Category Archives: Gothic

THE BURNING COURT (1937) by John Dickson Carr

Posted on 23 June 2017 by Cavershamragu

There are oddly obscure mysteries from the Golden Age that are in fact still entertaining and clever and deserve to be rediscovered. Then there are novels that once were considered classics but now seem very tame indeed. And then there … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017 Golden Age Vintage Mystery Scavenger Hunt, Five Star review, Gothic, John Dickson Carr, Locked Room Mystery, Pennsylvania | 78 Comments

FROZEN CHARLOTTE by Alex Bell

Posted on 26 January 2017 by Cavershamragu

This is one of a series of books published under the ‘Red Eye’ banner from Little Tiger/Stripes Publishing and aimed at young adults. I picked this one up for my amazing niece (youngest of the two by 12 minutes) while … Continue reading →

Posted in Five Star review, Friday's Forgotten Book, Gothic, Scotland | Tagged Alex Bell | 52 Comments

THE DEADLY CLIMATE (1954) by Ursula Curtiss

Posted on 13 February 2015 by Cavershamragu

For years I’ve been meaning to sample the neo-Gothic romantic suspense of Ursula Curtiss (1923-1984) – and after reading a particularly glowing review of this book by that pretty sinister rascal John F Norris, I knew the time had arrived! After … Continue reading →

Posted in 2015 Vintage Mystery Challenge, Friday's Forgotten Book, Gothic, New England, Ursula Curtiss | 30 Comments

SOME MUST WATCH (1933) by Ethel Lina White

Posted on 30 October 2014 by Cavershamragu

It’s Halloween, so time for things to get a little shuddery here at Fedora! Ethel Lina White, a big name in the 1930s, is best known today for The Wheel Spins, later filmed by Hitchcock as The Lady Vanishes. Some … Continue reading →

Posted in 2014 Book to Movie Challenge, 2014 Vintage Mystery Challenge Bingo, Film Noir, Gothic, Robert Siodmak | Tagged Dorothy McGuire | 40 Comments

Douglas Slocombe – 100 years old today

Posted on 10 February 2013 by Cavershamragu

OK movie buffs, here’s a fun pop quiz for you: what do Raiders of the Lost Ark, Sean Connery’s last Bond movie, Michael Caine in The Italian Job, Montgomery Clift’s turn as Sigmund Freud and several classic Ealing comedies such … Continue reading →

Posted in 'In praise of ...', Basil Dearden, Douglas Slocombe, Film Noir, George Baxt, Gothic, Hammer Studios, Jimmy Sangster, Joseph Losey, London, New York, Paris, Scene of the crime, Screwball | 26 Comments

The Spiritualist (1948) – Tuesday’s Overlooked Film

Posted on 11 December 2012 by Cavershamragu

Also known as The Amazing Mr X, this beautifully shot and gently mocking ‘Gaslight-meets-Rebecca‘ mystery melodrama also has a Noir style all its own. It also sports a charming performance from the late Turhan Bey who, in what appears to … Continue reading →

Posted in Cornell Woolrich, DVD Review, Film Noir, Gothic, Noir on Tuesday, Tuesday's Overlooked Film | 25 Comments

THE HOUSE (1947) by Hilda Lawrence

Posted on 30 November 2012 by Cavershamragu

John Norris has featured several postwar Gothic mysteries of late over at his fantabulous Pretty Sinister Books, whetting my appetite for something similar. So I finally decided to dust off this mystery by Hilda Lawrence (1906-76) and give it a … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012 Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge, Friday's Forgotten Book, Golden Age Girls, Gothic, Hilda Lawrence | 32 Comments

THE ETERNAL ACTRESS by Nev Fountain

Posted on 19 August 2012 by Cavershamragu

This new entry in the Dark Shadows series is produced for audio by Big Finish, makers of such fine products as the truly wondrous Jago and Litefoot thrillers (for my reviews of these, click here). I have to admit to … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio Review, Big Finish, Billy Wilder, Dark Shadows, Doctor Who, Film Noir, Gothic, Hollywood, Nev Fountain, Scene of the crime | Tagged hollywood, oscars | 7 Comments

THE TERROR (1930) by Edgar Wallace

Posted on 9 February 2012 by Cavershamragu

Edgar Wallace was still a big name when I was growing up in Italy in the 1970s, his iconic signature and profile emblazoned on dozens of yellow paperbacks and linked to a long list of rather lurid movies usually set … Continue reading →

Posted in Edgar Wallace, Gothic, Hammer Studios | 22 Comments

Paranoiac (1963) – Tuesday’s Forgotten Film

Posted on 10 January 2012 by Cavershamragu

The young Oliver Reed was under contract at Hammer Studios just before becoming a major star and Paranoiac is among his best films of the period, providing the actor with one of his earliest chances to play the kind of … Continue reading →

Posted in Gothic, Hammer Studios, Jimmy Sangster, Josephine Tey, Tuesday's Overlooked Film | 45 Comments

Nightmare (1964) – Tuesday’s Forgotten Film

Posted on 20 December 2011 by Cavershamragu

A teenage girl in her nightie walks down an eerie and dark corridor, apparently lost. Becoming increasingly uneasy and hearing voices, she fearfully open a door and finds her mother, grinning, apparently waiting for her. It’s the inside of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Alfred Hitchcock, Gothic, Hammer Studios, Jimmy Sangster, Tuesday's Overlooked Film | 24 Comments

THE MAHOGANY MURDERERS by Andy Lane

Posted on 6 November 2011 by Cavershamragu

A few years ago I started commuting – but British trains being what they frequently are (late, over-crowded, expensive …) I found that trying to read a book was not easy, what with all the jostling amongst passengers and the … Continue reading →