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 53 – H.G. Lewis

October 4, 2023

Blood Feast (1963), Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964), The Gruesome Twosome (1967), The Wizard of Gore (1970)

When Herschell Gordon Lewis made his first nudie cutie film in 1961, nobody would have expected that he’d become one of the most important names in the history of horror. But with the release of Blood Feast just two years later, Lewis and his producing partner David F. Friedman would invent the gore subgenre and would fundamentally reshape horror as we knew and understood it. And for about a decade after it, Lewis would continue to release gore-obsessed fare to grindhouses and drive-ins across the nation. When those sorts of theaters started to fade away in the 70s, so did Lewis, who went back to his previous career in advertising. But in the 80s and beyond his fame was resuscitated on home video and in the pages of magazines like Fangoria and Deep Red where he became known as The Godfather of Gore.

With some help from Christopher Wayne Curry, author of A Taste of Blood: The Films of Herschell Gordon Lewis, we dive into four of his films and manage to talk about a whole slew of others.

Movies mentioned in this episode:

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Episode 52 – Álex de la Iglesia

September 20, 2023

Perdita Durango (1997), Common Wealth (2000), Witching and Bitching (2013)

There are a few directors like Álex de la Iglesia. No matter what kind of film he’s making, he weaves in and out of different genres like changing lanes on a busy highway. But no matter what, you will usually see his twisted and dark sense of humor, unique and interesting stories, and usually something you’ve never seen before on film. And that could all be before the opening credits!

In this episode, we dive into three of his features, one a brutal tale of sex and violence, one a tale of greed and what people will do because of it, and finally a supernatural tale of witches that is quite different than anything coming from Disney!

Movies mentioned in this episode:

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Episode 51: Universal Mummies

September 6, 2023

The Mummy (1932), The Mummy’s Hand (1940), The Mummy’s Tomb (1942), The Mummy’s Ghost (1944), and The Mummy’s Curse (1944).

In this episode, we go back the Universal Classics and take on one of the most unusual of the classic monsters, the Mummy. It’s probably one of the best costumes and memorable character, but never seems to reach the same level of notoriety as his fellow monsters. But strangely enough, it is the one Universal monster to have more films devoted to his character alone, without going into the Monster Rally films where they had more than one monster in the picture.

Here we dig up some facts as well as our own thoughts on the original 1932 film starring the one and only Boris Karloff, as well as the 4 other Mummy films that came out almost a decade later, but with much smaller budgets. These sequels started with a different mummy character and had a continuing storyline between the 4 films, or at least tried.

Films mentioned in this episode:

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50th Show LIVE!!!

August 21, 2023

In two days, at 8pm (CST), we will be celebrating our 50th episode by doing a LIVE show! The best part is that there will be a chat room, so you are welcome to ask questions, make comments, and maybe even count how many times Jon swears, or has technical difficulties, which then usually leads to more swearing!

Your Hosts:
Jon Kitley – Damien Glonek – Aaron AuBuchon

The plan is to go live at 8pm, and we’ll have a few subjects that we’ll be covering, but the main point of this is to hear from our fans. If you have suggestions for a possible topic, let’s hear it! If there is a particular episode that you really enjoyed, let us know! If there was a movie you watched because of one of our episodes and really enjoyed it, let’s hear it!

All you do is click on the link below at 8pm and it will take you to YouTube channel where you’ll be able to see us during the chat. Hope to hear from you and hear your thoughts and suggestions.

Discover the Horror T-Shirts Are Here!

August 21, 2023

We now have our own Discover the Horror T-Shirts available that have our logo in bright green just jumping off the shirt! Show your support of the show by ordering yours today! All the ordering information can be found at the link at the top left of the screen, on the main link bar. A huge thanks out to our friends at Pallbearer Press for helping to bring these to life!

Just click on link above where it says “DTH SHIRTS” to order your own shirt to give your support for the show.

Episode 49 – Fanzines with Dave Kosanke

August 9, 2023

One of the things that was realized at some point after the creation of Famous Monsters magazine, was that there was this horror fandom, or fan base, of all these horror fans around the country, in a variety of ages, that realized that they were not alone in their love of horror. While there were more magazines to follow, at some point there was the birth of the fanzine, which was the low budget version of a professional magazine, but one that was created by nothing but passion. In the ’90s, with home computers and then desktop publishing became something you had in your own home, more and more of these fanzines started. Each one wrote about the films they wanted to cover, whether it was mainstream, though mainly they were talking about more on the obscure side, but it was always through the excitement of hoping to get others to seek those films out.

In this episode, we welcome Dave Kosanke, creator and genius behind the fanzine Liquid Cheese, which Dave created, wrote, and self-published for 25 years. Dave’s knowledge of the horror genre and fanzines is a topic that he is more than well-versed in, which it shows within the first few minutes of chatting with him.

Fanzines and magazines mentioned in this episode:

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Episode 48 – Witches

July 26, 2023

Night of the Eagle aka Burn, Witch, Burn (1962), Eyes of Fire (1983), Pyewacket (2017)

Welcome to Episode 48, where we are about to discuss one of the oldest perceived monsters in our history . . . witches. But as we know in film, there are many different types of witches, therefore a lot of different types of witch movies. Some titles the craft is done for good, while there are others to use it for more of a darker side, maybe for a personal gain. And then there are those that are just plan evil. 

Either way, this is a genre monster that not only is one of the oldest ones, it also has crossed into many other genres, from romance to comedies. But it doesn’t take away the power behind the sub-genre. So, sit down and make sure you have your favorite lucky charm with you, light a candle, or whatever you need to do for protection, as we delve into 3 different titles.

Movies Mentioned During This Episode:

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Episode 47 – William Castle

July 13, 2023

House on Haunted Hill (1959), The Tingler (1959), and Mr. Sardonicus (1961). In the world of ballyhoo, nobody comes close to being a master at it than producer/director William Castle. From giving insurance policies to filmgoers in case they die of fright, promising the horrors onscreen will come off the screen into the audiences, to even letting the audience decide the fate of one of the characters in the film, Castle was a master of it. He treated his fans with respect and wanted everyone to have a great time with his pictures. And they still are entertaining today.

In this episode we’re going to delve into 3 of Castle’s films, as well as the man himself. Joining us to talk all things Castle is superfan and collector (not to mention Regional Warrior for Severin Films) Matt Harding!

Films Mentioned in this episode:

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Episode 46 – Horror & Heavy Metal

July 1, 2023

Horror movies and heavy metal music have almost gone hand in hand, since the real first heavy metal band, Black Sabbath- which was even named after a horror film! Horror films were a huge influence on the metal genre, from imagery on the album covers, to the lyrics, and even the sound and style of the music itself. And they continue to do so to this day.

To delve a little deeper into the connection between those two, we invited two members of Incantation, one of the oldest death metal bands out there, Kyle Severn and Chuck Sherwood. So, join us as we talk music, metal, and movies!

Films mentioned during this episode:

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