One thing that can always be expected in a Rob Zombie film is that he often uses horror genre icons and veterans. A great example of this is his 2005 effort The Devil’s Rejects. The House of 1000 Corpses sequel features appearances from stars like Ken Foree, Michael Berryman and P.J. Soles among others, but it turns out that one very interesting actress actually refused to be in the film – none other than Adrienne Barbeau.
She’s a fabulous scream queen you may recognize from the works of John Carpenter like Escape From New York and The Fog, while she also played a role in George Romero’s Creepshow. But according to Barbeau, who recently spoke with Tom Holland’s Terror Time, she wasn’t too interested in taking on The Devil’s Rejects.
“I’ve turned down myriad roles. Sometimes after reading 20 pages of the script. And especially if the author hasn’t bothered to learn how to spell, learn correct grammar, and had someone else check for typos,” she told the site. “And then sometimes, in the horror genre, because they’re just too violent or gruesome or offensive for my taste.
Listen, I turned down The Devil’s Rejects. Not sure I even read it all the way through, I just knew no matter how good it was and how fine a director Rob Zombie is (I later did one scene for him in his Halloween and loved working with him), it was not something I could do.
I almost turned down Creepshow because I thought it was too bloody and gruesome. Until Tom Atkins clued me in on the comic book style George intended to use, and John Carpenter told me I’d be nuts to turn down the opportunity to work with George. I didn’t know. I don’t watch horror films. I’d never seen Night of the Living Dead.“
It’s pretty shocking to hear that she nearly turned down Creepshow as well. Adrienne Barbeau had a killer performance as Billie in the film and it’s one that genre fans have adored for decades now. With that in mind, I suppose that it’s her plethora of great and iconic roles that makes up for the ones she passed on over the years.
Tell us, would you have wanted to see the actress show up in The Devil’s Rejects? Or did she make the right decision by turning it down? Let us know in the comments section below!
