ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 5, 1989 By Steve Newton The long list of movies based on Stephen King’s writings range from excellent (The Dead Zone, Carrie), to mediocre (Christine, Firestarter), to downright terrible (Maximum Overdrive). Unfortunately for fans of the horror genre, the latest King story to hit the screen, Pet Sematary, is a dead … Continue reading Horror review: Pet Sematary
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 10, 1993 Although it was based on a riveting short story, Stephen King’s Children of the Corn was quite possibly the worst film of 1984, one that could have buried the careers of stars Peter Horton and Linda Hamilton. The only memorable thing about the film was the … Continue reading Ottawa’s Fun for Malakaï doesn’t abide by any songwriting rules
I scored a copy of the new Stephen King novel Doctor Sleep for Christmas, which was great as it continues the story of The Shining, one of my fave works–next to Carrie, The Dead Zone, and The Stand–from King’s ’70s heyday. But before I even got into the further supernatural torments befalling the telepathic Danny Torrance … Continue reading Stephen King dedicates Doctor Sleep to underrated rock genius Warren Zevon
By Steve Newton Back in 1993 I covered the Vancouver-area filming of the Stephen King-based horror flick Needful Things for Fangoria. The movie ended up being crap, but I did get to interview everybody’s favourite exorcist, Max von Sydow, so that was cool. Not many actors have the wide-ranging talent it takes to play both … Continue reading Max von Sydow’s “odd upbringing” led to roles as Jesus and the devil
By Steve Newton So I was looking through my collection of old Fangoria magazines last night, searching for a story I wrote to post for Halloween, and came across a set-visit piece from back in ’95 on the Tales from the Crypt movie, Bordello of Blood. Now, that vampire movie really sucked, but going on … Continue reading Bordello of Blood sets up shop on Vancouver’s old Expo 86 site
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 25, 2002 Hollywood marketing departments seem more desperate than ever to find sources for the hyperbolic reviewer quotes they splash across TV screens and newspaper ads. There’s no need to rely on established critical outlets like the New York Times and the Village Voice when they can magnify … Continue reading Horror review: Frailty
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
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
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 11, 1990 By Steve Newton In the wrap-around story that ties the three Tales From the Darkside together, former Blondie vocalist Deborah Harry plays a typical American housewife planning a dinner party. The film opens with her returning home from the supermarket with the fixin’s–the main course is … Continue reading Horror review: Tales From the Darkside
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 30, 2003 By Steve Newton In his 1981 treatise on horror, Danse Macabre, Stephen King wrote: “I recognize terror as the finest emotion and so I will try to terrorize the reader. But if I find that I cannot terrify, I will try to horrify, and if I find that I … Continue reading Final Destination 2 is one sick, gruesomely over-the-top flick
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 27, 2003 Several Stephen King novels have been made into films and TV shows shot in B.C., including the 1990 miniseries It, the ’93 feature Needful Things, and the current cable offering The Dead Zone. But none of them has been as suspenseful, horrifying, and engrossing—with an accent … Continue reading Horror review: Dreamcatcher
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 6, 1995 By Steve Newton The fear of being mangled by machinery is a powerful one, indeed. Of course, not everyone suffers the daily risk of being sucked into a threshing machine, but the potential for physical harm is always there. Say the electric lawn mower gets clogged … Continue reading Horror review: The Mangler
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
