‘Second Murderer’s’ (2023) sleazy 1940s Los Angeles would shock even Chandler
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): The Scottish author crafts a striking Marlowe pastiche novel that pulls no punches on the people or the city.
‘Second Murderer’s’ (2023) sleazy 1940s Los Angeles would shock even Chandler
‘The Burning’ (1981) puts the camp in summer camp slasher
Frightening Friday (Movie review): Horror shepherd Dimension Films has its roots in a “Friday the 13th” knockoff, albeit it one that nicely showcases its camp setting.
‘Time Machine’ (1895) tells of humanity’s fate in less than 100 pages
Throwback Thursday (Book review): Wells’ debut novel is both a warning and a critique of those who brush off warnings.
Chandler starts off soft-boiled in 1942’s ‘The Falcon Takes Over,’ ‘Time to Kill’
Sleuthing Sunday (Movie reviews): For a brief time, Chandler was in demand but Marlowe wasn’t. Thus we have these curiosities with the Falcon and Michael Shayne.
Crichton’s tossed-off ‘A Murder in Hollywood’ rightly retrieved
Book review: The newly uncovered ninth John Lange novel unveils Crichton’s early Hollywood observations and shows he can do a straight murder-mystery.
Meet ‘May’ (2002), the Manic Pixie Nightmare Girl
Frightening Friday (Movie review): In the same year as the underappreciated “Carrie” pilot, Angela Bettis gives an even more incredible (and weirder!) turn.
Cregger makes ‘Resident Evil’s’ simplicity its strength
Movie review: Never pretending the story is more than it is, the director gives us one great zombie sequence after another.
‘War of the Worlds’ (1898): Cosmic nature is red in tentacle and claw
Throwback Thursday (Book review): Wells makes us feel the smallness of humans’ place in the definitive work of alien-invasion science fiction.
DC Universe molds solid mainstream horror out of ‘Clayface’
Movie review: Though not big on surprises, this is a slick adaptation of an origin story “Batman” fans are familiar with.
‘Hercule Poirot’ (1962) comes to America on ‘General Electric Theater’
Sleuthing Sunday (TV review): Martin Gabel looks the part in the pilot of TV’s first attempt to create an ongoing Poirot series. It was salvaged as an episode of the anthology show.