John Hansen

Oxford Inheritance

‘Oxford Inheritance’ (2016) is cozy but too generic

Book club book report: Ann A. McDonald creates an invitingly mysterious campus, but does nothing remarkable with plot or characters.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents Season 3

‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents’ Season 3 (1957-58) goes out like a lion

On a Hitchcock kick (TV review): The director teams with writer Roald Dahl for one of TV’s great instances of macabre humor, “Lamb to the Slaughter.”

Nightmare Town

‘Nightmare Town’ (1999) an essential cross-section of Hammett’s work

Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): This landmark collection gives us more of the Op, all three Spade shorts and fascinating one-offs.

Suspiria 1977

‘Suspiria’ (1977): Style, sounds, Suzy … and a slice of story

Frightening Friday (Movie review): Despite telling a simple tale, Dario Argento presents a whole ’nother – but equally effective – way to craft a horror film.

Tron Legacy

Disney creates cure for insomnia with ‘Tron: Legacy’ (2010)

Throwback Thursday (Movie review): This shallow legacy sequel makes a compelling case for being the Mouse House’s most cynical product.

Double Indemnity

‘Double Indemnity’ (1944) a deliberate classic of film noir

Wilder Wednesday (Movie review): Stiffer than Wilder’s later masterpieces, his adaptation of Cain’s novel helps stamp a genre into public consciousness.

Spellbound by Beauty

‘Spellbound by Beauty’ (2008) goes deeper into Hitchcock’s dark side

On a Hitchcock kick (Book review): If you want to keep your Hitchcock journey fun, avoid this cold (but important) exploration of the director’s troubled nature.

The Hunter and Other Stories

‘Hunter and Other Stories’ (2013) cleans out Hammett’s files

Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Unpublished and under-published tales are rounded up from the author’s archives, but this is for serious fans only.

Deep Red

‘Deep Red’ (1975) not deeply profound, but it gets Argento noticed

Frightening Friday (Movie review): One of the most famous “Psycho”-influenced films smooths off the edges of Argento’s earlier work.

Swordfish

Moronic hack-tioner ‘Swordfish’ (2001) should be thrown back

Throwback Thursday (Movie review): It’s tempting to pity the all-star cast, but really we should feel bad for ourselves for watching this.