, Tom Sullivan.
    For full details about the show, click HERE. Hope to see everyone there!

POSTER GALLERY UPDATE
We have updated our Poster Gallery and changed things around a bit. Instead of just having all these posters up there, we're going a different route. Every now and then, we'll have special exhibits, featuring a certain theme or type of posters. This time out, we're featuring the much sought-after Thai posters. Check them out!

8-4-05 FLASHBACK WEEKEND REPORT
We've finally gotten our report done and posted in our Convention Report section. As I mentioned before, we don't have that many photos this time out due to some poor photography skills and the fact that we were just too busy behind our table to sneak out that much. Not bad thing, really. Thanks again for everyone that stopped by and chatted with us. Looking forward to seeing you all next time!

NEW REVIEWS
We have a couple of new reviews posted. The first is the soundtracks for DEVIL'S REJECTS. We have reviewed the original score soundtrack as well as the regular release. And secondly, we have a review up for Jim Van Bebber's THE MANSON FAMILY. Check out our Review sections for all of these.

JUST A FRIENDLY REMINDER....
We don't want to make it sound like we're begging or anything, but just to remind you that our new Message Board is open and waiting for your thoughts and opinions. We don't want to be like other sites and make you go there to win prizes and stuff, but don't make us go that route....We'd just love to turn this into a place where serious fans, both old and new can go to talk. Come on, give it a try! We don't bite!

MANSON FAMILY GIVEAWAY!
And speaking of THE MANSON FAMILY, we have 1 copy that we are giving away. This is going to be another tough contest, folks. Here's what you have to do....ready? Just click HERE and send us an email. Yep...it's that simple. All the emails will be put together and one winner will be picked from them. Good luck.

MYSTERY PHOTO
Seems like we had another tough one this time around. The only winners were our usually buddy Terry Luster (at least we got him on that last one!) and someone called TbirdNYC65. The pic was the ending of HELL NIGHT with Linda Blair, which I must say is a pretty good 80's slasher film, if you haven't seen it. Okay, let's get our thinking caps on and check out the new photo. Good luck!

PHANTASM BOX SET
    For fans of this classic film series, this is what you, me, and countless other fans have been waiting for. Unfortunately, you better have one of those import DVD players, or you're going to be out of luck. While the full details of the extras are still being worked on, this is looking to be one hell of a box set that is due out in October of this year.
    First of all, check out the case for this box set below! Is that amazing or what? So far, the extras are going to consist of new commentaries, or at least ones for parts 2-4. I also have heard from the double-barrel toting/Ice Cream Man himself, Mr. Reggie Bannister, that they are going to have a tour of the sets from the movies. But there will also be an all-new feature length documentary on the whole series. I'm hoping that they were able to get tons of interviews from all the people involved in the series.
    So you better start saving your money for this set, and for a region-free player if you don't already have one. This is going to be one of those sets that is a must have!

AVP: SPECIAL EDITION
    Those bastards really love to release films over and over again, sucking up all that money from us fans. You know, not to get off on a little rant here, but I really feel that if it wasn't for us horror fans, I don't think the DVD market would be any where near as big as it is. How many 'normal' movies do you see getting released over and over again? But they keep doing it with horror movies because they know that as collections, we'll buy it anyway. Like I said....Bastards!
    But anyway, for those who felt that the extras on the original release of ALIEN VS PREDATOR was a little weak, it looks like that come November 22nd, a special 2-disc edition of AVP will be hitting the shelves. Being a surprised fan of the movie, I guess I'll be picking up this one as well. Here's the details:
    The first disc will have the movie, in a 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer with Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS Surround tracks. It will also feature an uncut print of the movie, with the uncut footage spliced into the film by "seamless branching". Not sure exactly how much the extra footage is time wise though, but has something like 6 extra sequences added back in. There will also be a commentary track with director Paul Anderson, Lance Henriksen, Sanaa Lathan, and a second track with makeup guys Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr. and John Bruno. These are the same people on the audio commentaries for the original release, so I don't think these will be different.
    On the second disc, it will have deleted scenes with optional commentary, plus a butt-load of featurettes covering everything from the pre-production, to branching footage, to marketing, and much more.
    The retail price will be $26.98.

8-1-05 ANOTHER FLASHBACK MEMORY
We are still working on our convention report for this convention, but just let me say now that it was incredible. This has to be the best show that Flashback has done. Just when you think they can't top last year, they do just that. We should have our report up in the next couple of days. Don't know if we'll have as many photos as usual since quite a few of ours didn't turn out for some reason. Just when I was getting pretty confident in my photo-abilities....
If you were at the show over the weekend, go on over to our Message Board and let us know what you thought.

DARK SKY FILMS
    While at the show, we spent some time chatting with some of the folks from Dark Sky Films. If you haven't heard of this company, you soon will. They have recently released Jim VanBebber's THE MANSON FAMILY, which we should have a review of up shortly, in a great 2-disc special edition.
    But this September 27th, they will unleash a brand new 2-disc special edition of HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER. This new release will feature a new high definition transfer and a digitally remastered 2.0 stereo. It will also feature an audio commentary by director John McNaughton, deleted scenes and outtakes with commentary, still gallery and storyboards. There will also be an all new 52-minute documentary by David Gregory called Portrait: The Making of Henry, which will feature interviews with the cast and crew. There is also a 30-minute documentary on the real life serial killer, Henry Lee Lucas, that the movie was based on.
    But as much as I'm looking forward to this release, I couldn't tell you how excited I was to hear that Dark Sky Films will also be releasing one of my favorite films, the 1978 film MAGIC. Directed by Richard Attenborough, Anthony Hopkins stars in one of his best roles as the crazy ventriloquist / magician. Hopkins should have been nominated for this role, long before it took SILENCE OF THE LAMBS to get Hollywood to notice this amazing talent. No details yet, other than it won't be coming out until next year. But I will definitely be waiting for this release.
    They are also the company that is releasing the rare cult film THE FLESH EATERS. This is another great title that we can't wait to see. Other horror titles coming up from Dark Sky are the WEREWOLVES ON WHEELS, TERROR BENEATH THE SEA, DON'T GO NEAR THE PARK, and the 1958 television series THE INVISIBLE MAN.

KOLCHAK FINALLY HITS DVD!!!
    Growing up in the early 70's, one thing that every young horror fan was usually watching was Carl Kolchak, played wonderfully by Darrin McGavin, battling some new monster every week. And after years of hoping and praying, it seems like it's finally going to happen. I'm sure it's mainly since they want to tie it in with the new Night Stalker series, but frankly I don't care as long as it happens.
    Well, this October, Universal Home Video will release KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER: THE COMPLETE SERIES on DVD. The set will contain all 20 episodes, which originally aired back in 1974-75. Each week, newspaper reporter Carl Kolchak would investigate some new supernatural monster or happening. Filled with guest stars like Scatman Crothers, David Doyle, Tom Skerritt, Richard Kiel, Keenan Wynn, William Smith, Phil Silvers, and many more.
    Of course, now they are talking of using footage from the original series, and by using CGI, digitally inserting him in the original series in a cameo. If it takes a remake of the series to get the original to be released, then I'm all over it.

ORIGINAL WAR SPECIAL EDITION INVADES DVD
After a bare-bones release of the original WAR OF THE WORLDS, come November 1st, fans of this classic will be drooling. The new release will feature two commentaries, the first one with stars Gene Barry and Ann Robinson, and Bill Warren and Bob Burns on the other one. The disc will also feature (and this is a really cool extra) the complete radio broadcast of Orson Wells' Mercury Theater on the Air original WAR that scared the crap out of many, many people. The disc will also have two featurettes: The Sky is Falling: The Making of WAR OF THE WORLDS, and H.G. WELLS: The Father of Science Fiction.
If it takes remakes of these classics (though I really enjoyed this last remake) to get special editions released with all these extras, then I guess we really shouldn't complain that much, huh?

7-21-05 NEW KRYPTIC MESSAGE BOARD
    We've switched over our Message Board to a new service, which will be a little bit more user-friendly, as well as hopefully get some more use out of it. We welcome comments from anyone out there. But while this is like other message boards, I also want to use this as a stepping stone or tool for other fans.
    For example, one of the categories on the board is Horror 101. This is for people who might want to start to get into a sub-genre, such as Mexican horror films, Paul Naschy, or Italian zombie movies, but don't know exactly where they should start. This will be the place for them to ask for a suggestion as to where they might start. Plus, it will be a place for people already 'experienced' in that genre to give their suggestions to start with.
    There is also a place to discuss soundtracks and movie scores. Being a big fan of those, I also wanted to have a place where everyone can make their own comments on their personal favorites, ask opinions, and such.
    And of course, there is a specific category for our opinions on movies that we've seen. We're not looking for you to post a huge, detailed review, but just a couple of sentences as to why you liked, or didn't like a certain film.
    And then lastly, there is the General Horror category, which is for just about everything else We might be adding more categories in the future, but we'll see how it goes for now.
    We'd like to keep this a friendly forum, so while we don't mind a difference of opinions and discussions, please keep the personal remarks out.

DEVIL'S REJECTS
We did get out to see this yesterday. While we're not going to be posting an official review, we have posted some thoughts on our new message board...hint, hint....

FLASHBACK GUEST LINEUP
Not sure if we'll be too busy this week getting all the last minute things together before the Flashback show this weekend to get another update done or not. So just in case, here's a complete list of the guests lineup for the show this weekend.

Ariauna Alright, Tom Atkins, Betsy Baker, Adrienne Barbeau, Michael Berryman, Amy Lynn Best, JR Bookwalter, Bruce Campbell, Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni, Jason Paul Collum, Charles Cyphers, Steve Dash, David DeFalco, Tim DeKay, Hal Delrich, Sid Haig, Camille Keaton, Joe Knetter, Ari Lehman, Nancy Loomis, Matt McGrory, Bill Moseley, Ted Raimi, Ellen Sandweiss, Sage Stallone, Tom Sullivan, Svengoolie, Chuck Williams, Sarah York, and Robert Z'Dar.

As always, if you're coming out to the show, stop by our table and say Hello. We love to put faces to the emails we get. For more details you can check out the website HERE.

ALEX DE LA IGLESIA FILMFEST IN CHICAGO
Fans of this Spanish filmmaker, and that live close to Chicago, are going to love this. The Gene Siskel Film Center is holding a film fest, featuring 5 of his films, all showing with English subtitles. Below is a list of the movies and the times. Plus, for the sneak preview showing of THE PERFECT CRIME, director Álex de la Iglesia is tentatively scheduled to appear at this sneak preview. I know we'll be hitting the screenings of ACCION MUTANTE and DAY OF THE BEAST, as well as the new film.
For more information, check out the website HERE.

COMMON WEALTH (LA COMUNIDAD)
Friday, August 19, 6:00 pm;
Monday, August 22, 8:00 pm

DAY OF THE BEAST (EL DIA LA BESTIA)
Friday, August 26, 6:00;
Monday, August 29, 8:15 pm

MUTANT ACTION (ACCION MUTANTE)
Tuesday, August 30, 8:15 pm;
Thursday, September 1, 8:00 pm

PERDITA DURANGO
Saturday, August 20, 5:15 pm;
Thursday, August 25, 6:00 pm

THE PERFECT CRIME (EL CRIMEN PERFECTO)
Saturday, August 27, 8:00 pm

DVD NEWS
    Well, it didn't take that long for Lions Gate to decide to release a newer version of their hit SAW. Way to make us spend more money people.
    Though one little thing that confuses me a little is it says "Uncut Edition" on the box art to the right. But in the press releases that I've been reading, one says it's a "new alternate cut", while another says it's a "brand-new cut", and one even says a "new extended cut". And wasn't the original only cut by a few seconds anyway? Yea, I know, a few seconds can be a lot of footage. I'm just curious. Hopefully it will be the fully uncut version.
    But in any case, the new edition will have different commentary this time....actually two of them. On the original release, the commentary was by director James Wan and writer/actor Leigh Whannell. On the new release, they will be joined by actor Cary Elwes. There will also be a commentary with SAW producers.
    This 2-disc set will also have plenty of features, which were sadly missing from the first release. Gee, do you think they planned this second release all along??? The extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette called "Full Discloser: Investigating Jigsaw". One of the real highlights that I'm looking forward to seeing is the original short film that Wan and Whannell mde to get interests in the film. There is also a DVD-ROM feature called "Jigsaw's Workshop" where you get to build a puppet. There will also be animated storyboards, trailers, and on-the-set visits to the sequel, SAW 2.
    The 2-disc set will retail for $26.98 and be released on October 18, which I believe is the release date for the sequel.

For fans of Alfred Hitchcock, Universal is coming out with an awesome DVD collection. Called Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection will contain 15 discs, and include the following movies: SABOTEUR, SHADOW OF A DOUBT, ROPE, REAR WINDOW, THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY, THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, VERTIGO, PSYCHO, THE BIRDS, MARNIE, TORN CURTAIN, TOPAZ, FRENZY, and FAMILY PLOT. They will feature all newly remastered transfers, including anamorphic transfers from VERTIGO and PSYCHO.
The extras will have be the same as the previous releases. The last disc will feature the exclusive four different featurettes: AFI Salute to Alfred Hitchcock, Master of Cinema, The Making of PSYCHO, and All About THE BIRDS. There will also be a 36-page collectable book. The retail price will be $119.98, and will be released on October 4th.

7-17-05 TED RAIMI COMES TO FLASHBACK
Joining the cast of EVIL DEAD for a reunion at the Flashback Weekend, Ted Raimi will on hand to join in the fun. We're not really sure just what Ted did on the first EVIL DEAD, but I'm sure his brother Sam had him working and/or sweating his butt off.
For more information about the show, and a complete list of guests and events, check out their website HERE!

MYSTERY PHOTO
No winners this time out. Figured this one was a little tough. It's from the 1957 Mexican film EL VAMPIRO, aka THE VAMPIRE. If you don't know the film, check out our review section, since we've just posted our review of it. Hopefully this new one isn't as tough.
Plus, if you are a fan of the Mexican horror movies of the late 50's/early 60's, check out this great site dedicated to the man responsible for getting them shown on US Television, K. Gordon Murray. There's tons of information on this site for you to learn and enjoy. Check it out - The Wonderful World of K. Gordon Murray.

REVIEW OF STIVALETTI'S LATEST
Along with our review of THE VAMPIRE, we have also added our review of Italian makeup wizard Sergio Stivaletti's latest movie. Enjoy them!

DVD NEWS!
    Once again, this fall, there are going to be a lot of happy horror fans out there. Sony will be releasing some great titles this October for us fans. Boris Karloff's THE MAN WITH NINE LIVES will be coming out. Fans of Amicus will be happy to see Freddie Francis' TORTURE GARDEN, starring Peter Cushing, Michael Ripper, Jack Palance, and Burgess Meredith, will also be hitting the shelves. And the movie that made a lot of people really hate Martin Sheen, THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVED DOWN THE LANE, will also be coming out.
    We have all heard about the new special editions of Cronenberg's THE FLY and the sequel that are being worked on, right? Well, recently at the San Diego Comic Con, director Cronenberg stated that for the special edition of THE FLY will include the famous 'cat-monkey scene'. Being a huge fan of that remake, I can't wait for that movie with all the extras. Let's hope they really do it nice. The releases have been pushed back a week to October 4th.
    And then fans of Italian horror will be love to hear the news about Mariano Baino's 1994 film DARK WATERS getting a special edition 2-disc set from NoShame DVD! The disc will feature the director's cut, with a new score, in a new HD transfer, which was supervised and approved by the director. The extras include audio commentary aby Baino, deleted scenes, outtakes, storyboards, artwork, and interviews with the cast and crew. But then one of the real cool extras will be Baino's short films CARUNCULA and NEVER EVER AFTER. Only bad thing is that we'll have to wait until sometime next year before it's scheduled to be released.
    While this had been released on a full-screen DVD, with not the greatest transfer, it's great news to be able to see this great film again, looking the best it probably ever has. It just a shame that Baino hasn't made a movie since this. What's up with that???

7-09-05 MORE GUESTS FOR FLASHBACK WEEKEND
    With only a 3 weeks away, the Flashback gang has added a few more guests to their growing guest lineup. Joining Sid Haig and Bill Moseley, will be Matt McGrory, who played Tiny in HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES and THE DEVIL'S REJECTS. And don't forget, another REJECT star, Michael Berryman will be at the show as well.
    For fans of the FRIDAY THE 13th series, joining Ari Lehman (the first Jason), will be Steve Dash. Steve played Jason in FRIDAY 2, the last Jason before the famous hockey mask.
    Add them with the tons of other guests, this is looking to be a huge show. Make sure you come out and join the fun...and don't forget to stay for the Drive-In theater in the parking lot at night. It was great last year, and we're looking forward to seeing EVIL DEAD and THE FOG this time around. Hope to see you there, and as always, stop by and say hello!
    For a full guest lineup and more information about the show, check out their website HERE.

SID ON TV
I just wanted to say one quick thing about Mr. Sid Haig. I've been a fan of his for years, starting with SPIDER BABY, and countless other genre classics that man has been involved in. Now I usually don't watch that much regular television, but last night while watching CSI with the wife, I was surprised and delighted to see not one, but two different trailers for THE DEVIL'S REJECTS. So it was just so nice to see Mr. Haig face prominently in a TV trailer, showing during prime time TV. We at the Krypt are so happy to see this man getting the attention that he has deserved for many, many years.

REVELATIONS REVIEW
We have posted our review for this made-for-TV mini-series that has just hit DVD in our Review Section.

7-07-05 SEED OF CHUCKY SOUNDTRACK REVIEW
We have posted our review of another great score put out by La-La Land Records. Actually, we have a guest reviewer this time out. Our buddy Dave Kosanke, from Liquid Cheese, was more than happy to review this soundtrack, since he is a big fan of the movie. Check it out HERE.

POSTER GALLERY UNDER CONSTRUCTION / RE-VAMPING
We have taken down our Poster Gallery for some much needed construction and re-vamping. We have decided to change things around a bit. Instead of just having all these posters up there all the time, our goal is to make it more like a regular museum. Our plan or goal, is to have a different exhibit or theme each month. Maybe one month it will be Thai posters, or Hammer posters, or something similar to that. That way, it will be something new to check out each time, instead of just a bunch of graphics that you never really know when something has been added.

7-02-05 STILL KICKING...PART 3
Yes, I'm still battling whatever the hell is plaguing me. It seems this last dose of meds just didn't seemed to do the trick, so I can now look forward to seeing a third doctor to try and figure out what I have. The worst part about this is that is just completely draining any motivation or ambition I have to do anything....hence not too many updates that last month. 2 updates for the month of June....pretty sad, if you ask me.
But in the mean time, here's a few tidbits just to let you know that we're still around.

LAND OF THE DEAD
We did go see Romero's latest entry on it's opening weekend. I probably won't have an official review of it, but let me just say that I did enjoy it for the most part. But that's not to say that there were some points that I didn't care for. I won't go into any details in case you haven't seen it. But the ending with two of the main characters meeting back up for the final confrontation was a little too Hollywood for me. Plus, even though Romero kind of started it in DAY OF THE DEAD, I just don't think I like this idea of the dead starting to be able to think. Just my opinion.
The film did have some nice gore, but nothing compared to DAY. So overall, I liked it enough that I will be adding it to my DVD collection when it came out. But I really had hoped for more.

SEED OF CHUCKY CONTEST WINNER
Congrats out to Elena for winning our contest. Thanks for all who entered. We'll be posting a new contest (hopefully) shortly.

LA-LA LAND PRE-ORDER SALE!
The fine folks at La-La Land Records are having a pre-order sale that you won't want to miss. In case you're not aware of it, they are releasing soundtracks for both THE DEVIL'S REJECTS (by Tyler Bates) and UNDEAD (by Cliff Bradley), and will both be released on July 12th, and both are going for $15.95. But if you pre-order both REJECTS and UNDEAD, you will bet UNDEAD for only $9.98. They also have a limited supply of CDs that have been signed by composers Bates and Bradley, with the UNDEAD soundtrack also signed by the directors Michael and Peter Spierigat too!

La-La Land has always done exceptional jobs with their releases, so I'm sure these will be just as good. We will have our review of their latest release, SEED OF CHUCKY, by Pino Donaggio up shortly. They have a limited amount of those signed by Donaggio as well. Check out their website HERE for more info, and tell them we sent you!!!!

ANOTHER DREAM COME TRUE
    If you remember, some time ago after receiving my Zuni Warrior doll that recently came out, I mentioned that I would really love it if someone would put out a replica of the brain-creatures from FIEND WITHOUT A FACE. Well, now thanks to Bump In The Night Productions, that dream will become a reality.
    We were still just getting over that they are putting out a Deadly Spawn puppet, and now this?!?! It's so nice to know that they're are so many people out there that are bound and determined to make me spend all my money on this stuff!
    Keep up the great work people....and I'll have to get a second job!

MYSTERY PHOTO
This last one was a little tougher, unless you recognized genre-fave Cameron Mitchell. The film is NIGHTMARE IN WAX. Congrats to the usual suspects, Hoby Abernathy, Terry Luster and Kevin Hart.
Let's see what you can do with this new one....trust me, it's a tough one.

FLASHBACK...ONE MONTH AWAY!!!
Just as a reminder, at the end of this month, we'll be heading off to one of our favorite conventions, the Flashback Weekend, on July 29th-31st. We had a blast last time with their drive-in movies in the parking lot last year and are looking forward to seeing some other great movies again this year. Plus, they have a pretty decent lineup this year, especially if you're fans of the original EVIL DEAD, and THE FOG (not to mention just about any early Carpenter films). So make your plans now and we hope to see you there! As always, stop by and say hello!

NOX ARCANA IS BUSY!
    Tired of all this 90 degree heat that we've been having...at least in the Chicagoland area? Well, Nox Arcana are about to release their latest CD, that might be just the right kind of music to take your mind off the heat. While they haven't started taking orders for it yet, you can hear some samples on their website.
    And if that wasn't enough, they have already started working on their next release, entitled TRANSYLVANIA. According to their website, the CD will be "powerful, eerie and darkly romantic---a musical venture into the land of vampires, werewolves, witches and ghosts---utilizing many story elements from Bram Stoker's Dracula."
    We have enjoyed their first two releases, so we are obviously looking forward to both of these new CDs. Stay tuned for more info!

6-19-05 STILL KICKING...PART 2
Hey folks....yes, I'm still battling this damn virus, infection, or whatever the hell I have. I'm hoping that it's finally breaking, but who knows. But we were able to get a few things for this update. Enjoy.

ROBERT CLARKE R.I.P.
Fans of the 50's monster movies surely remember the Hideous Sun Demon terrorizing them. That was proabably Clarke's most famous role, and is what most of us horror fans remember him from. He passed away on June 11th. Our thoughts are with his family and he will be remembered for his work in the genre.

ORIGINAL QUATERMASS REVIEW
Thanks to BBC DVD, we now can see the BBC broadcasts of the original QUATERMASS serials. At least most of them. We have our review of this awesome release. Yet another reason to have an multi-regional player. Check it out in our Reviews section.

MYSTERY PHOTO
Yea, I know it's been a while since we updated this. And this last one was a tough one. Of course, that didn't stop Terry Luster from naming the correct movie. The movie is THE ANTICHRIST, also known in the states on video as THE TEMPTER. Anchor Bay released it on DVD some time ago. You want a interesting little EXORCIST "inspired" film, then you should enjoy that one.
But let's check out the new photo and see what you can come up with.

SEED OF CHUCKY CONTEST....ONE MORE WEEK!
In case you missed in our last update, we are giving away 1 copy of the recently released SEED OF CHUCKY DVD. Just send us an email by click HERE, and let us know what your favorite Dourif role is. We'll compile the entries and draw a winner from there. Friday the 24th will be the last day for entries.

CONVENTION UPDATES
    This year is going to be pretty slow for us as far as how many conventions we'll be hitting. The only two we have lined up right now is the Flashback Weekend at the end of July in Chicago, and the Cinema Wasteland show in October in Cleveland. But none the less, these two shows look like they are going to be a lot of fun and have some great guests.
    The Flashback show has added a few guests to their lineup like Michael Berryman and a few more. Check out the site for the latest details.
    The Cinema Wasteland show is having their DAWN OF THE DEAD Reunion show. For those poor bastards that missed the very first Wasteland show, here's you chance to kind of make up for that. And if you were at that show, then there's still more than enough reason to make it back once again.
    The Wasteland crew have dug up four DAWN guests that were not at their first show. They are Gaylen Ross, Clayton & Sharon Ceccatti Hill, and G. Joe Shelby. Add that to the other 6 DAWN guests, and you have one hell of a reunion show. But then that's not all....you also have 4 guests from Rob Zombie's DEVIL'S REJECTS, including Steve Railsback, making his first Wasteland appearance.
    We hope to see you there, celebrating the world of horror with other like minded zombies!

DEAD DOCUMENTARY ON IFC
Though it was suppose to premiere last Wednesday, Roy Frumkes' new documentary DREAM OF THE DEAD, which covers George A. Romero's latest entry in DEAD series, it didn't seemed to make it. Below is the schedule from the IFC website. It's only a 1/2 hour long, and I think they spent more time on Tom Savini than with Romero, but other than that, I thought it was okay. Hopefully when LAND hits DVD, they'll have an expanded version of this documentary on there.
And let's not forget to make our plans to hit the theater next weekend to support Mr. Romero and his film. Let's show Hollywood that this is what the fans want!
Dream Of The Dead times on IFC:
Monday, June 20 at 6pm, 10:30pm and 2:30am
Thursday, June 23 at 10:30pm and 2:30am
Saturday, June 25 at 7:15pm
Sunday, June 26 at 1:45pm

KILLER RABBITS COMING TO DVD!
    Just when you think that certain movies will just never hit DVD, something comes out to blow your mind. This October, Warner Home Video will be unleashing NIGHT OF THE LEPUS!!!! Starring Janet Leigh, Stuart Whitman, Rory Calhoun and DeForest Kelley, it's the simple story of some experiments with rabbits to control their breeding to prevent over population. But what happens, in classic sci-fi/horror style, it turns them into killer flesh-eating rabbits the size of your standard SUV. Great fun here, people.
    But then Warner is also releasing the last Hammer Dracula film, the much sought after (no...seriously) DRACULA A.D. 1972. This was Hammer first attempt to bring the count to modern day London. It didn't seem to work at the time, but it's still a great little film, starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, as well as Caroline Munro and Stephanie Beecham (who keeps coming really close to busting out of her top!)
    They are also releasing DEMON SEED, starring Julie Christie and Fritz Lang, about a computer system kidnapping it's creator's wife with the intention of impregnating her with it's child. Based on a book by Dean R. Koontz.
    A STRANGER IS WATCHING stars Rip Torn as a twisted psycho who kidnaps a young girl. Also starring Kate Mulgrew and was directed by Sean S. Cunningham.
    And then they will also be releasing the ultra rare PRIVATE PARTS, directed by Paul Bartel. It's about a hotel in the seedy section of LA, where someone at the hotel like to collect people...at least pieces of them.
    These will be coming out October 4th, with a retail price of $19.97 each.

LEWTON DVD BOX SET!
    While on the subject of much sought after movies finally hitting DVD, here are some that are long overdue. On the same date as the above titles, Warner will also be releasing The Val Lewton Horror Collection, something that any self-respecting horror fan will be drooling over. The 5-disc set will contain 9 movies. They are THE CAT PEOPLE, CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE, I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, THE BODY SNATCHER, ISLE OF THE DEAD, BEDLAM, THE LEOPARD MAN, GHOST SHIP, and THE SEVENTH VICTIM. This set will retail at $59.92. All but the last two films will also be released in double feature discs, with a retail price of $19.97.
    The bonus features include audio commentaries (listed below), trailers, and a new documentary on Lewton, called Shadows In The Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy.
    Audio commentaries:
Greg Mank with Simone Simon on Cat People and Curse of the Cat People
Kim Newman and Steve Jones on I Walked With a Zombie
Steve Haberman with Robert Wise on The Body Snatcher
Tom Weaver on Bedlam
Steve Haberman on The Seventh Victim

Being a big Karloff fan, I'm very excited to finally see both BODY SNATCHER, ISLE OF THE DEAD, and BEDLAM come out on DVD (Where's THE BLACK ROOM???). But also to have audio commentary by Wise on BODY SNATCHERS is even better! I know that this Halloween season is going to be a very expensive one for me!

6-09-05 STILL KICKING....
Sorry for the last of updates this month, but we've been coughing our lungs out for the last couple of weeks with a bout of bronchitis. We're hoping we at the end of it...hoping. But since yours truly is the only one running this here Krypt, when I'm down, the whole site suffers. And for that, we once again apologize. So to make up for it, we'll give some more free stuff away! See below for more details. Here's a few tidbits for now, but hopefully we'll have some more stuff up shortly, including some more reviews.

WHITE NOISE WINNER!
Chris Passmore was the lucky winner for our our WHITE NOISE contest. And just for those who didn't know, EVP stands for Electronic Voice Phenomena.

SEED OF CHUCKY DVD CONTEST!
With the release of the unrated version of SEED OF CHUCKY last week, we have 1 copy to give away to our loyal following out there. This contest is going to be even easier than the last one. Brad Dourif, who has done the voice for Chucky since the first film, has always been a favorite of mine. From his awesome roles in films like EXORCIST 3 or DEATH MACHINE, Dourif always gives us a great performance. So I thought we could hear what some of your favorite Brad Dourif roles are. Just send us an email by click HERE, and let us know what your favorite Dourif role is. We'll compile the entries and draw a winner from there. Sound like fun?

UNIVERSAL HAMMER
For us Hammer fans, this September could be one hell of a month. Universal Home Video will be releasing a 2-disc set that will have 8 different Hammer classics on there. The first disc will feature THE BRIDES OF DRACULA, CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, and PARANOIAC. All of these titles were released on video and laserdisc, but never on DVD. The second disc will contain KISS OF THE VAMPIRE, NIGHTMARE, NIGHT CREATURES (aka CAPTAIN CLEGG), and EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN. KISS had been released on DVD before, and EVIL and NIGHTMARE were also released on video and laserdisc, but I'm pretty sure NIGHT CREATURES has never even gotten a standard video release! This is one rare classic, not to mention being one hell of a Hammer film. While it may not be a horror film, Cushing, Michael Ripper, Oliver Reed, and the lot give great performances making this a great film!
But not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but for all 8 movies on 2 discs makes me think of those Brentwood sets, where the quality is a little less than desirable. So I'm hoping that since Universal already had great prints they used for their laserdisc releases, we can all hope that these DVDs look just as good. Though....same it doesn't sound like any extras....Damn, are we spoiled or what?

MASTERS WEBSITE
I'm sure I'm not the only one out there excited about the Masters Of Horror series that will be coming out this fall. I may have to get Showtime just for these, even though Anchor Bay will be releasing them on DVD. But none the less, here's the official website for the series, featuring bios for the Masters!

AND SPEAKING OF MASTERS....
There's a new trailer online for George Romero's LAND OF THE DEAD. Only a few more weeks before we'll get to see the dead rise again. Check out the trailer HERE.

5-28-05 HAPPY SLIGHT BELATED BIRTHDAYS
In case you missed it, we have 3 titans of terror celebrating their birthdays in the last few days.. Unfortunately, two of them have already passed away. But we still like to remember them on these days, and even try and sit down with one of their many, many great movies that they have given us over the years. Thursday was Peter Cushing's birthday. And yesterday was Vincent Price's and Christopher Lee. As always, we wish them well, wherever they might be.

WHITE NOISE CONTEST...LAST FEW DAYS
Just in case you missed it in our last update, we are giving away 1 free DVD of the Michael Keaton movie WHITE NOISE. Check out our Contest page for more details. The contest ends on Tuesday, May 31st.

NEW REVIEWS
We have added a review of Paul Naschy's rare and gory film PANIC BEATS (aka LATIDOS DE PANICO), recently released by the fine folks at Mondo Macabro.
We also have a review up for the latest release from the Midnight Syndicate boys, The 13th Hour. As usual, they have done an excellent job. Check out that review HERE.

MORE BOOKS FOR YOUR COLLECTION!
We have added several more titles in our Books For Sale section, so I'm sure you'll find something of interests in there. We still have many more to add as well. We have added a fancy NEW graphic to let you know what has been recently added. Any questions, just let us know.

REJECTS POSTER
Here's the new poster for Rob Zombie's THE DEVIL'S REJECTS. Not sure if this is the final theatrical release one or now. I'm still deciding on how much I like it or not. I do like the subtlety of it. Very simple. And I'm sure they're looking at the widest market for it. But for some reason, it just doesn't look like a poster for a Rob Zombie film. It's just kind of...blah. But like I said, maybe they're just trying to go for the mainstream market.
For more information about the film, trailers, wallpapers and stuff, check out the official site HERE.

MORE HORROR AT THE MUSIC BOX!
    Horror fans in the Chicagoland area will be thankful once again to the Musicbox Theatre. They have plenty of great titles playing at the midnight shows this summer. Fans of the violent Japanese movies will be happy to be able to see OLD BOY (June 10, 11, 17, 18) ICHI THE KILLER (June 24, 25 & July 1, 2), VERSUS (July 8, 9, 15, 16).
    Are you a Hitchcock fan? Then the the first part of June will be your week. They will be screening 5 different Hitchcock classics: PSYCHO, REAR WINDOW, SHADOW OF A DOUBT, ROPE, and a 70mm print of VERTIGO!
    Other midnight screenings will consist of BEETLEJUICE (July 8, 9), THEY LIVE (July 15, 16), MEET THE FEEBLES (July 22, 23, 29, 30), TOTAL RECALL (Aug. 12, 13), and CREEPSHOW (Sept. 2, 3).

LAND OF THE DEAD NEXT MONTH!!!
I, for one, am actually excited about Romero's newest entry in the genre that made him famous. Who cares who's in the cast (though I am still a fan of Dennis Hopper's), or what the storyline might be. I'm just glad that if everybody is making zombie movies, then at least the Godfather of Zombies is given his chance. I know I'll be line that first weekend next month to see it, and I suggest everyone do the same. Not really just to support the genre, but to support Romero. Maybe one day some studio exec with let Romero have the money and control that he deserves. Yea I know, it's a dream. Click on the graphic below to get to the official movie site, or to get to Romero's own website, click HERE.

5-21-05 WHITE NOISE CONTEST
We are giving away a free DVD of the Michael Keaton movie WHITE NOISE. Check out our Trivia Contest page for all the details.

SEED OF CHUCKY REVIEW
We've posted our review for this strange and surreal little film that hits DVD next month. Check it out!

DEADLY SPAWN COMING TO YOUR HOUSE!
Just when I thought the only monster collectable I needed after my Zuni Fetish Doll from TRILOGY OF TERROR was a brain creature from FIEND WITHOUT A FACE, the good people at Bump In The Night Productions have come up new. Now you can have your own little Deadly Spawn puppet to amuse your friends. They are not available at the moment, but you can pre-order them now through their website HERE.

MYSTERY PHOTO
I was thinking that since it was close up, that nobody was going to recognize those pesky little killer frisbees from Graydon Clark's WITHOUT WARNING. Now why has that not hit DVD yet??? Congrats to everyone who sent in th correct answers: Terry Luster, Hoby Abernathy, Chris Huziak, Joshua Baker, and David Buchert.
Put on your thinking caps and check out our newest one! It's a little tougher.

5-15-05 BEATING THE DEVIL
    Tomahawk Press has released it's newest book, Beating The Devil: The Making Of NIGHT OF THE DEMON. For fans of this true classic horror film, this looks to be another great release from Tomahawk. We really enjoyed their book and DVD Greasepaint & Gore releases, so we are looking forward to this one as well.
    Written by Tony Earnshaw, the book covers the history of the film, starting with the development from the original story, "Casting the Runes" by M.R. James, through all the stages of scripting, production, and all the challenging details that went into making this landmark film. Author Earnshaw gives us interviews, anecdotes, insights, previously unseen production designs, and much more.
    If this book in 1/2 as good as Tomahawk's Greasepaint book, it's a must have for serious students of the genre. The book has not been released yet, but you can get it early and cheaper if you order it now directly from Tomahawk's website. Or you can pre-order it from Amazon.com.

But Tomahawk has other great titles coming out in the near future that we can look forward to. Continuing his Hammer history lessons, Wayne Kinsey will be putting out his newest book, Hammer Films: The Elstree Studio Years this fall. Kinsey, who has published the great magazine series The House That Hammer Built, continues to put his years of research into awesome books. Previously, he had published Hammer Films: The Bray Studio Years, and now continues the history of one of the greatest studios of all time.
But there's even more books coming out from Tomahawk as well. They will also be publishing books on makeup artist Bob Keen, a biography of Hazel Court, and a book about the making of THE WICKER MAN. So check out their website and stay tuned for more!

LA-LA LAND GIVES US DEMON DOLLS, WEREWOLVES, AND REJECTS!
La-La Records has put out an incredible amount of great soundtrack scores, some of them being rare and much sought after titles. And they seemed to be continuing that hard work with the upcoming releases of SEED OF CHUCKY & THE HOWLING, both by composer Pino Donaggio. THE HOWLING has never been released on CD, so this will be welcomed site for the many fans of this movie. They also will be releasing the score for the Australian zombie movie, UNDEAD, as well as Tyler Bates' score for Rob Zombie's DEVIL'S REJECTS.
So stay tuned for more news of their great releases. We have not been disappointed yet with on of their scores. They always do a great job. Plus, if you haven't picked them up yet, they are having a sale on some of their great titles, like CREEPSHOW & CABIN FEVER for only $12 each. Check out their site HERE for more info.

XPLOITED SOUNDTRACKS?
While on the subject of soundtracks, in case you weren't aware of it, like we were until a short time ago, the fine folks at Xploited Cinema carry a wide variety of import scores, like Goblin's score for CONTAMINTATION and many more.

5-10-05 REBANE FILM FESTIVAL REPORT
We did travel north to the land of cheese last weekend to check out the Bill Rebane Film Festival. Check out our report and photos HERE!

FLASHBACK ADDS MORE GUESTS
The Flashback gang have added quite a few more names to their ever growing guest list. Joining the headliner Mr. Campbell is the rest of the EVIL DEAD cast, not to mention everyone's favorite Deadite creator, Tom Sullivan. They have also added Bill Moseley and Sid Haig, out promoting Zombie's THE DEVIL'S REJECTS. And then of course, there's the lovely Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni, making her first Chicago convention appearance. She has recently finished filming a movie with Lamberto Bava, called GHOST SON. For a complete guest list, check out there website HERE.

FANGO COMING TO CHICAGO!?!?!
Speaking of Chicago conventions, Fangoria has recently announced that they are planning to come back to Chicago next March for one of their Weekend of Horrors conventions. No guests announce yet, other than Bruce Campbell, if he's available. Not this is a long ways away, and they have announced shows in the past that never came to be. But being based in the Chicago, we would love to have more Horror conventions here....as long as their done the right way. So we have our fingers crossed....and while we're crossing them, we're also hoping they drop Creation again! I said I was hoping, didn't I?

MYSTERY PHOTO
Well, we did get a few more responses this time, so maybe the new email is working better. Congrats to Terry Luster, Hoby Abernathy, Kevin Hart, John Schine, Rich Mellion, and Rick Hayden. The shot was from MATANGO (aka ATTACK OF THE MUSHROOM PEOPLE). Now try out the new photo and see how well you do!

UWE BOLL FANS?
Are you a fan of his movies? Do you hate them? In either case, check out THIS awesome site dedicated to the man and his work....well, kind of.

4-29-05 BILL REBANE FANS UNITE!!!
    In a sure sign of the coming apocalypse, a theater in Madison, Wisconsin is holding a Bill Rebane Film Festival next weekend, May 7th and 8th. Who is Bill Rebane, you might ask? Fans of low budget films made in Wisconsin know who Mr. Rebane is. This is the man responsible for such great classics as THE GIANT SPIDER INVASION, DEMONS OF LUDLOW, RANA: THE LEGEND OF SHADOW LAKE, and a few other minor classics.
    So if you are a fan of his fine work, or just want to see some incredibly bad, but damn entertaining movies, head on over to the Orpheum Theater next weekend. The festivities start out at 4pm on the 7th, with a reception in the lobby with Bill Rebane there to meet his fans. The event will be hosted by Mike Nelson and Kevin Murphy from MST3K. There will be memoribilia from Rebane's movie in the lobby for the fans to see as well.
    At 5pm, they will be screening the premiere of WISCONSIN MOVIE SCRAPBOOK, which is a docu-drama of Rebane's life in low budget filmmaking. The next film is at 7:30pm, and that will be the classic GIANT SPIDER INVASION. Next, at 9:30pm, will be NIGHTMARE, Rebane's re-edited version of his film BLOOD HARVEST, starring Tiny Tim.
    On Sunday, the fun continues at 12:00pm with TWISTER'S REVENGE. Next at 2pm will be Rebane's take on the CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, with RANA: THE LEGEND OF SHADOW LAKE. At 4pm is THE ALPHA INCIDENT. And then we have another two great films from our buddy. At 6pm is THE DEMONS OF LUDLOW and at 8pm is THE CAPTURE OF BIGFOOT. These have to be seen to believe.
    We are planning on being there on at least on the Saturday. We hope to see the place packed, supporting this important (no, seriously) filmmaker.

AND SPEAKING OF MOVIES....
For those Chicago area fans, The Music Box Theatre will be playing the original FRIDAY THE 13th on...Friday the 13th (and the 14th as well) at their midnight show. They will also be playing PREDATOR that same weekend. The following weekend, their midnight shows will be THE LOST BOYS and PREDATOR. Can't miss seeing the original FRIDAY on the day of it's namesake...that would just be crazy!

NEW POSTERS
Not only is this a cool looking poster for the upcoming Zombie film, it's almost a who's who of horror genre faves. Check out this poster called the Last Supper. Come on guys....how about making that into wallpaper size?

Then we also have the teaser poster (I'm assuming it's the teaser, since they haven't even started filming) for SAW 2. I still love the original posters from the first movie, and I think they are keeping the same feeling with this one too. I'll take this style over the faces of the flavor of the month celebs any day.

MYSTERY PHOTO
We have updated our Mystery Photo, along with the email address that we were using. I think that was one of the reasons for so few answers on some of these pics. Hopefully this will give us a more honest showing of how many of you out there recognize these photos. Give this new one a try and let us know!!!

4-18-05 ANDREW PRINE INTERVIEW
    Over the weekend, we were at the Ray & Sharon Courts Hollywood Collectors & Celebrities Show. Our main reason for going was to see Mr. Andrew Prine. If you were a fan of movies from the 70's & 80's, then you've probably seen him in action. Whether it was in GRIZZLY, THE EVIL, or SIMON: KING OF THE WITCHES, he always gave an great performance.
    Mr. Prine was kind enough to spend a few minutes with us reminiscing about some of our favorite movies. Check it out in our Interview Section.
    And while at the show, we did grab a few photos of some of the genre guests they had. Check them out HERE.

MORE REVIEWS
We also have two more reviews up, NIGHT OF THE BIG HEAT, and one of our favorites, ISLAND OF TERROR. Enjoy!

4-14-05 REVIEWS CREEPING IN...
We have posted our review for the import release of THE CREEPING FLESH. Hopefully in the next day or so, we will also have reviews up for NIGHT OF THE BIG HEAT and ISLAND OF TERROR. Check out the FLESH reivew and stay tuned for the others!

RAY COURTS SHOW
    For people in the Chicagoland area, the Ray Courts show this weekend actually has quite a few guests known for the horror genre. Here are some of the genre related guests scheduled to appear:
    Russ Tamblyn - THE HAUNTING, SATAN'S SADIST, and many more.
    Cassandra Peterson - aka Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
    David Naughton - AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, DESIRE: THE VAMPIRE
    Clayton Hill and Sharon Ceccatti Hill - The original DAWN OF THE DEAD (and two of the nicest zombies you could meet!)
    Robert Z'Dar - MANIAC COP series
    Debora Van Valkenburgh - DEVIL'S REJECTS
    Andrew Prine - GRIZZLY, AMITYVILLE 2, SIMON: KING OF THE WITCHES, THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN, THE EVIL, and many, many more.

We're going there on Saturday, mainly to meet Prine, since we're a huge fan of his. But do keep in mind that all of these celebs charge for their autograph, most even to sign your own personal stuff. I'm just hoping Prine isn't charging $20 a pop, since I'd love to get my Turkish THE EVIL poster and my SIMON KING OF THE WITCHES poster signed. We'll have some pictures (if I'm allowed to take them for free) and report early next week. For more info, and a complete guest list and hotel information, go to their website HERE.

MYSTERY PHOTO WINNERS???
We need some help here people. I've had a couple of people tell me that they have sent in their correct guess for the photo, using the email link on the photo page, but for some reason, we're not receiving it. I apologize if this has happened to anybody. So if you could please let me know if this has happened, and please try sending an email again through that link. If I need to change it, I will. I'd have to have all these people sending me correct answers, only not to give credit.

GENRE FAVES ON IFC'S DINNER FOR FIVE
If you get this info early enough, tomorrow night on the Independent Film Channel's Dinner For Five will have three genre guests that would make this an interesting watch. Joining the host will be Roger Corman, Bruce Campbell, and Rob Zombie. This could be interesting. Check it out!

MONSTER CLOCKS!
For those model builders out there, Earthbound Studios has put out two awesome clocks for us horror fans. If you like the classic Universal monsters, then their first clock is for you. Or if you are a fan of the B-movie creatures, then their second clock is for you. Or if you're a fan of both, like us, then you're screwed since you have to buy both of them. Granted, they are around $70 each and have to be painted, but damn....wouldn't they look awesome hanging up in our office or dungeon?

4-11-05 WASTELAND REPORT
    Well, it took us longer to recover from the last Wasteland show than expected. But we do have our report up in the usual place (under Convention Report). Hopefully you were there to enjoy it as much as we did, and hopefully we'll see you all there in October.
    And speaking of the October Wasteland show, if you are a fan of DAWN OF THE DEAD, then start making your plans. No? Then how about THE DEVIL'S REJECTS? Because come October, zombies, zombie fighters, Rejects, and more will be converging on Ohio for another great lineup. From the original DOTD, they will have David Emge, Scott Reiniger, Gaylen Ross, Ken Foree, Tom Savini, Clayton Hill, Ceccatti, and Lenard Lies. And then from DAY OF THE DEAD, everybody's favorite zombie Howard "Bub" Sherman will also be attending.
    And then from Rob Zombie's THE DEVIL'S REJECTS, you have one hell of a lineup of B-Movie favorites: Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Michael Berryman, and Steve Railsback!
    So make your plans now to join the party this October (Sept. 30th to Oct. 2nd.)

NEW SOUNDTRACK REVIEWS
We have added reviews for Nox Arcana's latest release, Necronomicon, as well as the double feature soundtrack of THE RING & THE RING 2. Check them out in our Review section.
We will have reviews of three movies featuring everybody's favorite gruesome twosome, Peter Cushing & Christopher Lee up in a few days. Stay tuned.

CRONENBERG'S FLY BUZZES BACK
Since this is one of my all-time favorite movies, I was thrilled to hear that a special edition DVD of David Cronenberg's THE FLY will be coming to DVD! It will have an audio commentary by Cronenberg, as well as a feature length documentary called Fear of the Flesh. Plus, they've also uncovered some deleted footage, including the famous monkey-cat sequence. We can hardly wait!

ANDERSON GETS CRAZIES
Brad Anderson is one of my newest favorite directors. After SESSION 9 and now THE MACHINIST, I will be looking forward to anything this guy does. And now, it seems his next project will be directing a remake of George Romeo's THE CRAZIES. While I'm never thrilled to hear the word 'remake', if Anderson is at the helm, I have a lot more hope than usual.

4-5-05 A RETURN FROM THE WASTELAND
We have returned from another Cinema Wasteland show, this being the 6th year that we've been traveling to Ohio for these shows, and each time, we have a blast. But more details coming. We're still working (aka recovering) on our show report and hope to have it up in the next couple of days. In the meantime, we have a few tidbits here.

SPEAKING OF SHOWS...
    The Flashback Weekend has added a few more guests to their lineup. Camille Keaton, star of the classic I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE, will be there making a rare convention appearance. She will also be bringing her wardrobe from the film for display.
    Tom Sullivan, the friendliest Deadite you'll ever meet, will be returning to the show with his traveling EVIL DEAD museum. Tom is a great guy to talk to and learn the in's and out's of the film business.
    Fans of the original FRIDAY THE 13th will be able to meet the first Jason...Ari Lehman.
    Low budget filmmakers JR Bookwalter and Jason Paul Collum will be there too.

NEW REVIEW
We have our review up of this low budget slasher film MALEVOLENCE. We have more reviews coming, including reviews of the soundtrack for THE RING 1&2, and the new Nox Arcana CD, Necronomicon. Stay Tuned!

MORE BUCHANAN ON DVD!!!!
Apparently due to the flood of emails asking for more Buchanan films, Retromedia is giving the fans what they want...another double feature disc of Buchanan classics. This time, we'll get ZONTAR, THE THING FROM VENUS and THE EYE CREATURES! I don't know about you people, but I'm pretty damn excited about these. These will be released on July 19th.
Also, for you Bigfoot fans, they will be releasing a triple feature set which includes SASQUATCH: THE LEGEND OF BIGFOOT, SNOWBEAST, and SNOW CREATURE. That will be coming out on June 14th.

3-25-05 NEW PAUL NASCHY REVIEW
We've recently picked up the latest release of genre star Paul Naschy, ROJO SANGRE, and had to watch it right away. We have our review now.

MORE BOOKS FOR SALE LISTED!
We are continuing to add more and more titles up in our re-vamped section of Horror Reference Books that we carry. Check them out at the links to the left in the Navigational Bar. We still have plenty of more titles that we'll be adding, but if they're something in particular that you're looking for, just let us know.

CHICAGO MIDNIGHT HORRORS AT THE MUSIC BOX
Coming up in May, the Music Box Theater in Chicago will be playing some interesting titles at their Midnight Shows. They will be playing the original FRIDAY THE 13th, LOST BOYS, and PREDATOR. For more information and other screenings, check out their website HERE.

3-18-05 NEW SOUNDTRACK REVIEWS
We've added a couple of reviews to our soundtrack section, two classics. The ever classic ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES and one of the best low budget monster movies, THE DEADLY SPAWN. Check them out!

BOOKS FOR SALE SECTION REVAMPED!
While we still have quite a few more titles to add to our listing, we've unveiled what we've done so far. As you know, we love horror reference books and really try to pass that love onto other fans. Check it the links to the left on the Navigational bar. As always, if you have any questions, just drop us an email.

MYSTERY PHOTO
Mr. Luster is back once again as the only one with a correct answer on our last photo, though we did have a couple other close ones. The little grinning psycho is Bill Paxton from MORTUARY. Check out the new one and see if you can tackle this new one. It's a tough one, trust me.

3-11-05 FLASHBACK WEEKEND ANNOUNCES GUESTS!
    The first guests have been announced for this year's Flashback Weekend's Horro'Rama Drive-In & Convention. Headlining this year will be the return of Bruce Campbell. Mr. Campbell will be there promoting his new movie, THE MAN WITH THE SCREAMING BRAIN, which will be screen at the Drive-In that weekend. Not to mention showing at least one of the films from the EVIL DEAD trilogy.
    And then there's the 25th Anniversary Cast Reunion from John Carpenter's THE FOG. Appearing will be Adrienme Barbeau, Charles Cyphers, Tom Atkins, and Nancy Loomis. Of course, fans of Carpenter fans in general should be happy since all four of these were in other Carpenter's films as well. They will also be screening a 35mm print of THE FOG at the Drive-in as well.
    Check out their website HERE. More guests and details to be announced soon! We've been at Mike's Flashback shows since the beginning and have always had a great time. If you've never made it to one, you don't want to miss it this year.

