Every Horror Movie That Inspired Danhausen’s Gimmick
There isn’t any WWE celebrity extra fashionable proper now than Danhausen. While followers have numerous issues with WWE’s artistic path these days below TKO, Donovan Danhausen can do no flawed. He’s crafted the right comedy character, one who can get away with completely something. He went right into a tag staff match at Backlash with a promised thriller accomplice. A whole lot of the viewers was anticipating his real-life close friend, CM Punkto be at his aspect. Instead, in true WWE vogue, it was a little bit individual. Only Danhausen may save such a alternative and switch it into comedy gold. While he could be an entertaining chortle getter now, the Danhausen gimmick began off as one thing a lot darker. Here’s each horror film that impressed the very good, very evil celebrity.
1
‘Hellraiser’
Danhausen has completed a number of interviews since signing with WWE, however all have been in character. A couple of years in the past, Donovan Danhausen performed a couple of interviews as himself, releasing make-up and utilizing his actual voice. During a May 2022 chat with Chris Van Vlietjust a few months after signing with AEW, Danhausen spoke about the early days of his gimmick on the indie scene.
In 2017, able to give up wrestling, Danhausen determined to strive another time. He went all out with a horror character who wasn’t meant to be humorous in any respect.
“Like full on evil, no nice part of it. I was just straight up horror movie.”
Danhausen stated he took influences from any horror film he grew up on. One of the primary I discussed was hellraiserClive Barker’s 1987 style basic. In it, Doug Bradley is a Cenobite from Hell who’s summoned every time somebody opens a mysterious field. Although unnamed within the first film, the character grew to become often known as Pinhead. With his all-white face, it is simple to see the early parallels to Danhausen.
2
‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’
Another horror inspiration Danhausen talked about was The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Tobe Hooper‘s 1973 movie is a wild story a couple of group of younger folks in Texas who resolve to enter the flawed home. Inside resides Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) and his household of cannibals.
There are a couple of characters to take inspiration from right here. Leatherface would possibly put on a masks, whereas Danhausen does not, however his mannerisms may be simply copied. So can these of his insane household, just like the unnerving and unnamed “Hitchhiker”, performed by Edwin Neal.
3
‘They Live’
Danhausen was additionally influenced by John Carpenter‘s They Live since 1988.
“I did a They Live makeup one time. I think that’s what I started with.”
Wrestling followers know all about this sci-fi horror basic as a result of it stars an icon from the sport“Rowdy” Roddy Piper. He performs Nada, a building employee who discovers that these round him aren’t who they appear to be. Instead, many are aliens disguised as folks.
When Nada places on a particular pair of sun shades, he can see what the aliens actually appear like. With their black eyes, lipless mouths, and skeletal options, they helped kind the early foundation for Danhausen’s face paint.
4
‘The Exorcist’
Here’s the place we actually get into the extra trendy Danhausen followers know as we speak.
“Eventually, I landed on the Pazuzu make-up from The Exorcist for a Halloween occasion I had gone to that yr. And then I used to be like, nicely, this one’s kinda cool, I’m gonna attempt to morph it and make it my very own factor. And that is the one I caught with, as a result of one, it was the simplest to do, it was the quickest to do. And then folks had began drawing that one. For no matter purpose, that one folks caught’s eye, and I used to be getting tons of fan artwork with it. I used to be like, nicely, that is in all probability the one I’ve to stay with.
William Friedkin‘s The Exorcistfrom 1973, is arguably essentially the most well-known and finest horror film of all-time. The story facilities on a younger lady named Regan (Linda Blair), who’s possessed by the demon Pazuzu. The demon is unseen, residing in Regan’s physique, however in a couple of very fast photographs, Pazuzu’s true kind is proven as a white-faced entity with darkish eyes. The affect on Danhausen is apparent.
5
‘Shadow of the Vampire’
Pazuzu is the look of Danhausen. Another horror character is the idea for his character. The horror gimmick, with its present look, was used for a yr within the indie promotion AIW, however Danhausen knew the gimmick wanted to evolve past the area of interest horror crowd. A fateful wrestling present modified all the things.
“I had gotten booked on Old Wrestling, where you pretend it’s the 1920s. So I took inspiration from Shadow of the Vampire, where Willem Dafoe thinks he’s a vampire… I took the beginning of that idea and I will play a guy who thinks he’s a vampire wrestling.”
Shadow of the Vampire is a fictional take a look at the making of 1922’s Nosfertau. In that film, Max Shreck performed the titular character. With his odd character, the city legend was that Shreck could have been a vampire himself. In Shadow of the Vampire, Willem Dafoe performs the weird Shreck.
Fans cherished the brand new Danhausen, and it acquired extra response than the all-horror gimmick, which was taking extra time to provide, so he determined to mix horror with comedy.
6
‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2’
Lastly, Danhausen returned to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. However, as an alternative of the unnerving authentic, he went for the sequel. He recalled a match he had with indie wrestler Effy.
“That really cultivated with me wrestling Effy. He was like, ‘Let’s do weird stuff, let’s have fun with it.’ And then I had taken inspiration from Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 with my promo with him, where I was just full on off the wall goofy with it, but in character, and that took off. I was like, oh, we’re gonna roll with this because this is way more fun, it’s easier, and it’s definitely working.”
Tobe Hooper’s 1986 followup, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2though nonetheless scary, is far more wild and comedic. At the middle of this can be a new villainous character, Choptop (Bill Moseley), an over-the-top man with rotting tooth who likes to scratch himself with a burning sizzling coat hanger. His speech patterns and mannerisms should not precisely who Danhausen is, however you may see the affect.
This version of Danhausen is indeed more fun and, oh, is it working. With children and adults alike, he has taken the world by storm, producing sensible comedy sketches and matches for a world which wants one thing to chortle about greater than ever.
