House of 1000 Corpses (2003)/The Devil’s Rejects (2005)
Directed by Rob Zombie
Starring Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon
88/106 mins; MA15+; DVD
Heavy metal rocker, easy listening connoisseur, seventies horror lover and all-round good guy, Rob Zombie began something of a horror renaissance in 2003 with his wild debut film House of 1000 Corpses. The film is set in the late seventies as two young couples travelling the back roads of America at night (sounds familiar?) stumble upon Captain Spaulding’s House of Horrors. Spaulding (played hilariously by Sid Haig) is, among other things, a deranged clown who runs a backwoods service station and murder museum. The couples are taken through it and discover the local legend of Dr Satan. They quiz Spaulding about it and finally the clown gives them directions to Dr Satan’s murder sites. On their way there, they pick up a beautiful young hitchhiker named Baby Firefly (Moon, now Mrs. Zombie), who says her house is only down the road. On their way there, they blow a tyre and are forced to stay at Baby’s house with her mother and brother Otis (Moseley) until their car is repaired. They soon discover the Firefly family are dysfunctional psychopaths and they are subjected to a long night of murder, cannibalism, Satanism and mayhem.
House of 1000 Corpses’ sequel The Devil’s Rejects is another nasty little sl
ice of horror cinema that recalls the blood-soaked era of Italo-exploitation. The film begins with a bang as Sheriff John Wydell (Willian Forsythe) raids the Firefly house, hell bent on avenging the murder of his cop-brother in House of 1000 Corpses. Mother Firefly is captured but Baby and Otis escape and hold a young family hostage in a back roads motel until they rendezvous with Captain Spaulding, their partner in crime.
I will always love and respect what Rob Zombie has done to the horror genre with these two innovative and truly visionary films. Their semblance to seventies horror classics is in superficial plot only – the truly deranged manner in how the two films are executed makes them totally unique. There are no holds barred in either films and the violence is at times, pretty sickening – there are a number of set pieces that will make you cringe. The most disturbing thing, though, is the sheer apathy of the Firefly clan. Not even the cute blonde Baby cares whether a young woman is sexually abused by her fiendish brother or shooting a civilian in the face. In both films, Sid Haig is the highlight as Captain Spaulding and adds some much needed comic relief. The Devil’s Rejects is a superior film to House because, while it is less scary, it is clear Zombie has honed his craft by way of violence, storyline and dialogue, which is sharp and very funny (the use of f bombs earned it the accolade of most profane film in history). A loving homage to seventies horror films, Zombie’s double feature is one of the best things that has happened to horror cinema in a very long time.
House of 1000 Corpses – 8/10
The Devil’s Rejects – 9/10
Directed by Rob Zombie
Starring Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon
88/106 mins; MA15+; DVD
Heavy metal rocker, easy listening connoisseur, seventies horror lover and all-round good guy, Rob Zombie began something of a horror renaissance in 2003 with his wild debut film House of 1000 Corpses. The film is set in the late seventies as two young couples travelling the back roads of America at night (sounds familiar?) stumble upon Captain Spaulding’s House of Horrors. Spaulding (played hilariously by Sid Haig) is, among other things, a deranged clown who runs a backwoods service station and murder museum. The couples are taken through it and discover the local legend of Dr Satan. They quiz Spaulding about it and finally the clown gives them directions to Dr Satan’s murder sites. On their way there, they pick up a beautiful young hitchhiker named Baby Firefly (Moon, now Mrs. Zombie), who says her house is only down the road. On their way there, they blow a tyre and are forced to stay at Baby’s house with her mother and brother Otis (Moseley) until their car is repaired. They soon discover the Firefly family are dysfunctional psychopaths and they are subjected to a long night of murder, cannibalism, Satanism and mayhem.House of 1000 Corpses’ sequel The Devil’s Rejects is another nasty little sl
ice of horror cinema that recalls the blood-soaked era of Italo-exploitation. The film begins with a bang as Sheriff John Wydell (Willian Forsythe) raids the Firefly house, hell bent on avenging the murder of his cop-brother in House of 1000 Corpses. Mother Firefly is captured but Baby and Otis escape and hold a young family hostage in a back roads motel until they rendezvous with Captain Spaulding, their partner in crime.I will always love and respect what Rob Zombie has done to the horror genre with these two innovative and truly visionary films. Their semblance to seventies horror classics is in superficial plot only – the truly deranged manner in how the two films are executed makes them totally unique. There are no holds barred in either films and the violence is at times, pretty sickening – there are a number of set pieces that will make you cringe. The most disturbing thing, though, is the sheer apathy of the Firefly clan. Not even the cute blonde Baby cares whether a young woman is sexually abused by her fiendish brother or shooting a civilian in the face. In both films, Sid Haig is the highlight as Captain Spaulding and adds some much needed comic relief. The Devil’s Rejects is a superior film to House because, while it is less scary, it is clear Zombie has honed his craft by way of violence, storyline and dialogue, which is sharp and very funny (the use of f bombs earned it the accolade of most profane film in history). A loving homage to seventies horror films, Zombie’s double feature is one of the best things that has happened to horror cinema in a very long time.
House of 1000 Corpses – 8/10
The Devil’s Rejects – 9/10
Phenomena (1985)
Starring Jennifer Connelly & