The Haunted World of El Superbeasto
Encyclopedia
The Haunted World of El Superbeasto is a 2009 animated comedy exploitation film
that also combines elements of horror and thriller films. It is based upon the comic book
series created by Rob Zombie
that follows the character of El Superbeasto and his sidekick
sister, Suzi-X, voiced by Sheri Moon
.
), a suave, yet violent exploitation film
director/ former masked wrestler, and his sultry sidekick and sister Suzi-X (Sheri Moon Zombie
) as they prevent the evil Dr. Satan (Paul Giamatti
) from taking over the world by marrying a stripper Velvet Von Black (Rosario Dawson
) with the mark of the devil on her backside. The adventure, set in the mythic world of Monsterland, also features Murray the Robot (Brian Posehn
), based on the robot in The Phantom Creeps
starring Béla Lugosi
.
Director Rob Zombie
also references several other films. Tom Papa, writer and the voice of the titular character, incorporated his style of humor to his character. Throughout the film, El Superbeasto often makes observations in unusual moments, like Papa does in his stand-ups.
. He informed the animators that he had "to walk away because I can't split my time between two things". Zombie noted that work on The Haunted World of El Superbeasto "started when I was on Rejects
and it's now just sitting on a shelf waiting for me to finish Halloween".
In a November 2007 interview with Bloody Disgusting
, Zombie announced that the film was "almost finished". He went on to say that, although he was then on tour until February, "we will finally finish the music on Superbeasto and it'll be done" afterwards.
Rob Zombie had the following to say in a September 28, 2008 posting on the official El Superbeasto Myspace
page: "We're down to the end! 3 long years in the making and worth every second. By Halloween this thing will be in the can completely DONE!"
According to a blog
post on October 29, 2008, Defamer Magazine was privy to a "sneak peek" at scenes from The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, about which they said "it's good to know that if WALL-E
falls short on its quest for Oscar gold, we now have another animated contender."
In an October 29, 2008, Blender Magazine interview, Rob Zombie stated that, "I’ve been working on [El Superbeasto] for three years, and I’m actually in the last weeks of it — I’m mixing the sound this week. I’m not sure of the release date yet, but that’ll be out probably early 2009. It’s a full-length adult animated comedy." The film has been screen-tested for a 2009 release by Anchor Bay Entertainment
.
IGN
's March 20, 2009 exclusive interview with Rob Zombie revealed that "[The Haunted World of El Superbeasto] was finished, but its release had been delayed because of ownership and legal issues within the company that made the movie, Starz Media
." In that same interview, Rob Zombie described the film as ""Awesome...this little tiny half-a-million dollar direct-to-video movie that expanded into this $10 million animated extravaganza. And it's awesome, but I don't have a release date yet. It's like an R-rated adult/monster/sex comedy. There's nothing really like it that I can think of. People always say like Ralph Bakshi
's stuff, but...it's [more] like if SpongeBob and Scooby-Doo
were filthy." The film, running feature length at 75 minutes, was released on DVD
on September 22 of that year. A majority of the songs in the film are performed by the comedy duo Hard 'n Phirm
.
Exploitation film
Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
that also combines elements of horror and thriller films. It is based upon the comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series created by Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the...
that follows the character of El Superbeasto and his sidekick
Sidekick
A sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato and Batman's Robin.-Origins:The origin of the...
sister, Suzi-X, voiced by Sheri Moon
Sheri Moon
Sheri Lyn Skurkis is an American actress and fashion designer. She legally changed her name to Sheri Moon and later Sheri Moon Zombie after she married her longtime boyfriend Rob Zombie. She has been described as a "scream queen".-Personal life:Moon was raised in Connecticut and graduated from...
.
Plot
The film follows the adventures of El Superbeasto (Tom PapaTom Papa
Tom Papa is an American comedian, actor and TV host known for his many TV and film appearances.-Early life:Papa was born November 10, 1967 in Passaic, New Jersey, and grew up in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey...
), a suave, yet violent exploitation film
Exploitation film
Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
director/ former masked wrestler, and his sultry sidekick and sister Suzi-X (Sheri Moon Zombie
Sheri Moon
Sheri Lyn Skurkis is an American actress and fashion designer. She legally changed her name to Sheri Moon and later Sheri Moon Zombie after she married her longtime boyfriend Rob Zombie. She has been described as a "scream queen".-Personal life:Moon was raised in Connecticut and graduated from...
) as they prevent the evil Dr. Satan (Paul Giamatti
Paul Giamatti
Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti is an American actor. Giamatti began his career as a supporting actor in several films produced during the 1990s including Private Parts, The Truman Show, Saving Private Ryan, The Negotiator, and Man on the Moon, before earning lead roles in several projects in the...
) from taking over the world by marrying a stripper Velvet Von Black (Rosario Dawson
Rosario Dawson
Rosario Isabel Dawson is an American actress, singer, and writer. She has appeared in films such as Kids, Men in Black II, 25th Hour, Sin City, Clerks II, Rent, Death Proof, The Rundown, Eagle Eye, Alexander, Seven Pounds, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Unstoppable.-Early...
) with the mark of the devil on her backside. The adventure, set in the mythic world of Monsterland, also features Murray the Robot (Brian Posehn
Brian Posehn
Brian Edmund Posehn is an American actor, voice actor, musician and comedian, known for his roles as mail clerk Kevin Liotta on NBC's Just Shoot Me!, a cast member and writer on HBO's Mr. Show, and most recently as Brian Spukowski on Comedy Central's The Sarah Silverman Program.-Early life:Posehn...
), based on the robot in The Phantom Creeps
The Phantom Creeps
The Phantom Creeps is a 1939 serial about a mad scientist who attempts to rule the world by creating various elaborate inventions. In a dramatic fashion, foreign agents and G-Men try to seize the inventions for themselves....
starring Béla Lugosi
Béla Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...
.
Director Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the...
also references several other films. Tom Papa, writer and the voice of the titular character, incorporated his style of humor to his character. Throughout the film, El Superbeasto often makes observations in unusual moments, like Papa does in his stand-ups.
Cast
- Paul GiamattiPaul GiamattiPaul Edward Valentine Giamatti is an American actor. Giamatti began his career as a supporting actor in several films produced during the 1990s including Private Parts, The Truman Show, Saving Private Ryan, The Negotiator, and Man on the Moon, before earning lead roles in several projects in the...
as Dr. Satan/Steve Wachowski - Geoffrey Lewis as Lenny
- Sheri MoonSheri MoonSheri Lyn Skurkis is an American actress and fashion designer. She legally changed her name to Sheri Moon and later Sheri Moon Zombie after she married her longtime boyfriend Rob Zombie. She has been described as a "scream queen".-Personal life:Moon was raised in Connecticut and graduated from...
as Suzi-X - Tom PapaTom PapaTom Papa is an American comedian, actor and TV host known for his many TV and film appearances.-Early life:Papa was born November 10, 1967 in Passaic, New Jersey, and grew up in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey...
as El Superbeasto - Rob PaulsenRob PaulsenRobert Fredrick "Rob" Paulsen III , sometimes credited as Rob Paulson, is an American voice actor, best known as the voice behind Raphael from the 1987 cartoon of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Yakko Warner and Dr...
as El Gato/Commandant Hess - Brian PosehnBrian PosehnBrian Edmund Posehn is an American actor, voice actor, musician and comedian, known for his roles as mail clerk Kevin Liotta on NBC's Just Shoot Me!, a cast member and writer on HBO's Mr. Show, and most recently as Brian Spukowski on Comedy Central's The Sarah Silverman Program.-Early life:Posehn...
as Murray the Robot - Daniel RoebuckDaniel RoebuckDaniel James Roebuck is an American television film actor, writer and producer, primarily in films, soap operas and television.-Life and career:...
as Morris Green - Danny TrejoDanny TrejoDan "Danny" Trejo is an American actor who has appeared in numerous Hollywood films, most notably in roles as an antagonist, or anti-hero.-Early life:...
as Rico - Tom KennyTom KennyThomas James "Tom" Kenny is an American actor, voice actor and comedian. He is especially known for his long-running-role as SpongeBob SquarePants in the television series of the same name, as well as the live-action character Patchy the Pirate, Gary the Snail and the French narrator based on...
as Otto - Debra WilsonDebra WilsonDebra Wilson Skelton , professionally known as Debra Wilson or Debra Wilzon, is an American comedienne and actress. Wilson is likely most famous for being the second longest-serving original cast member on the sketch comedy series MADtv, having appeared for the show's first eight seasons...
as Delores - Rosario DawsonRosario DawsonRosario Isabel Dawson is an American actress, singer, and writer. She has appeared in films such as Kids, Men in Black II, 25th Hour, Sin City, Clerks II, Rent, Death Proof, The Rundown, Eagle Eye, Alexander, Seven Pounds, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Unstoppable.-Early...
as Velvet Von Black - Harland WilliamsHarland WilliamsHarland Williams is a Canadian actor, comedian, author, artist, musician and radio personality.-Personal life:Harland Reesor Williams was born on November 14, 1962, in Toronto, Ontario, to Lorraine , a social worker, and John Reesor Williams, who worked as a member of the Ontario Provincial...
as Gerard the Exterminator - Clint HowardClint HowardClinton "Clint" Howard is an American film and television actor. He is a character actor with numerous brief appearances on television and films. He has played many bit parts in movies directed by his brother, actor-turned-director Ron Howard. He is also the uncle of actress Bryce Dallas Howard...
as Cthulu - Charlie Adler as Krongarr
- Joe AlaskeyJoe AlaskeyJoseph "Joe" Alaskey is an American actor, comedian, and voice artist, credited as one of the successors of Mel Blanc in impersonating the voices of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and other characters from Warner Bros. cartoons. He was born in Watervliet, New York.-Other work:Alaskey has also done voices...
as Erik the Newscaster - April WinchellApril WinchellApril Terri Winchell is an American actress, writer, voice actor, talk radio host, and commentator. She is the daughter of the late Paul Winchell.-Acting:...
as Dame Grace Appleton - John DiMaggioJohn DiMaggioJohn William DiMaggio is an American voice actor. A native of North Plainfield, New Jersey, he is known for his gruff, deep voice and New Jersey accent, which he uses to voice mainly villains and anti-heroes.-Filmography:...
as Burt the Spurt - Jess HarnellJess HarnellJess Q. Harnell is an American voice actor and singer, best known for voicing Wakko Warner on Animaniacs. Harnell has been the announcer for America's Funniest Home Videos since 1998.-Life and acting career:...
as Uncle Carl - Sid HaigSid HaigSid Haig is a American actor. His roles have included acting in Jack Hill's blaxploitation films of the 1970s as well as his role as Captain Spaulding in Rob Zombie's horror films House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects...
as Captain Spaulding - Bill MoseleyBill MoseleyWilliam "Bill" Moseley is an American film actor and musician who has starred in a number of cult classic horror films, including House of 1000 Corpses, Repo! The Genetic Opera and The Devil's Rejects. His first big role was in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 as Chop Top...
as Otis - Ken ForeeKen ForeeKentotis Alvin "Ken" Foree is an American actor probably most famous as the hero Peter in Dawn of the Dead and Kenan & Kel as Roger, Kenan's dad.- Early life and career :Foree was born in Indianapolis, Indiana...
as Luke St. Luke - Tura SatanaTura SatanaTura Satana was an American actress and former exotic dancer. She was best known for her role as "Varla" in Russ Meyer's 1965 cult film, Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!.-Early life:...
as Varla - Dee Bradley BakerDee Bradley BakerDee Bradley Baker is an American voice actor. He is noted as his long-running-role as Klaus Heissler in American Dad! and other various characters including Squilliam Fancyson in the hit TV series SpongeBob SquarePants, Nightcrawler in X-Men: Legends and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance...
as Nazi Zombie
Production
Work began on The Haunted World of El Superbeasto in 2006 and a release date was later scheduled for May 2007, but the film was completed in 2009. In an interview conducted on July 20, 2007 by shocktillyoudrop.com, Zombie explained that, "Nothing really much [is happening]." During that time, the film was still being animated, however, Zombie then began work on HalloweenHalloween (2007 film)
Halloween is a 2007 American slasher film written, directed, and produced by Rob Zombie. The film is a remake/reimagining of the 1978 horror film of the same name, the first in the rebooted Halloween film series and the ninth Halloween film in total. The film stars Tyler Mane as the adult Michael...
