Book Review - A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

Title: A Head Full of Ghosts
Author: Paul Tremblay
Genre: Horror
Published: 2015
 
Description: The lives of the Barretts, a Norman suburban New England family, are torn apart when fourteen-year-old Marjorie begins to display signs of acute schizophrenia.
 
To her parent’s despair, the doctors are unable to stop Marjorie’s descent into madness. As their stable home devolves int a house of horrors, they reluctantly turn to a local Catholic priest for help. Father Wanderly suggests an exorcism; he believes the vulnerable teenager is the victim of demonic possession. He also contacts a production company that is eager to document the Barretts’ plight. With John, Marjorie’s father, out of work for more than a year and the medical bills looming, the family agrees to be filmed, and soon find themselves the unwitting stars of “The Possession”, a hit reality television show. When events in the Barrett household explode in tragedy, the show and the shocking incidents it captures become the stuff of urban legend.
 
Fifteen years later, a bestselling writer interviews Marjorie’s younger sister, Merry. As she recalls those long ago events that took place when she was just eight years old, long-buried secrets and painful memories that clash with what was broadcast on television begin to surface. A mind-bending tale of psychological horror is unleashed, raising vexing questions about memory and reality, science and religion, and the very nature of evil.
 
Review: Sometimes you read a book where, right up until the very last page, you’re not sure what to believe. “A Head Full of Ghosts” is one of those books. A gripping psychological horror novel that constantly keeps you guessing and leaves you pondering everything you’ve read long after you’ve finished.
 
When 14-year-old Marjorie Barrett begins to exhibit increasingly disturbing behavior, her family becomes convinced that she may be possessed. As her condition worsens, a Catholic priest is called in, and the family decides to participate in a reality TV show that documents their lives and Marjorie’s alleged possession. Years later, her younger sister Merry looks back on the events and tries to understand exactly what happened at the time.
 
What an incredibly powerful, unsettling, and unpredictable story. This book contains come truly astonishing plot twists and keeps you constantly questioning what’s real. Is Marjorie really possessed? Is she suffering from a mental illness? Or is something else entirely going on? You constantly wonder whether what Marjorie is experiencing is really, or whether it’s all made up, exaggerated, or being interpreted differently. And the clever part is that you’re never entirely sure which answer to believe.
 
The story is divided into three parts, each with its own perspective. The first part focuses primarily on the events within the Barrett family and the increasingly alarming situation surrounding Marjorie. You get to know the family and see how feat and uncertainty slowly take over their daily lives. In the second part, the focus shifts to the reality show that turns their personal drama into a public spectacle. It shows how the media, ratings, and the demand for entertainment influence the way events are presented and interpreted. The third part brings us back to the present, where the adult Merry shares her memories and tries to piece together the puzzle of her childhood. It is precisely these different perspectives that give the story more and more layers.
 
The story is divided into three parts, each with its own perspective. The first part focuses primarily on the events within the Barrett family and the increasingly alarming situation surrounding Marjorie. You get to know the family and see how fear and uncertainty slowly take over their daily lives. In the second part, the focus shifts to the reality show that turns their personal drama into a public spectacle. It shows how the media, ratings, and the demand for entertainment influence the way events are presented and interpreted. The third part brings us back to the present, where the adult Merry shares her memories and tries to piece together the puzzle of her childhood. It is precisely these different perspectives that give the story more and more layers.
 
The atmosphere is unsettling and menacing from the very beginning, without the author having to constantly rely on cheap jump scares. The horror here lies primarily in the uncertainty, the psychological tension, and the realization that you might not know at all what’s really going on.
 
A book that surprised me several times, kept me constantly in doubt, and left me with a lot of questions. Exactly the kind of psychological horror I thoroughly enjoy.
 
Rating: 5/ 5

Book Review - The Girl in Red by Christina Henry

Title: The Girl in Red
Author: Christina Henry
Genre: Horror/ Fantasy
Published: 2019
 
Description: It’s not safe for anyone alone in the woods. There are predators that come out at night: critters and coyotes, snakes and wolves. But the woman in the red jacket has no choice. Not since the Crisis came, decimated the population, and sent those who survived fleeing into quarantine camps that serve as breeding grounds for death, destruction, and disease. She is just a woman trying not to get killed in a world that doesn’t look anything like the one she grew up in, the one that was perfectly sane and normal and boring until three months ago.
 
