How did you get started in writing?
With a pen. OK, I'll try and be more solemn and to the point for my F.A.Q. (to read my less-serious answers to questions like these, check out the interviews with me, listed at the bottom of this page).
I started reading and writing at a very young age. The two always went hand-in-hand for me, and I still have a lot of my "self-published" books that I wrote from the ages of 6 to about 12. When I was a youngster, I'd hand-write or type booklets, mostly about horses, illustrate them myself, then "saddle stitch" them with a stapler. Finally, at 12, I had my first article published by a real, honest-to-gosh national magazine (Horse & Horseman, a story about my pony).
I wrote for animal magazines (all the horse ones, Cat Fancy, Dog Fancy, etc.) for many years, then I started writing novels. I had no publishers for them or anything, I just had stories that I wanted to tell and I wrote four or five complete books before they were finally published, starting in 2000 with an anthology (Horrors of the Holy) and a non-fiction how-to book (The Horse's Choice, on training problem horses).
How did you get started as an entertainment writer and reporter?
I have always loved movies and TV. When I was a young kid, I watched everything from The Exorcist, to Gone With the Wind, to The Thin Man series, to All in the Family, to Meeting of the Minds, to The Dick Cavett Show. I specialize in the horror genre now, but I have a broad base in films of all kinds.
The actual professional aspect of it started with my working for Cinescape Online, doing some book reviews for them. This led to doing movie reviews for Cinescape, but at that moment the magazine was sold and the editor I'd been working with didn't go along for the ride. So I moved on to some other online and print publications, just doing movie reviews. This led to doing press junkets, red carpet premieres, set visits, etc., and finally working in television via TV-Wire.
Who's your favorite person to interview?
This is a really tough question to answer, because I like interviewing different people for different reasons. Also, I have interviewed literally thousands of actors, directors, producers, writers, musicians, etc., so when someone asks me this question I can't possibly remember them all.
The best way for me to answer this question is to only choose from the people I have interviewed more than two or three times. Once I've talked to someone a few times, I have a better feel for how they really "are."
Brad Pitt, whom I've interviewed several times, is a favorite from a "fan" standpoint, and as a professional interviewer. However, it's been years since I have interviewed him, and I have a feeling that since the divorce with Jen, the hook up with Angie, fatherhood, lawsuits, etc., have probably made him a lot more guarded and a lot less fun to interview (I suspect he's still very nice to look at, though!).
Have you ever met someone and just taken an instant liking to them? The same thing can happen in an interview situation. Some of these people have actually become friends apart from "work", and others, well… I guess that feeling of friendliness was only on my side! Doug Hutchison, Bill Moseley, Mick Garris, Tobe Hooper, William Malone, Guillermo del Toro, Doug Jones, Adam Giersch and Jace Anderson, Phillip Cruz, James Gunn, Don Mancini, Robert Englund, and (hm, not many women listed here, huh?) I'm sure I'm forgetting somebody. People who've really gone above-and-beyond in accommodating me for interviews would be directors, generally: Paul Schrader, Courtney Solomon, John Moore, and Mick Garris spring to mind.
Here's a couple of answers to variations on the question (there's actually more than two answers to each question here, but I'm trying to keep this brief): Smartest person? Guillermo del Toro or Sharon Stone. Funniest? Robin Williams or George Clooney. Coolest? Rob Zombie or Quentin Tarantino. Sexiest? Johnathon Schaech or Antonio Banderas. Prettiest in person? Charlize Theron or Halle Berry. Handsomest in person? Billy Zane or Michael Ealy. Most friendly: Brittany Murphy or Bill Moseley. Surprisingly funny? Denzel Washington. Surprisingly serious? Nathan Lane.
OK, and then "idols", people who I was fan of before ever getting into this business, that I've gotten to interview include: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Ray Harryhausen, Clive Barker, Anne Rice, William Goldman, Stephen King, Gordon Willis, Kris Kristofferson, Brian De Palma, Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury, Steven Spielburg, Donald Sutherland, Francis Ford Coppola, David Cronenberg, Paul Schrader, and… a lot more, actually.
Who's the worst person you've ever interviewed?
Fortunately, I've never had to deal with anyone who was really insufferable, stormed off during an interview or anything like that. A few people I'd really rather not have to interview again include Liam Neeson, Coolio, Hal Holbrook, Danny Bonaduche, Gina Gershon. More on this subject here.
Who haven't you interviewed yet, but would like to?
