When it comes to heavy metal titan Ozzy Osbourne, there seem to be two schools of thought.

Some see the former Black Sabbath frontman as the epitome of the rock 'n' roll ethos -- a devil-worshipping, drug abusing genius whose shock-rock strategies (the bats, the blood) belie the fact he also helped give birth to the entire metal movement.

Others see an oft-addled shell of a man, reduced to a pop culture punchline by years of overindulging and the embarrassing spectre of that MTV reality show.

You can decide for yourself when Osbourne plays MTS Centre this Saturday night, along with former White Zombie frontman Rob Zombie, who's been giving Ozzy a run for his money in the creepy weirdo department recently.

But does Zombie -- recognized more these days for his ultra-gory horror movies than his musical output -- really have what it takes to dethrone the Prince of Darkness?

In the spirit of Halloween -- a favourite holiday for both, no doubt -- we offer up this little comparison.

Backgrounds

Osbourne was born into poverty in Birmingham, England, where he suffered from dyslexia and other learning disabilities as a kid. He sought solace in music, and his eerie vocals helped propel Black Sabbath to swift success, but by the late '70s, drug addiction and a crippling bipolar disorder had begun to take their toll -- and continue to bedevil him to this day.

Zombie, meanwhile, was an American college student with a longtime interest in horror and exploitation movies, the '70s counter-culture in general, and punk and metal legends like The Misfits, Alice Cooper, and of course, Black Sabbath. Before he launched White Zombie, he worked on the TV series Pee-Wee's Playhouse. Oooh, scary.

Advantage

Ozzy's the original, Zombie's the devoted disciple. There's no contest.

Controversy

Throughout his solo career, Osbourne was dogged by charges he was a bad influence on kids. At first, critics simply accused him of glorifying Satanism, but he's also been sued twice by the parents of teen boys whose suicides were apparently inspired by his albums (both cases were tossed out in court).

Zombie's career, both as a director and member of the comparatively cartoonish White Zombie clan, has so far been controversy-free, unless you count the minor outcry that greeted his decision to remake John Carpenter's Halloween earlier this year.

Advantage

Let's see, lawsuits involving real dead kids, or fanboys getting their knickers in a twist over a movie. Ozzy again.

Scare Tactics

We've all heard how Ozzy chomped the heads off two doves at a meeting with record execs (he'd planned to release them into the air, but when no one paid attention, switched to Plan B). He also decapitated a bat someone tossed onstage during a concert -- apparently thinking it was fake -- and at the height of his drug addiction, shot 17 of his pet cats.

But while those episodes were probably unsettling to anyone who witnessed them, Zombie's movies -- particularly the '70s throwbacks House of 1,000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects -- are an endurance test for even the most hardened horror fans. Seriously, if you can make it through one of those things without resorting to the fast-forward button at least once, you're made of tougher stuff than us.

Advantage

Drunks are scary, but the sight of Dwight from The Office being carved up and turned into a fishman will haunt your dreams forever. Zombie wins.

Significant Others

In 2002, Zombie married longtime girlfriend Sheri Moon, who was at first the weakest link in his films, but showed surprising depth as a guilt-ridden stripper mom in Halloween. Osbourne, as anyone with a TV knows, has been married to professional ballbuster Sharon ever since she took over as his manager in the early '80s (she's widely credited as being the brains behind his success).

Advantage

Ozzy, if only because Sharon is scarier than anything on this list. And don't even get us started on those kids.

The Winner

Punchline or not, it's Ozzy by a mile.