House of 1,000 Corpses
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Movie Reviews of House of 1,000 Corpses
Movie Review: A great effort for those who have the mood for it
Summary: 5 Stars
Ok, to start with, there's a great deal of argument for this film. Those who don't enjoy it probably just don't "get" it. I don't mean that they're senseless or less intelligent, I simply mean that, to appreciate what this movie is, you don't have to love Rob Zombie, or think of him as a genius, you just have to "get it". You need to be in a certain mood, not look at it the way you'd look at a film like the Sixth Sense, which itself was a phenomenal film but which also had a much different style and tone. Part of what Zombie wants to accomplish with this film is create an old-school piece of exploitation where you damn sure remember how appalling things got. He succeeds.
Yes, in Corpses, the tone is different. This is more or less a campy film. Not dopey Scooby Doo camp, featuring silly gags and lame one-liners, and not Scream camp, which is like having a bunch of kids who are smart enough to be hip and modern but still fall prey to killers in predictable ways (though the original Scream was great). Corpses on the other hand, is very, very similar to the classic Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the original). Yes, a group of kids snoops where they should'nt, and yes, they will probably die. But this movie focuses on the antagonists. Right from the start, we meet and spend some time with lovable Captain Spaulding, proprieter of a backwater gas station and connected "Murder Ride" theme park attraction. He's a goofball, but we're more inclined to like him than any of the dorky, "normal" characters who stumble upon his establishment. And that's how most of the movie is set up.
We aren't led to root for these kids, we're led to instead be fascinated/appalled by the strange family that they soon encounter. And the reason this is, in my opinion, is because they're just way more interesting. Bad things happen to the kids (I hope this isn't considered giving anything away in a review of a movie with a title like this). But the thing is, the demented family enjoys what they do. In their eyes, they're just living their lives like they always do. They weren't out hunting for victims. These kids just stumble into their lives, and we watch their odd behavior as a result. In the last 20 or so minutes, the film does get much darker and cruel, but even by the end we can't stop thinking that, naturally, those kids should've just not been stupid enough to stick around a bunch of people like this.
Zombie edits the film in such a way that, pretty regularly, juxtaposed images will pop up in between the regular continuity of the film (those who enjoyed the film will recall the "skunk ape" segment). I believe this is an appropriate choice, as the strange sudden cuts add to the disorient and discomfort of the viewer, parallel to what those dumb kids onscreen must be feeling. While watching the film, you get the sense of "this is a little far out, maybe I should turn it off". Well, that's probably akin to what those kids feel, so I believe this is an effective method of keeping us in a state of intimacy with the strange behavior onscreen.
But even despite this, the film does have a plot and you aren't left with any untied ends, and I think the final verdict as to whether or not you like it is whether you're with it from the start. If you're interested or enjoying the movie by the time the opening credits start, 5 minutes in, you'll "get", or be along with, this film. For those who don't, that just means this isn't your kind of movie.
As for the dvd itself, it's loaded. There are tons of options and easter eggs containing a wealth of information and just general goofery (leave any menu on for a couple minutes and see what happens). For those who liked the film, it's a treat.
Movie Review: Would you know my name if I saw you in heaven?
Summary: 5 Stars
Oh yeah, baby, oh yeah. This is now officially my 2nd favorite horror movie right under The Ring. Firstly, on a side note, I would like to say that I would be paying a visit and making Captain Spalding take me on the Murder Ride EVERY day.In the wake of the disappearance of five cheerleaders, two guys and two chicks blunder into Captain Spalding's museum of monsters and madmen. They pay to take the Murder Ride (cool cool cool) and there they learn of the local boogeyman, Doctor Satan, known for torture and abstract experimentation upon mental patients. Captain Spalding gives them a rough map to find the tree from which the good doctor, a victim of vigilante justice, was hung, and then the fun begins.
First, the gang picks up killer #1, Baby, thumbing for a ride on the side of the road. Next, their car is ambushed by killer #2, "R.J.". Next, they are introduced into the tenebrous Firefly fold, where they meet mother Firefly, Tiny, Grandpa, and most importantly, Otis. This is the guy who began as Chop Top in Chainsaw 2, and this is a guy for which I would find a role in EVERY movie. There are, of course, shades of Chainsaw Massacre, but this is what I like to call atmosphere. The house is ruined, with torture chambers doubling as bedrooms. I think Leatherface would beam with pride. If it's cool, don't question it.
