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Discover The Horror: One Man's 50-Year Quest for Monsters, Maniacs, and the Meaning of it All.
For over five decades, Jon Kitley has been on a never-ending quest to explore as much of the horror film genre as possible, from the early days of terror television to movie theaters and drive-ins, from the video explosion to the creation of his long-running website. Now, for the first time, fans of Kitley's Krypt can read how it all started (and continues to this day) as Jon shares his personal "tales from the road" experiences, having attending over a hundred horror movie conventions from coast-to-coast, as well as thoughts on different sub-genres, critics, reference books, and so much more. Plus, discover plenty of tips on how YOU can get the most out of your own journey into Monsters, Maniacs, and the Meaning of it All!
271 pages, Paperback
Published July 11, 2019
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18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 12, 2020
A love letter to falling in love and staying in love for keeps, Jon Kitley's book is part memoir, part philosophical essay, part recruitment pamphlet, and part historical document about the restorative power of embracing your passion. In Mr. Kitley's case, the passion comes from the myth, legend, and lore of the horror story.
In a very egalitarian and pop-culture way, Kitley attempts to show how he was given a hobby, a passion, and even a moral center through the power of mythical storytelling. Imagine the late Harvey Pekar focusing his working-class poetry on a lifetime of watching horror films and you'll have an idea of the funny and heartwarming style of Kitley's writing.
As the title suggests, we get a tour through five decades of pop culture and the horror fan subculture. The journey is framed by Kitley's; we are there for his earliest connections to monsters and then through the formative experiences that made a hobby into a passion, to become a creator and storyteller himself. However, there is a parallel story that runs with the historical and philosophical path, and that is of a man who goes through a personal emotional journey that has him find love, family and friends. Upon closer review, it is apparent that the two love stories are inseparable from each other.
DISCOVER THE HORROR is a great travelogue through a time long before pop culture was given any serious consideration, and before there was any cachet to being a geek, and before the internet made it easy for misfits to connect and unite. But what makes this so much fun to read is that Kitley is able to evoke the thrill and excitement of the early days of fandom and fan conventions by inserting himself, his family and his friends into the fabric. After 50 years, Kitley hasn't lost any of his youthful energy around the horror genre and his stories crackle with his excitement about the community he immersed himself in, wholeheartedly.
What really separates this book from other examinations of pop culture is the high priority that Kitley puts on human interaction, the need for community, and a spirit of inclusion. Even though it is quite apparent that Kitley is very much a collector and curator of horror culture, it is even more apparent that none of that treasure collecting matters if the end result isn't a loving connection with others and sharing it with others-even passing the torch to new and curious viewers.
By the title alone, DISCOVER THE HORROR, welcomes you and entreats you to join along with Kitley and his fellow horror fanatics. He knows that no good journey is done alone and that the greatest joy in finding treasure is sharing it with those you love.
In a very egalitarian and pop-culture way, Kitley attempts to show how he was given a hobby, a passion, and even a moral center through the power of mythical storytelling. Imagine the late Harvey Pekar focusing his working-class poetry on a lifetime of watching horror films and you'll have an idea of the funny and heartwarming style of Kitley's writing.
As the title suggests, we get a tour through five decades of pop culture and the horror fan subculture. The journey is framed by Kitley's; we are there for his earliest connections to monsters and then through the formative experiences that made a hobby into a passion, to become a creator and storyteller himself. However, there is a parallel story that runs with the historical and philosophical path, and that is of a man who goes through a personal emotional journey that has him find love, family and friends. Upon closer review, it is apparent that the two love stories are inseparable from each other.
DISCOVER THE HORROR is a great travelogue through a time long before pop culture was given any serious consideration, and before there was any cachet to being a geek, and before the internet made it easy for misfits to connect and unite. But what makes this so much fun to read is that Kitley is able to evoke the thrill and excitement of the early days of fandom and fan conventions by inserting himself, his family and his friends into the fabric. After 50 years, Kitley hasn't lost any of his youthful energy around the horror genre and his stories crackle with his excitement about the community he immersed himself in, wholeheartedly.
What really separates this book from other examinations of pop culture is the high priority that Kitley puts on human interaction, the need for community, and a spirit of inclusion. Even though it is quite apparent that Kitley is very much a collector and curator of horror culture, it is even more apparent that none of that treasure collecting matters if the end result isn't a loving connection with others and sharing it with others-even passing the torch to new and curious viewers.
By the title alone, DISCOVER THE HORROR, welcomes you and entreats you to join along with Kitley and his fellow horror fanatics. He knows that no good journey is done alone and that the greatest joy in finding treasure is sharing it with those you love.
