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By CityThe Devil's Rejects **** out of 5
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The Devil's Rejects **** out of 5Rob Zombie Does The Devil's Work
2005-07-27
Article Written by: Todd Darby
Filmmaker/Rock Icon/Beavis & Butthead Hero Rob Zombie follows up his 2003 gorefest House of 1,000 Corpses, one of the best horror films of the last 20 years, with a slightly different take on the same gang of twisted killers. This is NOT a sequel to House of 1,000 Corpses. It is more of a companion piece. There is no Dr.Satan and underground tunnels filled with crazy experiments or whatever in the world was going there. No, seriously, what was going on at the end of that movie? Devil's Rejects is grittier and slightly more realistic but is definitely no less violent. I'm amazed that Rob Zombie was able to get this thing passed the ratings board without being slapped with an NC-17. This is without a doubt, one of the most unrelenting, sadistic, brutal and offensive films you are ever going to see. I actually wasn't that shocked by it myself but how many other people reading this have seen a little film called Cannibal Holocaust?
A hard rocking Ozzfest alumni turning to movie directing is no gimmick. Zombie proves himself to be an extremely skillful, talented filmmaker, who knows what to do with a camera. After only two films, Rob Zombie's work shows that he can hold his own against such horror masters as George Romero, John Carpenter, and Wes Craven (old school Wes Craven, that is). Zombie has learned from them all. As evident in his music, with audio samples from Russ Meyer flicks and song titles like "Living Dead Girl" (named after a Jean Rollin movie), Rob Zombie knows his stuff and likes to pay tribute to it. There are small roles by Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead) and Michael Berryman (Hills Have Eyes) and even a cameo by 70's porn queen Ginger Lynn. He also shows his love for 70's southern rock. This film have one of the best soundtracks you could get, featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers. It's no surprise that a musician would know how to use music and make it fit in such a way that after watching a scene you won't be able to listen to a song the same way again. It is a rare skill though, shared by only a few directors like Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson.
But the real driving force behind this movie are the performances, which are pitch perfect in their depravity. Sid Haig plays Capt. Spaulding, the scariest clown since Tim Curry was Pennywise in Stephen King's IT. Bill Mosely plays the Charles Manson-esque leader of the family and Sheri Moon Zombie (Rob's real life wife) is the cute yet blood thirsty Baby. After, a violent killing spree that may have been the first film, the family of psychopaths are on the run from the law and a very determined sheriff played by William Forsythe, who's brother was killed by the gang. Forsythe's performance might be the stuff of Oscar nominations if it were in a much more "normal" film.
Yet for all of these things, performances, attitude, and evil clowns, it's still just not quite as good House of 1,000 Corpses. If you were a fan of House you should enjoy this one but you might feel like something was missing. It might be that the editing set a different pace or the more low key tone or that there are no real protagonists to root for to survive. If you are a Rob Zombie fan and a fan of the films that inspired him, like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the works of Lucio Fulci, then this will be the one film you look forward to this whole year. If you had to cover your eyes while watching The Grudge though, this may not be your cup of tea...or cup of blood. I'm sorry, that was a really stupid pun.
