You can always tell when a magazine is taking off when some issues seem to be selling out. Cryptology #8 came out in April and has been selling out at some outlets. Part of my job is to find out why, so you can pursue it yourselves.
The opening article, ‘Moonlighting Monsters’ by Mark Voger, shows that before typecasting dug in, many horror actors worked in other genres, including Lon Chaney and his son. A lot of the time, as they were under contract to the studios, they were used because they were available, and it allowed them to widen their range. It’ll be interesting to see how many of these films you’d earmark to see how they performed.
Writer Don Vaughn looks at the work of artist Graham Ingels (1915-1991), who worked for EC Comics but didn’t like comicbooks, regarding them purely as the only regular work he could get, even if he was often late with deadlines. What this article also shows is how good a painter he was. He taught others late in his life, despite being an alcoholic.
Then we come to the article that surely helped sell this issue, as Richard J. Arndt looks at the 1960 film Psycho. What director Alfred Hitchcock did here was start it as a crime story and then flip it into horror when Marion Crane (actor Janet Leigh) popped into the Bates Motel for the night. This feature is loaded with photos, including one of Norman’s Mom, although it misses out her rocking chair. It also probably made taxidermy a less popular hobby for motel proprietors.
A later article by Phil Hare has a transcript of a conversation between Alfred Hitchcock and Frederic Wertham, with the former explaining the difference between terror and showing bloodshed. Wertham, at the time, hadn’t seen Psycho, purely going by what he’d been told. Talk about not having first-hand experience.
Writer Joshua Winchester looks at the life of author Robert Bloch (1917-1994) and how he’d been a correspondent with H.P. Lovecraft when young before finally finding his own voice in his stories. It’s a fascinating read, with indications that Bloch never took his own life all that seriously.
Peter Normanton’s interview with director Tom Holland was supposed to centre on his 1985 film Fright Night, but also reveals the other films he made. I hadn’t realised he also directed Fatal Beauty, a crime comedy that hasn’t popped up on TV but is certainly available on DVD and such.
Writer Steve Kronenberg looks collectively at AIP’s B-movies I Was A Teenage Werewolf (1957), I Was A Teenage Frankenstein (1957), Blood Of Dracula (1957) and How To Make A Monster (1958). I think I’ve seen one of these, and Blood Of Dracula has never had a DVD release. There are a lot of references to Tom Weaver’s interview books but, considering the age of these films, reference material is scanty.
Writer Michael Bonesteel’s first part looking at pre-Code 1950s comicbooks focuses on Frankenstein’s monster, still relying on Jack Pierce’s make-up.
Something I do like about Cryptology is that it brings films I might want to see to my attention. A case in point is Tim Leese’s ‘Hammertime’, drawing attention to Taste Of Fear (1961), with its stellar cast. As with all the articles, there are stacks of photos, so you’re given a treat with a horror bent.
I can see why this issue is selling out, but there are still copies out there.
GF Willmetts
September 2026
(pub: TwoMorrows Publishing. 82-page illustrated magazine. Price: $10.95 (US). ISSN: 2997-4416. Direct from them, you can get it for $10.95 (US))
Check out website: https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_194&products_id=1898
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