{"id":2839,"date":"2012-05-15T13:56:50","date_gmt":"2012-05-15T19:56:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bmovienation.com\/?p=2839"},"modified":"2012-05-15T13:56:50","modified_gmt":"2012-05-15T19:56:50","slug":"commercial-horror","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bmovienation.com\/?p=2839","title":{"rendered":"Commercial Horror"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Rob Zombie is one of heavy metal\u2019s true Renaissance men.
\nHe\u2019s widely recognized as the dreadlocked, platform-booted former lead singer of White Zombie, and now the frontman of his solo band, currently in its 14th year. He\u2019s also a visual artist, in two different mediums: Most notably, a film director, having helmed \u201cHouse of 1000 Corpses\u201d and two \u201cHalloween\u201d remakes in his horror oeuvre, along with several mainstream TV commercials. He also designs all the album artwork for his music projects (and famously designed the set of MTV\u2019s \u201cHeadbanger\u2019s Ball\u201d in the early 1990s).
\nRight now, as Zombie\u2019s band \u2013 featuring bassist Piggy D., guitarist John 5 and drummer Ginger Fish – stomps through two weeks\u2019 worth of tour dates co-headlining with Megadeth, he has major film and music projects on the front burner. His next horror film, \u201cThe Lords of Salem,\u201d which he wrote and directed, is in post-production, and will tentatively be released later this year. And he has studio time booked starting June 1 for his next album, the follow-up to 2010\u2019s \u201cHellbilly Deluxe 2.\u201d
\nIF YOU GO
\nRob Zombie and Megadeth
\nWhen: 6 p.m. Friday
\nWhere: The DeltaPlex, 2500 Turner Ave. NW
\nTickets: $39.50 and $49.50 at the DeltaPlex box office or etix.com
\nOpening act: Lacuna Coil<\/p>\n

Info.: deltaplex.com, 364-9000
\nI caught up with Zombie prior to the tour, just after horror-comedy \u201cThe Cabin in the Woods\u201d opened, and created a buzz among movie buffs for deconstructing the genre with tongue firmly in cheek. The interview started off with a couple of gruff, prickly responses \u2013 although there\u2019s a kitsch element to his films and music, he doesn\u2019t dig on horror that makes you go ha ha \u2013 but quickly righted itself as he discussed the touring-recording cycle, \u201cLords of Salem,\u201d directing TV commercials and infamous B-movie actor Clint Howard.
\nHave you seen \u201cThe Cabin in the Woods\u201d yet?
\nNo. \u201cScream\u201d made me want to rip my eyes out. Horror and comedy don\u2019t go together very well.
\nYou don\u2019t even want to see it out of curiosity?
\nIt\u2019s not my type of thing.
\nYou\u2019re touring now and putting out a new album later this year. Isn\u2019t that backwards?
\nThe world is such a big place, you can never get everywhere you want to go (on tour). My concept is to put together a new album if it means something, not just as an excuse to tour. If you\u2019ve been around for a while like I have, it doesn\u2019t mean as much to do album-tour, album-tour. I do like the idea of touring first \u2013 we get our chops back into shape, and work the kinks out.
\nSo what\u2019s the status of \u201cLords of Salem\u201d?
\nI\u2019m still finishing it. We\u2019re done editing, and I keep tweaking little things on it. This week, we\u2019re mixing the sound. It\u2019ll probably be out in late 2012.
\nIs it a small-budget movie?
\nTruthfully, it\u2019s probably the biggest movie I\u2019ve done yet. It\u2019s more elaborate\u2026it\u2019s a much grander film. It\u2019s less down-and-dirty than my other movies.
\nHow it is grander and more elaborate?
\nThe look of it. The way we shot it, stylistically. The other movies were mostly handheld (cameras). This is more of a Kubrick style movie, with big sweeping shots and a bigger look. We used multiple locations, and flip-flopped across the country to shoot it.
\nWas it important for you to do something different this time?
\nI think so. It\u2019s good to break away. If you go down the same path, you get burned out. You have a bag of tricks, and it\u2019s so easy to fall back on, and you can do it with your eyes closed. It\u2019s the same thing with writing songs.
\nI\u2019ve seen a few of the still photos from \u201cSalem\u201d in videos and on your website, and they\u2019re bizarre and compelling. I want to see more.
\nA lot of people don\u2019t know much about it, and I\u2019m purposely trying to do that. With \u201cHalloween,\u201d it didn\u2019t matter, because you already know the story. But this one, you don\u2019t want to give too much away. I screened it for a few people recently and they were like, \u201cHoly (expletive)!\u201d They weren\u2019t ready for what they were going to see. Going to the movies will never be like that again. I still remember seeing \u201cJaws\u201d and \u201cStar Wars\u201d and \u201cClose Encounters of the Third Kind,\u201d and I didn\u2019t know a thing about them, and was blown away. That\u2019s the best way to see a movie.<\/p>\n

Do you prefer to direct your own scripts as opposed to someone else\u2019s work or a remake?
\nI prefer original material. You can do good remakes, but the better ones are of more obscure films. Remakes used to be a cooler thing, and I enjoyed making the \u201cHalloween\u201d movies, but now there are too many of them; the same thing happened 20, 25 years ago when everything was a sequel. There\u2019s very little original material anymore. I\u2019d always rather see something new.
\nOnly you would cast Clint Howard in a TV commercial, it seems.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been friends with him for a little while now. (Note: Howard starred in Zombie films \u201cHouse of 1000 Corpses\u201d and \u201cHalloween,\u201d and was a voice actor in animated movie \u201cThe Haunted World of El Superbeasto.\u201d) I met with the ad agency for the Ambo Ant Block commercial and they said, \u201cThat sounds like Clint Howard, can we cast someone like him?\u201d And I said, \u201cWhy don\u2019t we get Clint himself?\u201d So I called him up and he said, \u201cAw, yeah, sure, sure, I\u2019ll be right there!\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you enjoy directing TV commercials? It seems like they\u2019re more of an art form lately.
\nAlmost every director shoots TV commercials, but they just don\u2019t talk about it. I like it because I\u2019m still directing, and still creative, and not getting tied up for a year at a time (on one project). You work on it for a week, and you\u2019re done. You don\u2019t get to direct very many movies, because it takes two years out of your life.