ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 22, 1992 By Steve Newton On paper, Candyman looked like it had the makings of a fright fan’s wet dream. It was based on a short story from Clive Barker’s Books of Blood, the collection of gut-wrenching, in-your-face horror tales he churned out before getting all artsy and overblown … Continue reading Horror review: Candyman
Horror review: Innocent Blood
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 1, 1992 By Steve Newton 1992 hasn’t been a banner year for horror movies. There hasn’t been anything near as fine as last year’s The Silence of the Lambs in the glut of Stephen King-related/-ripped off losers like The Lawnmower Man and Pet Sematary Two. But things are … Continue reading Horror review: Innocent Blood
Horror review: Pet Sematary Two
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 3, 1992 By Steve Newton In a recent edition of top horror magazine Fangoria, Pet Sematary author Stephen King explained how he felt about Pet Sematary Two, the sequel to the 1989 horror hit that grossed $84 million worldwide. “I don’t approve of the movie and I didn’t … Continue reading Horror review: Pet Sematary Two
Review: Universal Soldier
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 16, 1992 Totally Recalled Terminatin’ Commando would have been a more apt name for Universal Soldier, considering how many Arnold Schwarzenegger movies are ripped off in the course of this slam-bang action-fest. But the real Terminator doesn’t have much to worry about, since muscle-bound martial arts experts Jean-Claude … Continue reading Review: Universal Soldier
Horror review: Sleepwalkers
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 16, 1992 By Steve Newton There are some people out there who refuse to believe that this year’s big Oscar winner, The Silence of the Lambs, is a horror movie—even though it concerns a face-ripping cannibal with a taste for human liver who helps capture a sicko who … Continue reading Horror review: Sleepwalkers
Horror review: The Lawnmower Man
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 12, 1992 By Steve Newton Boy, they sure did scrape the bottom of the Stephen King barrel for this movie, which takes its name—and little else—from a nine-page story that first appeared in the girlie mag Cavalier back in 1975. It was also included in the Night Shift … Continue reading Horror review: The Lawnmower Man
Horror review: The People Under the Stairs
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 7, 1991 By Steve Newton Since blasting onto the horror scene in 1972 with the crude and shocking Last House on the Left, Wes Craven has had a few hits (A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Hills Have Eyes), a few misses (Deadly Friend, The Hills Have Eyes … Continue reading Horror review: The People Under the Stairs
Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton isn’t just “some spook from South Central who plays guitar”
You can't believe everything you read on Wikipedia, that’s for sure. While preparing for an interview with acoustic bluesman Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton, I read that he was “the son of one of the cousins of famed blues guitarist Robert Johnson”. That got me thinking that a fun question might be whether he had any … Continue reading Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton isn’t just “some spook from South Central who plays guitar”
Matt Andersen tones down the flashy fretwork on Weightless
By Steve Newton Neil Young has been in the news a lot lately for his opposition to the Alberta tarsands, but not everyone is in a mood to bash the controversial moneymaker. On his new album, Weightless, Matt Andersen has a song cowritten with Dave Gunning called “Alberta Gold” that—in its lyrics about Maritimers heading west … Continue reading Matt Andersen tones down the flashy fretwork on Weightless
Horror review: Freddy’s Dead–The Final Nightmare
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 19, 1991 By Steve Newton The last time I saw a 3-D movie—Friday the 13th Part 3—slasher-king Jason squeezed a teenage victim’s head so hard between his two hands that one of the unfortunate guy’s eyes popped out and came right at you, trailing veins and all. That … Continue reading Horror review: Freddy’s Dead–The Final Nightmare
Everything works to make Misery a Stephen King flick worth remembering
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 6, 1990 By Steve Newton Stephen King’s 1987 novel Misery is widely regarded by King aficionados as one of his most compelling and consistently terrifying works. The tale of a best-selling author held captive by his “number-one fan”, Misery is all the more frightening because it is real … Continue reading Everything works to make Misery a Stephen King flick worth remembering
Horror review: Predator 2
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 22, 1990 By Steve Newton Horror movies spawn more sequels than any other film genre, and for the most part the sequels pale in comparison to the original. There are exceptions, though. James Cameron's Aliens took a healthy shot at renewing the terror of Ridley Scott's Alien; film buffs such as … Continue reading Horror review: Predator 2
Horror review: Child’s Play 2
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 15, 1990 By Steve Newton The original Child’s Play was one of the surprise horror hits of 1988, a low-budget sleeper that justifiably went on to gross more than $40 million. Though it took about 30 minutes to get rolling—as long as was needed for the film’s demon … Continue reading Horror review: Child’s Play 2