Rob Zombie on Making House of 1,000 Corpses | Joe Rogan

What, when your first actual film was what, like 2004? 2000. 2000? Yeah, because the way it went down was, this is a funny story too, I made my first movie House of 1000 Corpses at Universal Studios and it was 2000, it could have been even the tail end in 1999, I'm not sure. The only reason I know it was 2000, I had a rap gift somebody gave me and they put a date in it, I was like oh shit, it was 2000. So I made the movie with Universal Studios and once they screened it we had our test screening which I thought went, I thought went great, what do I know, the head of Universal at the time came up to me and was like we have to talk tomorrow. I was like oh man, that was not a good tone, that wasn't a you're so great we want to give you a five picture deal tone of voice. So the next day they dumped the movie and you know just basically booted us out. And then I... What was the conversation? It was like we basically this is unreleasable. I don't remember word for word but that was the conversation in a nutshell. But at the time too you figure there was no horror coming out of Universal, they were making like the Flintstones movie and that was not the image they wanted, this really vile sort of backwards hillbilly murder fest where there's the bad people win essentially. I mean horror films were sort of like not even a commercial thing at that point in a way. So then which is funny now if you go to Universal Studios, Hollywood or Orlando there's a huge House of a Thousand Corpses thing event going on in both theme parks. That's hilarious. I was there for the grand opening like that's funny. Again like it's like a train, it's like I get fired from here and now you know 20 years later it's a theme park attraction in the exact place I get fired from. Wow. Which is so weird. What was the conversation like before you decided to do that film? I mean how did they let you do it? I don't, you know, again I think getting to make a movie for Universal Studios was such an amazing experience but I think I was too naive to understand what was happening. It'd be like you did one set of comics and I was like hey we're going to put you on tour in George Carr and you're like cool I guess this is the way it happens man. And then it's after like wow I didn't really appreciate it, just went down did I? Not that I took it for granted but I had met with someone at the theme park about doing a haunted maze during their Halloween horror nights based on my album. And then sort of by being in the offices was meeting people and having just meetings about stuff or I just didn't want to leave once I got in the studio. I just loved being there even though I had no business being there. And somehow I remember being in the guy at the time his name was Kevin Mischer, his office pitching him a movie I didn't have a pitch for. I had a title but nothing else. And somehow it progressed from there and I was like really? I told him kind of a cool title with a completely half-ass idea that I was making up as I was talking to him. What did you say? Like what was the conversation? I don't even remember. It was weird. I don't even, I can't, I wish I could remember it well because after the fact I'm like how did this happen? I don't remember. This is like your story is like the anti-ambition story. It's like the anti-preparation story but super successful nonetheless. Yeah, I guess the goal is just be vague with people. Be vague and look cool. And act like you don't care. And I had that attitude too. I remember once the movie was rolling I was like this is who I want to cast and this is exactly what I want to do and if you guys don't want to do it that's cool. Let's just not work together. And they did it. Wow. Like that's a great pitch on my part, right? And we shot it on the universal back lot. We were like right there like doing the whole thing and big production and it was weird. Wow. When it wrapped, like final day, final scene and that's a wrap. Were you like what the fuck just happened? Well the funny thing is like after we wrapped the first time we had a little test screening within the studio like friends. And like oh we should probably punch up the ending. So they gave me like they gave me more money to reshoot the ending than I actually made my newest movie with. It was like money was nothing like you know there's thrown money around like it was like nothing. I was like oh my god this is insane. We were building these giant sets doing all this crazy stuff. It was after that that you know the problem started but I don't I wish I could remember these things better. It's weird that I don't. But what attracted you to this ultra violent psychopath like outcast murderous style of movie that you do because you have like these almost like mutant society psycho murder people that people fucking love it man. I've always dug like outsider mentality. Like anything that involved like out I think it started as a kid as a kid because like a lot of people relate to this. I didn't feel like I fit in. Like I was like weird. I didn't fit in. I didn't get like what were the cool shoes to wear or the right freaking eyes odd shirt. I didn't understand. I wasn't trying to be you know no one's trying to be weird and like oh yeah I want to be weird and hide away because I'm weird. No it's like I don't understand. And I think when I would watch monster movies the monster was always that mentality. Like King Kong's like hey man I'm just trying to get along why is everyone shooting at me and Frankenstein's like hey I was just born yesterday why are you trying to kill me. Like and I think as a weird kid you relate to the monster. So as life went on and you know the I would always relate to the outsider then I would always relate to movies like Taxi Driver, Bonnie and Clyde and be like yeah Travis Bickle you know he's the fucking man. You know and I would always be like anything anti society anything and fuck you fuck everything that's normal. Right like revenge. Yeah I was just into it. I felt real similar when I was a kid. I was always into monster movies. I was always into something that just tore all the normal people apart and just ripped apart all the preconceived notions of what everybody thought was going to happen. And then around towards the end of high school when I discovered punk rock and you figure out there's an entire form of music where they're just like go fuck yourself. That's what we're here. I was like I'm in. And so many other people as well. Yeah and it just like it just flips your whole idea of what life is. And then when I moved to New York I was like wow this is an entire city of people who don't give a fuck. Yeah that's where they come. Yeah nobody gives a shit about anything here. It's amazing how your movies resonate with people like to like in a fanatical way like you read the comments on just a trailer for Three From Hell. You know just people are so fucking pumped. Yeah it's great and I mean it's been a long journey because like when my first movie came out I think every review basically said something along the lines of worst movie ever made I hate this movie. And now people are like dude that's your best movie. You know like you've been chasing it ever since. So it's just weird how, same with White Zombie when our first Geffen, I still remember this, our first Geffen record came out. I saw the first review. It was this magazine Alternative Press who two years ago gave me this lifetime achievement award and I had to read the review while I accepted the award. The review said this is the worst band ever. I was like ever? Come on. It said this is the worst band ever ignore this band. So there was something you know there must have been something. Did you ever contact the person who wrote that? No I didn't. Back then I was just like. I mean like I felt like maybe a few years later once you were really successful. I can't remember who it was. I used to be upset by reviews until I saw who wrote them. Yeah. You know. Yeah. That's a problem. And then you go that guy? A lot of critics are critics because they really wanted to be writers. They just don't have a lot to contribute and so they just shit on things. And it's just like when you're young and you're new and you're reading you think that the guy is writing it and writing it all badass you're like oh this dude must look like Lemmy he must be this hard ass guy and all. And then you see a guy like that guy wrote it? Oh fuck him. And fuck everyone else who ever writes anything again. I don't give a shit.