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Awix (3310 KP) rated The Asphyx (1972) in Movies
Jun 14, 2018
Early 70s British costume-drama horror movie, so you know roughly what to expect - scientist consumed with hubris decides to play God, learns the hard way he doesn't have the full set of qualifications for the gig. But this is really a rather morbid Victorian melodrama, an impression which is only heightened by how primitive some of the special effects are (the asphyx puppet in particular is a bit of an eye-popper).
At a time when the average Hammer horror was brazenly carnal and exploitative, and Amicus' line of portmanteaus was recycling the same jokey twist endings, The Asphyx takes itself wholly seriously and is positively bleak throughout - the whole movie is about death and despair, and the effects this can have on people. (At one point the plot boils down to a race between two characters to see which one of them can commit suicide first.) The intensity of the telling (good performances from the leads) makes it somewhat mesmerising to watch, even if it's a slightly chilly and unsettling experience.
At a time when the average Hammer horror was brazenly carnal and exploitative, and Amicus' line of portmanteaus was recycling the same jokey twist endings, The Asphyx takes itself wholly seriously and is positively bleak throughout - the whole movie is about death and despair, and the effects this can have on people. (At one point the plot boils down to a race between two characters to see which one of them can commit suicide first.) The intensity of the telling (good performances from the leads) makes it somewhat mesmerising to watch, even if it's a slightly chilly and unsettling experience.
Charley (64 KP) rated Alice (The Chronicles of Alice, #1) in Books
Jan 27, 2019
Chilling twist on what is a classic tale
This story is set just after the classic Alice in Wonderland book that most will know and love.
It starts of in a mental institution where Alice is resident. Her parents putting her in there after her "adventures" in Wonderland. She has a relationship with the man in the next cell called Hatcher, three guesses who he is supposed to represent.
This whirlwind adventure takes you through a Victorian esq London with all the characters of the classic story.
It is a very dark adaptation of Alice in Wonderland and I have to say kept me guessing throughout.
The characters seem familiar but in a dark and twisted way and ultimately it's about Alice's journey after escaping the mental home with her companion Hatcher.
I will not say anymore as it will spoil the storyline but it is definitely worth a look.
Christina Henry has definitely made an amazing book and since I read this I went out and bought all her books.
It starts of in a mental institution where Alice is resident. Her parents putting her in there after her "adventures" in Wonderland. She has a relationship with the man in the next cell called Hatcher, three guesses who he is supposed to represent.
This whirlwind adventure takes you through a Victorian esq London with all the characters of the classic story.
It is a very dark adaptation of Alice in Wonderland and I have to say kept me guessing throughout.
The characters seem familiar but in a dark and twisted way and ultimately it's about Alice's journey after escaping the mental home with her companion Hatcher.
I will not say anymore as it will spoil the storyline but it is definitely worth a look.
Christina Henry has definitely made an amazing book and since I read this I went out and bought all her books.
Deborah (162 KP) rated Florence Grace in Books
Dec 21, 2018
I hadn't read Tracy Rees' previous novel, but thought that this sounded interesting and worth giving a go - so I did!
It's well written, but without being too highbrow or difficult to read - in fact I got through it in just a couple of days!
Plot wise it did remind me a little of Mansfield Park to start with - with the poor cousin being taken into the richer household which if alien in its ways and she is expected to be grateful - there's even an unpleasant aunt, two female cousins who think rather too well of themselves and a crush on a cousin! The book is set in the Victorian period, goes down other paths and Florence/Florrie is rather more forthright than Fanny Price!
There are some twists and turns in the plot, but nothing melodramatic and the book keeps it's air of realism.
The ending I felt was perhaps a little too neatly tied up and a touch anti-climactic, but overall it was an easy read and a book that I definitely enjoyed.
It's well written, but without being too highbrow or difficult to read - in fact I got through it in just a couple of days!
Plot wise it did remind me a little of Mansfield Park to start with - with the poor cousin being taken into the richer household which if alien in its ways and she is expected to be grateful - there's even an unpleasant aunt, two female cousins who think rather too well of themselves and a crush on a cousin! The book is set in the Victorian period, goes down other paths and Florence/Florrie is rather more forthright than Fanny Price!
There are some twists and turns in the plot, but nothing melodramatic and the book keeps it's air of realism.
The ending I felt was perhaps a little too neatly tied up and a touch anti-climactic, but overall it was an easy read and a book that I definitely enjoyed.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Dorrington Deed Box in Books
Jul 30, 2019 (Updated Jul 30, 2019)
A handful of stories rather reminiscent in some ways of the Sherlock Holmes shorts, though with a rather different protagonist. Horace Dorrington is a very effective investigator when he chooses to be, and a charming fellow, but he is also totally corrupt and self-serving, with a repertoire that extends to blackmail, fraud, and murder, even of his own supposed clients.
He is, obviously, an anti-hero, and Morrison makes him work as the lead of a series of stories through a few different tricks - firstly, he is outrageously charming, and you generally are waiting for the moment when Dorrington is going to revert to type and pull a fast one on his latest victim. Secondly, he is generally pitted against people even worse than he is.
Still, you can start to detect Morrison struggling to find new things to do with the character after only a few stories, which may be why he only appears in the half-dozen or so collected here. They remain highly entertaining if Victorian crime fiction is your cup of tea.
He is, obviously, an anti-hero, and Morrison makes him work as the lead of a series of stories through a few different tricks - firstly, he is outrageously charming, and you generally are waiting for the moment when Dorrington is going to revert to type and pull a fast one on his latest victim. Secondly, he is generally pitted against people even worse than he is.
Still, you can start to detect Morrison struggling to find new things to do with the character after only a few stories, which may be why he only appears in the half-dozen or so collected here. They remain highly entertaining if Victorian crime fiction is your cup of tea.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Elephant Man (1980) in Movies
Apr 27, 2020
Rather fictionalised bio-pic from David Lynch and Mel Brooks. A surgeon in late-Victorian London discovers a man with extreme deformities being shown as a sideshow freak. The surgeon realises this man's case could make his name, but is he really any less of an exploiter than the owner of the side-show?
Very good-looking and well-acted by a fine cast. However, the film seems a little ambivalent about what kind of effect it's going for - the build-up to the big reveal of Merrick's deformities is almost done like a horror movie, only for an abrupt change of tone to take place once it is revealed that he is a gentle, almost saintly individual (the film simplifies the facts of Merrick's life: in reality, it was his idea to join the sideshow). There's also the fact that the story is short on incident once Merrick moves into the hospital and a kidnap-and-escape subplot has to be contrived. A well-made film and very watchable, but it is in the end just a bit simplistic and sentimental.
Very good-looking and well-acted by a fine cast. However, the film seems a little ambivalent about what kind of effect it's going for - the build-up to the big reveal of Merrick's deformities is almost done like a horror movie, only for an abrupt change of tone to take place once it is revealed that he is a gentle, almost saintly individual (the film simplifies the facts of Merrick's life: in reality, it was his idea to join the sideshow). There's also the fact that the story is short on incident once Merrick moves into the hospital and a kidnap-and-escape subplot has to be contrived. A well-made film and very watchable, but it is in the end just a bit simplistic and sentimental.
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