Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (An enduring classic) 『I have watched this horror classic numerous times over the years, and am still captivated by it. A remake of 1933's Mystery of the Wax Museum, this 1953 Andre de Toth-directed movie reflected the beginning of the 3-D mania. The film stars Vincent Price as Prof. Henry Jarrod, a talented and obsessive wax sculptor who runs a waxworks museum in New York circa early 1900s. His greedy partner, Matthew Burke (Roy Roberts) is dissatisfied at their meager profits, and insists on displaying more suggestive and sensational exhibits, much to Jarrod's chagrin. Then in a fit of temper, Burke suggests burning down the waxworks and collecting the sizable insurance money, and in the ensuing scuffle, starts a fire. Jarrod survives the fire, but is badly hurt, and after some time spent recuperating and apparently restored to full health, starts a new waxworks with the aid of deaf-mute Igor (a very young Charles Bronson).
The highlight of Jarrod's exhibit is the one featuring sensational crimes, both past and contemporary, and includes an exhibit of Burke himself, a recent victim of murder, though the case has not been solved. Burke's fiancee Cathy was also killed, and when Sue Allen (Phyllis Kirk) who happen to be Cathy's friend, visits the exhibit, she finds the wax replica of Cathy to be too life-like. The mystery of Jarrod's wax museum is gradually unravelled as the movie progresses.
I love the Gothic atmosphere in the movie, and the rich, vibrant color of the wax exhibits. Price's portrayal as the deranged wax sculptor is credible and mesmerizing (and I just love the way he delivers his lines!). Though Cushing and Lee are my favorite horror actors, Price definitely ranks high on my list of all-time horror greats. The movie flows well too, and suspense is gradually built-up, though I have to admit that the plot is quite predictable. The picture quality is not altogether satisfactory, at least on the DVD I viewed, but this is definitely a horror classic, and a must-have for fans of classic horror. 』
(Solid movie that holds up pretty well over time) 『This 1953 color movie was originally released as a 3D movie, something very popular in the 1950s. The storyline is basically this: It is early twentieth century New York, and a wax sculptor named Henry Jarrod (Vincent Price) refuses to give in to his financial partner's wishes for better wax exhibits to boost profits for the museum. In reliation, this business partner, Matthew Burke (Roy Roberts) sets fire to the museum which destroys all of Jarrod's life's work. However, Jarrod survives the fire and is badly burned as a result. Jarrod disguises his facial burns with a wax mask he has made to appear normal looking. His goal is to open a new museum called House Of Wax and restock it with actual people who are his murder victims, but covered with wax. He does all of this because the fire that disfigured him and destroyed his life's work has made him become a madman. In the end, it is he who is a victim of his own wax trap.
This movie also stars Carolyn Jones (Morticia Addams from the Addams Family, and Marsha Queen Of Diamonds from the 1960s Batman TV series) as murder victim Cathy Gray. It also stars Phyllis Kirk as Gray's suspicious friend Sue Allen (who notices that all the waxworks are wax-coated murder victims of Jarrod), and Charles Bronson, who plays a deaf-mute sculptor.
The acting and the movie in general is a little campy, yet spooky at the same time. All in all, it is a good movie that was the first horror movie of Vincent Price's career. This DVD also comes with the 1933 color film that inspired the 1953 remake, Mystery Of The Wax Museum, starring Lionel Atwill and Fay Wray (King Kong 1933). I like this original version just as much as the remake. I definitely recommend this double feature DVD.』
(Oldie but goodie) 『I found The Ghost and Mr. Chicken at Amazon and upon seeing the price, jumped on it. I remembered seeing this film as a child and thought it was a perfect family style film to watch with my children for Halloween as it has that perfect combination of just a bit of creepiness with lots of laughs and a little drama.』
(house of wax) 『this classical horror movie is one of my favorites. with vincent price, frank lovejoy, carolyn jones and the young and unknown at that time charles bronson, plays a renowned wax sculptor assistant. a wax sculptor plunged into madness when an arsonist destroys his life work. unable to use his flame scarred hands he devises a new and murdeous way of restocking his house of wax. greats horror movie.』
(Two Great Movies For The Price Of One) 『Andres de Toth's 1953 HOUSE OF WAX has a great ensemble cast. Vincent Price, Phyllis Kirk, Frank Lovejoy, Paul Picerni, and a very young Charles Bronson and Carolyn Jones. The story/script is good and moves along at a good pace. The beautiful color of the film and the time period, around the 1890's or turn of the century, add to the story. Love the clothes and impressive sets and the "look" of the film.
