Book Review: Hitchcock & Herrmann

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Hitchcock and Herrmann: The Friendship and Film Scores That Changed Cinema
Published by Oxford University Press, 2025. 295 pages
By Steven C. Smith

I had purchased Smith’s previous book, on composer Max Steiner, so when this new one was coming out, I pre-ordered it. Not only because I knew it was going to be interesting with the subject matter being the work that Hitchcock and composer Bernard Herrmann did, but I just love learning more about the making of the films. Learning about the making of the music for these films was something new and made me very curious to dig into. Especially since I have not one bit of musical talent myself, would I be able to understand what the author was describing? While there are parts where Smith delves into the actual music, for a layman like me, it was still very comprehensible and not overpowering where you lose interests.

The book opens with Herrmann conducting the score for Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1976), which would be his last score. It shows just how much influence his scores had been to this new generation of directors, such as Scorsese, Brian De Palma, and even modern composers like John Williams. And while Herrmann started his film score career with Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane (1941), it really was his work with Alfred Hitchcock that gave him his fame. Even with his last scores, it showed Herrmann’s temperament and attitude, but also his ethics, style, and just sheer talent.

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Mystery Photo 6-8-26

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Our last photo was from the film Mother of Flies (2025) from the incredible Adams Family. If you haven’t seen any of their work, I would highly recommend it, especially The Deeper You Dig (2019) and Hellbender (2021). Only got 3 correct answers sent in this time, from Steve Adkins, Aaron Christensen, and Erik Martin. Well done!

This week’s photo is an old classic, but will you be able to recognize the title from this shot? Take a look and see if you can. Just remember to send your guess to me at jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good Luck!

Movie Review: Audition

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(1999)
Directed by Takashi Miike
Starring Ryô Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki, Jun Kunimura, Renji Ishibashi, Miyuki Matsuda

I can vividly remember the first time I watched this film when it first came out, thinking it was moving kind of slow in the beginning. I mean, this was a horror film, right? All we’re seeing is this guy going through a lot of trouble to meet a future wife, which seemed kind of creepy when you think about it. But then we start to see some cracks in the story, meaning it isn’t going the way it seemed like. And then comes the infamous third act. Holy shit.

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Movie Review: The Navy vs the Night Monsters

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The Navy vs. the Night Monsters (1966)
Directed by Michael A. Hoey, with Jon Hall & Arthur C. Pierce (both uncredited)
Starring Mamie Van Doren, Anthony Eisley, Billy Gray, Bobby Van, Pamela Mason, Walter Sande, Edward Faulkner, Phillip Terry

What a title, huh? That would surely draw the attention of any young monster fan. And I’m sure it did, especially if you were cruising through the TV guide and saw this listed some Saturday afternoon. Which is exactly where most younger fans saw it. Now I’m not saying this is a terrible film by any means, but it is definitely a Turkey. Recently released on Blu-ray from Leomark Studios, in about as bare-bones edition as you can get. I had a copy of this movie on DVD from Cheezy Flicks or some other low budget place, and this Blu-ray is just slightly a step up from that. Barely. The movie just starts when you start the disc. No menus and definitely no extras. In fact, the cover art shows a guy with a beard staring at some sort of alien creature, face to face. Neither of these characters are in this movie, which is about killer plants. In fact, I’m trying to remember if there was even a guy with a beard!?!? But nonetheless, since it looks like they spent about $1 on the packaging, let’s get to the actual movie.

The movie starts with the typical narration, letting us know about how the U.S. is exploring Antarctic, to discover all its secrets! And after finding some strange plant life in an apparently warm spot down there, they load it on a plane to take it to the states. But on their way to Gow Island to refuel, they run into issues as they try to land. Low budget icon Anthony Eisley stars as Lt. Charles Brown (I kid you not) who is now in command of a Navy base located there, since his commanding officer left the night before, and now he must step up and take charge.

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Sex Murder Art – Revised and Expanded

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Originally published back in 1994, and written by David Kerekes, this book has now been updated with even more information about the infamous German director Jörg Buttgereit. The original version was called the “definitive account of the director’s work, filled with contemporaneous interviews and framed around the author’s visit to Berlin for the filming of Schramm.” But now this new edition digs a little deeper into Buttgereit’s beginning, back when Berlin was still divided by the Wall, and his start as a notorious filmmaker who was once accused of just glorifying violence.