. He informed the animators that he had "to walk away because I can't split my time between two things". Zombie noted that work on The Haunted World of El Superbeasto "started when I was on Rejects
The Devil's Rejects
The Devil's Rejects is a 2005 American horror film written and directed by Rob Zombie, and the sequel to his 2003 film House of 1000 Corpses. The film is about the family of psychopathic killers from the previous film now on the run...
and it's now just sitting on a shelf waiting for me to finish Halloween".
In a November 2007 interview with Bloody Disgusting
Bloody Disgusting
Bloody Disgusting is a website that covers horror movies with reviews, interviews and news. It is currently run by Brad Miska, and Tom Owen. According to one source, the site has 1.5 million unique visitors and 20 million page views each month. It is widely considered to be the "world's most...
, Zombie announced that the film was "almost finished". He went on to say that, although he was then on tour until February, "we will finally finish the music on Superbeasto and it'll be done" afterwards.
Rob Zombie had the following to say in a September 28, 2008 posting on the official El Superbeasto Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page: "We're down to the end! 3 long years in the making and worth every second. By Halloween this thing will be in the can completely DONE!"
According to a blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
post on October 29, 2008, Defamer Magazine was privy to a "sneak peek" at scenes from The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, about which they said "it's good to know that if WALL-E
WALL-E
WALL-E, promoted with an interpunct as WALL•E, is a 2008 American computer-animated science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and directed by Andrew Stanton. The story follows a robot named WALL-E, who is designed to clean up a waste-covered Earth far in the future...
falls short on its quest for Oscar gold, we now have another animated contender."
In an October 29, 2008, Blender Magazine interview, Rob Zombie stated that, "I’ve been working on [El Superbeasto] for three years, and I’m actually in the last weeks of it — I’m mixing the sound this week. I’m not sure of the release date yet, but that’ll be out probably early 2009. It’s a full-length adult animated comedy." The film has been screen-tested for a 2009 release by Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment is a U.S. based home entertainment and production company and is a division of Starz Media, which is a unit of Starz, LLC. It was previously owned by IDT Entertainment until 2006 when IDT was purchased by Starz Media. Anchor Bay markets and sells feature films, series,...
.
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's March 20, 2009 exclusive interview with Rob Zombie revealed that "[The Haunted World of El Superbeasto] was finished, but its release had been delayed because of ownership and legal issues within the company that made the movie, Starz Media
Starz Media
Starz Media is the motion picture, animation, television, and home video subsidiary of Liberty Media.-Subsidiaries:Starz Media's subsidiaries include:*Anchor Bay Entertainment - distribution division for DVDs and videos....
." In that same interview, Rob Zombie described the film as ""Awesome...this little tiny half-a-million dollar direct-to-video movie that expanded into this $10 million animated extravaganza. And it's awesome, but I don't have a release date yet. It's like an R-rated adult/monster/sex comedy. There's nothing really like it that I can think of. People always say like Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi is an Israeli-American director of animated and live-action films. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatrically released feature films, five of which he wrote...
's stuff, but...it's [more] like if SpongeBob and Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo is an American media franchise based around several animated television series and related works produced from 1969 to the present day. The original series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, was created for Hanna-Barbera Productions by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears in 1969...
were filthy." The film, running feature length at 75 minutes, was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on September 22 of that year. A majority of the songs in the film are performed by the comedy duo Hard 'n Phirm
Hard 'n Phirm
Hard 'n Phirm is a comedy/parody musical duo based in Los Angeles. The members are Chris Hardwick and Mike Phirman. They began performing at UCLA in 1994, but broke up, only to reform 7 years later. After the huge success of their song "Rodeohead" , they released their first and only album to...
.