In my opinion, this film, of the two movies on the DVD, has more of a horror feel to it and Vincent Price is very good as the sculptor/owner of a wax museum who is trying to get enough wax figures ready in time for the opening. I love the man who plays the advertising barker outside the Museum with the Paddle-ball!! Really good!! Love that scene! This movie was released in 3-D so the ball is supposed to look like it is coming at you.
Michael Curtiz's 1933 The MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM was handled a bit differently. This movie takes place in 1933, is also in color and also a good movie with fine performances by Lionel Atwill and Glenda Farrell. Glenda plays a newspaperwoman and has a bigger part than Fay Wray (who got second billing). Glenda's character is not in the remake.
I feel that this movie is a bit lighter in tone as far as the horror element as compared to HOUSE OF WAX. Maybe that is because of Glenda's character who is fun, sharp and sassy. This film was pre-code (1933) as the movie deals pretty heavily with a junkie instead of a drunkard as in the remake and Glenda asks a policeman/friend "How's your sex life?". That would NOT be asked in the remake.
Both films are good, just a little different. But as remakes go, the 1953 HOUSE OF WAX is excellent.
』 『House of Waxbrought Vincent Price into the horror genre, where he fit as snugly as a scalpel in a mad scientist's hand. A remake of the 1933 filmMystery of the Wax Museum, this entertaining Gothic shocker casts Price as a sculptor of wax figures; his unwilling victims--er, "models"--lend their bodies to his lifelike depictions of Marie Antoinette and Joan of Arc. The film was one of the top 10 moneymakers of its year, thanks in part to the 3-D gimmick, which explains why so many things are aimed at the camera (why else would the paddleball man be there?). Footnote to history: director Andre De Toth was blind in one eye, and thus could not see in three dimensions.--Robert Horton』
Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Competent but nothing special) 『The Poe stories most often adapted for movies or TV are the horror tales ;his pioneering detective stories featuring the somewhat dessicated C August Dupin are less often tackled .Indeed ,it is only The Murders in The Rue Morgue ,that has drawn movie makers on a regular basis .This particular version is a TV movie and is polished and proficient rather than atmospheric in the way the classic early 30's Bela Lugosi version was
George C Scott plays Dupin ,once the most respected police detective in Paris not living in embittered and impoverished retirement following a clash with the new Prefect of Police -played with suitable oily panache by the ever dependable Ian McShane He emerges from his torpor to investigate a brutal double slaying in the Rue Morgue where 2 women are hacked to pieces;the police are baffled and,in need of a quick arrest they sieze on Dupin's daughters fiancee as the killer .Aided by a young and callow looking Val Kilmer he sets out to prove the innocence of the young man
Scott is fine and tends to overshadow the younger actors like Rebecca de Mornay as his daughter -she never rises above the wooden .Kilmer is fine in a thankless role as a rather dogged but colourless youngster
The climax is rushed but overall this is s decent job of translating the tale to the screen
』
(A tale told one too many times) 『I love E.A. Poe. Have always adored Ian McShane, whose monster talent goes to waste here. A super cast of the legendary George C. Scott, with a then rising Val Kilmer and Rebecca Demornay. What more could you want? Some emotion for one thing. The cast seems to muddle through a story, with nice locations and super costumes, but as much feeling as if they were doing a rehearsal.
It's flat. I watch it for McShane, who is never flat. Could have been so much more.』
(Truly amazing) 『For english, we watched this and i thought it quite different from other mysteries ive heard. Though it was astonishing none the less. I was quick to assume the killer, but wrong in my detection. This movie is quite unlike the actual writings of Edgar Allan Poe, but great anyhow.』
(George C. Scott is fantastic...but everything else suffers) 『George C. Scott does a superb job portraying a recently retired detective who is dissilusioned with his life and sulks in his study playing chess with himself. But a series of grissly murders in town and the subsequent arrest of his daughter's fiance lead him into his own private investigation.
The movie is based on the famous story by Edgar Allen Poe. Like all of Scott's later films, his acting is great, but everything else can't seem to live up to it. Scott has such a great appreciation for the power of words and subtle facial expressions and gestures (he probably aquired this from his theatre training). However, most of the other actors seem plastic and unconvincing. His daughter does a particularly horrible job. She plays her role lik a 1980's teenager living in the 19th century. Val Kilmer (very young looking) does a decent job with his role but nothing spectacular. I think it had to do more with the script than his acting abilities. The ending of the film is very bad. I won't give away any secrets, but the word is"corny". I think a better script and editing would have helped immensly.』
(Teacher Resource) 『This film is not a fabulous, but it is entertaining. Val Kilmer played a great role as Phillipe, but George C. Scott left something to be desired in his portrayal of the clever August Dupin. As a teacher of American Literature I have no problems showing this as a supplement to our study of Edgar A. Poe. However, to the average movie watcher, this one might put them to sleep.』
Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Bad 80's movies rule!!!) 『This movie is great! These actors were really going for the oscar with their performances. My favorite character is Allen. He really has some great lines and he delivers them with such passion! A great scene is when its Allen's turn to go and he gets tackled by some vicious looking dogs (golden retreivers). The director couldn't even get some dobermans or pit bulls for this scene? If you love bad 80's movies, then this ones for you.』
price：$5.99
Warner Home Video
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (What a Mess) 『The movie is a complete, hot, stinky mess, and yes the ending positioned the movie for a sequel.』
(LIFE IMITATING ART?) 『BACK IN THE 80S A MOVIE CALLED THE HILLS RUN RED BECAME A LEGEND BECAUSE THE CAST AND DIRECTOR VANISHED. AN OBSESSIVE HORROR BUFF IN 2009 WANTS TO FIND A PRINT OF THE MOVIE AND POSSIBLY WHAT HAPPENED. HE TRACKS DOWN THE DIRECTOR'S DAUGHTER WHO MANAGED TO SURVIVE THE EVENTS. AFTER FINDING HER AS A TRIPPED OUT STRIPPER, HE KIDNAPS HER TO DRY HER OUT AND THEN TAKES HER ALONG WITH HIS TWO-TIMING GIRLFRIEND AND BEST FRIEND TO THE PLACE WHERE THE MOVIE WAS FILMED...AND YOU CAN GUESS WHAT HAPPENS. THE FILM DESERVES AN E FOR EFFORTS TO BE DIFFERENT, BUT ONCE IT KICKS IN GEAR, IT JUST GOES OVER THE TOP GIVING WILLIAM SADLER LICENSE TO CHEW UP THE SCENERY. LEAD SOPHIE MONK IS TERRIBLE AND THE MOVIE BECOMES JUST ANOTHER BLOODSOAKED TORTURE FLICK. ALSO WATCH THE END CREDITS...THE MOVIE'S FINAL TRICK IS STILL TO COME.』
(pretty cool flick) 『ill keep it simple, liked the gore, story was decent, and it held my interest. good late night slasher movie!』
(Better Than A Remake!) 『We've seen the whole "film within a film" concept done before and some, like John Carpenter's "Cigarette Burns," have been done better but The Hills Run Red has its own gory, sexy charm that really seems to be absent from slasher fare these days. It's by no means a perfect film, some of the acting is uneven and the characters are all unlikable, but it does deliver on thrills, chills and gruesome blood spills without resorting to black comedy or slapstick. It did occasionally walk the line between "deconstruction" and straightforward horror but, thankfully, it ended up sticking to the latter for the most part. We don't need to be told why horror doesn't always make sense, thanks.
As any good horror fan knows, a successful slasher film must make good on three things: a visually exciting killer, imaginative and messy kills and copious amounts of unnecessary and often times exploitative nudity. The Hills Run Red provides all of these with a little extra to spare; Babyface is one of the coolest slashers since Leslie Vernon, Victor Crowley and Chrome Skull and pop star Sophie Monk (Pearlblossom) scorches onscreen with an absolutely gorgeous body.
From The Dead Hate The Living! to The Hills Run Red? Dave Parker has indeed shown the horror community that with the right script and budget behind him he's got the stones to make some killer cinema, color me impressed. This almost makes up for his part in House of the Dead...almost.
If you're hankering for a direct-to-DVD horror film (from the WB no less!) with spine, The Hills Run Red is no classic but it does indeed satisfy. Rumor has it that this flick saw cuts to make an R-rating, if there were they weren't noticeable at all because this film was surprisingly adult in comparison to what we normally get. I'd love to of seen an uncut version of this film, or at the very least Dave Parker's vision of this film, sans studio limitations. We get what we get though and, in this case, what we received was something not altogether bad though truthfully a bit forgettable in the long run.』
price：$3.99
Lions Gate
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Rose Red) 『I've seen it before but I fell a sleep and missed a lot. I've finally received it and watch. Guess what fell a sleep again. I know which part I missed. So, I know which content to search. And finally which part I missed and figure it all out in the film. This was a great movie and scary. Stephen King is an excellent writer. I know I will watch it again and again.』
(I Love This Movie!) 『This is my favorite Stephen King movie by far! I remember watching it as a 3 night mini-series some years ago and fell in love with it. All of the characters' personalities are strong and make this movie interesting. I also do not think it's a "cheesy ghost movie," like some have said. The hauntings are unique and intriguing.』
(Rose Red (2002)-Not very original for a Steven King story) 『Rose Red (2002) was not very original for a Steven King story. I enjoyed it to the tune of four stars but the reason is that I am an easy mark for almost any haunted house story. King stated during the documentary that he wanted to make the ultimate haunted house film. In order to make this the definative haunted house movie Steven King recycled some old ideas and lines from Shirley Jackson's THE HAUNTING, THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE, and his own work in THE SHINING (and probably others that I am not aware of).
I am certain many fans recognized the plot elements and lines from THE HAUNTING including: The house is coming alive; Some houses are born bad (which was credited) and the basic idea of the plot which assumed that psychics would serve as a catalyst to the old house. I did enjoy this film and the only thing I was really upset with was the many very long lingering shots of the moody sets and CGI images of Rose Red which I think were only used to fill up the six hours of air time. Special effects were very good for a made for TV movie.』
(Mystery Lover) 『Red Rose is a wonderful follow-up for the Diary of Ellen Rimbauer. I have both tapes and have enjoyed them immensely.』
(Good if you like haunted house movies) 『I'll admit straight-out, this is not the best or highest budget haunted house movie you could see. But what it does have in spades is ambiance that give the abstract foreboding feeling that a haunted house should. There's no direct sense of how exactly the house is evil, just that it perturbs, distorts, and manipulates it's inhabitants into insanity through visions and hallucinations. That, and the house expands *itself* infinitely (easy to get lost in and no one knows the count of the rooms). This is the cause of everyone's death through Rose Red (I'm sure you saw this one coming).
EG - One person sees statues moving and has a heart attack. He would have survived if he could get into the house, but all the doors and windows are mysteriously locked. The only person who sees him is convinced that he is a hallucination (due to the house OD'ing everyone on them), and refuses to submit to it. Meanwhile, the woman who brought this psychic group there is too obsessed with the house (it is a pretty bad@$$ English Manor) to let a pesky thing like death get in the way of her studies of it, namely of the super-psychic kid who eventually tames the house. Pretty cool overall.
Pros : - Cool house - Cool story - Detailed
Cons : - Long (4+ hours) - Low production values for a movie (made for tv, but still decent) - Some annoying acting』 『On regular television, punctuated by frenetic commercials, the leisurely pace of the horror miniseriesRose Redprobably felt grueling; but on its own terms, the effect is like settling into a long book full of detail--a book not unlike those of Stephen King, who wrote the script. The story (about a researcher into the paranormal who takes a team of psychics into a haunted house) recycles themes that King has used before--a telekinetic girl, a house with its own consciousness--but for his fans, the familiarity is probably comfortable and even enjoyable. The cast (including Nancy Travis, Julian Sands, and Melanie Lynsky fromHeavenly Creatures) give committed performances, and the special effects are television-grade but used pretty well. Most of it doesn't make much sense, but at its bestRose Redis absurd and creepy at the same time.--Bret Fetzer』 『The chilling tale of dr. Joyce reardon an obsessed psychology professor who commissions a team of psychics and a gifted 15-year-old autistic girl annie wheaton to literally wake up a supposedly dormant haunted mansion rose red. Their efforts unleash myriad spirits and uncover horrifying secrets. Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 05/22/2007 Starring: Nancy Travis David Dukes Run time: 254 minutes Rating: Pg13』
price：$14.98
Universal Studios
Usually ships in 1 to 2 days Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Absolutely great. Like revisiting an old fiend) 『First, my copy of this did not "jump around" and audio&video were clear as a bell, just perfect. I've not yet watched the Spanish language version, but I'm looking forward to it "Buenas tardes, Mina, donde esta Lucy?" "Lucy, you've got some 'splaining to do". Sorry, all of a sudden I thought of the classic TV show, I Bite Lucy. Anyway, the Phillip Glass accompaniment was kind of disconcerting, simply because it is so clear! When I think of watching classic monster films, I think scratchy: scratchy films, scratchy sound, and scratchy upholstery on the couch while I watch KTNT Channel 11 on Saturday night. So far, the extras are just great, and the "Universal Horror" feature is wonderful, especially the visits with the mayorr of Metropolis, Forrest J. Ackerman. It's been more than 30 years since I picked up a Famous Monsters Of Filmland magazine, but seeing the artifacts gathered around FJA took me right back, sort of like the opening scenes of Matinee did. While I REALLY enjoyed this, I'll probably never watch it again, but it was sure nice to see.』
(Bravo to Bela Lugosi and Philip Glass!) 『This set is so inexpensive, yet you get such a great bang for your buck!