January 11, 2024
“Discover the Horror” author Jon Kitley was born a year before I was (the geezer!), so it wasn’t surprising that the reading experience, for me, had a very “meet my brother from another mother” vibe. Horror fans of my and Jon’s “vintage” share so many parallel experiences in our paths of discovery: growing up with 3 channels on the television; watching “The Munsters”, “Kolchak The Night Stalker”, and falling in love with the classic monsters that lumbered through the afternoon movie; discovering Fangoria magazine and what would be the glory days of practical makeup effects; the coming of VHS and uncovering cinematic treasures from bootleg video dealers; traveling to horror conventions and meeting like-minded people and realizing we weren’t just lonely patchwork monsters when it came to our passion for all things spooky.
Speaking of spooky parallels, Jon and I (decades before we’d actually meet) were both present at the first World Horror Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. Of course, since I WAS a Nashvillian, Jon (an Illinois resident) faced a much longer drive home. We each belong to a group of friends who have, for many years, held post-Thanksgiving “Turkey Day Bad Movie Marathons” (Jon’s is on the Friday after the holiday, ours is on Saturday). Most bizarrely, we each did a tour of duty as a Sears employee. So yeah, reading Jon’s book caused a lot of smiling and head-nodding from me, thinking “Yeah, me too, brother!”
BUT, lest I have you believing that you have to be a little grey (or balding) on the roof to connect to Jon’s book, be assured that even if you’re a young ‘un, and new to a love for the horror genre, you will find much within the pages to reassure you that you have a “family” of fans waiting to embrace you, and to whet your appetite for subgenres of horror film yet-to-be-explored. Jon shares insights into his concept of “cinema archeologist”: those horror film fans who take the deeper dive into the lore, history and craft of horror films and wear their passion proudly!
“Discover the Horror” is a well-written, funny and touching memoir from a guy who “gets” movie monsters and why we love ‘em. Well done, Jon! But I won’t forget that you got to meet Spanish horror icon Paul Naschy, and I didn’t. That one’s always gonna sting.
Speaking of spooky parallels, Jon and I (decades before we’d actually meet) were both present at the first World Horror Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. Of course, since I WAS a Nashvillian, Jon (an Illinois resident) faced a much longer drive home. We each belong to a group of friends who have, for many years, held post-Thanksgiving “Turkey Day Bad Movie Marathons” (Jon’s is on the Friday after the holiday, ours is on Saturday). Most bizarrely, we each did a tour of duty as a Sears employee. So yeah, reading Jon’s book caused a lot of smiling and head-nodding from me, thinking “Yeah, me too, brother!”
BUT, lest I have you believing that you have to be a little grey (or balding) on the roof to connect to Jon’s book, be assured that even if you’re a young ‘un, and new to a love for the horror genre, you will find much within the pages to reassure you that you have a “family” of fans waiting to embrace you, and to whet your appetite for subgenres of horror film yet-to-be-explored. Jon shares insights into his concept of “cinema archeologist”: those horror film fans who take the deeper dive into the lore, history and craft of horror films and wear their passion proudly!
“Discover the Horror” is a well-written, funny and touching memoir from a guy who “gets” movie monsters and why we love ‘em. Well done, Jon! But I won’t forget that you got to meet Spanish horror icon Paul Naschy, and I didn’t. That one’s always gonna sting.
June 7, 2021
Horror non-fiction usually falls into two categories. Passionate fan accounts or academic analysis. Jon Kitley sits firmly in the former bracket, even going so far as to express dislike for “psycho-babble” academics while also criticising the Oscars for not acknowledging horror. He runs a website by the name of Kitley's Krypt. Despite some careless typos in the book that should have been edited out, you roll with it because of his huge enthusiasm for horror movies and horror convention events. Written in an autobiographical style, his many fun anecdotes give the book a distinct personal touch which other horror books lack. Especially memorable are his Halloween stories in which he put in the effort to scare the neighbourhood! Sad that he becomes a bit more disillusioned in later chapters but a natural progression as we get older. His youthful outlook is what I loved and was inspired by. Luckily the personal anecdotes outweigh the jaded remarks. Besides that, he offers many recommendations of lesser known horror. He seems like a super friendly guy who I'd be happy to have a beer with if our paths ever crossed.
March 23, 2020
A fun journey along Jon Kitley's life from movie fan to cinema archeologist. Jon is fun, approachable, and entertaining as he describes some of his likes, dislikes, and experiences. You'll likely discover some film titles you haven't known of, you'll definitely get to know whether your find his website and suggestions helpful.
It's not meant to be a comprehensive academic investigation of the horror genre, so don't expect this to be one of those books. But you'll likely learn ways to better appreciate films and the horror convention industry.
It's not meant to be a comprehensive academic investigation of the horror genre, so don't expect this to be one of those books. But you'll likely learn ways to better appreciate films and the horror convention industry.
October 3, 2019
In trying to cram a lot into the book it ends up a little scattered. I loved the early years that involved the author falling in love with the genre. The end has a lot of pages covering various cons which I didn't enjoy as much.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews