Novelist. Short Story-ist. Film enthusiast. Book enthusiast. Purveyor of sarcasm and dark humour. And somehow, he escaped… — If you’re reading this, it’s already too late. To click on this page is to open Pandora’s Box. So why not satisfy your curiosity, and chew on a mouthful of my Medium articles? I submit these to a variety of publications, including Fictions, Fan Fare, Frame Rated, and The Writing…

Writer Q&A with Simon Dillon — Author’s note: The Pro Files recently approached me for an emailed interview as part of its series of writer interviews. This is an unedited excerpt of everything writing-related that came out of the conversation. Interviewed by Ben Human. What is on your writer’s CV? I’m primarily a writer of fiction novels, mostly gothic mystery horror-thriller tales…

Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot series finally scores a solid film. — First, an apology: I know several of you have asked for my thoughts on A Haunting in Venice, and my review has been rather delayed for various personal reasons. However, I have now been to see it, so here we are. The good news is that Kenneth Branagh’s third foray…

An unscary, illogical, murky, ridiculous addition to this increasingly tedious horror series. — My original plan was to ignore The Nun II, as I didn’t really want to see it, but the great unwashed have made it a box office hit, so I’m obliged to have an opinion. Thus, I dutifully dragged myself to the multiplex last night with low expectations that still…

Does Hitchcock’s adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s ornithological horror tale still hold up? — Warning: Contains spoilers. What is The Birds about? Cineastes have pondered that question for six decades, whilst entertaining themselves with Alfred Hitchcock’s sublimely nasty tale of ornithological aggression. It’s far from my favourite from the Master (my top ten Hitchcock countdown can be read here), but it is undeniably iconic…

Why I mourn the closure of my childhood cinema. — There’s a scene near the end of Cinema Paradiso (1988) when the older Salvatore “Toto” Di Vita (Jacques Perrin) witnesses the demolition of the beloved titular cinema, which is being destroyed to make way for a car park. The older people from the town watch in sombre silence. Some of…

Agatha Christie’s famous detective has graced cinema screens for almost a century, but who played him best? — This weekend sees the cinema release of A Haunting in Venice, the latest instalment of Kenneth Branagh’s reimagining of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot murder mysteries. It therefore seems a good opportunity to reflect on the legendary Belgian detective’s big-screen appearances over the last hundred years.

Denzel Washington smashes skulls in a cliché-ridden, predictable, but entertaining third entry in Antoine Fuqua’s action thriller series. — Readers of a certain age will recall the titular 1980s TV series starring Edward Woodward, upon which this is loosely based. Loosely is the key word here, as The Equalizer 3 bears little resemblance to the source material. Mind you, neither did the previous films. I enjoyed the first, can…

A personal selection of top-notch, high-octane cinematic spectacle. — With The Equalizer 3 currently in cinemas, this seems an opportune moment to discuss my favourite action thrillers. As I recently explained in my ten favourite adventure films article, I believe the action thriller exists apart from the adventure genre in ways that are slippery and difficult to define, with…