There are worse threats in the woods than the things that stalk their prey at night. Sometimes, there are men. Men with dark desires, weak wills and evil intents. Men in uniform with classified information, deadly secrets, and unforgiving orders. And sometimes, just sometimes, there’s something worse than all of the horrible people and vicious beasts combined.
 
Red doesn’t like to think of herself as a killed, but she isn’t about to let herself get eaten up just because she is a woman alone in the woods…
 
Review: “The Girl in Red” by Christina Henry is an intriguing, post-apocalyptic retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. Henry is known for her dark tales, but this was my first book I read by her. It is indeed dark and she creates a grim, atmospheric world that captivated me for the most part.
 
We follow Red, a young woman trying to survive after a deadly crisis has brought the world to a standstill. As civilization crumbles around her and the government sets up quarantine camps, Red flees through the woods in her signature red coat. Her destination is her recovering grandmother’s remote home. Armed with an axe, a knife, and her sharp survival instinct, she must brave not only the elements but, above all, the dangerous survivors who make the woods unsafe.  
 
What I found incredibly powerful about this book is the atmosphere. The story has a very dark theme and is downright gruesome at times. As a fan of dark books, I really appreciated this raw, bloody edge; Christina Herny certainly doesn’t shy away from danger or the ugly side of humanity.
 
Still, after finishing the book, I was left with mixed feelings. Based on the cover and the synopsis, I had expected wolves to play a prominent role in the story. Unfortunately, this turned out not to be the case, which I felt was a missed opportunity in this retelling. I also felt that the ending didn’t quite fit the rest of the story’s atmosphere.
 
*POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD*
 
After all the suspense, I had expected (and secretly hoped) a less happier ending. I don’t know what that says about me, but I felt that would have fit the rest of the story much better.
 
It’s an entertaining and suspenseful fantasy horror story, but because of my unmet expectations regarding the wolves and the ending it was just okay for me.
 
Rating: 3/ 5

Movie Review - Backrooms

Director: Kane Parsons
Genre: Horror
Runtime: 126 minutes
Year: 2026
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell
 
Description: Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), an angry architect, chases the source of impossible power failures when a glowing gap opens in his basement, but the yelloe maze beyond it threatens his sanity, his friends and Mary (Renate Reinsve).
 
Review: “Backrooms” is the ‘what they fuck did I just watch’ movie of the year. It’s a masterful, claustrophobic triumph that rewrites the rules of the horror genre. With his sensational theatrical debut, director Kane Parsons, just 20 years old, proves that scary stories on the internet can be transformed into pure, groundbreaking cinema.
 
The film is set in the 1990s. Clark is a frustrated furniture store owner and he discovers an impossible, glowing opening in his basement. Curious, he steps over the threshold, only to vanish without a trace into a seemingly endless, otherworldly labyrinth of yellowed office hallways and fluorescent lighting. When the distraught therapist Dr. Mary Kline set out to investigate, she is sucked deep into this eerie, liminal dimension. She must fight not only against the bizarre, distorted rules of reality, but also against the elusive, malevolent entity lurking in the shadows.
 
With a modest budget, A24 has delivers an audiovisual masterpiece that will haunt your mind for days to come. What began as a viral YouTube series by Parsons has evolved on the big screen into a terrifyingly tangible nightmare. The massive, custom-built set pays off immediately: the desolation of the spaces feels oppressively real. The cinematography and sound design are simply brilliant; the constant, monotonous hum of the lights and the unpredictable visual glitches build psychological tension that becomes almost unbearable.
 
The acting elevates the film to an even higher level. Renate Reinsve and Chiwetel Ejiofor deliver intense, layered performances.
 
“Backroom” is not a cheap jump scare movie, but leans heavily on the surreal, oppressive atmosphere that gives you an unsettling feeling throughout the entire film. An absolute must-watch for horror fans.
 
Rating: 4,5/ 5

20s Movie Review - The Witches

Director: Robert Zemeckeis
Genre: Fantasy/ Adventure/ Family
Runtime: 106 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, Chris Rock

Description: A young boy and his grandmother (Octavia Spencer) have a run-in with a coven of witches and their leader (Anne Hathaway).

Review: “The Witches” is a visually overwhelming and unbalanced remake that misses the mark by a wide margin. While the 1990 original struck a perfect balance between horror and childhood nostalgia, this modern retelling gets bogged down with bad CGI.

