Hello again, I realise this post is a bit belated as I have been a bit busy lately and prioritised reviews over this but now the time has come for another installment in the vault of doom, this time with Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses. The directorial debut from the rockstar turned director follows four teenagers (one of which is Rainn Wilson of the American version of The Office) who travel through the backroads of Texas in search of the burial site of local legend Doctor Satan, a sadistic doctor who experimented on his patients. However their journey soon becomes a lot more sinister when they come into the company of the Firefly family, a family of psychotic murderers with a penchant for the macabre. The film stars horror veterans Bill Moseley and Sid Haig along with Zombies wife Sheri Moon Zombie, Academy Award winner Karen Black also joins the fun along with Dennis Fimple in his final role before his death.
I first heard about this film when I was about 10 years old after reading a Bart Simpson comic that had been written by guest writers such as Alice Cooper, Gene Simmons and Zombie himself. Zombie's segment was a parody of the film entitled House of 1000 Donuts in which the Simpsons wind up in a similar scenario to the films protagonists. I remember Krusty taking up the role of Sid Haig's Captain Spaulding while Doctor Satan was Lard Lad with syringe fingers and a doctors outfit. As a 10 year old I had no idea what was going on but I was just like hey this is cool. A few years later I finally got around to watching the film one evening when I was home alone and then that Simpsons comic finally started to make sense.
Like a lot of Rob Zombies work, House of 1000 Corpses is a bit of an acquired taste. Not only because of the bizzare and graphic scenes of violence that may cause a few to feel sick but also because, well, it's not the best. Don't get me wrong however, I love this film a lot but I am aware of why people don't, I simply don't care. Yes there is some questionable writing and yes it is very style over substance (but it's stylish as hell so) but it has some great characters fueled by the brilliant performances of some of the cast. The highlight of the film for me was Bill Moseley's character Otis Driftwood, a member of the insane family who considers himself to be an artist of sorts. Moseley is fantastic as ever, giving the character so much life and personality allowing him to steal all of his scenes while spurting out some memorable quotes and torturing cheerleaders along the way. Standing out in a similar manner to Moseley in a much smaller role is Sid Haig as Captain Spaulding, a crude clown who owns what can only be described as a cross between a Texaco garage and Ripley's Believe it or Not. He too gives a brilliant performance in his limited screentime, stealing all of his scenes early on in the film as he takes the protagonists through his glorified ghost train.
It has its shocks, so beware of spoilers from here on out. One scene which I found particularly shocking was when one of the protagonists father, Don (Harrison Young) goes to the Firefly residence along with two deputies portrayed by the late Tom Towles and Walton 'cut my legs off and call me shorty' Goggins. What follows is a catharsis of gunshot and bloodshed set in slow motion to the tune of I Remember You by Slim Whitman. It was not the tortured cheerleaders or the surprise shootout that shocked me however, it was the scenes final moments where Otis stands over Don with a gun in hand as it slowly zooms out. For a moment it lingers on the shot we become unsure of what is about to happen while this subtle tension builds until Otis eventually shoots Don. For such a bizzare film this scene is a bit emotional as it cuts between the bloodshed and home video footage of Don and his daughter Denise (Erin Daniels). Other memorable moments for me include the the nightmarish murder ride, the 'fishboy' scene (fishboy can be seen below in all his glory) and the outlandish climax where Denise ventures into the subterranean lair of Doctor Satan and his mutant experiments. Crazy stuff.
The film gained a lot of criticism at the time even before it was released, being shelved initially by Universal Studios in fear of an NC-17 rating. When it was finally released by Lions Gate it was criticised for its gore and for being a bit sloppy and uneven, Zombie himself has even stated that he feels the film was a bit of a mess. Despite all of the negativity around this film it has gained a cult following by many (including myself) due to its unique style and performances by the likes of Moseley and Haig. Looking back on it now it is almost like a Tobe Hooper film with no involvement of Tobe Hooper, taking elements both stylistically and in story from films such as Eaten Alive and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Even the murder ride scene feels a bit like Hooper's film The Funhouse. However, House of 1000 Corpses takes these Hooperesque influences and blends them with Zombies own unique vision to make a film that is visually memorable despite having some heavy flaws. It has since spawned a grittier and much more polished sequel called The Devil's Rejects that has been praised by the likes of Stephen King himself and holds a similar cult status to its predecessor. Although it has its mistakes, House of 1000 Corpses is a film that hardcore genre fans will appreciate that will have you both laughing and gagging from start to finish.
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