If you’ve ever stumbled across a midnight screening of Forbidden Zone, you know the feeling. It’s that "what on earth am I watching?" sensation that only a handful of films can truly provoke. Released in 1980 and shot in glorious black and white, this musical fantasy remains a cult masterpiece. But the real magic isn't just the sets or the Danny Elfman tunes. It's the cast of Forbidden Zone. We’re talking about a group of people that shouldn't have been in the same room together, let alone the same dimension.
Honestly, the lineup is a fever dream. You have a New Wave legend, a former "Andy Griffith Show" star, a French aristocrat, and a whole lot of performance artists. It was the brainchild of Richard Elfman, who wanted to preserve the aesthetic of his theatrical troupe, The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo.
The Unlikely Royals of the Sixth Dimension
Let’s start with the heavy hitters. Hervé Villechaize played King Fausto. Most people remember him from Fantasy Island, shouting about the plane. But in Forbidden Zone, he’s something else entirely. He’s a philandering, soulful, and deeply weird king. Villechaize brought a level of genuine pathos to a role that was basically a cartoon. He was married to Camille Itkoff at the time, who also appeared in the film, making it a bit of a family affair in the strangest way possible.
Then there’s Susan Tyrrell. She played Queen Doris. Tyrrell was already an Academy Award-nominated actress for Fat City, yet here she was, screaming her head off in a basement in Los Angeles. She didn't just play the role; she devoured it. Her performance is loud, abrasive, and completely fearless. It’s the kind of acting you don't see anymore. She lived for the fringe.
The Oingo Boingo Connection
You can't talk about the cast of Forbidden Zone without mentioning Danny Elfman. Long before he was the guy who wrote the Simpsons theme or Batman’s leitmotif, he was Satan. Literally. He plays the Devil in the film, performing "Minnie the Moocher" in a style that pays homage to Cab Calloway while staying firmly rooted in 80s theatrical punk.
It wasn't just Danny, though. The whole movie is basically a visual record of the original Oingo Boingo lineup before they became a "real" rock band. This includes people like Matthew Bright, who played both Squeezit and René Henderson. Bright would later go on to direct Freeway, continuing that streak of gritty, surrealist filmmaking.
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The Hercules and the Socialites
Marie-Pascale Elfman, Richard’s then-wife, took on the lead role of Frenchy Hercules. She wasn't a trained actress in the Hollywood sense. She was French, she was charming, and she was the perfect fish out of water for the Hercules family. Her performance anchors the chaos. Around her, the family is filled out by characters like Pa Hercules (Hoke Howell) and Ma Hercules (Virginia Rose).
Hoke Howell was a character actor veteran. You might have spotted him in The Andy Griffith Show or a dozen other classic TV spots. Seeing a guy like that interact with a giant frog man is one of the film's greatest joys. It’s that collision of "Old Hollywood" workhorses and avant-garde weirdos that gives the cast of Forbidden Zone its unique texture.
Then you have the "Princess" played by Gisele Lindley. Her role is largely silent and involves a lot of time spent in a cage or being carried around. Sadly, Lindley's life was short; she passed away not long after the film's release cycle. This adds a layer of melancholic cult history to the production.
Performance Art and Human Curiosities
The "cast of Forbidden Zone" featured a lot of non-actors who were just part of the LA scene.
- Joe Spinell makes a cameo. Yes, the guy from Maniac and Rocky.
- The Kipper Kids (Brian Routh and Martin von Haselberg). They provide the bizarre, rhythmic comedy beats that feel like a feverish vaudeville act.
- Phil Gordon as Flash 1.
The Kipper Kids are particularly interesting. Martin von Haselberg eventually married Bette Midler. It's wild to think that one half of a performance art duo covered in chocolate and boxing in their underwear in Forbidden Zone is now part of Hollywood royalty.
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Why the Casting Worked Despite the Chaos
The budget was non-existent. The sets were painted cardboard. But the actors treated it like Shakespeare. Or, at least, Shakespeare on acid. Richard Elfman has often noted in interviews that the production was a "neighborhood project."
They shot on weekends. They used friends. They used family. This lack of professional distance is why the movie feels so intimate despite being totally insane. When you watch the cast of Forbidden Zone, you aren't watching a polished studio product. You’re watching a group of people who are genuinely trying to make each other laugh or gross each other out.
Navigating the Controversy
We have to talk about it. The film has been criticized, particularly in recent decades, for its use of blackface in certain sequences (the "Pinedal" characters). Richard Elfman has addressed this many times, explaining it was intended as a parody of 1930s Max Fleischer cartoons rather than a racial statement.
The cast members involved in those scenes were often playing multiple roles, and the intent was "total irreverence." However, it remains a polarizing aspect of the film. When looking back at the cast of Forbidden Zone, it’s a reminder of how the 1980s underground scene often pushed boundaries without a safety net, for better or worse.
Where Are They Now?
A lot of the cast has passed on. Susan Tyrrell died in 2012. Hervé Villechaize died in 1993. Their performances are now locked in time, serving as a monument to a specific era of Los Angeles art. Danny Elfman, obviously, became one of the most successful composers in history. Richard Elfman continues to make films and even released a "sequel" of sorts, Aliens, Clowns & Geeks, which carries the same DNA.
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Real-World Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're looking to dive deeper into this specific cinematic history, there are a few things you should actually do.
- Watch the Colorized Version vs. Black and White: The original was B&W. The colorized version was supervised by Richard Elfman and gives a completely different vibe to the performances.
- Track down the Soundtrack: The music is the backbone. It explains the rhythm of the acting.
- Look for the Documentary Material: The Blu-ray releases often contain interviews with the surviving cast of Forbidden Zone. Hearing Matthew Bright or Richard Elfman talk about the "guerilla" style of filming explains a lot about the performances.
This isn't just a movie. It's a time capsule of the 1970s transitioning into the 80s. It’s the sound of the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo morphing into a pop-culture force. And it’s the sight of Hervé Villechaize giving the best performance of his life in a cape.
If you want to see what happens when you ignore every rule in the Hollywood handbook, you start with the cast. They were the outliers. They were the weirdos. And they made something that people are still talking about nearly fifty years later.
Moving Forward with Your Forbidden Zone Knowledge
To truly appreciate the performances, you should look into the history of the "Midnight Movie" circuit. This film wasn't meant for theaters at 2:00 PM on a Tuesday. It was meant for a smoky room at 12:00 AM with a crowd that was probably as eccentric as the people on screen.
- Check out the 2020s restoration: The 4K restorations handled by MVD Visual are the best way to see the detail in the performances.
- Compare with "Rocky Horror": While Rocky Horror is the king of midnight movies, the cast of Forbidden Zone offers a much grittier, punk-rock alternative.
- Research Susan Tyrrell’s other work: If you liked her in this, find Cry-Baby or Night of the Anthropoids. She was a singular force in cinema.
The next step is simple. Stop reading about it and actually watch the Queen Doris monologue. It’s a masterclass in controlled insanity that you won’t find in any acting textbook.