The Devil's Rejects

I went to this movie having seen 1000 Corpses which I thought was a great retro B style horror in the Texas Chainsaw massacre genre.

This movie FAR exceeded any expectation I had. Zombie NAILED it in this one. Classic Freeze frames, awesome soundtrack(used with purpose)-Just enough gore with out going over the top.. the essential random nudity shots that we B fans have come to expect. Suspenseful through-out.

I realize that what makes all of these components work:

A- This movie (Unlike 99% of all B Horros) is not predictable. You do not know what is going to happen next.

B- Zombie builds characters. You learn history and connections, and see things from their view.

C- Slight comedic aspect added.

Summary: MUST SEE, MUST OWN

in the words of my horror loving awe-struck friend "This is hands down the best B horror I have ever seen!"

Reasons to watch this film (one or more may apply):

• If you love Rob Zombie's work
• If you have seen House of 1000 Corpses
• If you like, love, or at least can tolerate mindless, brutal, sadistic violence, sometimes in a sexual manner
• You are not judgmental of Rob Zombie's personal character at all
• You are in a morbid mood
• You have yet to see it and feel like you're so desensitized to graphic cinema
• You hate roadies
• You like dark, dark, DARK comedy
• You love the F-word
• You're a fan of the actors
• You're not yet sick of Free Bird
• Sheri Moon Zombie turns you on (just don't tell Rob!)
• The constant depiction of how horrible people can act towards another, with a complete lack of empathy or good will, does not bother you

Reasons NOT to watch this film:

• If graphic violence upsets you
• If you hate clowns on any level
• If you have seen other live-action works by Rob Zombie and absolutely hated it
• If you can't handle (and seriously, no shame if you can't) profanity, anti-religious acts by fictional characters, a cinematic void of anything uplifting and good, and the theme that no one is pure and that all mankind is inherently downright evil.

• If suggested necrophilia is a deal-breaker
• If you cannot understand that the actors, along with Rob Zombie, are actually normal people who are pretty cool to their fans
• If depictions of physical AND mental torture just isn't your thing
• If the slightest bit of violence gives you nightmares (seriously, if you can't handle a character suffering from a paper cut, you haven't a chance to handle this movie)

Not the kind of movie I would normally even consider, but after recommendations from a couple of people who's opinion I trust, I rented the movie this weekend. Writer/Director Rob Zombie is obviously a great fan of 70s drive-in fare like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "The Hills Have Eyes" and has learned his lessons well. He has a solid directorial style and a great ear for comically profane dialog - the banter in this movie reminds me of "Goodfellas" with maniacal Southern rednecks rather than East Coast Italian mobsters. And with a cast that includes William Forsythe, Sid Haig, Geoffrey Lewis, Ginger Lynn Allen, Priscilla Barnes, Steve Railsback, P.J. Soles, Mary Waronov, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, and Michael Berryman, and a Super 70s Soundtrack featuring The Allman Brothers, The James Gang, David Essex, and Lynyrd Skynyrd among others - you know Zombie has his pop cultural/cult movie references in order. I enjoyed this movie more for the humor than the for the "horror". The characters are all named after various Marx Brothers characters and while the gore is graphic and there are some truly chilling images in the movie, Zombie just misses the "beat" to put some of these sequences over the top, while the acting performances by a couple of the leads - namely Zombie look-alike Bill Mosely and Zombie's utterly babe-o-licious wife Sherri Moon Zombie - are less than stellar (although in Ms. Zombie's case it doesn't really matter - major eye candy!). So, a "qualified" recommendation for those who don't normally go for this kind of movie but who think they might enjoy it based on the description above. I thoroughly enjoyed it myself and think Rob Zombie is a genuinely talented filmmaker who will eventually hit one out of the ballpark if he keeps at it, which I'm sure he will. He comes pretty darned close with "The Devil's Rejects".

The Devil's Rejects has such a powerful name that the movie itself had to live up to... and it exceeded my expectations.

A fun sequel that plays out more like a police thriller than a horror movie.

Well balanced between gritty, over-the-top performances and fun, light-hearted-ness. It's hard to say whether this film tops its predecessor when their inspirations reside in two different area codes.

I find this is a better film, but this and House of 1000 Corpses seem to serve different purposes.

In any case, The Devil's Rejects is a more realized and stylized film that dishes out an enjoyable viewing experience.

This movie has some classic ingredients for a great horror movie. Interesting characters, some really vile gore scenes, bad language, unnecessary nudity, and some familiar faces; Leslie Easterbrook (from the Police Academy movies), Ken Foree (the original Dawn Of The Dead), 80's pop singer/actress E.G. Daily and Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes) provide more than enough nostalgia for retro junkies, like myself.

The story isn't overly fast paced but the gore can be thick and pretty relentless and is at times implied rather than shown which I think adds to the experience. I really enjoyed Leslie Easterbrook as Mother Firefly (replacing Karen Black who was in the first movie, House Of 1000 Corpses). She does some wonderful overacting in her scenes, it's a shame she wasn't in it more, same goes for E.G. Daily who plays a sassy hooker. In fact everyone was great in their parts, let's face it this is not Shakespeare - this is a horror movie, I for one demand hammy over the top performances and a bit of camp! I don't want to give anything away but I will say my favourite scenes involved Mother Firefly and the sheriff, and Captain Spaulding and a mother and child. If you enjoyed House Of 1000 Corpses, this is a superior sequel in my mind and you wont be disappointed. If your idea of horror is a glossy PG-13 rated remake you might want to try weaning yourself onto this kind of movie with something a little less extreme.