Editorials
Looking Back at Horror Icon Bill Moseley’s 10 Most Memorable Roles
From the get-go, Bill Moseley proved to be a scene-stealer. With 126 acting credits and counting, the actor has dedicated much of his extensive career to horror. Which means, to our fortune, no shortage of unforgettable characters. Whether it’s a small cameo or a major role, from eccentric to flat out terrifying, Moseley gives it his all every single time.
3 From Hell marks the return of one of Moseley’s most well-regarded characters, so it only makes sense to celebrate by looking back at his most memorable roles so far.
Johnnie – Night of the Living Dead
Moseley often plays morally dubious types, but in this underrated 1990 remake by Tom Savini, he plays nice guy Johnnie. You know, the one who gets to utter the famous line, “They’re coming to get you, Barbara!” Sure, he spends most of his screen time taunting his creeped out sister, but that’s sibling love. When she gets attacked by the first zombie, before anyone is aware there’s a zombie infestation happening, Johnnie rushes to her defense without hesitation. He’s a dependable brother, right until the end.
Officer Ray – The Convent
When pesky college kids try to break into an abandoned and closed off convent, Officers Starkey (Coolio) and Ray catch them and force the kids to turn right back around. Not before plucking a joint off one of the kids and partaking after they’ve left, of course. It might be another cameo spot for Moseley, but it’s another shining example of his comedic chops. He gets to play off of the equally humorous Coolio, amplifying the entertainment factor.
The Magician – The Devil’s Carnival/Alleluia! The Devil’s Carnival
In these Darren Lynn Bousman directed horror musicals, Moseley played demon accomplice and carnie The Magician. The Magician is pretty childlike and peculiar, and throws a bit of a tantrum when the Ticket-Keeper doesn’t select him for an “act.” Shame on the Ticket-Keeper, because The Magician is fun to watch. Unless you’re selected to be his assistant, anyway.
Deadite Captain – Army of Darkness
It’s Ash vs Evil Ash (both Bruce Campbell) in the third act battle of this threequel. Ash leads the frontlines of defense for Team Human while Evil Ash unites and unleashes the Army of Darkness upon them. Any strong leader needs a right-hand man, and for Evil Ash that’s the Deadite Captain. And this Deadite Captain means business, barking out orders like, “Welcome back to the land of the livin’. Now pick up a shovel and get digging!”
Ricky Caldwell – Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out!
A continuation of Part 2, Moseley takes over the role previously played by Eric “Garbage Day” Freeman. The Santa Claus Killer had been shot down by police and left comatose for years, with a dome affixed over his skull to keep his brains from spilling out. When a doctor uses a blind clairvoyant girl to communicate with Ricky, he wakes from his coma and stalks her. It’s an even stranger sequel than its predecessor, but it’s even weirder in that the brain damage aspect means Moseley plays Ricky in a lowkey way that’s very different from a lot of the characters he plays. Just quiet stalking menace.
Luigi Largo – Repo! The Genetic Opera
In this horror musical, Moseley plays the eldest of the Largo siblings. Often at odds with his father and antagonistic with his siblings, Luigi is arguably the most unstable of the bunch. And certainly, the most violent. He revels in pain and gore, especially inflicting it upon others. Who plays unstable and uninhibited monsters better than Moseley? Bonus: He gets to sing a lot.
Crazy Max – “Holliston”
At Crazy Max’s Discount Store, he’s always trying to wrangle the best deals for his customers! Appearing in 5 episodes, most notably “The Christmas Special,” Crazy Max was a scene-stealer thanks to Moseley’s outlandish and hysterical performance. The accent, the energy, the mannerisms. I miss Holliston, but I also really miss Crazy Max. He earned his moniker.
Otis Driftwood – House 1000 Corpses
The most depraved member of the Firefly clan, Otis is an albino with red eyes and white hair who considers himself an artist. One that likes to mutilate victims and turn them into freakshow art exhibits for Captain Spaulding’s roadside attraction. He also likes to wear the skin of his victims as well. Here, Moseley plays Otis as boisterous and manic, like a theatric preacher delivering a sermon to his flock.
Otis Driftwood – The Devil’s Rejects
I know. This is considered cheating. But hear me out: The Devil’s Rejects is a very different film from its predecessor, and so is the Firefly family. Rob Zombie toned down the cartoonish elements of House in favor of something grittier and more realistic, and Moseley shifted gears accordingly. This Otis is rugged and no longer albino at all. He’s more feral and calculating than before, too, making his depraved proclivities even more disturbing than they already were. It may be the same character, but in many ways, Moseley created something entirely different. Think two sides of the same, warped coin.
Chop Top Sawyer – The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
The older brother of Leatherface, Chop Top is a deranged Vietnam vet with a metal plate grafted onto his skull. One that he can’t stop picking. He’s also a bit of a hippie, contributing to one over the top character played to perfection by Moseley in his second ever acting role. From his introductory scene crashing Stretch’s radio station, he grabbed horror fans by the collar and never let go. Dog will hunt, after all.
The Bloody Disgusting-powered SCREAMBOX is home to a variety of unique horror content, from originals and exclusives to cult classics and documentaries. With such a rapidly-growing library, there are many hidden gems waiting to be discovered.
Here are five recommendations you can stream on SCREAMBOX right now.
