Steveawiggins

LATEST ARTICLES ( 4110 )

• Movie Prophet

  

  Is there such a thing as a movie so bad that it can distort reality itself? If so, I nominate A Haunting in Salem. A little explanation. I am trying to develop... Read more

  Posted on 30 March 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Tracing Writers

  

  Ratiocination. Detection. There’s something compelling about that clear, crystalline logic that leads to solid conclusions. I was floored by Don Foster’s... Read more

  Posted on 29 March 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• No Changes

  

  It’s one of those polarizing movies. Well, maybe middling-polarizing. For certain kinds of people. I didn’t see The Changeling when it came out, but I watched i... Read more

  Posted on 28 March 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Squeaky Clean?

  

  A New York Times story, apart from the expected misunderstanding of actual Evangelicals, made me sad. The article points out that, especially since 2016,... Read more

  Posted on 27 March 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• They Come in Batches

  

  There’s horror and there’s comedy horror. And then there’s just plain silly. Gremlins 2: The New Batch falls into that last category but with the strange... Read more

  Posted on 26 March 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• As We Know It

  

  The end of the world, as we know it, is really more recent than we think.  Yes, Christians of a certain stripe have been looking for the second coming since... Read more

  Posted on 25 March 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Mirror Gothic

  

  I have a soft spot for gothic novels. I get the sense that Rebecca James set out to write the most gothic novel ever in The Woman in the Mirror. Read more

  Posted on 24 March 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Gather Round

  

  The church has been keeping secrets. That’s the basic premise behind a fair raft of horror films. Apart from giving those of us watching religion and horror... Read more

  Posted on 23 March 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Showing Gratitude

  

  Stealing is something that we all, except some capitalists, know is wrong. I think quite a lot about the land that was stolen to make America possible and I kno... Read more

  Posted on 22 March 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Hellish Fears

  

  Aporripsophobia, the fear of rejection, and the fear of punishment (mastigophobia, or as I prefer, “spankophobia”) are closely related. They define me. Read more

  Posted on 21 March 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Which Witch Where?

  

  I like to think of myself as a kind critic. I’ve been on the pointy end enough to know how it feels when those who don’t like my work are unkind. Read more

  Posted on 20 March 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Balance

  

  Spring came early this year.  I’m not talking about Punxsutawney Phil, but rather the fact that a leap year shifts the vernal equinox a day forward.  According... Read more

  Posted on 19 March 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Bigger Picture

  

  One of the quirks of my thought process is that I tend to look for the bigger picture.  I’ve always done this and I suspect it drives some people batty when the... Read more

  Posted on 18 March 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Monster v. Alien

  

  “Horror” is a faulty genre category. Nobody quite knows where its boundaries lie. Take Predator, for instance. I recently watched it for the first time... Read more

  Posted on 17 March 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Forewarning

  

  The Devil’s Advocates series, as you learn from pitching and writing one, promotes alternative views on horror films. Adrian Schober’s treatment of The Omen... Read more

  Posted on 16 March 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Not a Peep

  

  Time changes everything. Peeping Tom, which has been on my list for some years, was castigated when it was released in 1960. Now it’s considered a classic. Read more

  Posted on 15 March 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Finding Books

  

  This is a public service announcement to those who try to find books that aren’t issued by one of the big publishers.  I’m not shy about saying that my books al... Read more

  Posted on 14 March 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Iron Age Angst

  

  Browsing can lead to unexpected finds. Such is the magic of bookstores. Most of the books I read are recommended to me either through online sources or from... Read more

  Posted on 13 March 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• A Different Legion

  

  Religion and horror can play well together. They can also be unevenly matched. Although Legion has been on my list since shortly after it came out, my impressio... Read more

  Posted on 12 March 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Hooting in the Dark

  

  Animals fascinate me. I picked up Martin Windrow’s The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar: Living with a Tawny Owl at a used book sale. Honestly, the cute photo... Read more

  Posted on 11 March 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY