ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, SEPT. 6, 2011 By Steve Newton The best thing about last summer’s Piranha 3D was the part where a guy gets his dick chomped off before two fierce fishies fight over the mangled member. Nothing quite that memorable happens in the less impressive Shark Night 3D—maybe due to its milder rating—but just like Alexandre … Continue reading Horror review: Shark Night 3D
Tag: 2011
Horror review: Fright Night
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, AUG. 18, 2011 By Steve Newton I totally enjoyed the original Fright Night when it was released back in 1985. Chris Sarandon was ideal as playboy vampire Jerry Dandrige, who moves in next door to monster-loving teenager Charley Brewster and starts nipping at his family and friends, including nerdy fanboy “Evil” Ed, until … Continue reading Horror review: Fright Night
Horror review: Final Destination 5
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, AUG. 11, 2011 By Steve Newton Those Final Destination flicks are hit-and-miss affairs. The ones that take themselves too seriously, like the 2000 original, are a drag, while others, like Final Destination 2 and the new FD5, earn a severed thumbs-up because they cut to the chase and give today’s thrill-seeking horror fans exactly what they … Continue reading Horror review: Final Destination 5
Horror review: The Tunnel
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, AUG. 3, 2011 By Steve Newton Remember the last part of The Blair Witch Project, where the supposed real-life documentary makers are freaking out and running around in that decrepit house in the woods and the chaotic camerawork has reached its jiggly apex and you’re wondering what the fuck is going on … Continue reading Horror review: The Tunnel
Horror review: Cell 213
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, JUNE 8, 2011 By Steve Newton There's a scene near the beginning of Cell 213 where one of the inmates at the dilapidated South River State Penitentiary is performing his duties as an embalmer—yes, the murderers here moonlight as undertakers—and making small talk with a guard. While draining the blood from a corpse, … Continue reading Horror review: Cell 213
Horror review: Super 8
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, JUNE 8, 2011 By Steve Newton Super 8 is a Steven Spielberg–produced sci-fi thriller about a group of horror-loving Ohio kids in 1979 who, while shooting an amateur zombie flick, inadvertently film a train wreck that unleashes something terrifying on their small town. Sounds worth seeing, right? Wrong-o, bucko. This Spielbergian misstep by … Continue reading Horror review: Super 8
Horror review: Priest
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, MAY 13, 2011 By Steve Newton You’d think after the disaster that was last year’s biblical action-horror flick Legion that star Paul Bettany and director Scott Charles Stewart might have moved on from religion-themed splatterfests, but no such luck. Bettany is back to kick more ass for God, only this time instead … Continue reading Horror review: Priest
Horror review: Scream 4
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, APRIL 13, 2011 By Steve Newton Compared to director Wes Craven’s previous horror outing, last year’s unforgivably awful My Soul to Take, Scream 4 is one of the greatest horror movies ever made. Compared to anything halfway decent, it doesn’t come off as quite so special, but it’s still a fun, fast-paced homage … Continue reading Horror review: Scream 4
Horror review: Insidious
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, MARCH 30, 2011 By Steve Newton I’m a sucker for horror flicks that shred perceived notions of the safety of home, that haul their terrors right through your front door and leave them sprawled and bloody on the family-room floor. A prime example of that was Paranormal Activity 2, which earned … Continue reading Horror review: Insidious
Horror review: Drive Angry 3D
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, FEB. 23, 2011 By Steve Newton Fifteen minutes into Drive Angry 3D, I was pretty impressed, thinking it might actually be Nicolas Cage’s coolest movie since 1997’s Face/Off. It starts off with a rip-roaring car chase and some expertly choreographed ultraviolence, plus some eye-popping use of 3-D effects. Too bad that kinetic ferocity … Continue reading Horror review: Drive Angry 3D
Drive Angry director Patrick Lussier inspired by classic horror and Canuck rock
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 23, 2011 By Steve Newton Vancouver native Patrick Lussier has made quite a name for himself in the Hollywood horror scene, having edited all three of Wes Craven’s Scream films before taking on the slasher genre himself with the 2009 remake of My Bloody Valentine. He also helped kick-start the past decade’s vampire … Continue reading Drive Angry director Patrick Lussier inspired by classic horror and Canuck rock
Horror review: The Roommate
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, FEB. 7, 2011 By Steve Newton I make a point of not watching trailers for movies I intend to review, hoping to save a few surprises for the theatre itself. If one comes on the TV at home, I look away and plug my ears, and if my wife is in … Continue reading Horror review: The Roommate
Horror review: The Rite
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, JAN. 26, 2011 By Steve Newton The Rite is a horror movie about a seminary student who teams up with a seasoned exorcist to vanquish demons in Rome. Its plot hinges on the doubts that both the novice and the expert have about demonic possession, and by the time it’s over, you’ll … Continue reading Horror review: The Rite