Author: Jon Kitley

I started Kitley's Krypt back in October of 1998, using Microsoft Front Page. Over the years, that program had been updated until 2003. But now, with Windows 8, it no longer works and I've been force to change this website into a blog. I'm hoping to give the same info and spirit here as I did there. I'm a life long horror fan that hopes to spread my passion to others, in hope that they Discover the Horror of the genre, as I still do. I also write for HorrorHound Magazine (where my column won a Rondo Award in 2013 for Best Column) and Evilspeak magazine. You can also see me at about a half dozen conventions throughout the year.

Episode 73: Pre-Code Horror Comics

June 26, 2024

In the mid 1950’s an overzealous witch hunt took place in the United States focused on the corrupting effects of comic books on young people, which ended in horror comics being banned from the shelves by a draconian comics code. But why? What did those comics contain that got people so riled up? Well, it depends on who you ask.

WE asked Dr. Dan Yezbick, a comics scholar, and he sparked a lively discussion. If you’re only vaguely aware of this chapter of horror history, strap in, because pre-code horror is one of the more fascinating areas of the history of the genre.

Comics mention in this episode:

Episode 72: 1950’s Giant Creepy Crawlers

June 25, 2024

Them! (1954), The Deadly Mantis (1957), and The Black Scorpion (1957)

The decade of the 1950s gave horror fans a ton of different giant monster flicks, but usually taking something seemingly harmless, such as ants or grasshoppers, but somehow, someway, are mutated into growing into gigantic proportions! We had giant spiders, praying mantis, mollusks, and anything these creative filmmakers could come up, just make them bigger and let them loose!

While modern critics, or even those at the time when these titles came out, passed them off as something for the kiddies and not to be taken seriously. And sure, they were definitely made under the term of exploitation, but when you really look at them, there is a lot of talented people behind and in front of the camera, and some really well-made and creative craftsmanship going on as well. Some aspects may seem and are very dated by today’s standards, but there is still a lot there, as well as a lot of entertainment value. So, grab your can of raid, a giant size flyswatter, and maybe even some industrial strength gloves to wear so you don’t have to tough any of these nasty little buggers and listen to us have a little fun discussing some big creepy crawlers!

Movies mentioned in this episode:

Episode 71 – Infectious Body Horror

May 29, 2024

Splinter (2008), Thanatomorphose (2012), and Contracted (2013)

When discussing films that deal with body horror, David Cronenberg and his work usually come up in the conversation. How can he not, when so many of his earlier films all dealt with some sort of body horror, mutations, and transformations? But there are plenty of films that go above and beyond (and even below) Cronenberg’s impressive genre efforts… sometimes even making us wonder why we’re watching them in the first place! Could it be that we just want to see how much grossness we can stomach? Or is there more to it?

Body horror is one of the most horrific of horror’s subgenres, tossing heaping handfuls of disgust into the usual bag of scares. And maybe it’s the hangover from the recent global pandemic, maybe it’s the fact that by a certain age all of us have watched someone close to us fight a serious illness, or maybe it’s just built into us by Mother Nature, but there’s something especially horrific about body horror from infection. But what do we get from watching it? Disgust, discomfort, and maybe a deeper understanding of human experience and anxieties? We can for sure guarantee the first two- so let’s dig in!

Disclaimer: by the end of the episode, you will be forgiven if you catch yourself looking at your body in a full-length mirror thinking “well, at least no maggots fell out of there.

Movies mentioned in this episode:

Episode 70 – Universal Creature Series

May 15, 2024

Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), Revenge of the Creature (1955), The Creature Walks Among Us (1956).

And now, we come to the end of our Universal Monster episodes, having made our way through all the Dracula films, Frankenstein, Invisible Man, Mummy, and the Wolf Man, we now take a dive into the Black Lagoon! Coming out a little less than a decade after the last Universal Monster film (no, I’m not counting A&B Meet Frankenstein), it gave birth to a whole new generation of monster fans that might not have been around for the first cycle. And it did make quite the splash amongst fans, enough to permanently give its spot in the Universal Monster class. And there is a reason for that.

Join us while we take a deep dive into these films, maybe pushing you into the deep end of some of them, discussing some things you maybe didn’t know about them, and hopefully, if we’re doing our jobs, make you revisit them and think about them a little differently, or at least a little more. That’s the beauty of films, that no matter how many times you may have seen it, you never know what the next viewing experience will bring you.