The film follows a young orphaned boy who movies in with his loving grandmother in Alabama in the late 1960s. After they encounter a mysterious woman, Grandma decides to flee to a luxury hotel on the coast to escape her. Coincidentally, a glamorous yet terrifying group of witches arrives at that very same hotel for their annual gathering. Led by the Grand Witch, they hatch a terrible plan to turn all the children in the world into mice. When the boy and his new friends are actually transformed, they must find a way, as mice, to stop the witches.

Although director Robert Zemeckis has a star-studded cast that includes Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spences and Stanley Tucci, the film never really manages to capture the magic of Roald Dahl’s books. The biggest culprit is the overuse of CGI, which is truly terrible at times. The digital effects look unnatural and cheap, making the transformed mice and the Grand High Witch’s terrifying smile come across as laughable rather than believable.

In addition, the film suffers from an identity crisis. The tone veers all over the place: at times, the atmosphere is far too grim for (young) children, with disturbing transformations and a menacing undertone. At the same time, it lacks genuine, palpable suspense. Fortunately, for the generation that grew up with the original, there is one consolation: no matter how gruesome this version sometimes tries to be, its still not as traumatic as the 90s version from my childhood. Anjelica Huston’s terrifying, hand-crafted transformation remains the ultimate nightmare. One that this soulless CGI remake has absolutely no chance of dethroning.

Rating: 2/ 5

Book Review - De Heks van Limbricht by Susan Smit

Title: De Heks van Limbricht
Author: Susan Smit
Genre: Historical Fiction
Published: 2021
 
Description: Limbricht, near Sittard, late seventeenth century. Throughout her life, Entgen Luijten has been accustomed to going her own way. In family matters, in business and in love. She is supported in this by her deep knowledge of nature, which she also regularly uses to help her fellow villagers. But then, due to a few unfortunate incidents, she is accused of witchcraft. The lord of the castle is determined to extract a confession, for which he employs every means at his disposal through the Inquisition. But what if, against all odds, Entgen stands her grounds?
 
Review: With “De Heks van Limbricht” (The Witch of Limbricht, not translated into English yet), Susan Smit delviers a masterful historical novel that touches your heart from the very first page. In doing so, she gives a voice to one of the many women who, throughout history, have injustly fallen victim to fear of superstition. It is a powerful, moving, and painfully timely tribute that leaves a lasting impression.
 
The story is set in Limbricht in the late seventeenth century and follows the life of Entgen Luijten. Entgen is a headstrong, independent widow with a vast knowledge of nature, medicinal herbs, and remedies. She is used to doing things her own way, but in a male-dominated society where the church and the lord of the castle hold absolute power, her independence is seen as a threat. After a series of unfortunate incidents in the village, she is officially accused of witchcraft in the summer of 1674. While she is imprisoned in the castle dungeon and the lord of the castl tries to extract a confession using every means at the Inquisition’s disposal, Entgen looks back on her life. It becomes a bitter struggle to preserve her dignity and her truth in the face of a cruel system.
 
What makes “De Heks van Limbricht” so special is that it is based on the true legal proceedings of the very last with hunt in the Netherlands (in the part of the Netherlands that I live in, my city Roermond is also mentioned several times). Smit manages to make the atmosphere of the seventeenth century terrifyingly tangible: the cold in the dungeon, the suffocating pressure and the deep-rooted superstition in the village.
 
The novel’s structure is rock-solid. The alternation between the grueling trial in the present and the vivid memories of Entgen’s past ensures that, as a reader, you fully empathize with her. Entgen is not portrayed as a helpless victim, but as a complex, intelligent, and proud woman. Her refusal to bow to the blackmail and torture of those in power is deeply admirable and gives you goosebumps. I really identified with Entgen.
 
Smit’s writing style is poetic, fluid, and cinematic. She describes Entgens love of nature in such detail that you can almost smell the herbs yourself. This book os much more than a historical account; it is a feminist pamphlet that shows just how dangerous fear and mass hysteria can be. A breathtaking, important, and beautifully written book that everyone should read. And I hope, for my English speaking friends, it will someday be translated in English.
 
Rating: 5/ 5

Book Review - The Last Witch by C.J. Cooke

Title: The Last Witch
Author: C.J. Cooke
Genre: Horror/ Historical Fiction
Published: 2025
 
Description: Helena Scheuberin should be doing what every other young wife is keeping house, supporting her husband, bearing his children. But when her husband’s footman, Leopold, with whom she was having an affair, is found dead, Helena is accused of killing him. Worse, she is accused of being a witch.
 
Imprisoned with six other women, Helena is plunged from her life of comfort into a world of terror. When a cursed witch totem is smuggled into the prison, the prisoners attempt to use it to conjure escape. But the totem is the severed hand of a murdered woman, and Helena’s life is in danger both inside and outside the dungeon.
 
