The horror community was devasted last month when we lost Sid Haig, an amazing horror icon. Many horror fans believed that Sid’s brief appearance in Rob Zombie’s 3 From Hell was his last appearance on film, but that is not true.
Sid Haig’s official Instagram, which is run by his wife Suzie Haig, released a picture of Sid on set with the following description “Sid in wardrobe, makeup, and character as Judah Lazarus on the set of his last film, Eben McGarr’s ‘Hannukah.’ He was really excited for this film, which he had a good time doing and also stars our good friends, Caroline Williams and Joe Knetter. It’s also the last film of the great Dick Miller. Due out next year.”
So why does everyone think that Sid Haig’s last film is 3 From Hell? Well, let’s be honest and call it like it is. Rob Zombie is in full sales mode for his latest film 3 From Hell.
Rob recently gave a quote to Kerrang that said: “Sid Haig knew 3 From Hell would be his last appearance in a movie.” And for the large part, the press has been feeding into Zombie’s sales pitch. But not Horror Freak News; I am going to call it like it is, which is what I believe Sid would want it.
The movie has been losing money despite what corporate-owned industry website has been saying. So they are releasing 3 From Hell for an additional night, and Rob Zombie is out there trying to get press.
When 3 From Hell premiered during Fathom Events; the film received numerous negative reviews, and fans were upset that Sid Haig’s appearance was so brief. Instead of taking responsibility for a poorly written script, Rob Zombie has been shifting the blame to Sid Haig’s health, which I think is BS.
Zombie also told Kerrang, “It was kind of a drag, because I knew people would wonder about that and especially, you know how fans are — ‘Fuck you, man, you shoulda’ done it like this!’ But I wasn’t in a position where I could tell what was happening, because it’s not my life, it’s someone else’s private business, their health. So I was slowly letting on what was happening, because it became more public — that he was in the hospital, what was going on.”
I understand an actor’s health could play a part in creating a challenge in production. But let’s be honest, Sid has been out there working, interacting with fans at horror conventions, and filming other projects. Rob had many years to make this movie, so don’t blame Sid’s health for problems with 3 From Hell. Horror fans aren’t going to take that Rob. I am going to call you out on that, Rob.
In my opinion, if Rob Zombie wanted to honor Sid Haig’s last performance, then Rob should reach out to the filmmakers from Hanukkah and see if he can help them get Sid’s last performance on the big screen.
Check out these stills of the legendary Sid Haig in Hanukkah:
Hanukkah Synopsis:
Obediah Lazarus is the son of Judah Lazarus, the original Hanukiller. In 1983, Judah terrorized NY for seven nights and was preparing to sacrifice his eight-year-old son, Obediah, on the eighth night. Judah was convinced it was God’s will, like Abraham and Isaac, to sacrifice his only son to God. Luckily for Obediah, police tracked Judah down and stopped the sacrifice, but Judah was gunned down in the process. Warped by hatred with no guidance, Obediah Lazarus becomes a religious extremist, intolerant of non-Jews, “bad Jews,” and those he perceives to be enemies of the Jewish faith. He is about to unleash eight nights of horror. A group of Jewish teens are getting ready to party for the holidays, but are in for a Festival of Frights. With the help of a wise Rabbi, they deduce that the murder victims have violated Judaic law and that their only chance at survival is to embrace their faith.
