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bet to perfection by actor Bill Moseley , Otis B Driftwood is a madden , bewhiskered sadistic member of the Firefly family , a kinsfolk of equally psychotic killers and possibly ' devil worshippers ' . He seem as a regular persona in director Rob Zombie ’s hyper - fierce and disturb plastic film trilogy , starting withHouse of 1000 Corpses , followed byThe Devil ’s Rejectsand3 From Hell .
He ’s one of the most underrated icons in 21st - one C repulsion , evoking a horse sense of fear even when he laughs . That ’s because he derives pleasance out of gory pastime like skinning people and wearing their skins as costumes . Here we hash out 10 things that you probably did n’t know about this puzzling type .
He was named after a Groucho Marx character
Several graphic symbol in Zombie ’s films are named after classic characters from classical comedy movies by The Marx Brothers , which were popular in the other decades of the 20th century . genus Otis B Driftwood too is the exact name of a persona fromA Night At The Opera , a 1935 comedy musical in which Groucho Marx plays this part .
Other characters that are name after creations by the Marx Brothers let in the creepy clown Captain Spaulding , and the paterfamilias of the Firefly kin Rufus Firefly . Why did Rob Zombie choose such kinfolk - friendly clowning film to baptise his bloodthirsty character , that we are still unsure of .
A Manson Easter Egg
The whole concept of a homicidal religious cult - like home of which Otis is a part of is eerily similar to the real - life Manson family . Some even suggest that Otis ’s unkempt appearance is also based on Manson . The family unit under the leadership of Charles Manson was ill-famed for killing actress Sharon Tate .
In The Devil ’s reject , Otis give tongue to a memorable quotation mark while excruciate and vote out his dupe , ' I am the Devil and I ’m here to do the Devil ’s study . ' This citation has been interpret as influenced by a alike quote by Charles Watson , a member of the Manson family . Watson is order to have said this inverted comma during the Tate Murders .
Bill Moseley and Otis shared the same hygiene
Otis , like the other reference in the series , surely seems to calculate dingy and unclean in all their conniption . His haircloth and beard are never trimmed , and his skin is always extend with stain . After shooting aspect as Otis , role player Bill Moseley had quite a fun time playing this demonic reference .
In fact , his family suggests that he got into the character behind the scene too . He even stop having showers for some time . Now , that ’s definitely some unlawful kind of method acting !
Basement Torture
There ’s a in particular distressful scene fromHouse of 1000 Corpseswhen Otis excruciate a few cheerleaders . This picture was in fact charge at Rob Zombie ’s cellar after filming had been wrapped . He fool this prospect himself with his 16mm - handheld tv camera .
The same cognitive operation with the cellar and the hand-held photographic camera was used in a few other cutaway scenes too , most notably the opening credit ( with the elision of the shot of a sic sun in the credits ) .
I remember that pistol
In one of the most iconic panorama ofHouse of 1000 corps , land singer Slim Whitman’sI Remember Youplays as we see a collage of panorama where the Firefly family members kill various constabulary officer . Otis , in especial , uses a 1911 pistol to shoot Don Willis ( played by Harrison Young ) , the Father of the Church of a young lady called Denise who is immobilize in the titular business firm of corpse .
This pistol in itself is a citation to both the actors ' careers . The hit man was the official sidearm of the US Army for World War II and the Vietnam War . It ’s interesting to note that inTexas Chainsaw Massacre , Bill Moseley played a Vietnam vet while Harrison Young played a World War II old hand inSaving Private Ryan .
He had a cameo in an animated film
Not many have sex that aside from theFireflytrilogy andHalloweenreboots , Rob Zombie also directed a horror musical calledThe Haunted World of El Superbeasto . It is base on Zombie ’s funny Quran series of the same name and was intend to be both a sendup and tribute to horror and exploitation movie .
Even Captain Spaulding and Otis B Driftwood have cameo appearances in the film . agree to Zombie , this imply that this adult animation cinema can also be seen as a ' sidequel ' toThe Devil ’s Rejects(as El Superbeasto was released before3 From Hell ) . In fact , he was work out on the film ’s screenplay while shootingThe Devil ’s Rejects .
His albinism was cured for partial reasons
InHouse of the 1000 Corpses , Otis usually sports a paler appearing and is relate to as an albino by the other characters . But by the second installment , his skin profit a normal complexion and his albinism seems to be cured .
No particular rationality has been offered for this sudden modification in the strong-arm show of the persona . Zombie need his subsequence to be grittier and more down - to - world and he felt the albinism would look like a cartoonish catch . That would explain the transition for there ’s no particular cause given in the motion picture ’s story for it .
Otis’s childhood and first murder
Those who are deep into the graphic symbol ’s fandom piece together his story starting from his troubled childhood . Apparently , he was abide in 1929 and his parent were opprobrious and neglectful to him . The prescribed website also express that he put his first murder at the age of thirteen .
He then plump on to become a vagrant in his youth traveling in various city in Texas . It was in the year 1965 when he visited the city of Ruggsville and was adopted in the Firefly who took an instant liking to him . As we see , afterwards on , he shared a cheeseparing sibling - corresponding bond with Captain Spaulding ’s girl Vera - Ellen too ( whom he afterward names Baby and that ’s how she is recognize throughout the serial ) .
Inspirations from Classic Psychos
InThe Devil ’s cull , the influence of other classic psychotic characters can be seen in Otis ’s mannerisms and scene . The scene where he attacks a girl in a shower clearly seems to be a recall to Alfred Hitchcock ’s 1960 cult thrillerPsycho . The classic ' down in the cascade ' scene has been reinterpreted and spoof in many a film so this does n’t occur as a surprise .
Another influence rings nearer to home for Bill Moseley . The scene where he bear a man ’s skin as a masquerade party is also vaguely similar to a shot from the 2003 remaking ofThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre .
Taking the teens back to the 70s
Almost all of Rob Zombie ’s films have been a tribute to classic exploitation films from the 70s and 80s . Otis ’s victims ( peculiarly inHouse of 1000 Corpses ) have been many teen , giving a throwback to the times when adolescent were prey upon by homicidal maniac in series likeHalloweenandA Nightmare On Elm Street .
While obviously , the worker Bill Moseley does n’t advertize this doings in real life-time , he did joke about the nature of his character and the first movie in an one-time press league . He remarked , ' It ’s a bloody , vehement movie , a throwback to the golden age of ' 70s horror when the teens were n’t the stars - they were the costa roasts ! '
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