The gang begins pressing with questions about Doctor Satan, and then Mary (played by that chick from Milo) starts bickering with Baby---who is definitely the one with the looks in the family. Later, the gang is set upon by Otis and Tiny, at which point the scene breaks. The next morning, the cops start poking around, and I was surprised to see that the senior officer was that guy that played Cooper in the remake of N.O.T.L.D. But they don't last very long once they hit the Firefly compound. Otis ends up laying down the law with a .45, baby.
One by one, the the victims wake up from nightmares. (My favorite nightmare was the one with the Skunk Ape and Doctor Satan's grave.) Only three of them are left now. Halloween is now upon them, and Otis gets ready with Ed Gein panache. The three remaining victims are put into bunny suits and dragged to a type of well. The chick from Milo runs and Baby takes her down with thirty-three seconds to spare. The other two are placed into a casket and lowered into the well, along with tape-recorded incantations. Now the movie evolves into the supernatural with ghouls and zombies; they rise groggily from gelatinous mud deposits kinda like the Pit Witch in Army of Darkness, and then start wading out across a turgid crust of slime. Finding themselves in something similiar to a circle of hell, the last two captives finally get to meet Doctor Satan. And it is cool. All movies should be like this.
Now, for the DVD itself. I've got tears in my eyes. This is the best money I've ever spent. I have spread new of this movie like a plague to all of my buddies. Aside from behind-the-scenes, photo stills, screen tests and Tiny *&$@*#& A Stump, everything, the opening menu, special features, settings and scene selection, is character hosted by Otis, Captain Spalding and Baby. I would advise that you take time to watch everything. During I think the third set of chapter selections, Otis reveals the mystery of Tiny and the stump. Also, the Baby Show rules---of course I would probably pay just to watch Baby sit there and eat a bowl of cereal.
Movie Review: All American Horror
Summary: 5 Stars
I just finished watching Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses for the fourth time and was once again amazed by just how good a movie it is; amazed enough to write a review. I remember seeing this in the theater a few weeks after its initial release. The few people that were in the audience walked out of the movie either completely traumatized or screaming like a bunch of demented Kiss fans. There hasn't been a true horror movie like this made in years. What has passed for horror over the last decade has either been gory Clearasil commercials (Scream and its clones) or ghosts-just-need-to-be-understood melodramas (the godawful Sixth Sense and its clones). It seems movie makers have forgotten that horror needs to be horrific. House of 1000 Corpses is not a perfect horror movie. It doesn't even come close to the terror induced by a movie like the Shining. However, it is one of the few horror movies out there that has what you could call a "vision". Rob Zombie took a generic plot (actually, he just stole it from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and beefed it up with some of the best mix of imagery, sound and emotion ever put into a horror flick. This movie didn't give me nightmares, but the images did linger in my mind for weeks after first seeing it. It is filled with an insane amount of detail that really holds up after repeated viewings. What seperates a good horror flick from a great one is atmosphere and this movie has it in spades. Every set from Spaulding's road side attraction to the lair of Dr. Satan reinforces the sense that we, the viewer, have come for a freak show and by God we are going to get it! This movie comes from a long tradition of disturbing and shocking movies that may not make you scream but are guranteed to get under your skin. In it you will find none of the elements that ruin modern horror: there are no digital images, there is no polished dialogue with clever refrences to other, better movies and the killers are about as far away from glamourous as you can get. What this movie does have is an incredible sense of artistry, an excellent pace, great camerawork and a complete disregard for good taste or moral boundaries. The villains embody everything that is disturbing about evil. They hate you, they'll hurt you and hurting you gets them off. The only way I could think of improving the movie would be to make the victims a bit more sympathetic. Excessive character development isn't necessary in a horror movie but I think that I would feel an even greater fear if I like the victims. The victims in this movie are complete jackasses and I almost enjoyed seeing them suffer. I think a villain is nastier if he preys not only on innocence, but on likeable, attractive innocence. This minor gripe doesn't ruin the movie though. I highly recommend seeing this movie, especially if you plan on watching it with someone easily offended....you'll have a field day trying to calm them down. Word around the campfire says that the sequel will pit the depraved Firefly clan against a new set of villains, hopefully nastier than them. I can't wait.Movie Review: Absolutely MENTAL!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Gulp! This was one barmy film. By far the most true, nerve-wracking horror we've had in ages. Far too many 'horror' movies over the past 10 years have been neutralized sub-genre flicks starring generic babes and hunks from teen soaps. Nothing of the sort here. Rob Zombie has made a REAL horror film with some shocking and unbelievable elements.Four kids, on their way home, stop over at some remote gas station (and fried chicken bar) run by the manic Captain Spaulding. Upon witnessing his freak-show amusement ride of urban legends they become fascinated with the myth of Doctor Satan, an insane local mass-murder/torturer/scientist. They make the very unwise decision of taking a slight detour in order to find him.
