Robert McCammon, “The Wolf’s Hour”

Robert McCammon, “The Wolf’s Hour”, 1989, Grafton Books

This novel was a dramatic departure for horror writer McCammon. A blend of WWII espionage thriller and werewolf-powered dark fantasy, the story revolves around Russian-born, British Secret Service operative Michael Gallatin, who just happens to be a werewolf. Highly principled and deeply introspective, Gallatin is a tormented soul struggling to understand who (or what) he is. Intricately plotted and meticulously described, this suspense thriller offers up a unique take on the werewolf mythos.

Leste Chen, “The Great Hypnotist”

Leste Chen, “The Great Hypnotist”

The Great Hypnotist is a 2014 Chinese mystery-thriller film directed by Leste Chen and starring Xu Zheng and Karen Mok. The film was released on April 29, 2014.

The Great Hypnotist seeks to mesmerize its viewers. Concluding the 2014 Beijing International Film Festival before unspooling across mainland China, the film boasts of excellent production values, sturdy performances and an ambitious plot zipping in between dream and reality, as a buoyant psychotherapist engages in a battle of wits with a mysterious and strangely belligerent patient who claims she sees ghosts.

This is a good film to watch if you enjoyed the “Sixth Sense”. A great thriller with a major plot twist, the film draws you into it. My only reservation is the short part of the movie after the twist in which flashbacks seek to explain the twist. Not really necessary in my opinion. If you have Netflix streaming, the movie is there for you. If not, you will have to really search for it. Worth it.

Alex Proyas, “Dark City”: Film History Series

“Dark City”: Director’s Cut: 2008; Directed by Alex Proyas

“Dark City” is a 1998 American neo-noir science fiction film directed by Alex Proyas. The screenplay was written by Proyas, Lem Dobbs and David S. Goyer. The film stars Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, and William Hurt. Sewell plays John Murdoch, an amnesiac man who finds himself suspected of murder. Murdoch attempts to discover his true identity and clear his name while on the run from the police and a mysterious group known only as the “Strangers”.

The majority of the film was shot at Fox Studios Australia. It was jointly produced by New Line Cinema and Mystery Clock Cinema. New Line Cinema and New Line Home Video commercially distributed the theatrical release and home media respectively. The film premiered in the United States on February 27, 1998, and was a box office bomb, but received mainly positive reviews. The film was nominated for Hugo and Saturn Awards, and has become a cult classic. A director’s cut was released in 2008, restoring and preserving Proyas’s original artistic vision for the film.

A classic film: science fiction thriller in the style of film-noir. This film is a must see for sci-fi fans; the director’s cut is the version to watch.