Tag Archives: fiction

Review of “The Listener” by Algernon Blackwood: Halloween Countdown

For October 17 Plot: In a series of diary entries, the unnamed narrator tells the reader how he took new rooms in a less-then-affluent part of town. The lodgings lack “modern conveniences,” presumably running water and electricity. He’s a writer with several irons in the fire, and—whaddya know—he’s poor. Not that he had to be.Continue reading “Review of “The Listener” by Algernon Blackwood: Halloween Countdown”

Review of “The Gorgon” by Clark Ashton Smith: Halloween Countdown

For October 13 Plot: Traveling after the death of the only woman he loved, the grieving main character in this short tale comes across an odd character in the crowded streets of London. The old man reminds him of Charon, ferrying souls to the Underworld. The modern-day Charon locks eyes with him. “I can seeContinue reading “Review of “The Gorgon” by Clark Ashton Smith: Halloween Countdown”

Review of “Casting the Runes” by M. R. James: Halloween Countdown

For October 8 Plot: The story opens with an exchange of letters in which the secretary of the “—Association” tells Mr. Karswell the Association has, after careful consideration, declined to accept his paper, “The Truth of Alchemy.” Mr. Karswell wants to know who’s responsible for the decision. The secretary tells him that he cannot possiblyContinue reading “Review of “Casting the Runes” by M. R. James: Halloween Countdown”

Review of “The Feast at the Abbey” by Robert Bloch: Halloween Countdown

For October 7 Plot: Traveling through a forest to meet his brother, the narrator is caught in a storm and takes refuge in a monastery he happens across. A short, rotund abbot admits him and summons two servants (whom he refers to with the unfortunate term “blackamoors”) dressed in “great baggy trousers of red velvetContinue reading “Review of “The Feast at the Abbey” by Robert Bloch: Halloween Countdown”

Review of “The Burned House” by Vincent O’Sullivan: Halloween Countdown

For October 5 Plot: Aboard a ship crossing the Atlantic, the narrator hears other passengers discuss being (maybe) over the spot where the Lusitania went down, which leads to a discussion of death by drowning and a discussion of ghosts, which in turn leads to laughter. One passenger, a man from Fall River (MA?), doesContinue reading “Review of “The Burned House” by Vincent O’Sullivan: Halloween Countdown”

Review of “Rapture-Palooza” (2013)

What would Saturday night pizza and bad movie be without a bad movie? It had its moments, but it also had moments of ICK. Plot:Lindsey Lewis (Anna Kendrick) and her boyfriend Ben House (John Francis Daley) missed the rapture. Lindsey’s mom was raptured but was sent back, complete with white robe and number, after sheContinue reading “Review of “Rapture-Palooza” (2013)”

Review of “The Pit and the Pendulum” (1961)

The past Saturday pizza and bad movie night was a return to the schlock of yesteryear. Plot:In the sixteenth-century, Englishman Francis Barnard (John Kerr) arrives at a foreboding castle seeking news about his sister Elizabeth’s (Barbara Steele) recent death. His sister’s widower, Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price), and his younger sister, Catherine (Luana Anders), give himContinue reading “Review of “The Pit and the Pendulum” (1961)”

Review of “Godzilla” (1954) and “Godzilla King of the Monsters” (1956)

I. Godzilla (1954) In 1954, a Japanese film appeared with a monster named Gojira—Angelized as Godzilla—that terrorized people near the (fictional) island of Odo near the Japanese coast, destroying ships before taking on Tokyo. Survivors describe their disasters: “It was like the sea exploded.” The people of Odo Island see their fishing nets come backContinue reading “Review of “Godzilla” (1954) and “Godzilla King of the Monsters” (1956)”

Review of “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” (2018)

We watched an oddball film for our Saturday pizza and bad movie night, a sad movie that dealt with dreams, fantasy v. reality, guilt, and a bit of insanity. Plot: The movie opens the line: And now… after more than 25 years of making… and unmaking. The viewer first sees a storybook of Don QuixoteContinue reading “Review of “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” (2018)”

Review of “The Bride of Frankenstein” (1935)

This is our latest Saturday pizza and bad movie offering, a horror flick with a little bit of everything, including song and dance. Plot:The beginning is framed by a discussion among Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (Elsa Lanchester), Lord Byron (Gavin Gordon), and Percy Bysshe Shelley (Douglas Walton) about the story this innocent young girl has justContinue reading “Review of “The Bride of Frankenstein” (1935)”