Lance Henriksen Was Terrified By This Sci-Fi Horror Classic
Editor’s note: On Fire secured an interim agreement and therefore Lance Henriksen is not violating the strike in speaking with us. We stand in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA.
Lance Henriksen is a horror legend. While he’s appeared in countless horror titles, perhaps his most iconic role was as the lead in the heart-breaking folk horror tale Pumpkinhead. That’s not to speak poorly of his turns in Near Dark, Aliens, and Alien 3! But something about his work as a grieving father truly shows his emotional range. Over four decades later, Henriksen is tapping into that range with his latest film On Fire, which is out now on VOD.
In his new film On Fire:
Inspired by true and harrowing events, On Fire tells the story of an ordinary man (Peter Facinelli) who finds his world suddenly torn apart as devastating wildfires rip through the surrounding countryside. With precious moments ticking by, he must flee with his son (Asher Angel) and pregnant wife (Fiona Dourif) if they have any hope of surviving the rapid forces of Mother Nature.
Dread Central spoke with Lance Henriksen about his new film, how he met Fiona Dourif, how his grandmother shaped his performance in Pumpkinhead, and more.
Dread Central: When did you first meet Fiona Dourif?
Lance Henriksen: We’d been to some shows signing photographs, like fan shows. And I remember being at the hotel and watching Fiona in action. There was a big sign that said, “Please do not pet or feed the goats.” And Fiona was on her knees in front of the pen that they were in, feeding ’em and petting them. And I said, “Fiona, good for you.” But anyway, we hit it off right away. And I knew her father, he and I have done a couple of movies together and she’s got so much spirit right now.
Really what happened was when I read the script [for On Fire], I felt this could become cliche if you make a mistake, you know what I mean? Because it’s a family and we [are supposed to] love ’em. They live in the woods and a fire breaks out. It comes after you.
I liked the script. I realize I have a lot to admit because I had a grandmother, a grandfather, and all of the same things that everybody else has. The only difference is I’m first generation from Norway, my grandmother ran with the caribou up and lived in a teepee all winter.
DC: Really?
LH: Yeah. Then she met my grandfather and they got married and moved to America. But my grandmother, I remember when I did Pumpkinhead, that my real desire was to prove very early in the film how much I love my son, who was very young. I told him the story about my grandmother would wash my hands and I could feel the bones under her skin. And she would tell me about why people love each other. It was a beautiful element. It’s all about thriving. And so when you find these people that used to do all the great outdoor stuff, it held them together in the country way out in the woods.
They weren’t rich, but they were rich with feeling. And I’m on the end of the spectrum in Pumpkinhead where I have to tell the truth and I can’t BS anybody. I’ll tell the truth. You don’t like me if you’re telling the truth and you don’t like me because sometimes you don’t, and sometimes I don’t like you. But it was all about humanity and who we are. Why are we alive? Why are we bothering?
So anyway, I got that feeling [with On Fire] and I just went, I’m, I’m going with that. I’m really going to go with that
DC: There’s a lot of sadness to your character, but there’s also a lot of honesty that you bring to that. So it’s interesting hearing you talk about that and then watching you on screen in your role as the grandfather whose wife has passed away and you’re in the throes of grief.
LH: I’m on an escalator to hell.
DC: There’s an honesty that you bring towards death that I really appreciate.
LH: That was really important. And you can’t treat someone like Fiona with BS. No, She would tell you right to your face right away, like lightning. “Hi. You’re full of shit, Grandpa.” Sorry.”
DC: Yeah. Well, I mean, that just makes me think of the scene where she lures you out of your trailer with a pack of cigarettes and you smile at her when it’s the one way she gets you to get out.
LH: So important. So important. Well, because if you’re talking about death, fire is death. It doesn’t care about whether you feel scared or not. You know what I mean? It’s very fatally real. So all the things you do to try to survive become an adventure, unfortunately.
DC: Have you had experience with wildfires before in your personal life?
LH: Oh yeah. This movie is so scary because fire is relentless. You can’t make a deal with fire
It’s terrifying when you look at what happened in Canada that they had fires so far out that they couldn’t fight them. They have to let ’em burn out. And all that smoke came down here. And I felt bad for them because we’re talking about one of the most beautiful countries in the world. I mean, when you get up to Vancouver and you get all those places, it’s incredible, man. So anyway, I’m an old hand with fire because when I was in the military, they had me learn how to fight fire.
DC: Oh, really?
LH: Oh yeah.
DC: What branch of the military were you in?
LH: The Navy. And the ships are all made up of small rooms. Small areas and all of that fuel? When that goes up, it’s hard to put out
DC: And it’s got to be so interesting confronting that as an actor. You’ve been acting for so long and getting to play these roles and how the roles that you have changed.
LH: I know it has changed. A guy reminded me today that I played a 16th president. Funny. I played every kind of role you can imagine.
DC: You really have. And so my last question for you very quickly, I would just love to know, what is the scariest horror movie that you have ever seen?
LH: John Carpenter’s The Thing. I mean, we all knew when I was a kid that these are all not real. I mean, they’re created, but we loved getting scared. When I left the theater, because I watched it so many times, it was four in the morning. So I’m walking down the dark streets of New York and getting more scared out after the movie than during the movie.
DC: I love when that happens when you get even more scared when you’re walking home.
LH: Oh, I know. It’s such a good feeling. We’ve all made so many good movies. I mean, the catalog that’s out there, there are just so many. It’s amazing.
Categorized:Interviews
