Well this is the house, come on in!
House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
Directed By: Rob Zombie (The Devil’s Rejects, Halloween, Halloween 2)
The Prologue
Ask most horror bloggers what they think of Rob Zombie now days and they’ll probably tell you he’s the man that ruined the reboot of the Halloween franchise. And while I don’t really agree with that all together I will say Rob has some more subtle habits that annoy me with his film making, like his way of stringing bad words together without rhyme, reason, or logic!
But back in 2000 Rob who was still known for his music at the time set out to make a very exploitation like horror film and that he did. However the problem was Rob couldn’t get anyone to release the film due to it’s content and the sure NC-17 rating it would get.
But finally Lions Gate picked it up, the film got the R rating, and it was released to the masses in 2003 to very negative feedback. And while I know this film isn’t the best in the world I don’t hate it like most people do.
The Movie
When House of 1000 Corpses came out in 2003 and I first seen it, well before I had seem stuff like Cannibal Holocaust, I’ll admit I was shocked by what I saw and what I saw I didn’t really like. But now having seen it again after all the stuff I’ve seen in the film world I can say that I don’t just “not hate it” now, I can somewhat appreciate it.
One thing I will give Rob Zombie credit for in this tale of a group of people that get stuck in the grips of a crazy family (The Fireflys) is the style of which he shot this film. I love the colors we get when the movie opens at Captain Spaulding’s gas station. I think the color just looks wonderful! And I also really dig the horror movie marathon clips and such that get inserted in-between scenes as I feel it adds a lot to the weird and creepy over all feel the movie has. And while most people like the style of this films sequel, you can get that very same vibe at times in this movie, mostly noticeable during day scenes with the cops.
Another bright spot in this thing is Sid Haig playing the role of Captain Spaulding. I think it’s the role Sid was without question born to play and he just does a GREAT job every time we see him and that can’t be said for everyone as I felt even Otis and Baby (Bill Moseley and Sheri Moon Zombie) at times just get too over the top to be enjoyable.
But as you know the film does have it’s negative stuff as well. One key problem being there’s just nobody to like in this movie. The Fireflys are just too bad to root for and the four kids we have stuck in their clutches are just too annoying to root for as well. It’s always good to have at least someone to try to get attached to and since the only person in the film that could possibly have been half way like-able (played by now well known Office star Rainn Wilson) doesn’t really stick around long enough to matter I suppose we have to give the role of “like-able” to either Captain Spaulding or…well..Tiny?
Also one thing I really hate is the way these people all seem to curse just for the sake of it. Don’t get me wrong, the wordy dirties are just fine but please if you’re going to use them make them go together and make sense..please!
The Conclusion
No it’s not the horror equivalent to Gone With The Wind but isn’t as bad as an Alien vs. Predator movie either. While the film for sure has it’s flaws, it also has it’s bright spots as well. Sure things seem to take a turn for being just too over the top when we get to the point of Dr.Satan being in the movie but if you look past that, and a few other things that just really stick out badly, it isn’t THAT bad.
I suggest you look past all the hate and watch with an open mind.
The Rating (7/10)
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