ROB ZOMBIE: 'I Don't Really Think My Films Are That Gory'

Metro.us recently conducted an interview with rocker-turned-filmmaker Rob Zombie. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Metro.us: You said with ["The Lords Of Salem"] you wanted to try something different. Did you mean different from the "Halloween" films or just in general?

Rob: Just in general. I felt like the last group of films I did were in the same wheelhouse. I just wanted to break out of that within the structure of what we were making. I hate that phrase "horror director." It sounds so limiting. I just want to make movies. That's why my next film isn't even remotely a horror or genre film.

Metro.us: "The Lords of Salem" had a lower budget than you've had recently. Was that the plan?

Rob: That was a freedom thing. Because after doing the two "Halloween" films, which were with Dimension Films — that's a very hands-on studio. So you're always fighting to retain some sense of what you're trying to do. But with this film I had complete control, contractually. That was the appeal. Working with a small budget is kind of a drag. But the other part was great.

Metro.us: This film is less gory than your other films, with a lower body count.

Rob: I don't really think my films are that gory. I think "Halloween II" is pretty violent, but it's not that gory. I'm not a fan of gore, necessarily. I think when things become too gory it just becomes cartoony — it becomes like a bloody Roadrunner cartoon. This one isn't that violent. It's not even that vulgar, in terms of the language. I tried to make it different. The art direction's a lot cleaner and sparser, more composed. It's the opposite of what I normally do.

Read the entire interview from Metro.us.