Preachers may hate him, but we always knew Dee Snider was a Holey Dude
In 1998, Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider injected “Captain Howdy,” a character from their 1984 three-part song “Horror-Teria,” into a horror movie called “Strangeland,” which received mixed reviews, but has since turned into a bit of a cult item. Snider starred in and wrote the movie, which is about a pierced, sadistic, Internet chat room predator who lures teenagers into his house and tortures them with unusual body piercings.
At the time, Internet-based horror stories weren’t so ubiquitous, so the plot was pretty compelling, even if the execution was far from perfect. “I came up with the idea of Internet crime before anybody had ever committed Internet crime,” Snider gloats. “And if I am the father of torture films, I’ve got to come back like a sledgehammer to reclaim my crown!”
To that effect, Snider has decided to resurrect Captain Howdy in “Strangeland: Disciple,” which goes into production later this year. And while the movie may, indeed, revolutionalize the genre, it’ll take a lot of creativity and originality. Today, with the coming and going of flix like “Pulse,” “the Card Player,” “Untraceable,” “fear dot com,” “.com For Murder” and “Stay Alive,” Internet stalker movies are as common porn Web sites.
Returning for revenge in the sequel will be Robert Englund (Freddie Krueger in “Nightmare On Elm Street”), who called “Strangeland” a “bona-fide cult hit.” In the original, he played Jackson Roth, one of Captain Howdy’s victims.
A long time horror film fan, Snider says he was looking to put a new spin on the genre when he wrote “Strangeland.” “At the time, I really wanted to re-invent the wheel. Horror, traditionally, plays on people’s fears of being chased and dying. That’s totally played out. When you’re being chased, there’s the chance of escape. When you die, there’s peace. What’s much worse than being chased and dying is being helpless and suffering.”
For the “Strangeland” soundtrack, Snider handpicked a variety of metal bands, including Twisted Sister, System Of A Down, Sevendust, Soulfly, Slipknot, Coal Chamber, Megadeth, Marilyn Manson and Pantera. The success of the soundtrack led to a “Strangeland” tour, which Snider hopes to resurrect once again for “Strangeland: Disciple.” “Music was intrinsic to me in the first one,” he says. “We really tried to create the ultimate heavy soundtrack. Music will be important to me again for the sequel.”
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