By Steve Newton I interviewed Billy Idol at the height of his solo artist fame, when he was touring behind his hit-packed Rebel Yell album in March of 1984. If you're old enough, you may recall that music videos were all the rage back then, and the timing couldn't have been better for Idol, who … Continue reading That time I asked Billy Idol why he got Texas Chain Saw Massacre director Tobe Hooper to shoot the video for “Dancing With Myself”
Tag: Tobe Hooper
Poltergeist is scary loud, not scary good
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, MAY 22, 2015 By Steve Newton The first clue that Poltergeist might suck is the toothy skull presented at the start to signify that it's from Ghost House Pictures. That's the company that gave us such questionable crap as 2004's The Grudge and 2007's The Messengers. Mind you, Ghost House did shape up and deliver 2009's … Continue reading Poltergeist is scary loud, not scary good
Marilyn Burns, star of the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre, dies at 65
Some sad news out of Texas today. Marilyn Burns--star of the groundbreaking fright flick Texas Chain Saw Massacre--died yesterday in her Houston home of undisclosed causes. She was 65. Burns will always be remembered by horror fans for her portrayal of the sole survivor of Leatherface's gruesome rampage in Tobe Hooper's classic 1974 film, which … Continue reading Marilyn Burns, star of the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre, dies at 65
Billy Idol on working with Tobe Hooper, getting on MTV, and showing off his Rebel Yell
By Steve Newton On March 29, 1984, Billy Idol played the University of British Columbia's War Memorial Gym. The 28-year-old Brit was touring behind his second solo album, Rebel Yell, which boasted the hit singles "Eyes Without a Face", "Flesh for Fantasy", "Catch My Fall", and the title track. His videos were getting a shitload of … Continue reading Billy Idol on working with Tobe Hooper, getting on MTV, and showing off his Rebel Yell
Texas Chainsaw Massacre is much more than just Jessica Biel in a tank top
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 16, 2003 By Steve Newton Let’s face it, Texas Chainsaw Massacre was brilliant. Not the 1974 film itself—although for its time it was quite groundbreaking—but the movie’s title. Has there ever been three words that so powerfully evoked the promise of celluloid carnage? Say it with me, slowly and with feeling: … Continue reading Texas Chainsaw Massacre is much more than just Jessica Biel in a tank top
Horror review: The Mangler
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
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: Texas Chainsaw 3D
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, JAN. 4, 2013 Everything is relative, which is why I'm not going to rip Texas Chainsaw 3D the new one that it may well deserve. After all, it is way more entertaining (i.e. sicker) than the last entry in the franchise, 2007's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. And it deserves a modicum … Continue reading Horror review: Texas Chainsaw 3D
Horror review: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre–The Beginning
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, OCT. 12, 2006 WX-1130 is a great place to get traffic updates (“every 10 minutes on the ones”), but the local AM station should skip movie criticism. One Friday rush hour, I was tuned in to keep tabs on the time when the morning team decided it should compare a couple … Continue reading Horror review: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre–The Beginning
Horror master Joe Dante delivers “a righteous blast of liberal-left fury” with zombie satire Homecoming
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, JAN. 12, 2006 By Steve Newton When Showtime titled its Vancouver-shot miniseries Masters of Horror, it wasn't using the phrase lightly. You don't combine the work of directors like Texas Chainsaw Massacre's Tobe Hooper, Halloween's John Carpenter, and Suspiria's Dario Argento, then call it Wusses of Horror. This Friday to Tuesday … Continue reading Horror master Joe Dante delivers “a righteous blast of liberal-left fury” with zombie satire Homecoming