THE COFFIN THINGS
Michael Avallone (1924-99) was one of the most prolific hacks of the latter half of the Twentieth Century, and this is one of his better novels.
THE ENCHANTMENT
This altogether odd 1989 thriller hails from Shunichi Nagasaki, Japan’s onetime cinematic sultan of noir
L’ENFER and the Fascination for the Unfinished
The fascination exerted by aborted film projects has reached a fever pitch in recent years, and a large part of the reason, I believe, was the partial reconstruction of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s L’ENFER
MONSIEUR DE PHOCAS
A key text of the Decadent Movement of the late 19th Century
1984: The Year in Bedlam
Continuing with my Year in Bedlam year-end overviews, we arrive at 1984
THE NUMBER 23
This 2007 thriller was the last major release by the late journeyman director Joel Schumacher (1939-2020)
TOTAL THERAPY
From Austria, a quasi-art film treatment of horrific themes that also works as a satire of psychiatry (although just barely)
THE ETERNAL MASK
This interesting but largely forgotten 1935 Swiss-German production was a landmark in the expressionist film cycle
2019: The Year in Bedlam
What is there to say about 2019? A lot, albeit not on the movie screens
EDITH’S DIARY
A late period novel by the great Patricia Highsmith that showcases its author’s past-her-prime pedigree all too well