Does Helena risk her life and the lives of others by standing up to a man determined to paint her as the most wicked of all? Or is the world beyond this one the real threat?
 
Review: In “The Last Witch” author C.J. Cooke weaves suspense and historical fiction together. She delves deep into one of the darkest periods in European history: the infamous witch hunts. Inspired by true events, Cooke delivers a terrifying, atmospheric, and emotionally charged story that grips you.
 
The story takes place in Innsbruck, Austria, in the year 1485. Helena Scheuberin is a wealthy yet strikingly outspoken and free-spirited young woman. In an era when women are expected to quietly manage the household and bear children, Helena refuses to conform. When she openly protests the brutal execution of her friend and her friend’s daughter, she draws the unwanted attention of the feared Dominican inquisitor Henrich Kramer.  
 
The situation escalates dramatically when her husband’s servant, with whom Helena has a secret affair, is suddenly fond dead. Helena is immediately accused of murder and witchcraft. She is locked up in a dungeon, along with six other women. Ad the threat of the stake and the witch hunter’s relentless torture intensify, the women attempt to escape with the help of a cursed witch’s totem smuggled into the dungeon. However, in doing so, they accidentally unleash a malevolent entity from the afterlife, making the danger within the prison at least as great as the danger outside.
 
“The Last Witch” is a powerful blend of historical fiction and supernatural horror. What makes this book so compelling is how vividly and realistically Cooke brings the 15th-century setting to life. The atmosphere in medieval Innsbruck is grim, filthy, and oppressive. The true horror in the first half of the book lies not in the supernatural, but in the psychological terror and sheer misogyny of that era. Inquisitor Heinrich Kramer is portrayed as a terrifyingly realistic monster, whose lust for power and hatred of women cut to the bone.
 
In contrast to this darkness stands Helena, a brilliantly developed protagonist. Her unyielding will, courage, and sharp tongue provide a much-needed ray of light in the story. Cooke succeeds in beautifully and respectfully portraying the solidarity and interpersonal dynamics among the seven imprisoned women.
 
The only drawback preventing earning a full five stars is the introduction of the supernatural element in the dungeon. Although the possession and malevolent entity provide a good dose of suspense and horror, this plot point sometimes feels a bit forced in relation to the deep, historical reality underlying it. The struggle against human evil and the corrupts system would have been compelling enough on its own.
 
Nevertheless, “The Last Witch” is a well-written and almost unbearably suspenseful book. Cooke flawlessly combines historical facts with a compelling narrative structure. For fans of atmospheric historical thrillers and Gothic tales, this novel is an absolute must-read.
 
Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - Verity

Director: Michael Showalter
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 117 minutes
Year: 2026
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Josh Hartnett, Anne Hathaway
 
Description: Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson), hired to ghostwrite for best-selling author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway), uncovers Verity’s autobiographical notes, and becomes involved in what may prove to be a lethal conspiracy.
 
Review: The film adaptation of a gripping bestseller always comes with sky-high expectations, and the psychological thriller “Verity” was no exception. Directed by Michael Showalter and boasting a star-studded cast featuring Dakota Johnson, Josh Hartnett and Anne Hathaway, this adaptation seemed like a guaranteed success on paper. Unfortunately, the film falls well short on the mark. What should have been a nerve-wrecking ride ends up being a slow and uneven disappointment that never quite manages to capture the tension of the source material.

The film follows Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling author who is hired by Jeremy Crawford to finish writing the remaining books in a highly successful series. The original author, Jeremy’s wife Verity Crawford, is at home, seriously injured and incapacitated after a severe car accident. Lowen moves in with the family at their secluded estate to delve into Verity’s notes. She soon stumbles upon a hidden, terrifying manuscript in which Verity makes a gruesome confession about the family’s dark secrets. As the attraction between Lowen and Jeremy grows, Lowen becomes entangled in a web of manipulation, and the line between chilling fiction and dangerous reality begins to blur.

Let’s get right to the point: the book, written by Colleen Hoover, is far better. While the novel keeps the reader in a constant stranglehold with psychological paranoia and a suffocating atmosphere, the film adaptations opts for a pace that can only be described as boring. The film drags laboriously from one dialogue scene to the next, with only a few rare, suspenseful moments. As a result, the thrilling Hitchcock-esque suspense that the filmmaker tried to imitate never really comes across.

