John Hansen

Hellraiser Inferno

‘Hellraiser’ saga tries noir detective story for ‘Inferno’ (2000)

Frightening Friday (Movie review): The “Hellraiser” saga starts its straight-to-video phase in respectable fashion with Scott Derrickson’s feature-length debut.

Apropos of Nothing

Allen’s ‘Apropos of Nothing’ (2020) a breezy yet insightful autobiography

Woody Wednesday (Book review): Fans will enjoy learning Allen’s views of his own films, and – if you’re up for it – get a thorough account of the Farrow accusation saga.

Based on a True Story

‘Based on a True Story’ Season 1 somehow both frantic and slow

TV review: Craig Rosenberg’s series roasts the icky popularity of serial-killer podcasts. But its own fictional story is too slow of a burn.

Amityville Dollhouse

‘Amityville Dollhouse’ (1996) mercifully wraps up the ‘curse’ spinoffs

Revisiting Amityville (Movie review): Better than some, worse than others, the saga’s eighth entry concludes the 20th century’s “Amityville” films.

PKD documentaries

Documentaries give solid overview of Philip K. Dick

PKD flashback (TV reviews): These three documentaries play well as introductions, and established fans will enjoy putting faces to names.

Mary Westmacott novels ranked

All 6 of Agatha Christie’s Mary Westmacott novels, ranked

Book list: The Queen of Crime wrote six non-mystery novels under the name Mary Westmacott that showcase her versatility … and her life story.

Hellraiser Bloodline

‘Hellraiser: Bloodline’ (1996) explores Puzzle Box’s origin

Frightening Friday (Movie review): The saga’s fourth film has some big ideas, but the execution alternates between familiar and clunky.

Amityville A New Generation

‘Amityville: A New Generation’s’ (1993) haunted mirror gives us little to reflect on

Revisiting Amityville (Movie review): The writers who gave us the decent “It’s About Time” are unable to repeat the feat with the seventh entry.

Sparkling Cyanide 2003

‘Sparkling Cyanide’ (2003) shows versatility of Christie’s novel

Sleuthing Sunday (Movie review): Christie’s 1945 novel yet again gets contemporized, but writer Laura Lamson finds a fresh angle.

Insidious The Last Key

‘The Last Key’ (2018) the best of the first four ‘Insidiouses’

Frightening Friday (Movie review): We get the full, and surprising, backstory of Elise Rainier as this second prequel comes full circle to link with the first “Insidious.”