The Ricochet Reviewer: Books, Movies, and Comics

by F. Paul Wilson Halloween Reviews 2020 Something is happening to the members of the Westphalen clan.  Fortunately, one of them is dating Repairman Jack, a man who lives off the grid and handles situations that no one else can.  And this situation definitely needs some special handling, because it involves East Indian monsters and an old curse.  F. Paul Wilson tells a heck of a story here, which makes up for his frequently clunky prose.  F. Paul Wilson There are some really nail-biting scenes and a few surprises that came along just when I thought I understood everything that was happening.  Many readers say that Repairman Jack is one of their favorite literary characters and I may end up agreeing (I intend to go on reading these novels), but I felt his presentation was a weak point of the book.  He never really seemed as dark and dangerous as Wilson wanted me to believe because too much time was spent on his soft side.  There is a harrowing flashback...

by A. Hyatt Verrill Halloween Reviews 2020 A geologist for an oil company learns the deadly secret behind an outbreak of nighttime deaths in which the victims are drained of blood.  Author A. Hyatt Verrill was the first professor of zoology at Yale University and his academic credentials certainly show, as he presents a well reasoned and interesting cryptozoological threat and chronicles its spread through the coastland of Peru with the skill of an epidemiologist.  A. Hyatt Verrill Unfortunately, he left out such tried and true narrative techniques as characterization and the building of suspense.  Whatever its flaws, this short novella has a remarkable and beautiful scene toward the end wherein the nature of the menace becomes apparent and the hero barely escapes with his life.

by Martin Cruz Smith Halloween Reviews 2020 A good early effort from Martin Cruz Smith.  Martin Cruz Smith Plague-ridden vampire bats invade the southwest, but fortunately there is a conflicted Hopi policeman and a driven bat-hunter on hand to confront them.  Well written and displays the interest in other cultures that would serve Cruz so well later in his Arkady Renko series.  Good pulp fun.

Halloween Reviews 2020 Director: Dario Argento Writers: Dario Argento and Daria Nicolodi Stars: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci, Miguel Bose, Barbara Magnolfi, Susanna Javicoli, Eva Axen A young ballet student (Jessica Harper) discovers that her prestigious dance academy is actually the base of a coven of witches.  I keep trying to give giallo a chance and I am consistently underwhelmed even by the acknowledged masterpieces of the genre.  In addition to Suspiria, I have watched Deep Red and Inferno.  Judging from the favorable reviews I have read, appreciation of these films depends on the viewer’s susceptibility to their mood, cinematography, and “dream logic.”  Perhaps I am too attached to more conventional elements such as narrative logic, pacing, and performance.  Although I acknowledge the visual flair of films like Suspiria, I find them boring assemblages of bad writing, poor acting, a slow pace, and too many long pornographic sequences ...

by William Hope Hodgson Halloween Reviews 2020 A mysterious recluse buys an ancient house that is reputed to have been built by the Devil and learns that it is the portal to another dimension of horror.  William Hope Hodgson's seminal horror novel is of interest for its historical significance as an inspiration to writers of weird fiction, but it has much to recommend it on its own merits as well.  William Hope Hodgson The framing device, in which contemporary figures discover a first person account that provides the bulk of the story is a familiar trope of the genre and probably makes one of its earliest appearances here.  It sets an atmosphere of dread very successfully.  The first part of the story, concerning the recluse’s struggle with the Swine-Things that besiege the house and the last part concerning his mysterious fate are tightly written and eerie.  Unfortunately, there is a lot of dead weight as well--namely, some spiritualistic nonsense about reuniti...

Halloween Reviews 2020 Director: David Lynch Writers: David Lynch & Robert Engels, from the television series by Mark Frost & David Lynch Stars: Kyle MacLachlan, Sheryl Lee, Ray Wise, Madchen Amick, Dana Ashbrook, Miguel Ferrer, Moira Kelly, Peggy Lipton This prequel to the cult TV series "Twin Peaks" depicts the events leading to the death of high school student Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), the crime which sets in motion the bizarre television program.  It is typical David Lynch in the sense that it is confusing, infuriating, hypnotic, and haunting.  David Lynch Don't expect everything to make sense (at least not on the first viewing) and be ready to roll with the weirdness.  The TV series was often very funny, but there aren't many laughs here.  Rather, the thriller and horror elements are emphasized, and there are some very harrowing scenes indeed.  Ray Wise is a criminally underappreciated actor, but he gets a chance to shine here. Warni...

Halloween Reviews 2020 Director: Roman Polanski Writers: John Brownjohn & Enrique Urbizu and Roman Polanski, from the novel by Arturo Perez-Reverte Stars: Johnny Depp, Frank Langella, Lena Olin, Emanuelle Seigner, Barbara Jefford, Jack Taylor, Jose Lopez Rodero An amoral dealer in rare books (Johnny Depp) is hired by a wealthy collector (Frank Langella) to track down and compare the only three extant copies of a book supposedly written by the Devil himself.  Of course, the purpose behind this is not immediately clear, and the major strength of this film is the way in which it follows Depp as he begins to put the pieces of the puzzle together.  Director Roman Polanski shoots this in a way that allows us to make the discoveries right alongside him.  Roman Polanski By the end of the film, however, numerous details have accumulated without amounting to much.  I was left in the dark about the true nature of Depp's mysterious female guardian (Emmanuelle Seign...

Halloween Reviews 2020 Director: Tim Burton Writers: Kevin Yagher & Andrew Kevin Walker, from the story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving Stars: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Caspar Van Dien, Jeffrey Jones Director Tim Burton excels at developing moody, dark atmospheres for his films, and it is the milieu of Sleepy Hollow, with its severe architecture and dark, creepy forests that stands out.  However, there is more to this film than that: Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci turn in fine performances, as do an expert cast of seasoned character actors.  Washington Irving's classic story has been reimagined successfully by Burton and his screenwriters, Kevin Yagher and Andrew Kevin Walker.  In this version, Ichabod Crane is an iconoclastic New York police inspector who is an early believer in the value of forensic science.  Exasperated by his insistence on adhering to scientific method, his superiors send h...