Captain Spaulding (born Johnny Lee Johns and also known as "Cutter") is a fictional character created by

Rob Zombie Robert Bartleh Cummings (born January 12, 1965), known professionally as Rob Zombie, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and actor. His music and lyrics are notable for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live show ...

. The character first appeared in Zombie's 2003

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

House of 1000 Corpses ''House of 1000 Corpses'' is a 2003 American black comedy horror film written, co-scored, and directed by Rob Zombie in his directorial debut, and the first film in the ''Firefly'' film series. It stars Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon, Ka ...

'', portrayed by

Sid Haig Sidney Eddie Mosesian (July 14, 1939 – September 21, 2019), known professionally as Sid Haig, was an American actor. He was known for his appearances in horror films, most notably his role as Captain Spaulding in the Rob Zombie films '' House ...

. Haig reprised his role as Spaulding in the sequels ''

The Devil's Rejects ''The Devil's Rejects'' is a 2005 American black comedy horror film written, produced and directed by Rob Zombie. It is the second film in the ''Firefly'' film series, serving as a sequel to Zombie's 2003 film ''House of 1000 Corpses'', and fol ...

'' (2005) and ''

3 from Hell 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

'' (2019). Haig also voiced Spaulding in the 2009 animated film '' The Haunted World of El Superbeasto''. The character is depicted as a vulgar and murderous clown. In ''House of 1000 Corpses'', Spaulding is portrayed as the proprietor of a gas station and fried chicken eatery that also houses a roadside attraction known as Captain Spaulding's Museum of Monsters and Madmen. In ''The Devil's Rejects'', he is revealed to be the patriarch of the Firefly family. The character, and Haig himself, have been called icons of modern horror cinema.

Fictional character biography

Captain Spaulding has a lengthy criminal history, and earned the nickname "Cutter" for stabbing a man to death. Spaulding met Eve Wilson, also known as Mama Firefly, in 1947, and they had a daughter named Vera-Ellen (also known as Baby Firefly). Years later, Spaulding met Otis B. Driftwood and invited him to become a member of their family. In ''

'', Spaulding is portrayed as the proprietor of a gas station in Texas that also sells fried chicken. The establishment also harbors a roadside

haunted house A haunted house, spook house or ghost house in ghostlore is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were otherwise connected with the property ...

attraction known as Captain Spaulding's Museum of Monsters and Madmen. At the beginning of the film, the establishment is targeted by robbers, whom Spaulding kills. Later in the film, when a group of four people visit his establishment and learn of the local legend of Dr. Satan, Spaulding directs them in the path of the murderous Firefly family. Spaulding's ties to the Firefly clan are kept ambiguous throughout most of the film. In ''

'', Spaulding is revealed to be the patriarch of the Firefly family. In the film's opening sequence, Mama Firefly is taken into custody when the Firefly home is subjected to a

search and destroy Seek and destroy (also known as search and destroy, or S&D) is a military strategy which consists of inserting infantry forces into hostile territory and directing them to search and then attack enemy targets before immediately withdrawing. Fi ...

mission by Sheriff John Wydell and a number of state troopers, but Spaulding is elsewhere during the raid. In prison, Wydell stabs Mama Firefly to death as revenge for the murder of his brother George Wydell, whom she fatally shot in the previous film. Spaulding, Otis, and Baby are eventually captured by Wydell and brought to the Firefly house, where Wydell tortures them. Wydell sets the house on fire and leaves Otis and Spaulding to die, while he hunts Baby for sport outside. Tiny, another member of the Firefly clan, intervenes, killing Wydell and saving the trio. Spaulding, Otis, and Baby escape in a 1972

Cadillac Eldorado The Cadillac Eldorado is a luxury car manufactured and marketed by the Cadillac Motor Car Division of General Motors from 1952 until 2002, over twelve generations. The Eldorado was at or near the top of the Cadillac product line. The original ...

belonging to Spaulding's half-brother Charlie Altamont, and are shot by authorities while speeding towards a police barricade. In ''

'', Spaulding, Otis, and Baby are revealed to have just barely survived the shootout with the police, and are put on trial and imprisoned shortly after their recovery. A decrepit Spaulding is executed by lethal injection sometime later, leading to Otis and Baby attempting an escape.

Development

Spaulding was originally supposed to have a bigger role in ''3 from Hell'', but Sid Haig's real-life health issues stopped him from completing the role as it was written, forcing Zombie to greatly reduce his role.

Concept and characteristics

In the commentary for ''House of 1000 Corpses'', director Rob Zombie describes Spaulding as a "lovable asshole", and ensured that the character's motivations and connection to the Firefly family would be ambiguous in the film. Spaulding is described in the script for ''House of 1000 Corpses'' as a "crusty-looking old man in a filthy clown suit and smeared make-up". Just as several characters from the series are named after characters from

Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act known for their anarchic humor, rapid-fire wordplay, and visual gags. They achieved success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in 14 motion pictures. The core group consisted of brothers Chi ...

films, Spaulding is named for

Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer who performed in films and vaudeville on television, radio, and the stage. He is considered one of America's greatest comed ...

's character Captain Jeffrey T. Spaulding from the 1930 film ''

Animal Crackers An animal cracker is a particular type of cracker (food), cracker, baked in the shape of an animal, usually an animal either at a zoo or a circus, such as a lion, a tiger, a bear, or an elephant. The most common variety is light-colored and sli ...

''.

Reception

Captain Spaulding has been referred to as a modern icon of horror cinema, and Haig himself has been called a "horror icon" for his portrayal of Spaulding. In describing Spaulding for his review for ''The Devil's Rejects'', film critic

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

wrote: "He is a man whose teeth are so bad, they're more frightening than his clown makeup. He plays such a thoroughly disgusting person, indeed, that I was driven to www.sidhaig.com to discover that in real life Sid looks, well, presentable ..This was a relief to me, because anyone who really looked like Captain Spaulding would send shoppers screaming."

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Spaulding, Captain Firefly (film series) Film characters introduced in 2003 Evil clowns Fictional characters from Texas Fictional executed characters Fictional serial killers Male horror film villains