The film’s biggest stumbling block, however, is the way the acting talent was handled. The casting of the title role, in particular, is a missed opportunity: Anne Hathaway’s role is painfully underutilized. Hathaway is a world-class actress, but here she is reduced to a passive character. Her character never takes on the terrifying, mysterious menace that the story so desperately needs. Although Johnson and Hartnett fo their best to keep the chemistry alive, they cannot save the movie.

“Verity” lacks the much-needed intensity that the book has and gets bogged down in a drawn-out thriller that leaves fans of the book cold.

Rating: 2/ 5

Book Review - Land by Maggie O'Farrell

Title: Land
Author: Maggie O’Farrell
Genre: Historical fiction
Published: 2026
 
Description: On a windswept peninsula stretching our into the Atlantic, Tomás and his reluctant son, Liam, are working for the great Ordnance Survey to map the whole of Ireland. The year is 1865, and in a country not long since ravaged and emptied by the Great Hunger, the task it not an easy one. Tomás, however, is determined that his maps will be a record of the disaster.
 
The British soldiers in charge are due to arrive any day, expecting the work to be completed, but Tomás is unexpectedly sent off course by an unsettling encounter in a copse. His life, and the lives of those of his family, will never be the same again. Liam is terrified by the sudden change in his taciturn father. What was it that caused such cracks to open in Tomás, and how is Liam, aged only ten, going to finish the mapping and get them both home?
 
Review: After the overwhelming success of “Hamnet”, I was really looking forward to Maggie O’Farrell’s new book and it was my in-person book club pick this month. Her writing has a way of completely transporting you to another time and place. “Land” has an intriguing premise and is stylistically exceptional, but unfortunately, the story largely failed to captivate me this time.
 
The story begins in 1865 on a rainy Irish peninsula, shortly after the devastating Great Hunger. The novel follows the taciturn Irish cartographer Tomás, who, commissioned by the British army, is meticulously mapping the transformed and traumatized landscape of Ireland. When he stumbles upon something mysterious in a copse, he has a revelation that turns his entire worldview upside down. And it changed his family’s life forever.
 
The novel is structured in four parts, no chapters. They shed light on the broad history of this family spanning several generations and continents. In part one, we follow Tomás and his young song Liam, crossing the peninsula and the massive transformation at the copse. Part two delves deeper into family life in Ireland and how Tomás rebellion against the authorities and the Church completely disrupt the family dynamic. In the third part we read about the family’s disintegration and it follows the children as they are forced to scatter across the globe. Liam travels to India to join the Jesuits, while daughter Enda flees to Canada with forged documents. In the final and fourth part the various storylines and continents are brought together. This concluding section connects the past with the future and shows how the remaining family members try to survive and keep the memory of their homeland alive.
 
Although the book is undeniably beautifully written, reading it was, unfortunately, quite a challenge. O’Farrell describes absolutely everything beautifully and with an impressive eye for detail, but this also makes the book move at a very slow pace. For me, most of the story was downright boring. I really had to struggle through it and resist the urge to put it down. It wasn’t until part 4 that it finally became interesting and more engaging for me, because that’s where the various storylines finale converge and the emotional weight becomes palpable. As for the rest of the book, I could not connect to the story nor the characters.
 
I thought her previous book “Hamnet” was fantastic, but “Land” unfortunately failed to live up to those high expectations. It’s a beautifully written historical portrait, but due to its lack of momentum, I can’t give it more than 2,5 stars.
 
Rating: 2,5/ 5

Movie Review - Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 145 minutes
Year: 2026
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, Sadie Sink, Florence Pugh
 
Description: A forgotten Peter Parker (Tom Holland) lives alone as a full-time Spider-Man until mounting pressure triggers a dangerous change and a powerful new enemy emerges.
 
Review: Ever since Spider-Man found his way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we’ve already been treated to three movies in which his personal motivations have consistently been simple and clear. No matter how crazy the stakes of the Spider-Man narrative became in “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, at the end of the day. Peter Parker just wanted to go to college with his two best friends. In “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” as well, the reason behind his actions is clear and person: he misses his friends.

Since the previous movie, Peter has been erased from the memories of everyone alive, and now he’s decided to just be Spider-Man full-time. From a distance, he watches as his high school friends Ned and MJ go through college without him. Meanwhile, he saves New York from the bad guys. But then a threat emerges that our superhero struggles with: something, or someone, that can jump from the body of one citizen to that of another.

His main companion in this film is Frank Caste, also known as the Punisher. Another lone wolf. And then there’s the character, who I won’t discuss because of spoilers, played by Sadie Sink. I was very excited that she was in it and I had some theories about who she was playing. I was right and it made me even more excited. Her role involves loneliness and loss. And in that way, she mirrors Peter Parker’s experiences. This was the heart of the film and gave it emotional depth.

There is something reassuring about the fact that tis young man with superpowers just can’t seem to get his life together. Peter Parker always feels a little like one of us. And like someone who makes obvious mistakes, from which he has to learn. No matter how super-intelligent or strong he is, this is a hero with very relatable problems. Mixed with superhero problems, sure, but at its core, it’s about thinks we all feel. And that’s definitely the rock-solid foundation of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day”.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - The Invite

Director: Olivia Wilde

Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Runtime: 107 minutes
Year: 2026
Starring: Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Penelope Cruz, Edward Norton
Description: Joe and Angela’s (Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde) marriage is on the rocks. When they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbors (Penelope Cruz, Edward Norton) over for dinner, the evening takes an unexpected turn.

 
Review: Director Olivia Wilde does it again. Following her acclaimed directorial debut, “Booksmart”, she proves with “The Invite” that she is the undisputed queen of modern farce. This film is without a doubt the funniest movie I’ve seen this year. In fact, this hilarious, sharp and somewhat uncomfortable masterpiece is already a serious contender to land at the top of my year-end list.

The film follows Joe and Angela, a couple who, after fifteen years of marriage, have fallen into a deep rut and are on the verge of breaking up. In a desperate attempt to reignite the spark, they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbors over for dinner Pina and Hawk. What begins as a pleasant evening of polite small talk quickly escalates into a wild emotional rollercoaster.

“The Invite” is a brilliant comedy that takes place entirely within a single apartment in San Fransico. The chemistry between the four lead actors is truly electric. Seth Rogen is at his best as the neurotic, awkward husband, while Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton steal the show as the eccentric, over-the-top neighbors.

Wilde perfectly balances the fine line between wicked humor and genuine emotion. The dialogue is razor-sharp, and the timing is so perfect. But behind all those edgy jokes lies, thanks in part to the psychological depth, a surprisingly mature and relatable story about relationships and midlife crises.
If you’re going to watch just one movie this year, let it be this one!

Rating: 5/ 5 

Movie Review - The Sheep Detectives

Director: Kyle Balda
Genre: Mystery/ Adventure/ Comedy
Runtime: 109 minutes
Year: 2026
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O’Dowd, Patrick Stewart, Emma Thompson, Nicholas Derry, Regina Hall, Bella Ramsey, Nicholas Galitzine, Brett Goldstein, Rhys Darby, Conleth Hill
 
Description: Every night shepherd George Hardy (Hugh Jackman) reads aloud a murder mystery, pretending his sheep can understand. When he is found dead, the sheep realize at once that it was a murder and think they know everything about how to go about solving it.
 
Review: “The Sheep Detectives” is a surprisingly charming and inventive film that cleverly combines the classic whodunnit with humor and charm. The film is a must-see for fans of quirky mysteries and feel-good cinema. In short: it’s a whodunnit with sheep as the amateur sleuths, which sounds ridiculous but is absolutely fantastic.

When the beloved shepherd George Hardy dies under mysterious circumstances, his flock of sheep is left devastated. Every evening, George would read detective stories to his sheep. What he didn’t know was that the animals understood everything. Since the local police are completely off the mark, the sheep decide to take matters into their own hands. They set out to fins clues, interrogate the humans suspects in their own unique way, and prove themselves to be brilliant detectives.

Hugh Jackman shines in his simplicity. He appears mainly in flashbacks, but his warm and sympathetic performance serves as the film’s emotional anchor. The sincere bond between him and his flock gives the story and unexpected emotional depth.

The talking sheep steal the show. With voices provided by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston and many others, each sheep is given a unique personality. The humor shifts effortlessly from visual slapstick for younger viewers to sharp, witty dialogue for adults.

The film has a cozy, countryside vibe, that perfectly complements the charming mystery. It feels like a so-called cozy mystery. But for the seasoned amateur sleuths, the resolution of the murder case could be a bit predictable.

