Mystery

‘Black Phone’ about as interesting as a dead line 

Brrrrrrring brrrrrrrring! The sound of a telephone ringing is a core element in horror films from “Black Christmas” to “Scream.” Now Alexander Graham Bell’s invention is

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‘They Came to Baghdad’ (1951) a vibrant Mideast adventure 

Positioned between World War II and the Cold War, “They Came to Baghdad” (1951) is a contender for Agatha Christie’s elite spy adventure novel. It’s

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On the cutting edge: Every Michael Crichton film, ranked 

Michael Crichton died in 2008 and will therefore never write or direct another film – although if his estate’s policy against selling his books’ rights

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‘Summer of 84’ (2018) a gem amid ’80s nostalgia boom 

I’m glad for Canadian films like “Summer of 84” (2018) because I can pretend to be an aficionado of under-the-radar foreign horror without having to

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The near-futurist: All 28 Michael Crichton novels, ranked 

We’ll never get another novel from Michael Crichton (1942-2008), unless another manuscript emerges from his old computer files as if by magic – as most

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‘The Gift’ (2015) bullies its way to being great thriller 

In “The Gift” (2015), husband and wife Simon and Robyn (Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall) have dinner with guest Gordo (Joel Edgerton). They aren’t truly

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Osborne dusts off ‘Black Coffee’ in 1998 novelization 

Charles Osborne, who acted in this very play in 1956 and went on to become an opera critic, transfers Agatha Christie’s 1930 play “Black Coffee”

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Cuthbert’s ‘The Cellar’ has fun with spooky math 

Many horror fans have lived in a house with a creepy basement – one where you flick the lights off and charge upstairs to escape

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‘Harlequin Tea Set’ (1997) gathers some antique gems 

In what must’ve felt like a long overdue publication to U.S. readers, “The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories” finally gathered up the last (except

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Poirot engages fairer sex in ‘Labors of Hercules’ (1947) 

Agatha Christie tries to tie a dozen Hercule Poirot cases in with the Greek myth of “The Labors of Hercules” in her 1947 short-story collection

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