It’s odd how the scariest characters on screen are usually played by the nicest guys in real life.

We spoke with one of those exceedingly nice guys recently, horror legend Bill Moseley. Most fans will recognize Moseley from his long resume of films including House of 1000 Corpses, Repo! The Genetic Opera, Army of Darkness, and Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: You Better Watch Out. His first big role, though, was in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 as the now iconic Chop Top. He talks to us from his home, wearing a Texas Chainsaw Massacre t-shirt.

Moseley On Rob Zombie, Sion Sono, And Nicolas Cage

We asked Moseley what’s it like working with horror virtuoso Rob Zombie, with whom he has worked on several films. “Well, I’ve only done it for like 21 years,” he jokes. “It’s good. Rob writes his own stuff and he knows exactly what he wants.” Some of those Zombie films that Moseley has been a part of include Halloween (2007), The Devil’s Rejects, and Three From Hell. “You can improv with Rob if it works,” Moseley continues. “He’s cool. We have pretty much the same sensibilities. I know in Three From Hell, that was pretty much my favorite Three Stooges episode. And I love Brain That Wouldn’t Die… We have a lot of connecting points when it comes to aesthetics.” Then, jokingly, he adds, “And we like to kill people.”

Moseley’s most recent film, though, is Prisoners of The Ghostland, directed by the acclaimed Japanese director, Sion Sono. “It was trippy. It was gonzo. It was all of those things,” he says with a not-at-all sinister smile. “But most of all, it was really fun, I think that’s the important part. Going to Japan [where they filmed] is fun no matter what you’re doing there.” In the film, Bill Moseley and Nicolas Cage square off in a post-apocalyptic, Mad Max-style bloodbath in a strange fever-dream mix of cowboys, Samurais, bizarre action sequences, and cyber-industrial punk. In other words…. It’s one wild ride! And it gave Moseley a chance to work with an actor he’s been wanting to work with: Nicolas Cage. “I’m a huge fan of all of his stuff,” says Moseley, “especially lately—Mandy, Color Out of Space, I haven’t seen Pig yet. I I think he’s a fantastic actor; I like what he brings and how he brings it.”

Moseley admits to being a little nervous at first about how they’d work together, but says Cage was super nice and easy to work with. “He was so accommodating, he was on time, he was not difficult, and he was ready to go for it,” says Moseley. “He totally made me feel comfortable and allowed me to just go for it too—it really fired me and turned out to be really good.”

Prisoners Of The Ghostland – Gonzo Surrealism Personified [Review]

Horror And Prisoners Of The Ghostland

In Prisoners of the Ghostland, Moseley plays The Governor, a villainous-type character dressed all in white with a matching cowboy hat. “I had a lot of fun with him,” he says. “A lot of times when I have a character to play, sometimes I’m inspired by other characters that have gone before—and with the Governor I would have to say it was a cross between Colonel Sanders and Foghorn Leghorn [from the Looney Tunes]. And as soon as I got those red gloves [part of his costume], I was good to go.”

Speaking about roles and how he chooses them, he says he likes a lot of the scripts he’s reading these days in the horror genre, although, “Some I don’t like because they’re just stupid. But if it’s a smart script, I’m down to check it out. At this point, I just like working. I think that’s what it comes down to, I think the same thing that motivates Nicolas Cage—we just like doing this stuff. … I love this genre [horror], because it gives you so much latitude… I really feel proud to be a part of it and every happy to contribute.”

Prisoners of the Ghostland premieres September 17, 2021, in theaters and on VOD and Digital. The film made its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

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