Soon enough they've picked up a wild hitchhiker called Baby who is more than a little slutty. Their car blows a tire and Baby has her brother Otis take them back to her house for repairs. Baby, Otis and the rest of the family seem kind of hospitable at first, despite their peculiar idiosyncrasies.
After that, well...complete and utter madness follows. Rob Zombie bombards us with so much horror, both macabre and morbid, that the film becomes a hypnotic thrill ride of guts, gore and grim. As the traumatized teens slowly lose their minds so do we. They barely have time to comprehend the mania and carnage and neither does the audience.
In the final 15 minutes our senses are so over-stimulated by the breath-taking madness, furious pace, escalating and mind-blowing horror that the shocking plot twist in the last few seconds comes as the biggest surprise and fright I've ever seen in a movie.
Many have criticized Zombie's Oliver Stone-type direction of this film and called his rapid switching of film-stocks jarring and distracting. I didn't mind it at all. It adds to the unstable atmosphere of the film and only proves Zombie took more time and effort to put this film together than most other directors do.
House of 1000 Corpses was made by Universal and Zombie wrapped production way back in Spring 2000. But the film was so gory and perverse that Universal simply refused to release it. MGM tried to help get it out there but ended up dumping it too. Finally Lion's Gate Films stepped in and gave the film a limited run (which is unfortunate since a mainstream Universal release would have guaranteed it reached a bigger audience). By this point the film had been cut, edited and censored. Which is a big shame. Even with these 15 minutes missing House of 1000 Corpses will still leave you feeling numb and slightly sick.
As Zombie is already working on a sequel (called The Devil's Rejects) he doesn't have the time to work on the uncut DVD but has promised he will do his best to get it out there. So until then get your fix with this DVD.
The film is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound. Special features include a commentary, a featurette, audition footage, rehearsal footage, cast and crew interviews, a still gallery, trailers and an isolated score.
Movie Review: page of 1000 silly reviews...
Summary: 5 Stars
is what i would call this page if i had to come up with a not-so-clever title. i suppose i understand some people's dissappointment with this movie. "horror fans" want a "scary" movie, which i guess means a movie that has situations of suspense in hopes of finally startling the viewer and maybe raise their heartrate a little. the first time i saw this movie, i was very impressed. was i afraid? no. was i ENTERTAINED? YES! i watch movies to be entertained, and i found a lot of entertaining stuff in this film. first, horror movies are crap for the most part. it is, i feel, the most bastardized and played out genre there is. no matter how many comedies are released, there are still funny movies yet to come. so why, in one of the smallest genres(horror), has hollywood run out of ideas? "sequel" is the most sacred and hated word in the horror genre. rob zombie gave us something new that is a cut above the normal horrible, boring horror movie. off the top of my head i can think of 3 reasons why house is very cool. 1. the music. i don't care for zombie's music, i never have. its a little too boring and well-known, but i have no doubt that he has good taste in other music. zombie picked some dynamite songs to include(ramones, slim whitman, buck owens) and did some decent original sounds and tunes as well. GOOD MUSIC IN HORROR MOVIES IS NON-EXISTANT! its poor background rehashes used in everything from leprechaun to jason vs. freddy. also, the performance baby gives during "SHOWTIME" is great. 2. the writing and dialogue. another major part of the film equation that horror movies go ahead and leave out. nothing remotely funny or cool is ever said in a horror movie. its just like the music, you're not supposed to pay attention to the dialogue until the attractive woman is screaming it. horror movies are like porno movies, the plot, dialogue, and music don't matter because you're only watching for one thing, the gore/sex. rob penned some funny stuff in my opinion, it was just a refreshing break. 3. THE CAST. acting in horror movies to me are for people on the way in or the way out of the movie industry. HOW MANY UNTALENTED POP SINGERS AND RAPPERS HAVE TO STUMBLE THROUGH THEIR LINES AND GET KILLED QUICKLY BEFORE THIS MADNESS WILL END? i prefer karen black, sid haig, cheri moon(a fresh face for once), chris hardwicke. its not an oscar caliber cast, but at least is seems a little unpredictable. overall, i think of this movie as a movie, not a lowly horror movie. i can sit and watch it and not be bored. now, everyone who gives anything a bad review always remains anonymous, i don't know why. i want anyone who did not like this film to e-mail me and explain, also include horror movies you like, so i have some basis for your opinion.(...)