I was a pretty big fan of White Zombie
in the 90's which of course was led by lead singer Rob Zombie. Their
hit More Human Than Human was played more times than I could count.
It's also one that I still consider a kick ass song. If I want to get
fired up, than thats the one that I want to penetrate my ears. In the
late 90's I remember hearing rumblings of Zombie wanting to pursue a
career in film with a horror movie that he had written. I can't
remember the exact timeline of when he started to film, when he
finished the film, and when the film was released but I know it was
years between each other with a hint of controversy.
Eventually, House Of 1,000 Corpses was released in 2003. I vaguely remember it coming to a theater in a nearby city but I missed my chance to see it on the big screen. So when it was released on DVD, it was one I was excited to see. Well, if I'm being honest, when I first saw the film I wasn't sure what to think. It was unlike anything I had ever seen, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I enjoyed the characters both the victims (one of which was Chris Hardwick while the other was Rainn Wilson of Office fame) and what we would come to know as the Firefly family. The look of the film was fantastic but something over all didn't grab me. I saw it a few times after that and my opinion of it kept getting better. Than something came about that changed my mind completely. The Devils Rejects.
Rob Zombie's first film House Of 1,000
Corpses was a success but mostly due to the controversy surrounding
the movie. It did good enough to warrant a sequel two years later in
2005 that was entitled The Devil's Rejects. I was fortunate enough to
be at San Diego Comic Con that year where The Devils Rejects had a
pretty good presence. Suddenly, my excitement for the sequel was
extremely high. It had a different look than the first movie while
looking to be a throw back to horror movies of the seventies. From
the moment I saw the movie, I was in love. Everything about that
movie I absolutely 100% adore. Like a cuddly teddy bear, I would
snuggle up to it if I could.
It's brutality, violence, gritty, and
comedic look at horror is something that few, if any, movies do. Bill
Moseley's performance as Otis is so drastically different than the
first movie which is a good thing. Gone is the face paint only to be
replaced by a beard and stringy long hair. Sherri Moon Zombie's
performance as Baby is simply brilliant being both sexy and extremely
brutal at the same time. And of course Sid Haig rounds out the group
as everyone's favorite clown, Captain Spaulding. There are many other
factors that make the movie fantastic while making it something
special. To this day, it would easily make my top ten of all time
favorites.
I still remember sitting in the theater
watching Rodriguez & Tarantino’s 2007 film Grindhouse, when
long and behold one of the fake trailers was done by Mr. Rob Zombie
himself. Werewolf Women Of The S.S. was a perfect addition to the
campiness that encompassed that film. Although, no full length movie
was ever done, maybe one day that will change.
2007 would see the release of yet
another release of Zombie's, one that surprised even me. Yes, it was
Rob Zombie's remake of the classic Halloween. Now, prepare yourself
for this, I saw Zombie's version before I saw John Carpenter's. I
know, I know, blasphemy. Carpenter's version was just one of those
that had escaped my viewing eyes. Anyway, I knew the general story
but I went into Zombie's version as a Michael Myers virgin. Since
then I have seen both and I think what Zombie did to that movie is
the perfect example of what a remake should be. It took the main
concept and turned it on it's head. The choice to show Myers as a
child was brilliant and is some of the most brutal scenes of the
entire movie. The film is certainly controversial and most people
don't share my opinion but Zombie was brave enough to take on the
horror classic. Hey, horror remakes are usually way worse than this
one, so be thankful.
2009 was sort of looked at as a misstep
for Mr. Zombie but I disagree. Halloween 2 is not as bad as everyone
made it out to be. I thought it was an interesting direction to go
with the series and I still wish he got the opportunity to finish out
the trilogy by doing a third one. I have heard that the directors cut
solves some of the problems that people have with the movie. I have
yet to see that version even though I own it.
The other movie that didn't have much
success was The Haunted World Of El Superbeasto which more than
likely you have never heard of. It's an adult animated feature that
never gained much buzz. I have seen it one time and I remember
enjoying it but not enough to catch it a second time. If you like
nudity, over the top violence, cartoons, and Rob Zombie than you may
want to check it out.
After those two movies, Zombie did not
have another release until 2013. It was confirmed that he was doing a
Salem witch movie called Lords of Salem. There was a lot of
excitement surrounding this one unfortunately it was greeted with not
so warm and fuzzy feelings. My thoughts have changed over my multiple
viewings of seeing it. Overall, I like it. There are parts I love and
parts I hate so I think that counts as a like. It's kind of an artsy
movie and I think thats where it loses people. I recommend people
read the novel that was released around the same time. It was based
on the original script that Zombie had and not the final version so
it reads much less artsy. I read the book first and this could have
affected my thoughts on the movie.
I have heard over the years that Rob
Zombie was going to tackle a non horror related project called Broad
Street Bullies based on the Philadelphia Flyers but I don't think
that is in development anymore.
Not knowing what his next project was
going to be, fans were wondering if he would go back to horror. Or
if the fan's reaction to Lords Of Salem had made him second guessing
a horror movie. That is until he led people to a teaser trailer of
his newest project. It was basically a teaser trailer doing an
overview of Zombie's past movies. However, at the end, a image of a
clown was revealed along with the title. 31. Speculation ran rapid
that it was an image of Captain Spaulding but Zombie has already said
that it was not related to previous characters. It was going to be an
all new horror filled story.
I love the fact that Rob Zombie got
into film making. As much as I love his music, his movies have really
struck a cord with me. They are brutal, in your face, and
unrelenting. This is my opinion as I have ran across people that
don't much care for them. Which is fine because everything is not for
everybody. I always tell people to give his movies a chance but if
they are not for you than there are plenty of horror movies out there
that will be right up you alley. But if you want something different
mixed in with your horror than Mr. Zombie's movies might just be for
you.
-R.T.
I really liked White Zombie back in Jr. High/High School (I still like them now), and More Human than Human is still on my phone so I can listen to it when needed. I skipped the paragraph about Halloween. If it's blasphemy that you didn't see Carpenter's version until after you saw Zombie's, then I'm in real trouble for having seen neither. I would even say that I'm a big fan of John Carpenter, but for some reason I have never seen Halloween. I intend to, maybe this year will be the year.
ReplyDeleteThe way I grew up, I wasn't surrounded by the classics of any movie really. So I missed out on a lot of movies that everyone else has seen over and over. I completely understand on missing out on some movies but some people are shocked that I haven't seen every horror movie every made. You should give both a shot. Both very good movies and very different. Thanks for reading the article Clark! -R.T.
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