Plot: As Mr. Philpotts walks into the smoking room of the club, he hears, “Well, that’s the most staggering thing I’ve ever known!” The narrator hints that the actual comment was not quite so tame. The speaker, Mr. Bloxom, stands in front of his chair, looking around. He asks Mr. Philpotts, “Did you see him?”Continue reading “Review of “The Haunted Chair” by Richard Marsh: Halloween Countdown”
Tag Archives: humor
Review of “American Werewolf in London” (1981)
Before I go any further, I have to mention that the film discusses but does not depict suicide. For this pizza and bad movie selection, we opted for a bit of nostalgia. Both the dearly beloved and I saw this when it first came out, lo, these many years ago. Despite the underlying darkness, thisContinue reading “Review of “American Werewolf in London” (1981)”
Stories Published
I had two pieces of flash fiction published recently. They are really, really short. The first is called “The Photographer’s Lament.” It appeared April 1 in an online magazine called Spank the Carp. The second is called “I Dare You.” It appeared April 4 in an online magazine called Bright Flash Literary Review. I’m jazzed.Continue reading “Stories Published”
Review of “The Man in the White Suit” (1951)
Another departure from our usual monster/horror movie for Saturday night is this black-and-white satire of the idealistic individual who upsets everybody’s applecart. It brought to mind a bit of Ayn Rand’s Anthem, Rush’s 2112, and the end of the original Frankenstein movie, but added a bit of humor. Plot:Hapless Sidney Stratton (a really young AlecContinue reading “Review of “The Man in the White Suit” (1951)”
Flash Fiction Published: “Words to Live By”
A little early for Halloween, but a flash fiction piece of mine, “Words to Live By,” was published in an online magazine titled Danse Macabre. I always liked this silly little piece about a university professor who is friends with the ghost of a mariner from days gone by. The captain has a fondness forContinue reading “Flash Fiction Published: “Words to Live By””
Review of “Arsenic and Old Lace” (1944)
It’s Halloween, 1941, in New York. Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant), a drama critic and author of such books as Marriage, a Fraud and a Failure, waits in a long line with the girl literally next door, Elaine Harper (Pricilla Lane). A sign above them reads “marriage licenses.” A couple of gentlemen of the fourth estateContinue reading “Review of “Arsenic and Old Lace” (1944)”
Review of “How to Make a Monster” (1958)
This was this week’s Saturday pizza and bad movie offering. We watched this with Svengoolie and polished off the good chardonnay. Plot:Pete Dumond (Robert H. Harris) and his assistant Rivero (Paul Brinegar) have been creating monster make-up for the movies for twenty-five years. He has just finished an excellent (…it’s in the eye of theContinue reading “Review of “How to Make a Monster” (1958)”
Review of “Shadow of the Cat” (1961)
This is last week’s Saturday pizza and bad movie offering. It was such a quirky view I had to write about it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a free watchable version of it. Even finding a trailer for it was an exercise. Should you come across it, though, this flick is worth the watch, with orContinue reading “Review of “Shadow of the Cat” (1961)”
Review of “Morons from Outer Space” (1985)
“What did you read at university?”
“Shoes.”
Review of “A Simple Misunderstanding” by Chris Dean
Image by Thomas Budach from Pixabay Plot: After two hundred years, the Rangarians and the humans have come to a, um, “the successful cessation of hostilities.” This, at least, is how the Rangarians explain it to their people. To the human ambassador, however, the Rangarian ambassador merely says, “You won.” This confuses the human ambassador,Continue reading “Review of “A Simple Misunderstanding” by Chris Dean”
Reviews of Old and New Stories. Mostly Old 