Television Review: Scooby Doo!: Mystery Incorporated Crystal Cove advertises itself as “the most hauntedest town on Earth” and it’s easy to see why. Its history is full of curses, ghosts, monsters and mysterious disappearances, starting with the Spanish conquistadors who founded the place. But if you dig a little deeper, you discover that many of… Continue reading Television Review: Scooby Doo!: Mystery Incorporated
Tag: California
Book Review: Widows Wear Weeds
Book Review: Widows Wear Weeds by A.A. Fair (Erle Stanley Gardner) Erle Stanley Gardner became famous thanks to his Perry Mason stories, featuring a defense attorney whose client is always innocent (of the particular murder the story is about.) But not every one of his story ideas fit that mold, so under the pen name… Continue reading Book Review: Widows Wear Weeds
Movie Review: The Amazing Mr. X
Movie Review: The Amazing Mr. X (1948) directed by Bernard Vorhaus (aka The Spiritualist) Christine Faber (Lynn Bari) is not dealing well with the death of her husband Paul (Donald Curtis). He died in an automobile accident two years ago, burnt so badly that the corpse was unidentifiable. It seems impossible that he’s really gone, and… Continue reading Movie Review: The Amazing Mr. X
Book Review: The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror Volume 16
Book Review: The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror Volume 16 edited by Stephen Jones Let’s go back to 2004 for what at least one editor considered excellent short horror fiction. As with the later volume I have reviewed, there’s a lot of ancillary material. It opens with an extended look at horror and horror-adjacent… Continue reading Book Review: The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror Volume 16
Book Review: The Banner Campfire Girls at the White House
Book Review: The Banner Campfire Girls at the White House by Julianne DeVries Summer vacation has just started, and the high-spirited Camp Fire Girls of Wa-Wan-Da Council of Oakdale have already assaulted a federal agent. Fortunately, George Thompson, personal representative of the President of the United States, is in a forgiving mood. You see, that… Continue reading Book Review: The Banner Campfire Girls at the White House
Magazine Review: Asimov’s Science Fiction May/June 2021
Magazine Review: Asimov’s Science Fiction May/June 2021 edited by Sheila Williams Back in 1977, Isaac Asimov was one of the top three or so science fiction writers in the world, and had a very strong personal brand. So when Davis Publications wanted to create a “name brand magazine” for science fiction like Ellery Queen Mystery… Continue reading Magazine Review: Asimov’s Science Fiction May/June 2021
Movie Review: The War of the Worlds (1953)
Movie Review: The War of the Worlds (1953) directed by Byron Haskin It is the mid-Twentieth Century, and what appears to be a meteor lands near a small town in rural California. Among the people that come to see the object is Dr. Clayton Forrester (Gene Barry), a physicist from the Pacific Institute who’d been fishing… Continue reading Movie Review: The War of the Worlds (1953)
Book Review: Valhalla: Absent Without Leave
Book Review: Valhalla: Absent Without Leave by Lee Gold Robin “Grima” Johnson didn’t die of cancer, which was something of a surprise, considering it kept coming back. But when an earthquake hit California and made the hospital she was in start to collapse, Robin rose from her bed of pain and worked to save lives.… Continue reading Book Review: Valhalla: Absent Without Leave
Movie Review: The Lost Boys (1987)
Movie Review: The Lost Boys (1987) directed by Joel Schumacher Santa Carla has the unofficial nickname of “The Murder Capital of the World.” Sure, the brightly colored boardwalk attracts people to this small Pacific Coast city, but all those “Missing” posters lend an eerie air to the place. And if you’re on edge, then any of… Continue reading Movie Review: The Lost Boys (1987)
Book Review: High Disaster
Book Review: High Disaster by Lionel Derrick Senator Harland Harrington used to be your typical Republican lawmaker. During his two terms in office, he stood for conservative family values, sensible government spending, and bringing home the bacon for his constituents in Oregon. But a man has needs. Two years ago, he hired Arlene Day to… Continue reading Book Review: High Disaster