ON-LINE INTERVIEW WITH PETER WALKER
We stumbled upon this little interview with Peter Walker. We are anxiously awaiting that Peter Walker Box set coming on soon by Anchor Bay U.K. So this will give you a little insight into the mind of Walker to get you ready for them as well.
Interview with Peter Walker - The Guardian

A SLIGHT RE-ORGANIZATION...
We are making a few changes here at the Krypt. The first one was moving our Reference book reviews to the regular Review section. Why it wasn't there in the first place is still boggling me. But now the link is up there. And secondly, we are re-doing our section of reference book-for-sale section, hopefully making it a little easier as well as give you more information about what we have. I'm hoping to start having some of them up by the end of the weekend....I did say "hoping".

3-8-05 DEBRA HILL PASSES AWAY
The horror genre has lost another great one, producer Debra Hill. She rose to fame in the genre when she and John Carpenter brought HALLOWEEN to life. She went on to do produce some other great movies, such as David Cronenberg's DEAD ZONE. She passed away yesterday, after battling cancer for some time. Rest In Peace.

PERSEVERANCE DELIVERS AGAIN!
Just like they say, "A small label with a big mission", Perseverance Records is continuing to put some awesome soundtracks. They have just released the Vincent Price classic THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES. They had already released the sequel, and now bring us the first entry. But they have also put out one title that I would have sworn that I'd never see it on CD....THE DEADLY SPAWN!
Stay tuned, since we're hoping to have reviews up for both of these soon. You can check out their website for more information HERE.

QUATERMASS RETURNS...THE OLD AND THE NEW!
    For fans of Nigel Kneale and his tales of Professor Quatermass, this is some great news. First of all, the original versions of Quatermass Experiment, Quatermass 2, and Quatermass and the Pit, which were first broadcast back in the 50s, are coming to DVD! Due to the popularity of the first series, Hammer Studios bought up the rights to make a movie version, as well as the other two entries. And the rest is history for Hammer Studios.
    But now you will be able to see the original versions of these classic stories. Unfortunately, only the first two parts of Quatermass Experiment were ever recorded, so it's not the complete series. But all of the existing episodes for Quatermass 2 and Quatermass and the Pit survived. The 3-disc set will also feature extras like documentaries and an insert booklet.
    Andre Morellle, always a favorite of ours, plays Professor Quatermass in Quatermass and the Pitt. Andrew Keir would later play the character in Hammer's movie version.
    Of course, this is being released in the UK, so once again, unless you have one of those region free players...
    And the other big news in the world of Quatermass, is that the BBC Four's plan to screen a new live version of The Quatermass Experiment on April 2nd.
    Jane Hadlow, Controller of the BBC Four said, "I am thrilled that we're bringing Quatermass back to life – it's wonderful to have one the first 'must-watch' TV experiences that inspired the water cooler chat of its day. I hope fans of the original series, as well as a new generation, will be gripped as Professor Bernard Quatermass races to save the world. And for the channel to broadcast the first live television drama for over twenty years is an added treat." Nigel Kneale, now in his 80's, is acting as consultant for this newer version. Kneale said of this latest verison, "I am absolutely thrilled that 50 years after I created Professor Quatermass, BBC Four is remaking my program."
    While the original was a 6 part series, this new series will be a 2-hour feature.
    We have always enjoyed the Quatermass movies, and are looking forward to seeing the originals, as well as seeing what this new one might bring.

3-5-05 DEVIL'S REJECTS COMING SOONER
I'm sure everyone has already heard, but just in case...Lions Gate has decided to move up the release of Rob Zombie's THE DEVIL'S REJECTS to July 22nd, instead of the August date. I'm sure this was done so it wouldn't have to compete with the other horror titles coming out that same weekend. Make sense to me.

NEW REVIEWS
We got our review up of the last film in the Blood Thirsty Trilogy, from director Michio Yamamoto. We also have a review of another Japanese film BANQUET OF THE BEAST.
We also have a review up for the soundtrack for Stuart Gordon's KING OF THE ANTS. Check that out HERE.

FINALLY...A NICOLAS CAGE MOVIE I WOULD SEE
Apparently, the remake of THE WICKER MAN is finally going to happen with Cage starring. No word on if he's playing the Edward Woodward character, but that would be the only way I'd want to see it....just so I can see Cage being burned alive in the Wicker Man. Okay, so I'm not a big fan of Cage's. I just hope they don't change the ending around, but keep the nice happy ending like the original.

THE NIGHT STALKER: THE NEXT GENERATION
Stuart Townsend has been signed to be the new Kolchak in the updated NIGHT STALKER series for ABC. While I think they should have stayed with a older actor, someone like Tim Thomerson or William Sadler, since being such a fan of the original, I'll give it a try.
But I would think the best thing that might come out of this, is that SOMEBODY might actually released the original series in a nice DVD box set. To me, that would be worth a crappy updated version. Fingers are crossed.

MACHINIST COMING IN JUNE!
    Paramount will be releasing Brad Anderson's THE MACHINIST on DVD in June. For those who weren't able to check this film at the theater, it's one hell of a movie and not to be missed. Why Christian Bale wasn't nominated for an Oscar, or at least even mentioned there is beyond me. Great performance and a great movie.

ANCHOR BAY ACQUIRES BAVA
    It seems that Anchor Bay will be re-issuing a lot of Mario Bava titles in 2006. They said they are going to be putting together special editions for each one of the titles, even though they have already been released before. Hopefully they'll correct the sound on TWITCH OF THE DEATH NERVE?!?!?!
    But they will also be releasing KIDNAPPED / RABID DOGS. It will feature the previously released version (RABID DOGS) and the version after Lamberto Bava added new scenes to it (KIDNAPPED). Both versions will be on this release. They should issue a package of soap with this disc, since taking a shower is usually the first thing you want to do after watching it. Great movie, but damn does it make you sweat.
    Anchor Bay will also be releasing BABY BLOOD, a gory and twisted little French film by Alain Robak. Hopefully it will be released uncut. No word yet.
    They also have quite a few other horror titles coming out this year, including the rare pre-PHANTASM movie KENNY & COMPANY, that Don Coscarelli made, starring PHANTASM's Michael Baldwin and Reggie Bannister.
    They are also listing CEMETARY MAN for release in September. Please tell me they are not going to use that title, but the original DELLAMORTE DELLAMORTE? They are saying they have a new documentary, and interviews with director Michele Soavi, star Anna Falci, and others. Hope this is a good release!
    And then for Hammer fans, at some point they will be releasing their twisted comedy THE ANNIVERSARY, starring Bette Davis. This is one bizarre movie, but damn entertaining. Don't think they could have picked a better person to play the character that Davis done. The disc will have audio commentary by director Roy Ward Baker and screenwriter Jimmy Sangster.

I CAN ALMOST DIE A HAPPY MAN....
    Now that I have my own personal Zuni Fetish doll from TRILOGY OF TERROR, I now only need a replica of one of the brain creatures from FIEND WITHOUT A FACE and one of those spheres from PHANTASM. Then I can die a happy man. See....I'm not picky.
    And it looks like thanks to NECA/Reel Toys, I just may have one of those silver spheres. They have acquired the licensing to both PHANTASM and BUBBA HO-TEP. They haven't said exactly what they're going to be doing, but do say "figures and products". So I would assume that we'd see a sphere or two in there somewhere. Of course, having figures of the Tall Man and everyone's favorite Ice Cream Man, Reggie Bannister, isn't a bad thing either.
    Check out their website HERE, for some other great products coming out. Go to the AVP section and check out that Facehugger bust. Is that cool or what? Good thing I don't collect toys....

MYSTERY PHOTO
Well, it looks like I stump Mr. Luster this time out. Not to mention everyone else. The photo from from the killer snake movie JAWS OF SATAN, starring Fritz Weaver and a very young Christina Applegate.
Check out the latest one and see if it's any easier. Good luck to everyone!

2-23-05 THE FLESH EATERS FINALLY COMING TO DVD...SOMETIME!
Fred Olen Ray's Retromedia has struck a deal to release the 1962 rare classic film THE FLESH EATERS. Not to be confused with Bill Hinzman's zombie movie, this is a movie about flesh eating organisms (actually, they eat everything but the bone) that are let loose in the water by a mad scientist. This is a rare movie, so it's great news to hear that it will finally coming out. This will be the uncut version, and will include the color sequences and the Nazi flashback scenes (though I'm not sure if it's been decided whether it will be cut in the film or as extras).
But in either case, this release is suppose to be filled with extras, including interviews with the writer/producer Arnold Drake, original storyboards, trailers, and more. This is simply great news!

RETROMEDIA SALE???
And while on the subject of Retromedia, a few days ago, they posted a sale on their website selling all of their DVDs for $5 each. Well, before we even had a chance to post something here on our site, they were hit with so many orders, they had to take down the sale to check their stock. But according to their website, if you check back there after Feb. 28th, they might have the sale back on. For $5 a disc, you really can't go wrong. And with titles like Robert Quarry's DEATHMASTER, Larry Buchanan's double feature disc, and a few other choice titles, you really shouldn't miss this sale. You can check out their website HERE.

DAN O'HERLIHY - REST IN PEACE
Irish actor O'Herlihy passed away on Feb. 17th. While he wasn't huge in the horror genre, fans will remember him from HALLOWEEN 3: SEASON OF THE WITCH, as well as the head of OCP in ROBOCOP 1 & 2.

JAPANESE HORROR ANYONE?
We've posted two new reviews with this update. Both are Japanese vampire films from the early 70's: LEGACY OF DRACULA and LAKE OF DRACULA. We should have the review for the 3rd film in this series up shortly. Check them out since we enjoyed both of them.

