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The Mummy's Shroud (1967)
The Mummy's Shroud (1967)
1967 | Horror
5
5.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Third-division Hammer horror - the one with 'Beware the beat of the cloth-wrapped feet' as its advertising slogan, which may be the most memorable thing about it. Has pretty much the same plot as all of these movies (expedition, tomb, curse, murders) with the marginal addition of a rich businessman running everything just asking for a comeuppance.

Some decent direction, an unusually good role for perennial Hammer supporting actor Michael Ripper, and some inventive set pieces, but the general lack of imagination and new ideas means the whole thing drags. None of Hammer's A-team are involved (with the possible exception of Ripper) and you do feel the film is desperately lacking a big star or a genuinely new idea. Sort of passes the time agreeably but probably one for Hammer completists only.
  
The Limehouse Golem (2016)
The Limehouse Golem (2016)
2016 | Horror, International, Mystery
Dark Gritty murder, good characters, great cast (0 more)
Not what i Expected
A dark and gritty movie set in 19th Century London. Its basically a murder hunt with a lot of clever plot twists and side stories. The central 'detective' character is played by the brilliant Bill Nighy and it is he who must ascertain whether Olivia Cooke's character had good cause to murder her husband or whether she did murder him at all. It flows very well and you will find yourself drawn into the main characters life which is far from flawless. Well worth a watch if you enjoyed Michael Caine's Jack the Ripper.
  
Corpse Thief (Joshua Hawke #1)
Corpse Thief (Joshua Hawke #1)
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I remember reading Michael Arnold's seemingly-abandoned Captain Stryker Civil War Chronicles books when they first came out, and quite enjoying them.

I wasn't so sure about the setting of his new series, of which this is the first (and currently only) entry.

None-the-less, I thought I would give it a chance anyway: after all, a gin-sodden opium addicted grave robber ex-policeman who previously participated in the Peterloo massacre is hardly, shall we say, your standard protagonist!

Set in and around London's seedy underground of the 1820s, I got a strong flavour of Jack the Ripper when reading this; of a murderer who strikes at his (or her?) victims before disappearing again, and of whom the authorities seemingly have little interest in apprehending until he - or she! - jeopardises their own interests.

It's interesting, therefore, seeing the life and time from the 'other side', as it were, from the points of view of the downtrodden masses rather than from the rich and powerful.

Be aware, however, that this is NOT a self-contained novel in its own right (well, it is and it isn't), in that some major plot threads are purposefully left hanging for the inevitable sequel.