David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, Mel Brooks, Dario Argento, Lauren Bacall, Roman Polanski, Bettie Page, William Peter Blatty.
Do you ever get nervous, doing interviews?
No. That's not to say I have never been nervous during an interview, but that's only after something's gone awry or a weird vibe came up. I never, ever feel anxious before an interview, which is kind of odd since I am somewhat shy and retiring on a social level (I've gotten much better, but I'm still not very good at mingling at parties and stuff like that).
I think I would feel nervous about interviewing people if I was forced to cover celeb's private lives — thankfully, I never have to ask gossipy or deeply personal questions. That's just not my style. (And I am genuinely interested in the movies they're talking about, so I am happy to stay in those safe, calm waters.)
What is a press junket, exactly?
The words 'press junket' used to denote an actual junket (trip) where the press would go around the world, traveling with the stars of a movie as they promoted it (see the Valley of the Dolls DVD for some excellent archival footage of just that).
Nowadays a junket generally involves a drive down the freeway (if you live in L.A.) or a ride on the subway (if you live in New York) to a hotel, where the stars and director grant interviews over the course of a couple of days. Generally, they are broken up into Print/Online (roundtable interviews – one interviewee, having to field questions from approximately 12 journalists for 15 to 20 minutes), TV (on-camera, one-on-one, interviews generally lasting 4 minutes each), and International (print/online, and TV for the Hollywood Foreign Press and international television shows).
Once in awhile, press junkets take place in a city that's relevant to the film. The best one I've been on so far was to New Orleans, for The Skeleton Key. Universal went all-out, flying press in from all over the world, took us on a bus tour of the city, out to dinner at a great local restaurant, and had a party featuring fortune-tellers, voodoo doll making, local cuisine, etc. Contrary to popular belief, this does not generally color a person's reviews. Fortunately, I liked The Skeleton Key, but you can read a lot of my negative reviews on movies I've visited the set of, or done a press junket for.
What do you like better: doing written interviews, or on-camera?
Partially due to lack of time to sit down and write a real article (usually, I have to simple do written interviews in "Q & A" format), I prefer on-camera. TV interviews have more cachet, they're fast and fun, and if it's a TV junket, you're guaranteed an interview (unlike a red carpet premiere, in which the celeb may or may not stop for a chat).
Where have you traveled, for set visits?
Most recently I've been flown to Japan, Mexico, London, Canada, Texas, and Atlanta. Usually, a set visit only lasts one day, so you might spend 4 hours in an airport, 6 hours in flight, an hour in a taxi, a night in a hotel, a day on set, then back home again. Travel-time greatly outweighs interview-time. Not much time to site-see either, but occasionally I do get to enjoy some extracurricular activities.
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 self-discipline, be a self-starter, and possess a super-strong work-ethic. When I am not out doing an interview or something, I spend an average of 12 hours a day at the computer.
How do you do so much? (write books, do interviews, travel, maintain websites, blog, etc.)
I think if I slowed down, I'd find out I actually passed away about two years ago. The key for me is to maintain momentum, to keep calendars for deadlines, and to keep a to-do list that you add to every day, as you cross something off every day. Oh, and if you think I only work Monday through Friday, you'd be so wrong! Ever since I've been able to support myself solely through my writing and reporting, I have only had about 10, total, days away from a computer. I generally work Monday through Sunday, the only indulgence being Sunday nights, when I take off to watch my favorite shows on TV (none of which I review… It's a real treat to watch something you don't also have to write a review of).
Would you recommend some of your favorite books on the writing/journalists' life?
On Writing, by Stephen King
Adventures in the Screen Trade, by William Goldman
But Enough About Me, by Jancee Dunn
The Art of the Interview, by Lawrence Grobel
Where can I find your latest articles and interviews?
As of now (November 2006), my video interviews are up at TV-Wire's website, The SciFi Channel's website, Horror.com, and About.com. My written interviews are in Buzzine magazine, Girls & Corpses magazine, L'Ecran Fantastique magazine, SheKnows.com, and I even find the time to write various articles for Ferrets magazine!
The best, easiest, way to find them is to do a search for my full name, Staci Layne Wilson, at amazon.com.
Yes, people have actually asked me this. Usually publicists from the film studios. I think the best thing for you to do is open a browser window, type in http://horror.com, and see what happens.
But basically, Horror.com is the first, and oldest, all-horror website online (established in 1994) and it prides itself on having the best on-camera broadband, hi-def video exclusives of horror events from all around the world (red carpet, TV junkets, set visits, one-on-one interviews, and more). I do not own horror.com — I started working for them in 2003.