“The Sheep Detectives” is one of the most surprising films of the year. It’s a lovingly crafted feel-good movie that will entertain both young and old. Anyone in the mood for an original atmospheric comedy with a touch of mystery absolutely shouldn’t miss this one.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Book Review - Strange Houses by Uketsu

Title: Strange Houses (Strange Houses #1)
Author: Uketsu
Genre: Horror/ Mystery
Published: 2021
 
Description: When a writer fascinated by the macabre is approached by an acquaintance, he finds himself investigating an eerie house for sale in Tokyo. At first, with its bright and spacious interior, it seems the perfect first home. But upon closer inspection, the building’s floor plans reveal a mysterious “dead space” hidden between its walls. Seeking a second opinion, the writer shares the floor plans with his friend Kurihara, an architect, only to discover more unnerving details throughout.
 
What is the true purpose behind the house’s disturbing design? And what happened to the former owner who disappeared without a trace? When a body suddenly appears and a young woman reaches out about a second house, it soon becomes clear that the writer and his friend may be in over their heads.
 
Review: With “Strange Houses”, Japanese author Uketsu has created a true internet sensation. The book promises a unique blend of mystery, psychological horror, presented in a highly unconventional format.  
When an unnamed writer asks an architect friend to inspect a Tokyo home’s floor plan, they discover windowless, sealed-off dead space. They soon realize the bizarre layout is custom-designed for murder, dragging them into a terrifying investigation involving missing persons, twisted family secrets, and a second mysterious house.
 
“Strange Houses” is without a doubt one of the most unique books I’ve read in a long time. Uketsu breaks with the traditional thriller structure by telling the story largely through dialogue, interviews, illustrations and floor plans. As a reader, you’re immediately thrust into the role of a detective; you study the drawings and try, together with the characters, to figure out what’s wrong. This interactive element ensures that the first part of the book moves along at a brisk pace. The suspense is masterfully built up, and the atmosphere is delightfully gloomy.
 
Unfortunately, the book was unable to maintain this high standard until the end. While the first part excels in its simplicity and tight focus on the first house, the second completely lost me. The plot shifted to a more complex backstory. So many new characters, intricate family trees, and historical motifs are introduced that the whole thing became quite confusing. The logic that was so strong at the beginning gave way for to far-fetched explanations that dampened the suspense rather than heightening it.
 
“Strange Houses” is a fascinating experiment that, thanks to its unique style and strong opening, is definitely worth reading. It’s just sad that the second half wasn’t as good.
 
Rating: 3,5/ 5 

Movie Review - The End of Oak Street

Director: David Robert Mitchell
Genre: Adventure/ Action
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 2026
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella, Christian Convery
 
Description: The Platt family bands together to navigate their new surroundings after a cosmic event transports their neighborhood to someplace unknown.
 
Review: In this adventure film, directed by David Robert Mitchell, the Platt family suddenly finds themselves in an unimaginable situation. It is the 1980s when a mysterious cosmic storm literally rips their American suburb from the ground an transports it to an unknown, prehistoric location.

Mitchell is best known for the indie horror film “It Follow”, but he proves with “The End of Oak Street” that a summer blockbuster budget can be perfectly combined with an original, fresh concept. Forget the CGI-heavy formulas; this film opts for a delightfully nostalgic, no-nonsense approach of the “Jurassic Park” films, with an 80’s and 90s vibe.

The film’s greatest strength is the chemistry within the family. Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor deliver rock-solid performances as concerned yet determined parents. Despite the absurd premise, they give the film a believable and authentic emotional core.

Visually, fantastic choices were made. Instead of fast-paced, chaotic action montages, they opt for impressive, sweeping shots in broad daylight. And despite the PG13/ 12+ rating, they don’t shy away from a few delightfully unsettling, intense moments.

If you want a scientific explanation though, for what is happening, you may be left somewhat unsatisfied.

It’s one of the most enjoyable and original films I have seen this year.

Rating: 4/ 5

Book Review - The Unknown by Riley Sager

Title: The Unknown
Author: Riley Sager
Genre: Thriller/ Horror
Published: 2026
 
Description: In 1926, five women disappeared from a remote island in Vermont. Now, one hundred years later, it’s happening again.
 
Struggling actress Marin Keane is shocked when she lands a role in a major motion picture about the unsolved mystery on New Avalon, an island on sprawling Lake Faraday in Vermont. She’s even more surprised when she learns that the role requires a weeklong research trip to that very spot.
 
Because New Avalon isn’t your ordinary island. A century ago, it was a commune for spiritual mediums. Until they all vanished in 1926. The only trace of them was five dresses hanging from the branches of an old oak tree in the middle of the island, one for each missing woman. Some locals say they simply left. Others think they were murdered. But the prevailing opinion, thanks to a diary left behind by one of the vanished, a young woman named Daisy Rue, is that a séance gone wrong conjured something supernatural that took them all one by one.
 
