28 October 2011 (released)
03 November 2011
Halloween celebrations can hardly get any better than having rock icon Alice Cooper talking passionately about his love for horror movies and how some of them have influenced his legendary stage shows over the decades!
Taking time out from his Halloween Night Of Fear UK Tour, ‘Alice the malice’ descended on the BFI Southbank to discuss his career, his songs and his life with fellow horror aficionado and FrightFest organizer/co-host Alan Jones. A match made in hell then, though it was heaven for all the many horror fans (not to mention Alice Cooper fans!) who came along to salute their hero. A particularly nice touch was the small ‘Alice Cooper make-up’ kit that every guest was presented with!
During the highly entertaining discussion, Alice proved to be a master of wits much more so then his dark image might suggest, with a great sense of humour and not afraid to send himself up in the process. Specially selected clips from his favourite movies – and of course those that influenced him the most – accompanied the event.
Starting with his childhood, Alice mentioned that he was fascinated by horror movies from an early age. “There used to be this cinema in the part of Detroit where I grew up” he informed the audience, “and every Saturday we went to see the classic old monster movies, they showed them all day long. The first horror film that really freaked me out was ‘The Creature From The Black Lagoon’ (1954). I mean, suddenly there was a creature that was neither an alien nor a monster but it was half human and half-fish! Whoa!”
However, the first character that inspired one of Alice’s future stage looks was that of Bette Davis in ‘Whatever Happened To Baby Jane’ (1962). Remarked Alice: “Bette used to be our neighbour when we lived in a posh part of New York, I mean, we never really fitted in there but it wasn’t me who was scary, it was her, haha. She would yell over “Keep on playing, guys!” and I would tell her how much I love that movie and the make-up she’s wearing in it and that I’d like to copy it for my stage show. She replied, “I don’t know how to, but go ahead”. A clip of the movie was shown, with Davis dancing and singing the famous ‘Letter to Daddy’ song. “I think it’s such a genuinely creepy look” reflected Alice, “this pasty, caked-on baby face on this old woman!”
“Another character and look that really inspired me is that of Anita Pallenberg’s Black Queen in ‘Barbarella’ (1968). Looking tough all clad in black and with switchblades flicking from her hands… that look combined with Davis’ creepy, child-like make up seemed such a perfect combination for me!”
“Other films that have influenced me are ‘The Evil Dead’ (1981), The Thing (1982) and the original ‘Halloween’ (1978), because the monster is not a monster as such but a real person. We never find out why Michael Myers can’t get killed, as Donald Pleasance said, he’s pure evil! And with ‘The Thing’ you just never knew what this strange head morphed into next! I also really like this vampire movie called ’30 Days Of Night’ (2007) because the vampires in it aren’t bloodsuckers in the classic sense. They don’t just go for the old jugular, no. They bite you and then rip your arm off and tear you apart! These are nasty Alaskan vampires!”
After clips from some of the above movies were shown, Alice revealed his particular love for the Italian horror genre, especially the movies of Dario Argento (a clip from the 1977 ‘Suspiria’ followed). “There is something very unique about the look in Italian horror movies” said Alice, “you won’t see it anywhere else. Take ‘Suspiria’ for example, it’s both stylish and scary despite a plot that doesn’t make much sense… you know, maggots falling from the ceiling in a dance academy (!) and girls falling into barbed wire and all that. I’m also a fan of Argento’s band ‘Goblin’ by the way, it’s the perfect soundtrack to his films.”
“Generally speaking, when it comes to horror I prefer either the classics or retro”, confessed Alice. “I’m not keen on all the modern ‘torture horror’ flicks like the ‘Hostel’ movies for example. They are not scary at all, just completely revolting! At least ‘Saw’ has a clever concept to it. A lot of Japanese horror is torture horror as well but at least you never know what happens next. And I don’t like the excessive use of CGI-technology, it doesn’t make for a better movie in my opinion. Take ‘The Haunting’ (1963) for example, the original b/w version is absolutely terrifying whereas the 1999 remake is all special effects… but is it scary? No!”
“I’m a fan of Tobe Hooper too, though my favourite film of his is not ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ (1974) but the TV-adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s Lot’ (1979). At first I didn’t even know it was directed by Hooper, you know. I read ‘Salem’s Lot… starring David Soul…’ and I’m thinking ‘hmmm… David Soul… of ‘Starsky and Hutch’… hmmm’. Then I read on and it said ‘starring James Mason’ and I’m thinking ‘great, he adds some class!’ So finally I watch the whole three-parter and what you know, it turns out to be really scary and everyone played so well in it, including David Soul! I was terrified when we finally got to see the main vampire Barlow towards the end, because until that point everyone in the film just mentions him by name but we don’t get to see him. Utterly terrifying make-up and appearance, I jumped!”
However, it’s not just a case of movies and characters that have inspired Alice, oh no. His outrageous stage personas have no doubt influenced cult classics like ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ (1975) and ‘The Crow’ (1994). “A lot of Frank N Furter’s character and look is based on me”, said Alice, “though of course I’m not a transvestite. And the music in Rocky Horror is terrific, too. But things got really scary when I saw ‘The Crow’ because the leather outfit and the eye make-up especially is pure Alice Cooper! I’m looking at the screen and it’s like ‘Whoa, that’s ME!”
“When I’m on tour and my wife comes along, we watch horror flicks together – though usually she’ll nod off ten minutes into it, haha. Then it’s payback time, so I come along with my wife to watch a ballet production as she’s really into that. And then I usually nod off ten minutes into the show… A slasher ballet would be the ideal compromise! My daughter is a real horror fan too and has parts in some films. Her latest part is in a horror flick called ‘Puppy’ where a puppy comes back to life and starts killing everyone. Say no more!”
But Alice Cooper’s fascination for screen horror has, over the years, not only manifested itself in his Grand Guignol-style stage shows but he appeared in several movies himself! He played Freddy Kruger’s father in ‘Nightmare On Elm Street 6’ (1991) and of course in the cult-schlock ‘Monster Dog’ (1984). In March 1978, he had a cameo appearance on ‘The Muppet Show’ and that same year he had a role in Mae West’s final movie ‘Sextette’. Remembers Alice: “So I did this movie with Mae and she was 86 years old and she still tried to get everyone into her trailer, including me! I said ‘Well Mae, firstly you’re 86 and also, I’m not sure you’re a woman!’ She had this hearing aid and we shouted ‘Now say this line, Mae’ and she would say it and then we shouted ‘Now say such and such line, Mae’ and she would say it. Then we shouted ‘And now turn to the left’ and she’d repeat ‘And now turn to the left’ and we’d go ‘No! That’s not part of the dialogue!’
I also appeared in John Carpenter’s ‘Prince Of Darkness’ (1987) in the part of a schizophrenic tramp. I’m a real fan of his movies, so one day I decided I want to go down to the set of ‘Prince Of Darkness’ and watch for a while. Then Carpenter comes up and asks me, ‘Alice, do you fancy a little cameo?’ and I reply ‘Sure, what do you want me to do?’ So Carpenter goes ‘You know, your stage act during which you push a microphone through some guy… can you do the same in my film but with a bicycle frame instead?’ So anyway, somehow I ended up being in more scene than just one!”
Not entirely abandoning music when it comes to his love for scary movies, horror icon Vincent Price appeared on Alice’s original 1975 ‘Welcome To My Nightmare’ album, while in turn Alice provided the title song (‘The Man Behind The Mask’) for the 1986 slasher ‘Friday the 13th – Jason Lives’. “These kind of slasher films are great” mused Alice, “because all the kids that you hated in High School get killed in those movies: the nerd, the asshole, the bully, the girl that’s always too good for you…!”
He also appears in Tim Burton's forthcoming vampire flick, ‘Dark Shadows’ alongside Johnny Depp next year. Aware that British audiences might not be overtly familiar with the original 1960’s US-soap opera, he explained that it is like ‘Coronation Street’, only that it is a gothic soap opera (screened during daytime!) featuring werewolves, zombies, witches and warlocks, time travel and above all, a vampire called Barnabas Collins. In Burton’s eagerly awaited take on the series, Johnny Depp plays Barnabas Collins. “Burton has a real great feel for retro horror” enthused Alice, “and Johnny wears this fantastic make-up. Very subtle, but his hands have prolonged synthetic fingers and all that.”
Then it was time for a bit of audience Q&A. One of the audience members asked whether Alice would ever write a song about werewolves, seeing how that’s missing in his repertoire. “Yes” replied Alice, “I really should do a song about werewolves one day and I’m sure I will”. Another fan asked which prop from which horror movie he would like to have the most in his personal collection, or already has in his collection. “Oh, I’m very proud to have the cement spatula from the 1968 ‘Night Of The Living Dead’ movie. There is this scene in the movie where a daughter takes out her dead mother’s entrails with the spatula, after first having killed her with it. It is a really strong scene and I always liked that movie, and the spatula was given to me afterward. So yes, this prop is a proud possession in my collection.”
Later on, during a drinks reception for various press and special guests, Alice turned up to everyone’s delight and took time to say hello and chat. Despite being one of the biggest rock stars on the planet, there isn’t a trace of arrogance in him, in fact, he’s utterly charming and obviously loves chatting with people about his pet loves. I asked him if there are any particular German horror films that he likes and he replies that Germany has produced some great horror movies. One of his favorites is the 1922 silent classic ‘Nosferatu’ starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok. “I can hardly think of a more terrifying performance and look than that of the vampire count in Nosferatu” Alice told me. “I think that’s probably the reason why I was so terrified when I watched ‘Salem’s Lot’ because the main vampire in it obviously had his make-up modeled on the German silent classic.” Back to his beloved Italian horror movies, Alice and I discovered a mutual passion for the films of Mario Bava, in particular ‘Mask Of Satan’ (1960).
Other guests at the reception included Adamt Ant (obviously a fan!), who was accompanied by his glamorous lady friend. The Prince of Darkness and Prince Charming together in the same room was almost too good to be true, and somewhat ironic, too. What a perfect Halloween!
(Alice’s new album ‘Welcome 2 My Nightmare’, the sequel to 1975’s classic ‘Welcome To My Nightmare’ will be released in October. Once again produced with Bob Ezrin, it will feature in the new shows.)
