If a film features ghosts, spaceships or nightmares that won’t end, chances are Staci Layne Wilson has something to say about it.
Wilson, a novelist turned film critic, contributes to a gaggle of fantasy outlets, from Scifiwire.com to horror.com as well as her own web site and blog. WWTW checked in with the prolific film scribe to get her thoughts on genre material, her bustling career and her most surprising celebrity interview.
WWTW: How did you get started in the film reviewing business?
SLW: I began as a novelist – the old, “Critically acclaimed, but commercially unsuccessful.” My first book was an anthology entitled “Horrors of the Holy,” in which I explored some of my favorite themes: Faustian tales with a sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll twist. Novels “Ghost Writer” and “Dark Lullaby” followed the short story collection.
I never actually sought out any film review jobs; I was approached by both Cinescape magazine and horror.com. What seemed like a fun lark has turned into a very solid career. I’ve been reviewing films of all kinds (specializing in genre) since 2001. I would not trade my job for the world, but it’s not nearly as glamorous as it may seem. There’s a lot of time and work involved, not to mention many, many deadlines to meet. From the outside it looks like a cavalcade of celebs, parties, and pretty clothes, but in order to do this job you must have an extremely high degree of discipline, be a self-starter, and possess a super-strong work-ethic. When I am not out doing a red carpet or a screening, I spend an average of 12-14 hours a day at the computer.
WWTW: Have you always gravitated to genre films, and do you think the web is allowing more female voices into this category?
SLW: I’ve always been into genre. For one thing, if you could watch nothing but supernatural and scary movies for the rest of your life you’d never, ever be bored — they run the gamut from the silent era (“Nosferatu”), to screwball comedy (“Topper”), to moody drama (“I Walked With A Zombie”), to explorations of madness (“Psycho”), to satanic (“Rosemary’s Baby”), to slasher (“Friday the 13th”), to ghosts (“The Sixth Sense”), to torture (“Saw”), to dark fantasy (“Pan’s Labyrinth”), to science fiction (“Sunshine”), to all-out horror (“Trick R Treat”). And I am not even getting into the trends and subgenres (giallo, J-horror, zombies, vampires, etc.).
That said, I do have a weakness for French New Wave and its progeny (Jean Luc Godard, Jean-Jacques Beineix), Spanish and Italian surreal art films (Federico Fellini, Alejandro Jodorowsky), and inscrutable Americano (Jim Jarmusch, David Lynch). When it comes to your second question, well, the mainstream doesn’t tend to take horror itself “seriously” — so it’s more a genre stigma than a gender one in my opinion. Also, one must take into the context of my answer my own liberal upbringing, the metropolitan city in which I live, and being a part of the cyber-world. Sexism doesn’t personally impact me very much.
WWTW: Any film reviews you wish you could take back – or questions you wished you hadn’t asked an actor over the years?
SLW: Sure. But life goes on. I’m like anyone else — being in a good or a bad frame of mind can affect the viewing experience. Who hasn’t seen a movie twice and upon second viewing said to themselves of their first opinion, “What was I thinking?!” All movie reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt, not to mention an understanding of the reviewer’s biases. We all have them. I am more likely to enjoy a horror film or a thriller over a romantic comedy or a kids’ movie. That said, I am able to judge each movie on its own merits. A poorly made film, or an excellently made one, is such regardless of genre.
WWTW: Which celebrity interview surprised you the most, and in what way?
SLW: Robin Williams. I’d always assumed he would just be doing his comedy routine and waiting for his chance to cut up, but on the contrary: he actually listens to the question and answers very humorously — but intelligently and informatively. Occasionally I’ve been pleasantly surprised by celebs whom I’ve been told are “difficult” — in my experience, pretty much everyone is nice to me. (Then again, I am very lucky in that I’m not send out with a list of questions and am forced to cover gossip or personal items.) [Editor's Note: WWTW has never had a bad interviewing experience, either, although I've had a few ... curious ones.]
WWTW: Genre film reviewers can fall into the trap of adoring even mediocre films that hit their thematic sweet spot. Do you think genre specific sites and critics are too easy, in general? And is this even a problem since niche reviewers are supposed to support the genre side of Hollywood?
SLW: I don’t see it as a problem. Readers are smart enough to know what’s what.
WWTW: How has reviewing movies changed the way you watch films? Do you enjoy the movie-going process more or less now, and why?
SLW: Knowledge of filmmaking enhances the experience greatly. The more you know about anything, the better it’s going to be. As far as going to the movies, I don’t do that anymore. I pretty much only attend critics’ screenings and watch screeners at home. I definitely don’t miss the commentary from the peanut gallery, the ringing cell phones, the chair kicking and the crying kids.
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