mystery – Anomalous Cinema

The Prowler (1981)

August 15, 2025August 14, 2025 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on YouTube (sign-in required) | imdb | trailer

This ‘80s slasher just barely squeaks by my usual criteria for this website. The flaw here is that the acting and story between kill scenes is pretty mediocre. However when the blood is flowing, The Prowler is spectacular. Tom Savini did the FX and the murder sequences are all very memorable. The killer’s outfit is really intimidating too. The other thing I like about this film is that it’s a non-franchise, all-in-one horror flick. You will most likely enjoy this one if you keep your expectations low, or just fast forward to the juicy stuff.

NOTE ON QUALITY: I have this linked to the version on YouTube because it’s totally free and uncut as far as I can tell. It looks a bit compressed, so if you’re a stickler for quality, check out JustWatch to see where else it is streaming (currently several places), or watch the disc.

Available on Blu-ray from Blue Underground.

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The Ghost Writer (2010)

August 8, 2025November 20, 2025 vergeoflightLeave a comment

JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

I completely missed this Roman Polanski thriller when it came out. I caught it just recently and was very pleasantly surprised. Ewan McGregor is tasked with helping the former British PM (Pierce Brosnan) write his memoir. Funny thing… the guy with the ghost writing job before him died under mysterious circumstances. Yeah, you see where this is going. The good news is that the various crime thriller curveballs are unexpected and satisfying. Keep an eye out for a young Jon Bernthal.

Available on Blu-ray from Lionsgate.

If you are a fan of Anomalous Cinema, please consider supporting this site by donating any amount (even $1.00 is appreciated) via Venmo @vergeoflight or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.

Manhunter (1986)

January 31, 2025May 8, 2025 vergeoflightLeave a comment

JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

Years before The Silence of the Lambs came out, Michael Mann directed this stylish adaptation of Thomas Harris’ book “Red Dragon.” Here is one of those movies that I think many people have missed or overlooked in recent years. I have been a fan since first seeing it as a teenager. I loved Mann’s Miami Vice and Crime Story series at the time. I almost recommended this years ago, but the streaming services always cropped the beautiful cinemascope aspect ratio to 16:9. You need to see this in the extra wide 2.35:1 or it loses a lot of it’s charm. The headline here is, this is a kick ass crime thriller that is dripping with ‘80s style, and loaded with awesome actors. It is easily Tom Noonan’s best role. Yes, Manhunter is a little different than the book. If you want a closer adaptation, watch Red Dragon (2002). I didn’t care for it as much, but it’s worth seeing. The thing that sets this version apart is the awesome soundtrack and score. I own it on vinyl, and still listen to an extended music blog version regularly. The Shriekback song “This Big Hush” is the standout. It’s a damn shame they didn’t record an entire album like that. There are definitely some cheesy bits in this film, it was 1986 after all, so don’t expect perfection. Just experience it with your psychoactive substance of choice, and try to enjoy the trip.

Only a crappy Blu-ray is available domestically as part of a “Hannibal Lecter” set.

It Comes at Night (2017)

October 18, 2024January 24, 2025 vergeoflightLeave a comment

JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

I was hoping to recommend a horror movie, but this is more of a psychological thriller. Pretty damned creepy at times though. I saw It Comes at Night when it first came out and gave it a good rating, but I didn’t remember a thing about it. I figured why not rewatch it after a few drinks and give you a more off the cuff recommendation?

Ahem…

Killer cinematography. The whole cast is solid. Nice to see Christopher Abbot again in a role before I began recognizing his awesomeness. There are bits of this that remind me of how it felt at the beginning of Covid (oh boy doesn’t that make you want to watch this now?). Some people were turned off by this not being a straight forward horror movie. Some were turned off by not knowing exactly what is going on. I was not turned off. I am not calling this a fun movie, or even a great movie, but it sure as hell is Anomalous Cinema.

The themes reminded me of the OG Twilight Zone episodes The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street (1960) and The Shelter (1961). I suggest if you’ve never seen those, watch them AFTER It Comes at Night.

Available on Blu-ray from Lion’s Gate.

Timecrimes (2007)

July 26, 2024November 1, 2024 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming info on JustWatch | imdb | trailer

Here’s one of my favorite Spanish horror mysteries to come out in the ‘00s. A man inadvertently travels backwards in time. Then things get very weird and complicated. This is definitely more of a mystery, with a dab of sci-fi, than a straight up horror movie. Don’t let that deter you though. Timecrimes is dark, a little sleazy, sometimes funny, and kept me guessing throughout. It’s a pity that none of Nacho Vigalondo’s work since has interested me much. Hey, the man wrote and directed this awesome brain fuck of a movie, so it’s possible he’s got another great one left in him. I certainly hope that proves to be true.

Not available on domestic Blu-ray.

Gaslight (1944)

April 19, 2024April 18, 2024 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Max | imdb | trailer

You have heard the expression a lot in recent years, but if you haven’t seen the film from which the term originates you have been missing out. Well, the term comes from the original 1938 play, however this is the most well known film adaptation. Bottom line, it is an excellent mystery film with perfect performances by its lead cast. I would watch Joseph Cotten read from the phone book. Also keep an eye out for a young, arguably hot, Angela Lansbury of Murder She Wrote fame. Gaslight runs on the long side, but it’s really a minor flaw. I only saw this for the first time recently and loved it.

Available on Blu-ray from Warner Archive Collection.

The Oxford Murders (2008)

March 1, 2024March 31, 2024 vergeoflightLeave a comment

JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

Alex de la Iglesia is probably my favorite living Spanish director. I fell in love with his first film Accione Mutante (the Severin 4K/UHD release is highly recommended) and have enjoyed almost everything he’s made since. His work ranges from gory horror to innovative comedies. The director’s big break for English language audiences was The Oxford Murders. Unfortunately it didn’t advance his career much, but it’s still a very good mystery/thriller starring Elijah Wood and John Hurt. The only flaw is that it is so complicated it gets bogged down, but damn if I wasn’t engaged throughout. Check out Iglesia’s other work, including his recent series Thirty Coins on Max.

Available on Blu-ray from Magnolia Entertainment.

Black Christmas (1974)

December 22, 2023March 14, 2024 vergeoflightLeave a comment

JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

This one is for you younger readers that may have never seen this excellent Holiday Season horror film. Black Christmas is considered one of the earliest slasher films, it was a massive influence on John Carpenter’s original Halloween, and the director went on to make a little movie called A Christmas Story. That is correct. Portland’s own Hollywood Theatre once even showed both on the same night, but not as a double feature unfortunately. Director Bob Clark was also the man behind the raunchy teen comedy Porky’s and the highly recommended horror film Deathdream (aka Dead of Night). Black Christmas took me multiple viewings to really appreciate because it is pretty tame in the blood department. Clark was not setting out to make a gory “hack ’em and stack ’em” slasher. However it features two excellent performances from Olivia Hussey and Keir Dullea (Dave from 2001: A Space Odyssey), plus you might recognize multiple other beloved actors in supporting roles. This is one of my top three Christmas horrors, along with Christmas Evil and Silent Night, Deadly night, so do not miss it. Don’t waste your time with the remake by the way, it’s just ok.

Available on 4K UHD / Blu-ray from Shout Factory.

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

October 27, 2023February 19, 2024 vergeoflightLeave a comment

JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

I am posting this on the Friday before Halloween 2023, so I wanted to choose something with a particularly spooky vibe. In fact, many moons ago, my partner and I had a seasonal party where we showed this, along with the original versions of Night of the Living Dead and The Evil Dead. I will admit that Sleepy Hollow falls into the territory of movies I would think everyone with interest in horror has seen. However the film came out before 9/11, so this recommendation is for the benefit of you folks born after. Tim Burton is very hit or miss for me, but this and Ed Wood are probably my favorite among his work. Yes, it does have some wince-inducing cheesy parts that might have been better in Edward Scissorhands, but it also features plenty of gore and one of my favorite Christopher Walken appearances. Just watch Sleepy Hollow if you’ve never had the pleasure before. It’s a whole bunch of creepy fun. Oh, and if you’ve never seen the 1958 Disney version of The Legend… (or it’s been a while), watch that first.

Available on 4K UHD / Blu-ray from Paramount.

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

July 7, 2023November 30, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

A rich widow is murdered. A married man, whom the deceased was smitten with, gets the blame. Sounds rather dull, right? Far from it. This is a great ‘50s crime drama that keeps throwing twist after twist at you right up to the final minutes. The film is packed with great actors too. I had fun watching Elsa Lanchester, who played the title character in Bride of Frankenstein, in a role so vastly different. Younger audiences might be put off by the dated banter between the characters, but stick with it. There’s a reason that Witness for the Prosecution is considered a classic.

Available on Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.