Watching a Mel Gibson film these days feels deliciously outré, like you’re doing something naughty.  Unfortunately, I also find that most of his post scandal works are of middling to low quality. “On The Line” continues that tradition. Gibson plays a talkshow host named Elvis Cooney who is an unlikable jerk. Obviously the choice of…

I’ve been a big fan of Russell C Connor after reading his great novel “Good Neighbors“ some years back. As such, I’d been looking forward to reading a trilogy of novels he did centered around the Hollywood film industry. “Second Unit” is the first in that series. The setup, in brief, is as follows. Davis…

Years ago, I developed an interest in film noir movies and viewed many classics of the genre like “Double Indemnity”, “Touch of Evil”, “Notorious” and even neo-noirs like “Chinatown” and Brian De Palma’s “Sisters” (fun and kooky with gorgeous Margo Kidder!) More recently, I’ve been seeking some lesser known noirs and so my wife and…

I saw the terrific original Danish version of the horror film “Speak No Evil” a few years ago and, as such, wasn’t particularly interested in the American remake. But it caught my wife’s eye, probably because it features dreamy James McAvoy (dude got swole for the part) so we checked it out last night. My…

Terrified is an Argentinian horror film from 2017. It came recommended as having some incredible scares, and it does, at times. The open sequence is great. After his wife complains about hearing voices in the plumbing of their cottage, a man goes over to their next-door neighbor to complain about other noises. When he comes…

People were really into telepathy back in the 80s. Well, telepathy and related super-abilities of the mind, like telekinesis, pyrokinesis, clairvoyance and precognition. Think about 80s classics like The Dead Zone, Firestarter, Scanners, and Creepers. Or, it turns out, 1982’s The Sender, which I watched a few nights ago. The film starts with a young…

I’m pleased to announce my second horror novel, The Mirror Man,” is arriving at Amazon on May 1st, 2025. Pre-orders available now. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DYBKTX7Y Blurb: What you don’t say can still kill you. When a viral sex video humiliates a small-town beauty queen, college student Mason Gutierrez’s friends join in the online mockery. Mason stays quiet,…

I feel I fell prey to false advertising on this one. It was touted as horror-comedy, but really was a dark comedy. There’s little here I would call horror. It’s built on a familiar setup. A pair of small of small-time crooks, who are also lovers, break into a home to steal a car. They…