While Stuart Gordon cemented himself as a master of horror with early works like Re-Animator and From Beyond, his later output is also worthy of exploration. 2003’s King of the Ants kicked off a trio of intense thrillers (alongside Edmond and Stuck) that would end up being Gordon’s final features. It was also one of the first productions from The Asylum, who would go on to create Sharknado, Z Nation, and Black Summer.
Based on the 1992 novel by Charlie Higson, who also wrote the screenplay, the film’s unusual structure makes it unpredictable. Struggling to make ends meet, Sean Crawley (Chris McKenna) is hired by a shady contractor (Daniel Baldwin, Vampires) to kill a local city official (Ron Livingston, The Conjuring). Sean is stiffed on payment, held captive, and tortured in an attempt to elicit brain damage.
Although the film is nihilistic, Gordon injects bits of his signature gallows humor. Baldwin is perfectly cast as the despicable antagonist, while George Wendt (Cheers) plays against type as his co-conspirator and Vernon Wells (Mad Max 2) serves as a lackey. Kari Wuhrer (Anaconda) co-stars as Livingston’s wife, who Sean falls for. Holding his own against the industry veterans, McKenna is worthy of a more decorated career.
Cocaine Crabs from Outer Space
Move over, Cocaine Bear — there’s a new coked-up animal in town… and it comes from space. Intentional schlock is deceptively difficult to pull off, but Cocaine Crabs from Outer Space is no-budget cheese done right; fully committed to the bit with plastic crabs crudely puppetted via fishing line, hammy acting, and over-the-top deaths.
Upon landing on Earth, alien crabs are given cocaine by local frat bros, thus beginning an amphetamine-fueled murder spree. A dismissed detective (writer-director Chuck Magee) teams up with a local pet shop employee (Kat Andrews) to stop the killer crustaceans and their Gremlins-esque exploits of monstrous mayhem.
Not every joke lands, but it’s impossible not to be amused by the absurdity of it all. Those who enjoy goofy fare of Velocipastor, Llamageddon, and Thankskilling will get a kick out of this one. It also makes a good double feature with Crabs on SCREAMBOX.
Found footage’s inherently homespun aesthetic lends itself to a lower barrier to entry for micro-budget filmmakers, which can be a double-edged sword. With Life of Belle, writer-director Shawn Robinson (in his feature debut) cast his actual family and shot in his own home while tapping into his real-life fears as a parent.
Positioned as an investigation into the mysterious disappearance of 8-year-old Annabelle Starnes (Syrenne Robinson), the film presents the aspiring YouTuber’s footage along with her house’s security cameras. The footage captures Belle and her younger brother (Zachary Robinson) struggling to understand and endure their mother’s (Sarah Mae Robinson) dangerously erratic behavior.
While its visuals are reminiscent of a Paranormal Activity movie, the film is thematically more in line with Skinamarink; Robinson favors the psychological terror of children in peril over supernatural-fueled jump scares. Over the course of 72 minutes, the film slowly but steadily builds to a chilling finale.
Dead Ant immediately establishes its cheeky tone with a prologue in which a running woman strips nude and throws her clothes at the giant ant that’s chasing her. It may not be high art, but writer-director Ron Carlson delivers an entertaining cross between campy creature feature and Spinal Tap-style heavy metal satire.
The film pits a washed-up hair metal band — Bret Michaels-esque frontman Merrick (Jake Busey, Starship Troopers), guitarist Pager (Rhys Coiro, Entourage), bassist Art (Sean Astin, The Lord of the Rings), drummer Stevie (Leisha Hailey, The L Word), and manager Danny (Tom Arnold, True Lies) — against ferocious ants that increase in size each time one is killed.
The all-star cast — which also includes Michael Horse (Twin Peaks) and Danny Woodbury (Seinfeld) as a peyote-peddling Native American and his right-hand man, along with a pre-fame Sydney Sweeney (Immaculate) — fully embraces the ridiculousness. The Sharknado-level CGI is far from convincing, but that only adds to the humor.
SCREAMBOX has a number of Roger Corman productions to honor the late, great trailblazer, including one of his best directorial efforts: A Bucket of Blood. In typical Corman fashion, the 1959 horror-comedy was conceived to repurpose leftover sets from another production. Charles B. Griffith — who recycled the plot structure for their next collaboration, The Little Shop of Horrors — was hired to pen the script in five days. Corman then shot the film in another five days on a budget of $50,000. Remarkably, it doesn’t look nearly as cheap or as rushed as it undoubtedly was.
Beloved character actor Dick Miller (Gremlins, The Terminator) stars in a rare lead role as Walter Paisley, a cafe busboy who dotes on pretentious artists but has ambitions of being one himself. After accidentally killing a cat, inspiration strikes to cover it up as a grotesque yet dignified sculpture. Giving new meaning to the phrase “tortured artist,” his taste of fame leads to an inadvertent murder spree.
Nary a dull moment among its economical 66 minutes, A Bucket of Blood holds up remarkably well after 65 years. The concept remains timely, as both the social commentary and dark satirization of the counterculture still play. You could swap out beatniks for influencers and make a contemporary, subversive slasher-comedy of errors in the vein of Tucker and Dale vs Evil.
Visit the SCREAMBOX Hidden Gems archives for more recommendations.
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