Back in 1998 Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider starred in the John Pieplow-directed StrangeLand, which he also penned. He starred as a sadist specializing in body modification rituals who lures teenagers through the internet. It’s a product of its time, and incredibly dated, but is also immensely fun.

Snider has never been secretive of plans for a sequel that at one point had even allegedly begun casting under the moniker StrangeLand: Disciple, and was said to begin 11 years after the original, continuing the story of a schizophrenic sexual sadist who lures victims via the Internet.

Snider had stated that it would come complete with an NC-17 rating, promising it would be “ultra-intense”. The movie was to be set in the “underworld of body modification fetishists, amid the secret sado-masochistic freak societies of perverted pleasures that lurk just underneath the veneer of respectable society.”

It was even rumored to be filming in 2010 down in Louisiana with both Dee Snider and Robert Englund said to be returning as Captain Howdy and Jackson Roth, respectively.

The casting breakdown even revealed the synopsis: “One year after Carleton Hendricks aka Captain Howdy’s (Dee Snider) sadistic rampage, much more than the physical scars the schizophrenic, sexual sadist gave his victims are left behind. Their lives, destroyed by emotional torment and the media frenzy surrounding the crimes, Detective Mike Gage, his daughter Geneveve and vigilante Jackson Roth (Robert Englund) each have their crosses to bear. But when the badly burned and mentally broken Carlton Hendricks is taken from a state run mental hospital and off his medication by billionaire, media mogul, Morgan LaForce, leader of the body modification/fetish haven called “The Torture Garden”, the door swings wide open for each of Captain Howdy’s victims to find closure… and retribution.”

Snider changed course last summer when it was announced that he would instead remake the film with Emaji, Inc.’s Emaji Entertainment, who acquired the rights to the franchise. A year later, Snider appears to be as frustrated as we are.

“I don’t know what the hell it is with that thing!” Snider laughs while talking to Iconvsicon. “That whole experience could be a documentary in itself — “The Making of Strangeland 2.” [laughs] What the fuck?! That is what it would be called, “The Making of Strangeland 2: WTF!” There are a lot of creative properties I am looking to explore. Like I said, I was ready to dive in to all these other things when Damon Ranger approached me, So I put everything else on hold to focus on the album for the past year.”

He even revealed that a sequel was greenlit before the first film even came out; then this happened:

“It was greenlit back in 1997 before the first one came out,” he explains. “It was greenlit, a script was written and we were in the earliest stages of preproduction when the company got indicted by the federal government! I hang out with the best people! [laughs] At that point in time, all the properties were seized and we’re tied up in the court system for seven years. It took me seven years just to get my property back and at that point it was 2004. So, the script was there and now I’m just trying to find a production company and the financing to do it!”

When asked about plans for a possible re-release for its 20th anniversary, Snider did suggest that he may utilize crowd-sourcing to finance a sequel:

“Yes and no. I look for interest from other people to reinforce that the interest is out there. Case in point, the album. Damon challenged me to do something new and we went in and demoed some stuff. In a very short amount of time we had major record deals in the United States and in Europe, so I knew I wasn’t alone in and that there were other people who saw the vision as well. So, I need to see something from somebody besides myself and my own bank account! With that said, I’m at the point where I’m thinking about it more often. So many people ask me about “Strangeland 2.” Someone asked me, “Well, why don’t you crowdfund it?” I’m thinking, “Good point!” if people want this movie so bad, and it seems like when I go to these horror conventions and it seems like everybody wants it, maybe that is the route to go. Maybe this coming year, heading toward the 20th anniversary, what sounds like the right amount of time between funding it, filming it and releasing it, I will see if the audience wants to put their money where their mouth is and join me in this journey!

Artisan took a chance on the film releasing it in theaters where it bombed, so it’s not all that surprising that a sequel is this hard to get off the ground. With that said, it would be awesome to revisit that franchise and Captain Howdy, which I thought was a totally cool character. I’m also interested to see how he approaches tech in a modern take, although it’s not even necessary considering it’s more about a serial killer who just has a fetish for pain.