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Awix (3310 KP) rated The Masque of the Red Death (1964) in Movies

Mar 26, 2018 (Updated Mar 26, 2018)

Visually lavish Poe adaptation eschews easy shocks and fake gore (mostly) in favour of a more impressionistic and literary flavour of thoughtful horror. Devil-worshipping nobleman (Price) takes refuge from the plague in his castle, but decides to try and corrupt the soul of pious young village girl (Asher) while planning a big party. Will Satan turn up for the shindig, or will it be something worse...?

Classy, well-mounted movie, with a marvellously poetic script ('I have tasted the beauties of terror', and so on) - a bit like a feature-length Twilight Zone episode in glorious technicolour. The various subplots about a vengeful dwarf and Price's jealous mistress could be a bit sharper, but Price absolutely rocks the house in a role you can't imagine anyone else playing nearly as well. If Ingmar Bergman had ever got together with Hammer Films this is the kind of film which would have resulted.

Kudos

Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Death of a Ghost (Hamish Macbeth, #32) in Books

Feb 21, 2018

Death of a Ghost (Hamish Macbeth, #32)

M.C. Beaton | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery

8.0

(3 Ratings)

Book Rating

This is good classic Hamish Macbeth. If you are a fan of the series already, then you won't be disappointed. If not, I think you could easily pick this one up and enjoy it as a stand-alone mystery without having read the previous books.

Called to the village of Drim to investigate claims of a "haunted" castle, Hamish and Charlie discover no ghosts, but they do find a dead body. Unfortunately it disappears before CDI Blair arrives on the scene. When the investigation points to local smugglers, the department is quick to wrap up the case. Hamish is not convinced, however, and puts his own life on the line to find the real killer.

Read more on <a href="https://booksthething.com/2017/02/03/review-death-of-a-ghost-by-m-c-beaton/">The Book's the Thing</a>.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.</i>

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2494 KP) rated Driving Heat (Nikki Heat, #7) in Books

Mar 9, 2018

Nikki’s first day as captain doesn’t go as planned when she gets a call about a murder before she even makes it into the office. The victim turns out to be Nikki’s therapist, but the bigger surprise is when video from his office finds Rook, Nikki’s fiancée, going in. What secret is the writer hiding?

Whether a fan of the TV show Castle or not, you’ll find this is another great mystery. The start is a little slow, but once it gets going, the mystery contains plenty of twists and surprises. Nikki and Rook are great characters, but the rest are a bit under served. Of course, the in jokes and references to the show, while certainly not overdone, are an added bonus for fans of the show, but nothing that would ruin the book if you don’t get them.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/10/book-review-driving-heat-by-richard.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.