If Sid Haig hadn’t given up his lunch hour to give us an interview, who knows how long we might have waited. Sid Haig portrays the demented Captain Spaulding, reprising his role from the first film. He is truly one of the most jovial and genuinely interesting people I’ve ever met in the entertainment business. He also starred in Jack Hill’s “Spider Baby”, and had a role in Tarantino’s “Foxy Brown”.
How did Sid feel when he found out Rob Zombie was doing a sequel to House of 1000 Corpses? ^ I knew it was coming when we were still doing the first one.
Did he have to wait as long as everybody else did to see the first film? ^ We all saw it like 3 days before the premiere. (3 years after it was made!)
Captain Spaulding is a great character. Frightening and funny, just like Sid. How much of it is Sid and how much of it is Rob’s creation? ^ Rob has always been great about that. The lines are drawn within the script – give me that and whatever else you have, and we’ll have a good time.
How is Captain Spaulding different this time around? ^ The first time, it was pretty broad, and that was okay, it established a feel for the character, but now its much grittier, there’s a harsh realism that wasn’t there in the first one. The first time my character was all slap-a*s good time, “Yeee-Haaaw, let’s Go!” This time its “Don’t get in this guy’s way”.
“House of 1000 Corpses” was Rob’s debut as a director. Has he changed at all in the way he directs since the first film? ^ Not a lot. He knew what he wanted from the very first day of the very first film. And that has pretty much rung true throughout.
What makes him different from other directors Sid has worked with? ^ There are three directors I would work for any day, anytime, anywhere, any price 1) Jack Hill. He and I cut our theatrical teeth together. 2) Quentin Tarantino 3) Rob. It’s because all three guys have basically the same style, they have a very clear vision of what they want. They are able to impart that to you and then just let you alone and do your job. There’s no puppet master here. When it’s collaborative to that extent, that’s the way I would work forever.
Sid starred in Jack Hill’s “Spider Baby”, the ultimate foray into demented family films in 1967. That’s a long time ago, Sid! ^ “Spider Baby” I was a kid. I hadn’t been through the wars. Wow. I’m as excited about this as I was about “Spider Baby”.
There are some uncanny similarities between “Spider Baby” and “House of 1000 Corpses”, no? ^ Lets face it. Almost everything in “House of 1000 Corpses” was similar to “Spider Baby”. That was the first time we were introduced to crazy families living out in the country killing and eating people. Okay, how many times has that been done since?
What is the fascination with crazy families, anyway? ^ Cause we can’t do that in our own lives. It’s a little vicarious kick. Someone once asked me why people like to go to horror movies. I said, because we don’t hunt for our food anymore. You know, it used to be if you wanted some bear, you grab a stick and club the bear to death. Now, you want some bear, you go to the supermarket and say, “Gimme a pound of bear”. So the adrenaline rush is not there anymore. And if you’re not crazy enough to jump off the side of a building, going to horror films is the next best thing.
Does Captain Spaulding get to kill anybody in this film? ^ I’m abusive, lets put it that way.
What are Sid’s favorite scenes? ^ Hard to say. I scare the crap out of a little kid, and it was a compliment to me because I actually got him to cry. For a minute there it was real for him, you know? I gave him a hug afterward, and we’re buddies now. There’s Horror in it. There’s Humor in it. I once described it as “’House of 1000 Corpses’ meets ‘The Wild Bunch’ at Jeffrey Dahmer’s House.”
Does Horror need Humor? ^ It’s the best way to kick somebody in the a*s…Get them laughing and then all of a sudden rip somebody’s guts out. Then they go, “Ohhh!” and start feeling guilty about thinking it was so funny. Then you set them up again! It’s a whole psychological thing that happens with the whole telling of the story. Just like with a serious drama. The easiest way to get somebody to cry is to get them laughing first. Then whatever happens takes them so off guard that they have to give in to it. We’ve been rapped a lot about all the violence and gore in horror films, and as a certified clinical hypnotherapist, I can tell you that psychologically, our fantasies have got to be more extreme than our realities to maintain some kind of balance. It’s just that the reality that we’re living in today is so out there, that the fantasies just have to assume a larger role. If you don’t, fantasy and reality just drift into each other and then you’ve got nowhere to go!
This has really been like a family situation. Everybody gets along; there is a feeling of wanting to work together to get the best products. No egos anywhere. It’s been an ideal situation.
Sid gets to share the screen with some cult horror icons like Kane Hodder, Bill Mosely, and Ken Foree ^ I think its great! My only fear is that the audience (the first time they watch it, cause they will watch it multiple times,) they’ll be focusing on that. These characters, classic characters, crop up all the way through the storyline. But everybody is so solid in what they’re doing, and at the same time different from what they’ve been established as, that I think it will hold together.
What’s it like to be a sex symbol, Sid-baby? ^ I’m telling you that took me way by surprise. Because I have never been down that road before. That’s amazing. I don’t know what the fascination is. Is it a whole “danger” trip, cause it sure as hell isn’t the way I look!
More interviews in part three of ROB ZOMBIE AND THE REJECTS>>>