MINOR RAMBLINGS...
    There's just a couple of things that I'd like to make quick comments on, but they weren't enough for a full-fledged rambling. So here goes.
    HIGH TENSION CUT TO R RATING - Okay, I've been really behind Lions Gate for some of the movies that they've been putting out, and doing great things in promoting them. But I must say that I am very disappointed in them after the months and months of hearing them proudly beating their chest and saying that HIGH TENSION (aka HAUTE TENSION) was going to be released as NC-17, they now decide to cut to an R rating. You know, nobody really bitched when they said that SAW was going to get trimmed for an R rating. Why? Because Lions Gate wasn't boasting releasing it uncut, then deciding on cutting it.
    Now according to the director, the film was "re-edited slightly, resulting in a running time that is about one minute shorter than the original." I somehow don't think what was cut was dialog. Now if you think that cutting a measly 60 seconds isn't that much, try holding your breathe for that long and see just how long 60 seconds really is. A lot of gore can be cut out in 60 seconds.
    We understand that by getting an R rating, it opens up a wider release. We understand that. But once again, it's kind of disappointing to hear that after all the bragging they were doing. For shame, Lions Gate. For shame.
    My suggestion would be instead of spending that $10 to see the cut version of HIGH TENSION in the theater, go directly to Xploited Cinema and pick up one of the uncut DVD releases that they carry (that new UK version looks awesome, with all those extras!), and not worry about the US version.
    WES CRAVEN'S CURSED - In the recent issue of Fangoria, there's a cover story about CURSED (could it have a more appropriate title?). It's so funny reading this article where in one sentence Craven is trying not to burn bridges saying the film is pretty good. - "I did the final day of mixing on CURSED the other day, and it looks terrific. It's a solid little film."
    But then also at one points talked about wanting to have nothing to do with it anymore. - "I talked to (Dimension chairman) Bob Weinstein recently, and he's talking about making it a PG-13 movie. I can't win at this point, so I'm just going to walk away."
    Greg Nicotero from KNB mentions how Rick Baker had 1/2 the normal time to work on the pre-production for the werewolf, which might have been the reason for him quitting from the project. Now, I know that KNB are one of the best makeup shops out there, but when they're rushed in to fix things, that can't be a good thing.
    I can honestly say, that there is no way in hell I would pay $10 to give this movie a chance. Sure, I'll rent it when it hits DVD. But this just sounds more and more like a train wreck looking for more pedestrians to take out before it finally comes to a stop.

2-16-05 FANGORIA GOES BACK ON IT'S KNEES
    One of the highlights of last year, to me anyway, was when Fangoria announced that it was no longer going to have Creation run their conventions. After going to their shows for years, both as a fan and later as a dealer, in my humble opinion, it is the worst run convention that I've ever been at. Then joining with Chiller wasn't the greatest either, but at least in the right direction, away from Creation.
    But now, it seems after the Chiller thing fell through, they go crawling back to Creation. Fango publisher Norman Jacobs says "When it comes to conventions, nobody does it better than our friends at Creation. They have been professionally doing shows for 34 years and know what the fans want because they are fans themselves." From that statement, I'd guess that Jacobs hasn't been to one of those shows for years, if at all. If he would have, then he would of known how un-organized they are. And run by fans? Yea, that's true. But Star Trek fans. Star Trek fans who could give a shit about horror movies and their fans. And let's not even get into the Line Nazis they have.
    The real sad part is that in a few years, there probably won't be any more shows. Dealers don't like being screwed over by Creation, so they lose dealers more and more with each show. And even sadder is that Fango is making it sound like this is a good thing, when they know that it's sealing the demise of their name on the convention circuit.
    Want to see how a show is put on correctly? Go to Cleveland, Ohio in April for the Cinema Wasteland show.

HAMMER RISES ONCE AGAIN....NO, REALLY THIS TIME....WELL, MAYBE....
    You know, I'm the biggest fan of Hammer Studios as the next guy, and was very excited to hear that Hammer Studios was going to back into production...the first time we heard that several years ago. And then nothing.
    Well, now they have announced 3 new projects, and none of them remakes of their older Hammer titles. I must admit that I do think that is a good idea. At least to get started with. With all the remakes coming out now, it nice to see them at least trying to take a chance on something different.
    According to Terry Ilott, head of the new Hammer, "Everybody’s got a horror label these days. If you’ve got an ax, you’re pretty much in business. But a lot of those movies are really action films. We’ve tried to stay away from stalk ’n’ slash films and creature features. We think there’s a market for intelligent horror, not comfortable psychological thrillers but films that are really scary."
    None the less, us Hammer fans hopefully realize that the days of the gothic films that Hammer is really known for, is really history. Even with the new Hammer going into production, I don't think we should think that the quality or feel of the old stuff is going to be there. We can hope. But I wouldn't get them up too high.

SOTA TOYS
Since we're one of the few that enjoyed AVP, I was drooling over this chess set that Sota Toys has recently put out. Click on the photo to the right to see a better view. Or you can go to their website HERE to get even a better view. This piece is incredible. If I only had $300 lying around here....
They also have some other great figures coming, like a 20" figure of Darkness, from Ridley Scott's LEGEND. We are really looking forward to that one.

PETER WALKER FANS...GOT THAT IMPORT PLAYER YET???
    If you are a fan of Peter Walker, and don't have a region-free player, than you better go out and get one now. Next month, Anchor Bay U.K. is releasing a Peter Walker Box Set, that will feature 5 of his best (well....4 of his best, and 1 other) titles, all with audio commentary by the director. The titles are FRIGHTMARE, HOUSE OF MORTAL SIN (aka THE CONFESSIONAL), THE COMEBACK, HOUSE OF WHIPCORD, and DIE SCREAMING MARIANNE.
    FRIGHTMARE, HOUSE OF WHIPCORD, and DIE SCREAMING have been released on DVD here in the US, but not the other two. The box set will also feature "Courting Controversy: An Insider's Look at the Films in the Peter Walker Collection", which runs 37 minutes. It features all new interviews with director Walker, scriptwriter David McGillivray, DP Peter Jessop, actress Susan Penhaligon, and actor Paul Greenwood.
    It will also feature a short (14 minutes) look at Sheila Keith, who starred in many of Walker's movies, and was always one of the highlights in them.

MYSTERY PHOTO
Okay this time out, since Terry Luster and Hoby Abernathy are always sending in the correct answers, we decided to take this time out and really try and stump them. So take a gander at this pic and see if you can get it.
The last shot was that of Ralph Bates and Joan Collins from THE DEVIL WITHIN HER.

SAW CONTEST
Thanks to everyone who sent in their emails for our little contest. The winners are Jeff M, Greg Simms, and Terry Collin.
Of course, we picked up our copy yesterday and watched it last night. Even though we had seen it at the theater, it still packs one hell of a intense punch. We highly recommend it.

2-11-05 NEW REVIEWS!
Believe it or not, but we have some more reviews up. Not just one or two, but FOUR!!! We're also hoping to continue this trend....but don't hold you're breath. Check out the new reviews HERE.

NEW MEMBER TO THE S.M.S.
We have also added another member to our Society of Mad Scientists: Dr. Henry Logan (sometimes called Dr. Frankenstein) from George Romero's DAY OF THE DEAD. For more info, click HERE.

SAW COMING TUESDAY!
And don't forget about our little SAW contest. Just read below for more details. Entries can only be taken until next Tuesday!

2-5-05 HAVE YOU SEEN SAW? WELL, NOW'S YOUR CHANCE!
    In a mere 10 days, SAW will be hitting the store shelves, a day after Valentine's Day. Honestly, I can't think of a better present to give your sweetheart, can you?
    In any case, we are very excited about this release, since we really enjoyed the movie. The disc will have audio commentary by director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell. It will also have a Making of Documentary, along with a music video, with a Making of the Video as well.
    In honor of this release, we have a little opportunity for fans of this movie out there. We have 3 mini posters from this movie, with one of the original artwork, the severed hand, that we will be giving away.
    Now what do you have to do to get one of these cool posters? Well, unlike the movie, this is very easy to figure out. No difficult clues you have to unravel. All you have to do is send us an email with your name, by clicking HERE. 3 names will be drawn out of all that we receive between now and Tuesday, February 15th, the official release date of SAW. We will announce the winners on that day. Good luck!

EXPLOITATION FILMS
    I've recently started reading Filmmaking On The Fringe by Maitland McDonagh and came across something I found pretty amusing. In the introduction, there's a quote from Ephraim Katz's The Film Encyclopedia about exploitation films.
    It defines them as, "Films made with little or no attention to quality or artistic merit but with an eye to profit, usually via high-pressure sales and promotion techniques emphasizing some sensational aspect of the product."
    McDonagh goes one to say that by that definition, big budgeted films like James Cameron's TERMINATOR 2 or Oliver Stone's JFK should also be lumped in as exploitation film. But I'd like to take that even a step further. I'd like to thing that maybe around 80 or 90% of what Hollywood is turning out fits under those words. Especially the part about "little or no attention to quality of artistic merit". That's pretty much hitting the nail right on the head. And then when you add in the part about "high-pressure sales and promotion". Once again, square on the head.
    So why am I bringing this up? Not really sure. Maybe I'm just too cynical about the whole Hollywood thing. That the day will never come when the studios take chances on something new or different. That they're main concern is just getting the asses in the theaters on opening night.
    Then again, this is also coming from the guy who enjoyed both VAN HELSING and ALIEN VS PREDATOR...so what do I know?

2-4-05 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GEORGE ROMERO
Just wanted to take a sec and wish Mr. Romero a Happy Birthday, and hopefully many more.

JOHN VERNON - R.I.P.
    This really is a bad week for us movie fans. Earlier this week, we heard of the passing of Paul Partain. Then last night, I read where we have lost a face that every movie fan would recognize. No matter what kind of films you watched, whether it was horror, comedy, or drama, you would have known the face of John Vernon. Probably best known for the character of Dean Wormer from John Landis' ANIMAL HOUSE, but Vernon has played in everything. While looking through his resume, I was even surprised how just how much work he did doing voices for cartoons, even back in the 60's.
    But for horror fans like myself, I also remember Vernon from movies like CURTAINS, THE UNCANNY, and especially KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE.
    Vernon died peacefully at his home on Tuesday.
    But then today we heard that Ossie Davis passed away too. While nowhere known for his rolls in the horror genre, he still was an incredible actor. Though, we still remember his great performance as President Kennedy in Don Coscarelli's BUBBA HO-TEP.
    Our condolences go out to both their families.

HAUTE TENSION POSTER
    We seen the new poster for the French film HAUTE TENSION (now called HIGH TENSION) over at Dread Central and wanted to post it here with my little two cents worth.
    Lions Gate has been doing great things in my opinion. Not only are they releasing a lot of great horror movies over here, but they are also standing by them, and promoting them. I can only imagine that filmmakers have to love that they know their film isn't going to be forgotten and left on the shelf, or delayed for years....you know who they are.
    So Lions Gate is releasing this intense French film here in the states on June 3rd. We've seen the movie (thanks to our buddies at Xploited Cinema) and love the film. But I just have to say that I'm not really that impressed with the movie poster. With the violence in this movie, along with the gore, I would have preferred a poster that delivered something with the same amount of...balls, that Lions Gate had releasing this film with a NC-17 rating as oppose cutting it down to an R rating.
    At least they didn't give us one of those with just a face...I guess I should be grateful for that, huh?

