John Hansen

Endless Night film

‘Endless Night’ gets made into sneaky great 1972 film

Sleuthing Sunday (Movie review): Christie’s tricky-to-adapt 1967 gem makes an impressive transition to film, with surprises intact.

The Boogeyman

‘The Boogeyman’ an all-too-familiar take on a familiar childhood fear

Movie review: It’s not bad for a young writer’s short story, but there’s not enough substance to justify a feature-length film.

Poltergeist

‘Poltergeist’ (1982) the most huggable haunted-house movie ever

Frightening Friday (Movie review): It’s not scary by adult standards, but the special effects are great in this film that came out one week before “E.T.”

John Wick Chapter 4

‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ goes out in a big (and long) way

Movie review: Although the film is ridiculously long, it’s hard to say time is wasted when so much of the stunt-laden “Wick 4” is technically great.

Amityville II The Possession

‘Amityville II: The Possession’ (1982) isn’t a prequel, it’s a sequel

Revisiting Amityville (Movie review): And it’s actually a pretty good follow-up to “The Amityville Horror,” despite the confusing marketing.

PKD Realist Novels Ranked

All 9 of Philip K. Dick’s non-SF novels, ranked

Book list: Despite being rejected by publishers in their time, Dick’s nine non-science fiction novels are worth celebrating as character-driven time capsules.

Death on the Nile 1978

‘Death on the Nile’ (1978) faithfully and lavishly adapts Christie’s gem

Sleuthing Sunday (Movie review): Peter Ustinov gets a bit closer to Poirot than Albert Finney did, and the film stays true to the brilliant plot.

The Haunted

Warren case ‘The Haunted’ (1991) is a proto-‘Conjuring’

Frightening Friday (Movie review): This film featuring demonologists the Warrens is like “The Conjuring” in plot, not in mood.

Cruel Summer Season 2

‘Cruel Summer’ Season 2 offers new timeline-hopping mysteries

First episode impressions (TV review): A new cast and story take up the baton of this soapy but discussion-worthy summer mystery.

The Amityville Horror 1979

‘Amityville Horror’ (1979) a cut above thanks to Kidder, Brolin

Revisiting Amityville (Movie review): It’s not on the level of “Exorcist” or “Omen,” but it’s an important film in horror history, and still quite watchable.