Films mentioned in this episode:

Episode 69 – Horror at the Music Box with Will Morris

May 1, 2024

Many of us film fans out there attend theaters throughout the year, whether it be a national chain or one of the art house theaters. Then there are some that are even hitting some of the film festivals, special screenings, and those crazy enough, the marathons. For these kinds of events to happen though, there has to be some mad geniuses behind them to make them become a reality. That is a little of what a film programmer is, though what they do is so much more. From tracking down film prints, the best quality ones available, and even harder sometimes is who actually owns them, so they can screen them. A lot of times it might come down to the sheer passion they have for these offbeat, awkward, or just downright strange and fucked up, that makes them want to pass that along to new viewers. In other words, helping new fans Discover the Horror!

One of those mad geniuses is Will Morris, who is one of the programmers for the Music Box Theatre in Chicago, and has been programming the 24-hour marathon, The Music Box of Horrors, for close to a decade now, as well as programming their yearly January Giallo festival, and much, much more. We invited Will to come on the show to not only explain a little of what he does, but why. Get ready for a fun and wild ride.

Movies mention in the episode:

DtH Goes to Cinema Wasteland

April 24, 2024

Earlier in the month, all three of your hosts descended into Strongsville, OH for one of our favorite conventions around, Cinema Wasteland. While we were there having a blast as usual, we actually did a little recording, talking to different fans there as to why they come out to this one-of-a-kind show. And here is the result! Make sure you like and subscribe to our Discover the Horror YouTube channel, where we will have more content coming!

Episode 68 – Made for TV Horrors 3

April 17, 2024

The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre (1964), Crowhaven Farm (1970), and Cruise into Terror (1978)

With this being our 3rd episode covering these little television terrors, one would get the idea that there is a lot of teleplays, or TV-movies, out there that deserve our attention. And you would be correct! From the ’60s into the early ’80s, there was a plethora of amazing features being made for the little boob tube, not to mention a wide variety to talent behind them too!

Unfortunately, a lot of these titles still wander in limbo with never getting a legitimate release, some never even seeing a VHS release. While you can find a lot on YouTube, we’re all hoping for a real legitimate release at some point. Until then, we do what we must to see some incredible cinema!

So, grab your notepad because we’re going to discuss 3 titles that are definitely worth your time, and hope to spark you to take a little further adventure into Made-for-TV Terrors!

Titles Mentioned in this Episode:

Episode 67: Film Preservation and Archiving with Special Guest Oscar Becher

April 3, 2024

During conversations with serious film collectors, you might hear terms like inter-positive, or first negative, or even OCN, and have no clue to what they actually mean. Don’t feel bad because a lot of us are in the same boat. These are some of the many terms used when discussing the preservation and archiving of films, not to mention the amount of work that goes into doing just that. Plus, we’re not talking about the latest title coming from the MCU, but ones that were made for pennies a half a century ago, or longer, that got very little distribution, sometimes not even here in the states. But due to the thankless job (that we’re hoping to change) of some dedicated cinephiles, they are doing their best to bring those titles back from nearly being a lost film.

To help educate us on some of those terms, the processes, and just the sheer craziness of it all, we’ve asked Vault Manager and Archivist Oscar Becher from Vinegar Syndrome to do just that. While we’re not covering films, I’m pretty sure you’re going to learn a thing or two, maybe be even amazed at hearing some of this stuff, about the processes that go into bringing you that nice and spiffy new Blu-Ray of one of your favorite films.

Titles mentioned in this episode:

Episode 66: Women Horror Directors

March 20, 2024

Chained (2012), Honeymoon (2014), and Relic (2020)

With over 60 episodes so far in our podcast history, we realized that in all that we covered, we had never covered anything by a woman director. We knew we needed to change that. Going through the history of women directors, we realized that not only wasn’t something new, but have been working in the industry since the beginning of film. And in the last two decades, have really started to show their stuff. So, to help celebrate Women’s History Month, we figured it was well past due that we tackle three films that were directed by women, once again, picking three random titles, but amazed to find just how similar they were to each other, not to mention being very effective in their craft, and storytelling.

Movies mentioned in this episode:

Episode 65 – Universal Monster Rallies

March 6, 2024

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), House of Frankenstein (1944), and House of Dracula (1945).

Some say that the monster rally films marked the end of the Universal creature features, which could partially be true, but we feel it is for different reasons than the actual films themselves, and they still have a lot of merit to them. While the studio heads might not have cared too much about getting them made, those involved did their best with what they had. One of the biggest highlights of these titles is the cast of actors in them, some making their last appearances. You get to see Karloff, Chaney Jr., Carradine, J. Carrol Naish, George Zucco, Lionel Atwill, Dwight Frye, and so many other regular faces that will bring a smile to your face when they pop up onscreen.

While maybe running a little thin on ideas and decided to start combining monsters to hopefully bring back bigger box office returns, they still made films that we all still feel are entertaining and we feel are more than worth your time.

Movies mentioned in this episode: