We've been pretty harsh critics of Rob Zombie and his films around here. If you really look at his work, it definitely has a "shtick" about it, and for us, it has worked a few times, but largely failed.
His first two flicks, which we'll get to in a minute here, worked for us. His trailer for Werewolf Women of the S.S. in the middle of the Grindhouse flicks was a fun throwback. We even found ourselves really liking his remake of Halloween, despite its flaws and the fact that it was a remake of one of the most beloved and revered horror movies of all time.
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| Dr. Satan, and the guy who hosts The Talking Dead. |
Halloween II though, was where we started to question his abilities as a filmmaker. It was a mess, and left us feeling angry and mistreated. Ditto for El Superbeasto... that movie was shit, although to be fair, we are not the core audience for that kind of animation flick.
As far as we're concerned, his first two movies are his best.
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| Ooh, ooh, oooooh, baby, baby. |
House of 1000 Corpses is a messy film in a lot of ways, with all of its wacky cut scenes, spotty dialogue, and clunky delivery (in places), but damn if we don't just love it all the same.
It's definitely a throwback to the days of 70's grindhouse flicks, which Zombie obviously loves, and it delivers some pretty memorable characters, scenes, and some inspired ideas. Sid Haig and Bill Moseley are just fantastic in this movie, and their characters, for us, are instant classics.
I suppose that the gritty nastiness that 1000 corpses brings to the table was a welcomed thing back in 2003, because most of what we were seeing back then wasn't anywhere near its level of crazy. It felt fresh and different, and even today it still feels the same. In a retro sort of way.
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| We are family... |
The Devil's Rejects continued the story of the Firefly clan, but it upped the ante and ended up being one hell of a film.
It's a road movie, for the most part; a tale of Otis, Baby and Captain Spaulding, on the run from Sheriff Wydell, and the havoc that they all cause along their journey. It's stark, brutal, and almost over the top in its violence. The writing and acting have improve vastly from 1000 Corpses, and it stands as one of the best genre offerings of the 2000's.
Viewed together, they make an oddly cohesive unit, and they look great on Blu-ray.*Quick note- Best Buy has both of these flicks on Blu-ray right now for $4.99 each! You're crazy if you don't go and scoop these up for that price... unless you already own them. Then you'd be crazy for buying them twice, just because they're super cheap.
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| Now let's just hope that The Lords of Salem can be half as good... |
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