Not long after arriving, Marin and her castmates, including legendary actress Violet Wright and white-hot director Ronan Peters, begin to realize all is not right with New Avalon. They hear strange noises in the night and notice mysterious symbols left behind by the island’s previous occupants. And after a sudden health emergency leaves Marin, Ronan, and the other actors stranded on the island, the disappearances begin again.
 
Is it the work of someone trying to derail the movie? Or is the island’s alleged supernatural past catching up with the present? As fear and suspicion mount, Marin turns to Daisy’s diary, hoping it holds the key to figuring out what really happened to the women of New Avalon. And how to keep the island’s terrible history from repeating itself.
 
Review: Riley Sager is back with his latest thriller “The Unknown”, and it makes for a very entertaining read. In my opinion, this is a big improvement over his last two books, which unfortunately fell short. His 2025 release “With a Vengeance” I didn’t even finish. Although it’s not a new favorite, Sager does prove with this book that he still has a knack for the suspenseful thriller genre.
 
We meet Marin, a struggling actress who unexpectedly lands a major role in a movie directed by a popular director. The movie centers around a century-old mystery. In 1926 five women mysteriously vanished from New Avalon, a remote commune in Lake Faraday. To prepare for the film, the director gathers the cast on this island for an immersive rehearsal week. However, as the cast dives into the history and begins reading the diary of one of the missing women, the line between fiction and reality start to blur. And history seems to repeat itself.
 
The atmosphere here is the best part: Gothic and deeply unsettling. The dual-timeline between the commune of 1926 and the modern-day indie film set is highly compelling. The isolated island setting immediately ramps up the tension and the concept of actor being trapped there gives it a psychological touch. The book has supernatural elements, that you will question the entire time.
 
Riley Sager is known for his plot twists and he succeeds for the most part in “The Unknown”. It’s surprising and it takes some dark and twisty turns, but the conclusion eventually feels a bit far-fetched. It requires a heavy suspension of disbelief. If you don’t think it through too much it’s pretty good, but there are a few plot holes that don’t make sense. I do love how Sager made you guessing whether certain things really happened or not, right until the very end.
 
Sager is back, I liked “The Unknown “ so much better than the two book that came before this. But it does not match “The Only One Left” or “Lock Every Door”.
 
Rating: 3, 5/ 5

Book Review - In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

Title: In a Dark, Dark Wood
Author: Ruth Ware
Genre: Mystery/ Thriller
Published: 2015
 
Description: When reclusive writer Leonora is invited to the English countryside for a weekend away, she reluctantly agrees to make the trip. But as the first night falls, revelations unfold among friends old and new, an unnerving memory shatters Leonora’s reserve, and a aunting realization is not alone in the woods.
 
Review: As a fan of psychological thrillers, I was looking forward to “In a Dark, Dark Wood”. It’s Ruth Ware’s debut novel. I have read three other books by her, mostly solid, disliked one of them. The ominous title and the promise of a claustrophobic setting led me to believe this would be a blood-curdling story. Unfortunately the reality turned out to be a lot less thrilling.
 
The story follows Leonora (Nora), a crime author who largely isolates herself from her past. To her great surprise, she is invited to the bachelorette party of Clare, an old high school friend she hasn’t spoken to in ten years. Together with a select group of friends, she travels to a remote, ultra-modern glass house deep in the forest of Northumberland. What begins as an awkward weekend full of old tension and secrets quickly escalates into a full-blown nightmare when someone is killed and Nora wakes up injured in the hospital, with no memory of exactly what happened that night.  
 
The dynamic between the characters was pretty much the best thing about the book. Constant passive-aggressive comments, clearly underlying emotions from the past that haven't been worked through yet, and jealousy. I eat this up.
 
Although the atmosphere in the glass house feels quite oppressive at first, the book quickly loses steam afterwards. My biggest frustration lies in the plot development. A good thriller relies on unexpected twists, but unfortunately, I saw the so-called twists in this book coming a mile away. Nothing about the dénouement was surprising to me. The motives and the culprit were pretty obvious that the book really left me unsatisfied. Add to that the fact that the main character makes choices that are downright illogical, and the suspense is completely gone.
 
For first time mystery/ thriller readers this would be a solid choice, but if you are well-read in this genre you can skip it. It’s pretty average, and due to the unsurprising developments it never manages to rise above that.
 
Rating: 2,5/ 5