ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, OCT. 6, 2014 I've been a sucker for creepy-doll flicks ever since that ventriloquists' dummy from Magic put its unblinking spell on me back in 1978. The genre has had its ups (Child's Play) and downs (Dead Silence), but it gets a major boost with Annabelle, a prequel to last year's over-rated The Conjuring. Married couple … Continue reading Creepy-doll flick Annabelle has more potent scares than The Conjuring
Tag: Magic
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
The Rite’s Anthony Hopkins betters the devil you know
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, JAN. 21, 2011 By Steve Newton LOS ANGELES—Anthony Hopkins is one scary guy. He can be, at least. Just ask anyone who has seen him play cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter in 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs. Forget Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees—Hopkins took cinematic evil to ghastly new heights … Continue reading The Rite’s Anthony Hopkins betters the devil you know
Horror review: Dead Silence
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, MARCH 21, 2007 By Steve Newton Ventriloquists' dummies really creep me out. All dolls are inherently freaky, but there's something seriously bent about a little wooden man with bulging eyes, shiny cheeks, and perfect chompers. I recall being quite disturbed by Magic, the 1978 chiller that used the ventriloquism angle most … Continue reading Horror review: Dead Silence
Horror review: Seed of Chucky
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, NOV. 18, 2004 I've been a fan of killer-doll flicks every since Trilogy of Terror, the 1975 TV movie that featured an episode in which Karen Black gets stalked in her apartment by a bloodthirsty, ankle-slashing Zuni fetish doll. The original 1988 Child's Play, helmed by Fright Night director Tom Holland, was quite a hoot … Continue reading Horror review: Seed of Chucky
Horror review: The Silence of the Lambs
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, FEB. 21, 1991 By Steve Newton In Richard Attenborough's superb 1978 thriller, Magic, British actor Anthony Hopkins played a struggling ventriloquist who loses touch with reality and transfers the murderous side of his personality into his wooden dummy. Hopkins portrayed the doomed performer as so pitiable that–even while he … Continue reading Horror review: The Silence of the Lambs