Mystery

‘Urban Legend’ is a 1998 slasher time capsule 

“Urban Legend,” a dumb but kinda classic film from the late Nineties slasher boom, could exist in 1998 but not five years later. Much of writer

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‘Damien: Omen II’ (1978) a respectable continuation 

Considering it was cranked out only two years after the original and that Richard Donner and David Seltzer don’t return, “Damien: Omen II” (1978) is

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Poirot warmly tackles cold case of ‘Five Little Pigs’ (1942) 

The 1930s was Agatha Christie’s decade for mastering plotting, but in the 1940s she consciously became a better character writer. Even amid other strong entries

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‘Kolchak’ Volume 2 explores toll on Carl’s psyche 

In the movies and TV series, Carl Kolchak is defined by his job and Darren McGavin adds charisma. But those episodes don’t dig deeply into

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Donner’s ‘The Omen’ (1976) a classic of religious horror 

Religion is a source of comfort and light to billions, but it’s also a source of foreboding darkness for horror movies. What’s remarkable is that

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‘Crooked House’ (1949) a stealthily tragic tale 

“Crooked House” (1949) is one of the colder Agatha Christie novels, and it’s not accidental. But it is subtly achieved. It’s set in a crooked

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‘Devil in Ohio’: Horror miniseries as comfort food 

In this age of the spy state and mass information, how is any self-respecting, long-running, disciple-murdering religious cult supposed to survive? The answer, as supplied

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Even Hank Searls can’t save ‘Jaws: The Revenge’ (1987) 

Hank Searls’ “Jaws 2” (1978) is a prime example of the riches to be found in the novelization form, as it adapts an early draft

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‘Death on the Nile’ (1937) a romantic puzzler on river 

Hercule Poirot desires order and method in all aspects of life – not only when solving crimes but also when playing matchmaker. Fans sometimes giggle over

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‘Kolchak: The Night Stalker’s’ waters deepen with Volume One 

“Kolchak: The Night Stalker” scholar Mark Dawidziak correctly points out in the introduction to the Volume One trade paperback that the “Kolchak” saga (at the

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