Why did you give [x-movie] a Rotten [or Fresh] on RottenTomotoes.com? (Usually followed by "you're an idiot", "why do you even review movies if you hate them?", etc.)
I generally don't save my responses to these emails (if, indeed, I even feel like justifying the question with a response) but here is one I did have in my archives. I don't remember the question exactly, but it looks as though someone was horrified by my positive review of the Amityville Horror remake, and accused me of being a shill for the studio.
Response from Staci Layne Wilson:
I've been a professional "critic" (I prefer the word reviewer) for five years now. I write for several magazines and sites, including Horror.com -- I love horror movies. I am a fan, but I am also a professional, credentialed film reviewer. I think to slam any profession across the board is rather unfair and certainly unrealistic.
I don't know of anyone who hates the cinema choosing to come into this line of work. We all love movies, and in feeling passionate about them, some have very strong opinions. It's a lot easier being a movie fan than a movie reviewer. As a fan, you can watch whatever you want, whenever you want.
As a movie reviewer, one has to see everything from the self-financed indies to Hollywood's biggest blockbusters and all sort of movies in between. Then we have to sit down and write about it. In regards to this site, sometimes it's difficult to pick between "rotten or fresh" because certain movies are so bland they don't warrant either. But I do think that RT provides an excellent, at-a-glance service here. And as far as I know, there are no "shills" -- the acceptance rules for Tomato-Meter Critics are stringent.
No matter what job you have -- say you're a secretary who loves to type and file, but you hate answering the phones -- there are pros and cons. Being a movie reviewer is a pretty time-consuming, involved job, so I seriously doubt that anyone who is not serious about it would stay in it for very long.
Personally, I liked The Amityville Horror as big, dumb fun. One cannot review it as if it's the next Citizen Kane. In my review for Horror.com I chose not to even take the back story into account because you just can't do that and be fair to the movie. Despite the advertising campaign, it's too far removed from the book and the original. I also interviewed George Lutz, and have presented his side of the story as well to horror movie fans -- IMHO, he has a legitimate beef in that his real name is used and he's portrayed as a criminal. I think the whole thing is very interesting.
In sum: Before off-handedly dismissing an entire profession, please take a moment to think that some of us are honest and thoughtful when we write our reviewers. Some of us are really hoping to inform the movie-going public and not just get on a soapbox or fulfill some personal agenda.
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What is your favorite horror movie?
Since I work in the horror genre mainly, people don't usually ask me what my favorite basic movie is. This narrows it down somewhat, but it's still almost impossible to answer. I am a true movie fan, but not a movie geek (I don't know who the key grip on The Haunting was, for example… but I do envy those folks with encyclopedic knowledge!).
Some faves, before I ever wrote even one horror movie review, were The Shining (1980), The Exorcist (1973), The Omen (1976), The Fly (1986), Cat People (1942), Frankenstein (1931), Interview With the Vampire (1994), Dracula (1993), Angel Heart (1988), The Other (1972), Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), Se7en (1997), Nosferatu (1979), and la Belle et la bête (1946).
Other faves, since I started writing reviews, are: The Devil's Backbone, The Devil's Rejects, The Devil's Shoes (kidding… Let's see… something without devils….), The Brotherhood of the Wolf, Hannibal, The Others, Riding the Bullet, The Red Violin, The Descent, Nightwatch, Hostel, Sin City (yeah, it's horror… beheadings, cannibalism, serial killers), and Vital.
You want more? Here you go.
I'm working with a new literary agent to get my two movie books — Animal Movies Guide and Ghost Movies Guide — to the very best publisher possible.
I have never had a produced screenplay. I'm not actively shopping them around, but I do have two horror movie scripts I'd love to see made into movies someday. I would also like to create a series of novels based on my rock 'n' roll vampire mystery, Dark Lullaby.
Will you review my movie/short film/book?
Maybe. I am open to reviewing feature-length films on DVD, and if I don't have time I will gladly forward them to one of my Guest Guides at About.com (I'm the Guide to Horror & Suspense Movies at that site, which is owned by The New York Times). I am more amenable to reviewing movie-related books (memoirs, how-to, novels that have been the basis of a film, etc.), but occasionally I will step outside the box. I do not review short films.
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Want to know more? Here are some interviews with me at various sources online:
Radio Interview with T R Black - MP3, 4 megs
