The Devil's Rejects

Best movie ever

Wacky stuff. At first, I didn't know that Rob Zombie's "House Of 1000 Corpses" was actually the first movie in a, if you will, 2-part series, with "The Devil's Rejects" being the second movie. I must have seen "Devil's" a half dozen times before I finally learned that "Corpses" was the first movie in this 2-parter. Anyway, I like both movies very much. However, I think were I 'went wrong' was by watching "Devil's" (and so many times, no less) before seeing "Corpses first. Of course, as I say, I did not know the two movies were intertwined. That said, if you haven't seen either of these but were planning to, watch "House Of 1000 Corpses" first. You can get a better 'feel' for the Firefly family members before moving on the "The Devil's Rejects" second. (Since I made the 'mistake' of watching "Devil's" first, I think I can safely advise to watch "Corpses" first instead). Either way, Mr Zombie does seem to have a real nack for this kind of genre. It seems to me he truly knows what he's doing. He's no amateur when it comes to this type of flick. Sheri Moon Zombie (his real-life wife) is also well cast here and does an incredible job as a "don't care 'bout nuthin, low-life who'd just as soon carve you into bite-size pieces as look at ya". Might add, she's pretty easy on the eyes too. Actually, a very pretty girl. In "Corpses", Karen Black played Mother Firefly where as, in "Devil's", Leslie Easterbrooke play the part. Some viewers claim they liked Karen Black better and some liked Leslie Easterbrooke better. Both were good but again, here too, it might help to watch "Corpses" first. All characters will extremely well cast and did an unbelievable job. Sheriff Wydell (played by William Forsythe) was da bomb!! This guy was GOOD! He was bad. A real bad sheriff. But he was some damn good at being bad. The list goes on. But with a creeped-out family of, well, who knows what they are, by the names of Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig), Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie) and Otis (brilliantly played by Bill Moseley), how could you possibly go wrong! Or do I even dare ask! Of Note: Also in "Devil's" is Priscilla Barnes (Terry Alden from "Three's Company"), P.J. Soles from the original "Halloween" (with Jamie Lee Curtis) and the always excellent Geoffrey Lewis who has appeared in more movies and TV shows over the years than we could ever recount. You may remember him from a number of Clint Eastwood's movies. He is also the father of American actress and singer Juliette Lewis. If this genre of movie is your cup of tea, these both are a lot of fun. "Devil's" is also a 2 disc set. Be sure, AFTERWARDS, to watch the "making Of Devil's". But do this AFTER you watch the movie first. You get a really good look at what makes Rob Zombie tick, all that they went through to make this movie and you also finally get to see that, he's actually a nice guy. A regular guy.

Stunning! Zombies best! Classic!

...because if you saw 1,000 Corpses, or any other number of cheezy contemporary slash-action horror flicks you might have decided to pass this one up, if you weren't in just the right mood. I had shelved 1,000 Corpses in the same zone as Motel Hell - the kind of movies I love to pull out when I get in a need-something-sick-twisted-odd-and kinda silly horror sort of viewing mood (as opposed to the Lugosi/Karloff/Price/Hammer classic horror sort of mood). But I'm glad I gave this movie a chance. First off, the characters are so much more fleshed out (heh heh) in this second flick from Rob Zombie. Given that they are ALL warped in one way or another, what makes this film a hit is not the violence it's the convincing dramatic performances by the actors of these trashy, sick, obnoxious, immature, self engrossed yet weirdly loyal and familial characters. So there are priceless moments of "oh geez" hilarity. I disagree with the reviewers that cite the violence in this film as the source of the humor. I never got the impression that Zombie intended the scenes of mental and physical torture,blood and splatter to be a whole lot of laughs, or tongue in cheek, even. Check out the Aussie flick Dead Alive if you are looking for tongue in cheek hacking. No, I find the comedy comes from the smart aleky, down-home-ignoramus-esque behavior and commentary of the characters, most of which are at very best corrupted by vengeance or sycophantic and cowardly, and at worst are (of course) violently deranged. And then there is the filth-dwelling Captain Spaulding who is the best twisted hoot of the entire disgusting bunch, just as he is in 1,000 Corpses. Though he's nasty, somehow you just want more Captain Spaulding. Next, the setting of the film in the 70's, complete with appropriate soundtrack, contributes delightfully to the very close to home trailer trash atmosphere Zombie has created. The dumps Zombie selected for shoots were perfect for making the era believable. You can almost smell the stifling fog of cigarettes, lysol, moldy refrigerator, and stale beer that's permeated the shag carpeting and faux wood paneling of some of the scenes. This is not your average slasher film, not a silly re-hash of teen themes (thank you Rob!). It's definitely a worthy cut above. It's a nice change in what's become a rather formulaic genre of late because it is so well acted and written. Viewers are spared from overly drawn out run ons of chop chop splatter splatter because there's - "well _____ the bed!"- actually good acting and dialog to enjoy. If you find yourself engrossed and wanting more of Baby, Otis, Mama Firefly and of course Captain Spaulding, then you can watch House of 1,000 Corpses as if it were a flashback or prequel, which in my opinion, makes that first film strangely better. Included with Devil's Rejects is a "making of" documentary which I also recommend highly. I'm hoping Rob Zombie continues to pursue making horror films of this type of thoughtfully intense dramatic quality - the industry needs it. There is just too much schlock out there, and not even campy, so-bad-it's-hilarious cult schlock. Just dull and boring (yawn) garbage targeted at a teen audience that needs something to do on weekends. If you've found most contemporary slasher-horror offerings shallow you'll be really pleased this film was made!

Great condition

[brief plot synopsis] After the killing of his brother, Sheriff Wydell (William Forstyhe) hunts the murderous family dubbed "The Devil's Rejects" by the media like dogs so he can execute them. a raid on their home drives Otis (Bill Moseley) and Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie) out on the road while Mother (Leslie Easterbrook) is left and arrested. Captain Spaulding, now a wanted man for his part in the killings is on the run. The gang agrees to meet at a specified spot, and that is when their killing rampage turns the page to the next chapter. Blood flies and before long they are out to seek refuge with their pimp friend Charlie (Ken Foree). Sheriff Wydell then hires renegade bounty hunters "The Unholy Two" (Diamond Dallas Page and Danny Trejo) to find them. [good things] Where do I start? WOW. That is how I sum this up. If you love 80's style slasher gore, watch this. There is BLOOD GALORE, violence, nudity and action. Rob Zombie completely outdone himself. The movie is full of cameos by horror icons, and pays homage to certain classic horror titles. [the bad] At this time the only complaint I have is that they killed them off at the end and what about Tiny? [final thoughts] This is possibly the BEST horror film I have seen in a long time. It not only was dirty, gritty anf bloody. It was shot like a 70's slasher flick, grainy film, bad camera work (intentional) and the setting was a nice hot set, completely reminiscent of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The character of Otis (played by Bill Moseley) was his best role yet. What I saw from this guy stunned me, I thought he was good in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, but WOW. What a performance. Sid Haig's character (Captain Spaulding) also came out in the film and made a great impact. Alot of cameos (Michael Railsback from Helter Skelter, Michael Berryman from The Hills Have Eyes, Ginger Lynn, etc). Now let's talk about the parts that I felt payed homage to some of my favorite horror films; to name a few.. -Matthew McGrory's character Tiny.. he was wearing a sack mask with overalls and a flannel. Looked just like Jason in Friday The 13th Part 2. -The nude girl cut outs in Captain Spaulding's house was oddly similar to the ones in Alfredo's garage in Texas Chainsaw Massacre III. -The van they were driving.. alot like the one in Texas Chainsaw Massacre? -Otis's scene where his hands are nailed down is alot like (and shot similar) to Kate Hodge's scene in Texas Chainsaww Massacre III. -The scene in Texas Chainsaw Massacre II when Leatherface put the skin mask on Caroline William's face was replicated.

It took me a while to finally get to see the Devil's Rejects in theaters because I wasn't sure how much I liked House of 1000 Corpses, a movie from which DR is a sequel. However, after hearing nothing but good things about the Rejects, I went. The Devil's Rejects strikes me as a sequel where the ending of the first movie didn't really matter. It was the ending of Ho1kC that didn't sit right with me in the first place. The Dr. Satan part of Ho1kC doesn't seem to matter much to this movie. All you need to know is these people are killers on the lamb. From there, The Devil's Rejects becomes something entirely new and exciting. Just because it is a sequel to a horror movie, doesn't mean this has to be a horror movie too. It is a gruesome action movie that pays tribute to some of the best action, adventure, and horror movies in its individual scenes. In that respect, it reminds me of some of Quentin Tarentino's better efforts. One of my favorite scenes could be considered a parallel of the scene in Empire Strikes Back when Han Solo is dependent on the trustworthiness of his long-time friend, Lando Calrissian who is newly introduced to the audience. In Devil's Rejects, like the scene in Empire, the Firefly trio finds themselves trusting Spaulding's friend, Charlie. Like Tarentino movies, the soundtrack makes the movie. Similar to the "stuck in the middle with you" scene in Reservoir Dogs, Zombie's movie uses an Allman Brothers song to invoke happy feelings and a good-times vibe justaposed against a random act of violence as the opening credits roll. Other scenes leave you laughing, but wondering why. Is it that the comic relief is so well deserved amidst such acts of violence and cruelty? Watch and decide for yourself. One thing I especially like about the DVD is the attention to special features. A blooper reel is included. In addition, Rob Zombie has included two commercials for Spaulding's and a music video (it's old-timey country, not Rob Zombie's) and an entire episode of a TV show that airs in the Kahiki Palms motel scene. What else would a fan expect after he also released an entire cd of songs by Banjo and Sullivan, characters in the movie who cross paths with the Firefly bunch. All in all, I believe this is my favorite movie of this genre. Although, I can not accurately call it a horror movie. The violence is extreme, but still not your typical horror movie. It reminds me of Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers more than any horror movie I can think of. I believe this is more of a tribute movie, in which Rob Zombie pays tribute to some of his favorite scenes in horror, action, and adventure, using the violent characters he created in Ho1kC.

Let me start off by saying I was very, very disappointed with "House of 1000 Corpses". It was overly fast-paced to the point where it seemed like the only people who could enjoy it were those with ADD. It was also suffering from a lack of gore and carnage, something rather surprising from the horror aficionado that Mr. Zombie is. On top of that, it was a complete rip-off of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974), which is a much better film anyway. All Zombie did differently was add neon lights. So, my expectations for "The Devil's Rejects" really weren't very high. But I began hearing reviews from people who saw the film before it was released saying that it was very different and much better than "House". And then I saw the previews, which looked promising. So, my expectations went up just a little. However, I was still pretty weary. I just wasn't sure if I could trust Zombie. But I went into the theater with an open mind. The lights dimmed. And what I saw was the glorious return of the true horror film. Rob Zombie more than redeemed himself with this brutal, funny, and utterly spectacular film. He worked out all the pacing kinks of "House", took away the flashy neon-light look, and replaced them with a gritty, violent masterpiece of terror. "The Devil's Rejects" follows the three surviving members of the psychotic murderer family from "House of 1000 Corpses", who have been given the nickname "The Devil's Rejects" by the locals. They're on the run from the police, and along the way, they just happen to engage in murder, blasphemy, and sexual abuse. The exploitation fan inside of me rejoiced. In a twisted away, I loved everything I was seeing. And on top of all of this, Rob Zombie managed to put together just about the best mix of snappy dialogue and music I've witnessed since "Pulp Fiction". He even made me dig "Freebird", and I REALLY dislike Lynyrd Skynyrd. This has been a truly wonderful summer for horror fans. First, the French terror masterpiece, "High Tension", then George A. Romero's excellent return to form, "Land of the Dead", and now, Rob Zombie's truly glorious coming-into-his-own-as-a-filmmaker, "The Devil's Rejects". Let's just hope Lion's Gate has the balls to give him another film. 9/10