Lugosi is mightily impressive as Dracula. No Dracula since has been anywhere near as good. He's tall, he's from Romania, he's imposing, he has a piercing stare - what more could you ask?
The new music score by Philip Glass is a fine complement to Lugosi's great performance. For some reason, maybe because of tight money in the early years of the Great Depression, the initial release featured no original music at all. Glass's score enhances the drama and makes the film far more exciting than the music-less version.
Glass is one of the best living composers in the world and he shows why with this score. His repeated patterns build a high level of tension and he elevates the tension brilliantly during the big moments.
The music is performed by the Kronos Quartet, one of the finest string quartets in the world. Glass and the Kronos Quartet show that you don't need a studio orchestra to make great film music. Unless you don't really like music at all, you will want to watch the film with this magnificent score.
As for the other elements of the film, the other actors are fine, though not special, save for the wonderfully campy Dwight Frye as Renfield and Charles Gerrard providing comic relief as Martin. The cinematography is great, the sets are great, the script is good and Tod Browning's direction is at least adequate.
Still, the main reason to watch this production is for Lugosi's iconic performance, brilliantly complemented by Glass's music. Bravo!』
(Dracula (1931)-Lugosi defined Dracula!) 『Dracula was filmed in 1931 and really started the Universal tradition for great horror. I rate this grand old film at five stars and it is really the "gold standard" against which to rate all Dracula remakes. This film introduced me to the Dracula legend as a kid in the late 50's. The only thing I can think of that might have made this film a bit better is the beautifully composed and tailored music we all loved so much in later Universal horror movies. I feel to this day that the art work for Castle Dracula, and the approach to the castle via Borgo Pass were absolutely magnificent.
Lugosi helped define the role of Dracula, and everything you may find endearing about him and his acting style I consider a vital part of that wonderful character. He honed and refined his Dracula characterization on stage in the many theatrical performances he delivered and then brought this iconic character to the big screen for Universal. By the way, the DVD was a wonderful transfer in glorious B&W.
I am a great fan of Lugosi and remember him for much of his work for Universal and other fine film companies. Again, Lugosi defined Dracula for many of us! 』
(BROWNING AND LUGOSI SET THE BAR) 『A true classic of the genre in every sense of the word. Bela Lugosi simply can't be topped as the definitive Count Dracula. For devotees of this film the 75th Anniversary Edition is the one to get, especially since Steve Haberman's excellent audio commentary finally sets the record straight by debunking the recent unwarranted criticism Tod Browning's version has received when it's compared to the alternately filmed Spanish version. Haberman points out some serious flaws with the Spanish version that clearly emphasizes the superiority of Browning's film, and restores the latter's deserved reputation as one of the seminal works of cinematic horror.
My one complaint with the disc set is Peter Glass' music score. It's just plain terrible. It does exactly everything a music score should NOT do. It's too loud and it's CONSTANTLY meandering its way throughout the entire film, which gets really annoying. Thankfully the music track is optional, but it does such a disservice to the film that it shouldn't have been included at all.』
(2 stars out of 4) 『The Bottom Line:
A movie whose iconic nature has prevented many people from realizing that it's actually a rather poor film, Dracula is only worth watching to see Bela Legosi provide the definitive version of the world's most famous vampire; aside from Legosi the movie has little to offer besides lethargic pacing, a complete anti-climax of an ending, and uninspired direction by Tod Browning.』 『When Universal Pictures picked up the movie rights to a Broadway adaptation ofDracula, they felt secure in handing the property over to the sinister team of actor Lon Chaney and director Tod Browning. But Chaney died of cancer, and Universal hired the Hungarian who had scored a success in the stage play: Béla Lugosi. The resulting film launched both Lugosi's baroque career and the horror-movie cycle of the 1930s. It gets off to an atmospheric start, as we meet Count Dracula in his shadowy castle in Transylvania, superbly captured by the great cinematographer Karl Freund. Eventually Dracula and his blood-sucking devotee (Dwight Frye, in one of the cinema's truly mad performances) meet their match in a vampire-hunter called Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan). If the later sections of the film are undeniably stage bound and a tad creaky, Dracula nevertheless casts a spell, thanks to Lugosi's creepilylugubrious manner and the eerie silences of Browning's directing style. (After a mood-enhancing snippet ofSwan Lakeunder the opening titles, there is no music in the film.)Frankenstein, which was released a few months later, confirmed the horror craze, and Universal has been making money (and countless spin-off projects) from its twin titans of terror ever since. Certainly the role left a lasting impression on the increasingly addled and drug-addicted Lugosi, who was never quite able to distance himself from the part that made him a star. He was buried, at his request, in his black vampire cape.--Robert Horton』 『Although there have been numerous screen versions of bram stokers classic tale none is more enduring than this 1931 original with a masterful performance by bela lugosi. Filmed simultaneously with the english version the spanish version utilizes the same sets and script but with a different cast. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 07/08/2008 Starring: Bela Lugosi Run time: 75 minutes Rating: Nr』
『These black fingerless gloves feature the Misfits logo and the Crimson Ghost in red rubber on the palms. The palms will stay dryer with the extra padded rubber, and the gloves will last longer. Fingertip free gives you more flexibility and dexterity for your winter activities, while keeping your hands warm.
Combining punk rock's energy with morbid themes of the horror movie genre, Lodi, New Jersey native Glenn Danzig and Misfits bandmates Jerry Only, Doyle, and Arthur Googy released their first album, 'Walk Among Us' in 1982.
The band's trademark Horror Punk sound is featured in classic songs including Last Caress, Astro Zombies, and Hybrid Moments and has provided inspiration and influence on newer bands like AFI, My Chemical Romance, and White Zombie.Look awesome in these Misfits knit gloves.』
price：$3.99
Random House Books for Young Readers
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Funny Bunny Books rule) 『My kids love the Funny Bunny series and the five-year old actually practices reading these books because they do contain an interesting story and are funny as compared to other easy reader books. FAr easier to read than Dr. Seuss over and over again...』
(You Can't Go Wrong with PJ Funnybunny) 『My brother loved the PJ Funnybunny books as a kid. Now my son loves them, too. A cute story with great illustrations, sure to become another family classic.』
(Very Clever!) 『My son has had this book for several years and very much enjoys it.
This delightful story follows a bow-tie wearing P.J. Funnybunny as he and his three friends--Ritchie the raccoon, Buzz the beaver and Potts the pig--set out to go on a camping trip.
P.J.'s sister, Honey Bunny, asks if she and her friend Donna Duck can come along. "Camping is not for girls", P.J. lectures.
The rest of the story shows all the "hard" work that P.J. and friends experience as they establish their camp. P.J. even tells a campfire story so scary that he frightens HIMSELF!
Then, two "ghosts" appear--scaring the beegeezus out of the boys...who then run home. But, when P.J.'s mom ask what happened--they all lie.
But Honey Bunny and Donna know what happened!
In addition to being a clever story, P.J. Funnybunny provides a great opportunity for parents to discuss the topic of lying with their children--not to mention gender equality!
This book is a Step 2 "Step Into Reading" book by Random House and is geared towards 5-6 year olds. (I have more recent Step 2 books and this one seems a bit more complex/longer than recent Step 2 books.) Step 2 books tend to have basic vocabulary, short sentences and simple plot lines. So, it's a good book for beginning readers--as well as a good story for bedtime.』
(Great Fun) 『At first I thought this book was a little negative for girls because PJ and his friend kept telling his sister and her friends that camping is not for girls. But even my three year old daughter understood that the boys were the ones who did not know what they were doing. The ending allows for discussion on telling the whole truth.』 『Illus. in full color. Camping is not for girls, right? At least, that's what
P.J. and his pals tell Donna and Honey Bunny when they want to tag along on a
camping trip. But when two mysterious ghosts frighten the boys all the way
price：$5.42
EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Occult fiction fans will love this book) 『Even though Arthur Conan Doyle was a well-known occult writer, he had to keep Sherlock Holmes, his most famous creation, grounded in reality. Doyle couldn't weaken his popularity by giving Holmes a number of occult and fantastic cases to solve. This book takes care of that.
Watson was severely injured, and should have died, while serving with the British Army in Afghanistan. but there seems a cost to Watson from that dark time in his life, and this intersects with the role of a strange Afghani man named Farakhan many years later when Holmes and Watson work a case; a case of what looks like suicide by crossbow. The story ends with a weird and mystical twist.
