Rob Zombie has paid tribute to friend and longtime creative partner Sid Haig, who famously played the role of Captain Spaulding in multiple Zombie flicks. The tribute came on the one-year anniversary of Haig’s death.
Haig’s acting career spanned 60 years, but he finally landed his definitive role in House of 1,000 Corpses, then reprising the role of Captain Spaulding in The Devil’s Rejects, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto and 3 From Hell. Haig also featured in The Lords of Salem and Zombie’s remake of Halloween.
“Well, today marks one year since my buddy Sid Haig left us,” Zombie wrote. “We did a lot of stuff together over the twenty years we were friends. He was my first and only choice for Captain Spaulding back in 1999. As sad as it was, I am so glad he got to play Spaulding one last time even if it was brief. He gave it all he had. That was March 2018. Obviously we had originally planned to do much more back then but his health made it impossible. I can only hope this role will help him live on for future generations of horror fans.”
Haig’s role in 3 From Hell was unfortunately reduced due to the actor’s ill health, with Zombie telling Entertainment Weekly, “It was kind of a drag, because I knew people would wonder about that. And especially, you know how fans are — ‘Fuck you, man, you shoulda’ done it like this!’ But I wasn’t in a position where I could tell what was happening, because it’s not my life, it’s someone else’s private business, their health. So I was slowly letting on what was happening, because it became more public — that he was in the hospital, what was going on.”
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