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It finally hit theaters in 2003, though, much to the distaste of critics—and the delight of a small slice of the moviegoing public. Although House of 1000 Corpses is a cult classic that made Zombie a household name in the horror genre, the director himself actually doesn't like the film very much. In a 2014 interview, Zombie said, "The first film [I directed], which people seem to love, is just a calamitous mess. Well, when it came out it seemed like everyone hated it. Now everyone acts like it's beloved in some way. All I see is flaw, upon flaw, upon flaw." The movie's violence and sadism led to it not being able to shake an NC-17 rating, caused Universal to shelve it.
Captain Spaulding (Rob Zombie character)
Mr. Haig was the recipient of numerous awards for his work in horror movies. In August, he was given the Vincent Price Award for excellence in the genre. Punctuated by bizarro cutaways and surreal sequences, House of 1,000 Corpses very nearly never saw the light of day, thanks largely to a procession of studio executives who believed they were punk rock enough to ride, only to clutch for their pearls at the last second.
Casting
Sid Haig death: Horror actor who starred as Captain Spaulding in Rob Zombie films dies aged 80 The Independent - The Independent
Sid Haig death: Horror actor who starred as Captain Spaulding in Rob Zombie films dies aged 80 The Independent.
Posted: Mon, 23 Sep 2019 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Shortly after, a mysterious figure appears hidden in some overgrowth and shoots out their vehicle's tire with a shotgun. The group thinks it is just a blown out tire and so Baby takes Bill to her family's house to get a tow truck. Moments later, Baby's half-brother, Rufus, picks up the stranded passengers and takes them to the family home. The film debuted alongside Adam Sandler's "Anger Management," which easily took the top spot that weekend with $42.2 million. However, ranking in at number seven on the charts was the realization of Zombie's dream, as his blood-soaked horror film that two major studios kicked to the curb pulled in a respectable $3.4 million.
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As anyone familiar with his music videos can attest to, it's not a surprise that Zombie has etched his name in the annals of horror movie history. What is surprising is that House of 1000 Corpses took such a long and winding road to the theaters, that he initially thought he wouldn't be making sequels, and above all, that it was his first film. The movie simply feels too self-assured, too confident, and frankly, too good to be a first outing. Horror fans might be familiar with the fact that House of 1000 Corpses was inspired by 1970s horror films such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. However, they might be surprised to learn that the villains' names were influenced by comedian Groucho Marx.
The movie as we know it centers on two young couples taking a tour along the back roads of America in search of a local legend known as Dr. Satan. Unfortunately, when they become stranded with no options, they cross paths with a family of psychos — the Firefly Family — and murder ensues. More people are catching on (including Universal, which used House of 1,000 Corpses as the basis for part of its annual Halloween Horror Nights in 2010, 2011, and 2019). Cherry also runs a server on the social messaging platform Discord that has accumulated more than 150 members, who gather to discuss and post about Zombie’s movies and other horror flicks like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Rob Zombie Shares Tribute to House of 1000 Corpses Star Sid Haig for Anniversary of His Passing - ComicBook.com
Rob Zombie Shares Tribute to House of 1000 Corpses Star Sid Haig for Anniversary of His Passing.
Posted: Wed, 23 Sep 2020 07:00:00 GMT [source]
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As the opening credits rolled, my heart raced—I knew immediately I was watching something completely different. The opening sequence, which remains one of my all-time favorites in any horror film, sets the mood for what’s to come. A roadside tourist trap, owned and operated by a clown named Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig, The Devil’s Rejects), is being robbed by a couple of local thugs.
Fortunately, a then-young Lionsgate (going by Lions Gate at the time) had done well with gore and horror previously with films like "American Psycho," and risk was not an issue for them. Zombie penned the screenplay himself and things barreled forward at a blistering pace by big movie studio standards. With a cast that included the likes of Chris Hardwick after his MTV days, Rainn Wilson before his fame from "The Office," Sheri Moon Zombie, Sid Haig, and Bill Moseley as the Firefly Family, production began in May 2000. The explosion of the movie’s fanbase really hit actor Robert Allen Mukes, who played Rufus Firefly, for the first time a few years ago, when he signed an autograph for a 12-year-old girl. The parents are showing it to their kids, and the kids are telling their friends,’” he said.
I’ll admit, the first time I watched HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES, I couldn’t decide if I loved or hated it. This was likely the general reaction from most audiences who saw the movie around the time of its release. I know now that this reaction usually follows viewing something that’s entirely original and fresh.
An artist is entitled to be hard on his early work, but all the fans see is bloody goodness. When Denise doesn't come home, her father Don calls the police to report her missing. Don, a former policeman, is called to the scene to help the deputies search. They arrive at the Firefly house and Wydell questions Mother Firefly about the missing teens. Mother Firefly shoots Wydell in the head and kills him; Don and Steve are then killed by Otis when they find more bodies of missing cheerleaders in the barn, along with a barely conscious Mary.
But damned if he hasn't proven there's absolutely an audience for this brand of hardcore horror over the years, even if he had to overcome some pretty impressive hurdles to demonstrate that initially. It's an impressive story of perseverance paying off, no matter what one thinks of the movie in question. There were whispers that Zombie was going to just put the movie out himself because, at that point, what other options did he have? Universal was content to just chalk it up as a loss, while MGM wouldn't even publicly acknowledge that they made a deal.
I responded the way I did because I couldn’t fully comprehend what the fuck I had just watched. I’ve always told people that HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES is the film equivalent of vomit; it’s gross, violent, acidic, multi-colored, and leaves a bad taste in your mouth. I mean this as a compliment, of course, as films rarely elicit such a guttural reaction. This speaks volumes about how ahead of his time Zombie was, especially given that the film still feels as gnarly and disgusting today as it did during its release. Beyond instilling the film with fiendish visuals, Zombie also injected it with his own brand of humor and camp. A large part of why the movie works at all is because it never makes the mistake of taking itself too seriously.
Though I’d hesitate to call the film a horror-comedy, it feels self-aware of its own absurdity and leans into the laughs at all the right moments. Spaulding remains calm and even well-humored throughout the entire robbery. Tension mounts as the score pulses, you can sense the energy charging for something sinister. Suddenly, an ax-wielding maniac, donning a large mascot-like head mask bursts into the room. He cuts down one of the criminals as Spaulding disposes of the other with a gunshot to the head. The maniac removes his mask and laughs wickedly as Spaulding hovers over the dying criminal.
In 3 from Hell, Spaulding, Otis, and Baby are revealed to have just barely survived the shootout with the police, and are put on trial and imprisoned shortly after their recovery. A decrepit Spaulding is executed by lethal injection sometime later, leading to Otis and Baby attempting an escape.
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