During World War II, Holmes is in a California nursing home. The damage to British morale would be too severe if he should be killed by the Nazis. Holmes helps a local detective discover how a man can be shot three times, twice in the chest and once in the head, and walk away. It has to do with the importation of fifty pine boxes from Romania, filled with vampires willing to work for the Allies.
In other stories, Holmes and Watson meet up with two famous literary occult detectives, Flaxman Low and Thomas Carnacki. Holmes is very much of a realist; no matter how weird and occult things may seem, there is usually a rational explanation. But he does not totally dismiss un-rational explanations.
I really enjoyed these stories. They are well done, and they are nice and weird without being too weird. Holmes fans will love this book, and so will occult fiction fans.
』
("It's been good to have an adventure with you. . . . They never let girls." --Mary Watson) 『I bought this book in Toronto because it had a Kim Newman story ("The Red Planet League") I hadn't seen before. I'll buy any Kim Newman story I see.
Like all of Newman's work, this story is entertaining, with allusions to classic Victorian science fiction and fantasy and 1950s Hollywood versions of it. It doesn't have the social criticism of Newman's best work (for instance the Zorro-werewolf story "Out of the Night, When the Full Moon is Bright" in The Mammoth Book of Werewolves (The Mammoth Book Series), or any of his stories about the Flower Power Antichrist Derek Leech, such as "Another Fish Story" in The Secret Files of the Diogenes Club), but the story does have the original idea of Professor Moriarty as hero with his criminal compatriot Colonel Moran as his biographer,à la Doctor Watson.
Several stories in Gaslight Grimoire have Holmes and Watson interacting with other heroes of their time, like Hesketh Pritchard's Flaxman Low and William Hope Hodgson's Carnacki the Ghost Finder.
My favorite story in this collection is Barbara Hambly's "The Lost Boy," which has a different Watson as narrator, and shows Holmes responding emotionally to a woman in a way that's consistent with the misogyny of the Conan Doyle stories. At the end of this story I felt sorry for two characters--three if you count the boy who never grew up.
The ending of the second story in the book, Christopher Sequeira's "His Last Arrow," completely surprised me. If you've ever wondered why Holmes can solve mysteries that are incomprehensible to everyone else, the answer is here.
"The Finishing Stroke" by M. J. Elliott will appeal to anyone who, like me, is fascinated by the various versions of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. (ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS: If that includes you, you should read Will Self's novel Dorian: An Imitation and see the movie Pact With the Devil starring Malcolm McDowell.)
All the stories in Gaslight Grimoire are enjoyable at the very least, and the book reminds me of what Oscar Wilde said: I can believe anything as long as it's truly incredible.
』
(good but not what I expected) 『It really isn't fair for me to give this only 2 stars as I assume the book is fine but I was expecting it to be like one of the many other modern Sherlock Holmes books and it was different in that it contains super-natural and very abnormal stories. I prefer the more "standard" holmes style of stories dealing with real life events. Again, I should have read more about it before buying but at first glance it didn't apear odd to me.』
(Fascinating ideas for stories) 『The idea of combining the ultra-rational (supposedly) mind of Sherlock Holmes with supernatural happenings is one bound to produce some interesting challenges, and many of the authors in this anthology met those challenges with good stories. From the first - where Holmes, Dr. Watson's wife, and Peter Pan - yes, THAT Peter Pan - must solve a kidnapping, to the last, which doesn't even include Holmes, but rather features Dr. Moriarty as the - well, protagonist, if not exactly good guy - every story in this collection is different.
Some of the stories had no supernatural content at all - "Merridew of Abominable Memory," for example, features a character with an eidetic memory; perhaps the extent of that ability is stretched a little beyond what we normally think of as a photographic memory, but not into the realm of a supernatural power, and the crimes involved are entirely down-to-earth. And the aforementioned final story, "The Red Planet League," is not exactly supernatural either: Moriarty and a rival scientist disagree on an astronomical issue, and Moriarty gets even by using some science fictional ideas, but not fantasy or the supernatural. This is one of the funniest stories in the book, in my opinion. The first story, involving Peter Pan, although OK, is somewhat weak, and would be totally incomprehensible and pointless to anyone who hadn't ever read "Peter Pan." Another story, "His Last Arrow," is a thoughtful story of Dr. Watson's introspection on why he continues to associate with Holmes and what drives his need to write about it; the supernatural nature of it is rather unlikely and would probably bother some Holmes fans, as Holmes does not come out on the good side of Watson's analysis.
One of the things I really enjoyed about the book: the illustrations by Phil Cornell which accompany each story. For many of them, it's not obvious what the illustration means at the beginning of the story, but at the end, you go back and look and say, aha! If only I had interpreted this correctly, I would have seen it coming! But unless you are Holmes, you won't have guessed which details of the illustration are important in advance. Perhaps my favorite story AND my favorite illustration was "Red Sunset."
A suggestion: read this and _The Final Solution: A Story of Detection_ by Michael Chabon (# ISBN-10: 0060777109) together. You'll enjoy them both!』
(Disappointing) 『There are eleven stories in this "grimoire"; stories where Holmes encounters crimes and/or events beyond the usual scope of the rational detective. Some are good, some are not. Many have little to do with classic Holmsian approaches.
The first story is "The Lost Boy". A combination of Holmes, Peter Pan, and a dash of H.P. Lovecraft. As a story it is "neither fish, nor fowl". It lacks the childishness of Peter Pan, the deductive trill of Holmes, and the terror of old HPL. The adventure is good, but Holmes attracting fairies?
Next is "His Last Arrow". This is a Watson driven story, and pretty good. But, again, the situation is not so much Sherlock Holmes as it is an alternate fantastic view of the detective. In other words, this is not a story about the great detective so much as a fantasy tale. It's still pretty good, and the ending is a surprise.
Now "The Things that Shall Come Upon Them" is a good story. With conflicting views as to weather there is a mechanistic vs. spiritual answer to the problem in on hold past the end of the story. Are they being haunted? Or are they being burgled? This one is good.
"The Finishing Stroke" is an inventive way to use the old "artist as mystic" trope. I liked it a great deal as a story. A pity the art at the start of the story kind of gave away the plot.
"Sherlock Holmes in the Lost World" isn't particularly good. A rehash of the "Lost World" dinosaur's plateau story with Holmes in it. Not much to recommend, either as a story or a Holmes pastiche.
Next is "The Grantchester Grimoire". I liked this one a lot. Again, the art at the start gave too much away, but it was a good, classic gothic tale, where the Detective was doing what we expect him to do. Missing evil books and ghosts at the windows lead to certain dark ends.
When I got to "The Steamship Friesland", I became a bit disgusted. This is not to do with deduction, but just having a ghost tell Holmes what was going on. Seriously, where's the Holmes connection, aside from the fact he's the one the ghost talks to?
"The Entwined" is a tough call. The girl confessing to murders she could not have possible done, but holding certain knowledge of them is a good plot line. The idea is good, but it's more HPL (as in you don't need a great deal of deductive ability) than it is Holmes.
"Merridew of Abominable Memory" takes place with Watson in a respite home, retelling a story of his former days with Holmes to the Doctor. Again, this is not so much a Sherlock Holmes story as it is a glimpse into horror. Holmes does play his usual role, but the point of the story is more about why Watson is hating his memories than the deductions of Holmes.
And then there's "Red Sunset". Holmes, at 100+, in a gangster 1940's situation. Need I say more? And there are vampires. And it's Dracula. And even with these spoilers, you couldn't appreciate the story less than if you read it cold.
The last, "The Red Planet League", is an interesting one. Holmes isn't in it. It's about a rather convoluted plan of Moriarty's (chronicled by Col. Moran) to get back at a fellow astronomer who has disputed his great book on asteroids. It's a good story, and a fantastic plot. It's a sort of anti-Holmes, showing all the meticulateness of a serious plan, just to be done for evil. I thought it rather clever, over all.
The collection as a whole disappointed, but some of the stories are certainly worth reading, if you can get them separate from the rest.』 『
The fabled tin dispatch box of Dr. John H. Watson opens to reveal eleven all new tales of mystery and dark fantasy. Sherlock Holmes, master of deductive reasoning, confronts the irrational, the unexpected and the fantastic in the weird worlds of the Gaslight Grimoire.
"A wonderful addition to the bookshelf of any fan of Sherlock Holmes or of the supernatural. Terrific stories, great variety, genuine chills: it's all here." -Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of HOMINIDS
"This book contains eleven of the most ingenious, imaginative and inspired exploits yet committed to paper. Wonderful stuff!" -Roger Johnson, BSI, Editor, The Sherlock Holmes Journal
Contributors: Barbara Hambly Christopher Sequeira Barbara Roden M. J. Elliott Martin Powell Chico Kidd&Rick Kennett
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