At 294 pages, available in both hardcover and softcover, the book has detailed information and analysis of his feature films, his early short films, and much more, stating that this book “remains the ultimate testament to the obsession, paranoia and politics of underground filmmaking.” The hardcover editions can only be purchased through Headpress’ website (HERE).

While you might not be a fan of his films, one must still give him credit for what he was doing, especially at that time.

Mystery Photo 6-1

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Welcome to June! Almost halfway through the year. Congrats on all of us for surviving so far! Our last photo was from the 2002 war film, Deathwatch, starring Jamie Bell and Andy Serkis. Around that time, there were more than a few of these similar themed war films, about the soldiers being haunted by something, but I remember this one being especially good. Congrats to the following for sending in the correct answer: Aaron AuBuchon, Todd Barwick, Aaron Christensen, Kevin Hart, Erik Martin, and James Turner. Well done!

Now on to this week’s photo. See if you can figure out the title from this wonderful shot of a house that just seems so warm and cozy! Just remember to send your guess to me in an email, to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. And Good Luck!

Kelly Curtis – Rest in Peace

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Back in November of 2012, HorrorHound Weekend had the honor of having Jamie Lee Curtis as a guest, where fans were going nuts to have the chance to see and meet her. But when I heard her sister was also at the show taking photos and documenting the event, that got me a little more excited. Kelly Curtis had starred in Michele Soavi’s 1991 film The Sect, aka The Devil’s Daughter, appearing alongside the great Herbert Lom. Nothing against her younger sister Jamie but wanted to at least meet her and tell her how much I enjoyed her only entry in the horror genre. I think she was a bit surprised when someone came up to her to ask her if she was Jamie’s sister but then asked her about The Sect! We only chatted for a few minutes about her working on the film, about Soavi, and of course, Herbert Lom, but she was super nice and even took a photo with me.

It was in the news yesterday, announced by her sister, that she had passed away, I know she appeared in more than a few productions both in film and TV, but because us horror fans are a dedicated lot, because of this single title in the genre, she will be remembered by a lot of us fans. Our thoughts go out to her and her family during this difficult time. Rest in Peace, Kelly.

Horror of Dracula in 4K and UNCUT!

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We kind of figured that a 4K release of Hammer’s Horror of Dracula (1958) would be coming out at some point, after the huge release of The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), not to mention several other titles. But what most fans didn’t expect was that it would contain footage never seen before, thought to lost for over six decades! I know when the Blu-ray came out a few years ago, which had a few seconds of long thought lost footage, of the Count’s demise, everyone was pretty excited about that. Those were some extra seconds, but now they are talking about 3 minutes of footage that is being restored into the film.

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Music Box of Horrors 2026!

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Okay Music Box fans… pay attention to this! The Music Box has announced the date for this year’s Music Box of Horrors, which will be on Saturday, October 24th, from noon to noon on Sunday. Tickets for this event will go on sale at noon on Thursday, June 11th. Now last year, the whole marathon sold out in a little over 24 hours! So, if you have any inkling to make it to this year’s marathon, I would set your clocks, alarms, computers, or whatever else you need to remind you to order your tickets once they do go on sale. Otherwise, when you see all the amazing titles they are going to be screening this year, you might be a little bummed.

Speaking of titles, they have announced 3 of them so far. They are Amityville II: The Possession (1982), Black Magic with Buddha (1983), and The German Chainsaw Massacre!

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DtH Episode 123 – Jean Rollin

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The Shiver of the Vampire (1972), Lips of Blood (1975), and The Living Dead Girl (1982)

The films created by director Jean Rollin are unlike anything else in the history of cinema. If you make your way into his incredible filmic world, you will be entranced by its beauty, cinematic landscapes, and unique horrors. And the more you venture down this path, the more you’ll start to pick up on repeating themes and motifs. Like Rollin, liminality, memory and nostalgia, families, surrealism and expressionism, might become your obsessions- they were certainly his.

If it is carefully constructed plots, realistic storylines, and deeply developed characters that you are searching for, then Rollin probably isn’t for you. But if you want the unique, the obsessive, the utterly gorgeous? Then you must dive into Rollin’s work if you’ve never stepped into that sea. And if you’ve been here before? Well, then there is no time like the present to walk slowly through the surf, exploring the past and finding landmarks jutting up just past the beach like forlorn teeth in a skull being beaten by the waves of memory.

Films mentioned in this episode:

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