Disc One: House of 1000 Corpses (2002-2003) Direction, script and music: Rob Zombie

Zombie's first feature film (I guess he had made some music videos before for his group) ? This film was met with a lot of buzz when
released, as it came when the Horror Film genre was in a desperately dire state. This after the awful 1990's with crap horror-comedies
almost exterminating the "real" horror film genre. I remember it well, directors as frenchman Alexandre Aja with his "Haute Tension"
in 2003, Eli Roth with his 2002 "Cabin Fever" and Rob Zombie with this one suddenly emerged when most needed and they Re-animated
the Horror Film genre (and Yes, i know that both Aja and Roth immediately sold-out and made crap movies from then on).

"House of 1000 Corpses" is an often annoying comedy-horror spoof on the TCM, the Ed Gein and The Hills Have Eyes type of killer
Grindhouse 1970's movies with much too much of the Rock Video estetique for it's own good. Yes, when writing this in August 2021
I must say that I really hate the Freak Family in the film and I very much want them to be quite Dead at the end of the film .... BUT,
Rob Zombie clearly seems to Love this his family of human waste, and their torture and murders are lovingly displayed in detail.
The film was made in the era of nihilistic films started with Quentin Tarantino, Guy Richie and such infantile directors (even the Cohen
Brothers jumped on this trend with their "Fargo" where the cool and funny killer was the hero) and it lasted for a sorry decade or so.

The actors are awful and the giggling Sheri Moon (future Mrs. Zombie ?) the worst of the lot, she's quite Hot but an awful actress.
What's GOOD are Karen Black as Mother Firefly and Sid Haig as Captain Spaulding, but most of all the smittening enthusiasm of
Rob Zombie. He really enjoyed himself making this crazy film.

The BAD ? The film starts well with the 4 youngsters visiting Captain Spaulding's place, then continues OK with the Halloween party
with the Freak Family, goes downwards when the killing starts to finally go down the drain with the idiotic Dr. Satan stuff, the zombies
and such, and the whole end of the film looks like some music video to a Rob Zombie music video. Actors, script and direction sucks.

The Story: Takes place in the late 1970's (1977?). Four youngsters, two guys and two girls, drives by car and are documenting odd
roadside attractions. Close to the small city of Ruggsville they visit Captain Spaulding's place and enjoys his "Murder Ride".
They leave in search for the "Hanging Tree of Dr. Satan" and pick up a hitch-hiker girl, Baby (Sheri Moon).
She invites them to her family for a Halloween party and the rest is torture, murder and chaos.

The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen 1.85:1 with DTS-HD 7.1 english audio with english subtitles or DD 5.1 surround EX
with lots of Extras: Director commentary audio, Making Of featurette, Behind the Scenes, Tiny fucked a stump, Casting, Interviews
and a cool Zombietron game played by using the remote (i enjoyed that) plus a Digital Download

 

 

Disc Two: The Devil's Rejects (2005 ) Direction, story, script and music: Rob Zombie

Above: The old US Lion's Gate 2 disc director's cut unrated DVD edition

After the crappy HOTC Zombie came up with this his second film about the killer psycho family The Firefly's. Zombie clearly
loves these abominable figments of his mind and he wants us to enjoy the Torture Porn and Comedy as much as he do.
I re-watched this film after some 15 years, and it was PAINFUL. My tastes for sure has changed as I, if i remember correctly
somewhat liked this film watching it the 1st time. OK, the intro shoot-out was intense and easily the best scene of the film,
the scenes between Sheriff Wydell (William Forsythe) and Mother Firefly (Leslie Easterbrooks) had some intensity to it too.
The dialogue was AWFUL and felt like RZ trying to rip off Tarantino style, but failing miserably.

The film starts about where HOTC ended, and with the crimes of the Firefly Family being known. The police attacks the house
where they live, but unfortunately two turds manages to escape, Otis (Bill Moseley) and Baby (the awful acting Sheri Moon
Zombie). The duo joins up with Captain Spaulding or Daddy (Sid Haig) for some "Funny .... NOT! torture and murder.
Torture and Murder, Murder and Torture and it goes on and on and ... Zombie Comedy perhaps.

The Sheriff Wydell (a fine William Forsythe) chases the trio of Turds and he's relentless in pursuing the revenge of his brother's
death (the Sheriff shot in HOTC). The big problem with this infantile film is that Mr. Zombie loves his extremely unlikeable
killers to much, and he even tries to give some "Grandeur" to the Turds when the viewers of this sorry film wants them to die,
to die slowly and very painfully and for a long time. OK, I have to give Zombie that I never have felt so intense hatred of film
killers before, Otis and Baby, not in any horror before, and that's some achievement i guess, sort of.
And, Mr. Zombie the Sheriff Wydell would never ever leave the Turds alive before leaving the burning house.

When watching this immature crap in 2021 there sadly must have been some buzz about Zombie as the future of Horror Film
as a lot of Cult Actors have been lured to play small parts in the film, as Mary Woronov (Jackson County Jail / Death Race 2000),
J P Soles (Rock 'n' Roll High School with The Ramones, Halloween), Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes), Steve Railsback
(The Stuntman / Lifeforce) and Danny Trejo. Zombie for sure has shown us that he is a Crap director w. his Halloween atrocities

The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen 1.85:1 with english audio DTS digital surround ES or 5.1 DD EX with english
subtitles, Extras: Audio commentary with Rob Zombie, Actor audio commentary with Sid Haig, Bill Moseley and Sheri Moon
Zombie (hopefully without that annoying giggle of hers), Deleted scenes

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The Old US Lion's Gate DVD had the following extras on Disc 2:

Anamorphic widescreen 1.85:1, DTS-ES 6.1, 5.1, Unrated Director's Cut, 2 commentaries: with Rob Zombie and with Sid Haig, Bill
Moseley and Mrs. Zombie, bloopers, Ruggsville's #1 Talk Show, Mary the Monkey Girl Commercial, Spaulding Christmas Commercial,
Cheerleader Missing-The Otis Home Movie, Buck Owens Video-Satan's Got to Get Along With Me, deleted scenes, make-up tests, Matthew
McGrory Tribute, stills gallery, trailer & TV spots Disc 2: 30 Days in Hell: The making of Devil's Rejects (144 min)