CHINESE GHOSTS COMING TO CHICAGO!
On a happier note, if you're in the Chicagoland area and are a fan of the CHINESE GHOST STORY movies, you're in luck. During their celebration of the Hong Kong cinema (going from 2/4 to 2/28), the Gene Siskel Film Center will be playing CHINESE GHOST STORY 3, during their highlighting of actor Tony Leung. This will be playing next Friday (the 11th at 9:45pm) and Saturday (the 12th at 7:30pm). We will be there on Saturday! As much as I'd love to see the first segment in this awesome series, I've always enjoyed part 3 over 2 anyway.
If you want more information about the Film Center, their Hong Kong film series, or anything else, click HERE.

1-31-05 R.I.P. - PAUL A. PARTAIN
It seems that we have lost another great and memorable face from a horror classic. Paul Partain, known to us horror fans as the whiney wheelchair-bound Franklin in Tobe Hooper's TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, passed away on Friday, January 28th, due to cancer. He was 58.
All I can say is that I am so grateful to have been able to meet him at last year's Cinema Wasteland show. He was very friendly and very happy to talk to his fans at the show. You can see photos of him from that show in our Convention Photo section. Our condolences go out to his family and friends.

1-30-05 JANUARY JUST PLAIN SUCKED!
I just wanted to go on record stating that if this is a look at what the rest of the year is going to be like, it's going to be a rough year for me. For this whole month, we have been battling the flu, sinuses infection, and really bad colds. This has been been draining the life out of me, killing any and all motivation I have. Well, since I finally broke down and went to see the doc and got some meds, I'm hoping that this thing will finally go away, and let us get back to our regular scheduled programming!!!!

BURTON DOES IT AGAIN
Since we are a huge fan of Burton's NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, we were very excited when we heard that we was going to do another animated film. Well, now the official site has opened for THE CORPSE BRIDE. Right now, there is only the trailer (which looks really cool), but I'm sure they'll be adding more stuff the closer we get to the release date this Halloween.

MULTIPLE RELEASES = MORE $$$
    A few years ago at one of the Cinema Wasteland shows, actor Bill Moseley made the comment that theatrical releases are becoming more and more just extended trailers. Because when the DVD is released, there's usually extra footage that was not in the theatrical print. Now I'm sure this is more the case with horror movies than your normal romance, but it seems even comedies are doing this more and more.
    So my question is that if the studios are really trying to get us to the theater more, why would we pay $10 to see a movie when it 6 months you can just buy the DVD at pretty much the same cost and get more for your money?
    It seems that Wes Craven's CURSED is finally coming out, with a PG-13 rating. But the studios have already said that there will be an unrated version (actually it's the R rated version) when it hits DVD. So it's going to take something really special for me to pay that money to see something in the theater. And that doesn't come along too often either.

CHANEY JR. BOOK REVIEW
We have added another book review to our Library section. This time it is for Don G. Smith's wonderful biography of Lon Chaney Jr. I must say that I did learn a great deal about this trouble and underrated actor.

INCREASE YOUR KNOWLEDGE
And while on the subjects of reference books, we have quite a deal for you. We have a copy of the McFarland book Horror Film Directors, 1931-1990, by Dennis Fischer. The retail price on this hardcover is a hefty $95.00. Well, since we're always trying to help educate other fans, we are offering this for only $45. That's $50 off the cover price. This is a used copy, but the condition is still in good condition. We haven't put it up on our Books For Sale section yet, but will be going up soon. We only have 1 of them, so if you're interested, email us right away.

EBAY AUCTIONS
Since we've been transferring a lot of our pre-records onto DVD, we are putting the originals on eBay. No dupes or bootlegs here, just good old fashion VHS. We also will be putting up some lasers as well, such as Hammer's TWINS OF EVIL and VAMPIRE CIRCUS, as soon as we get some photos taken. Most of our starting bids are at a low $3.00, so they are very affordable. Check them out HERE if you're interested.

MYSTERY PHOTO
Once again, only two correct answers on this last one. Congrats to Terry Luster (again!) and Hoby Abernathy. The correct answer is DEADLY EYES, starring poor Scatman Crothers who's about to get munched by a bunch of dachshunds with wigs on them. I've always enjoyed this movie, and would love to see it hit DVD someday.
Anyway, onto our newest photo. Good Luck!

NEW DVD REVIEW
We also have a review up for the TWILIGHT ZONE series from the 80's. Enjoy!

1-19-05 LACK OF UPDATES
Greetings folks. I feel like I should apologize for the lack of updates lately. Things have been kind of crazy here at the Krypt this last month, with a lot of stuff going on keeping us away from here. Granted one of them was a DVD burner, but trust me, there were a few other things in there as well. So, I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things with some more regular updates. I was hoping for a bigger update with this one, but went ahead with what I have now, and plan on adding some more in the next couple of days.

MYSTERY PHOTO
Two correct answers this last time. Congrats to William Wilson and Terry Luster for correctly identifying Chris Sarandon in Dan O'Bannon's highly underrated THE RESURRECTED.
This time up, we have another tough one. If you can recognize the man in the photo, and the things at his feet, you might be able to figure this one out. Good Luck!

NEW REVIEWS
    As usual, we were hoping to have a bunch of movie reviews up with this update, but we're still working on a few of them. So in the meantime, we do have a review of the Roddy McDowell classic IT! CURSE OF THE GOLEM.
    We also have a review up for the Larry Buchanan autobiography, IT CAME FROM HUNGER in the Reference Reviews in our Library section.
    And then lastly, we have a review up of a great little CD that may bring back some memories for some of you older horror fans. Remember The Vampyre at the Harpsichord? Well, the folks at Electric Lemon are releasing these great gothic musical scores on CD. Read our review of it in our Soundtrack reviews, and then you can check out their website HERE.

CINEMA WASTELAND UPDATE
With only a couple of months left before we head to the land of....O's, for the Spring Cinema Wasteland show, but the Wasteland crew has added a couple of guests to their already massive lineup for this year. I'm not sure where Ken dug this guy up, but Terry Loftin is going to be there. Who's that? Have you not heard of the movie NAILGUN MASSACRE? Well, okay, so it's not a great movie, but is another classic from the mid 80's. Come one...how could it be bad with a title like that? Anyway back to the point, Terry Loftin was the writer, co-director, producer on the film. Hell, he even did the stunts as well. He'll be at the show with our buddies Xploited Cinema selling copies of the recently released DVD of NAILGUN MASSACRE.
Kane Hodder will also be joining the guest lineup.

AND HERE'S A NICE CHANGE OF PACE...
    For once, there are going to be some great celebs at the Ray Courts Hollywood Collector's show this April in Chicago. Russ Tamblyn will be there. Tamblyn was in the incredible film THE HAUNTING, not to mention making a couple of great films with Al Adamson, like SATAN'S SADISTS and DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN. And then there's Cassandra Peterson...aka Elvira. But then Andrew Prine is scheduled to be there as well. Prine was in so many genre movies from the 70's and 80's, he was always a welcomed face to see. Some of our favorites are THE EVIL, SIMON: KING OF THE WITCHES, and GRIZZLY, but there are many, many more.
    I just hope their not charging TOO much money for their autographs....I've got a lot of posters for Prine to sign....
    The Courts show is set for April 16th-17th. Click HERE for more info and other guests that are scheduled.

B-MOVIE FEST NEXT WEEKEND
Every year we try to plan to make it this, and every year we never do. And this year looks no different. But if you are interested in participating in a 24 hour festival of B-movies and are in the Chicagoland area, then this is for you. Click HERE for more information about this festival.

1-4-05 WELCOME TO 2005!
Welcome everyone to another year at the Krypt. I hope that Santa Claws was nice to everyone and delivered some nice DVD movies to you. I know I got my share. We've also recently required one of those stand alone DVD burners. So we've spent the last couple of weeks transferring a lot of our old movies onto DVD. We also transferred a lot of our laserdiscs, including some rare Hammer titles. We will be listing them up on ebay very soon.
I must say, sitting here transferring all these old movies onto DVD sure reminds me of the old days when I bought my first VCR, and would rent another VCR and tape a bunch of movies. You know, back when VCRs were like $300 or $400 instead of $30.

SHAUN OF THE DEAD WINNER!
Congrats to Efren Hernandez, who won our DVD giveaway. Thanks to everybody who entered. Those of you who didn't win, go out and buy it!!!! It is a must for the collection.

MYSTERY PHOTO
Terry Luster was the only one to recognize that famous monster from Larry Buchanan's IT'S ALIVE...or wait, wasn't that in CREATURE OF DESTRUCTION...Like AIP never did that! Anyway, that shot was from IT'S ALIVE.
We have put up another one, a nice closeup of someone in need of some major dental work. Good luck!

CONVENTION SEASON IS ALMOST UPON US!
    With the start of a new year, that means it's the start of another year of conventions. And the first one for us is less than 3 months away. That would be the Cinema Wasteland show, April 1-3, in Cleveland Ohio. They have a great lineup that any fan of the 60's and 70's horror will have a blast at. Names like Robert Quarry, Sybil Danning, Reggie Bannister, John Cardos, Greydon Clark, and many more. Check out the website HERE for a full listing.
    I know we won't be setting up at Horrorfind this year, but may be there hanging out. Depends on the guests. But we are planning to give the Wonderfest show a try. For collectors of model kits and such, this is the show to go to. I know that whatever money I make, I will be spending on model kits. Yes, it's a vicious circle.
    And of course, we'll also be at the Flashback Weekend at the end of July. Mike and company haven't made any announcements yet as far as their guest lineup, but I'm sure he'll come up with some great ones, as usual.
    So plan those vacation days now people, and hope to see at the shows.

FROM BEYOND...UNCUT!!!!
    A couple of days ago, I read some news of some deleted footage from Stuart Gordon's FROM BEYOND had been found and there are plans to make a director's cut DVD release. I was skeptical at first, not wanting to get my hopes up too high.
    But after reading the report on the Dread Central website, it sure sounds a little more believable. Here's part of what Gordon said about the missing footage:
    The footage includes the complete brain sucking sequence in which Crawford Tillinghast (Jeffrey Combs) sucks out Dr. Bloch's (my wife Carolyn Purdy Gordon) eyeball and spits it out. The eyeball lands on the floor looking up at the camera (it took forever to get that shot). And then we push in on his mouth as he sucks out her brain through her eye socket. I can still remember the lady from the MPAA scolding me about this shot like I was a bad kid sent to the principal's office. "How could you have ever thought we would give you an R rating when instead of cutting away you continue to push in closer and closer AND CLOSER?!"
    There is also some extended brain munching, nudity and violence.
    For the whole story, check out Dread Central's report HERE.