Director Werner Herzog Discusses His Profound Dislike of Chickens

In this short interview from a few years back, celebrated Fitzcarraldo and Grizzly Man director Werner Herzog discusses his strong dislike of the chicken, describing the domestic fowl’s stupidity as “overwhelming.” The piece, directed by Siri Bunford, echoes earlier sentiments by the director. In the 2003 book Herzog on Herzog, he described chickens’ stupidity as “fiendish” and “bottomless” when asked about his “obsession” with the animal.

Look into the eyes of a chicken and you will see real stupidity. It is a kind of bottomless stupidity, a fiendish stupidity. They are the most horrifying, cannibalistic and nightmarish creatures in the world.

Herzog has utilized chickens in a number of his films, including, perhaps most notoriously, the final scene of 1977’s Stroszek.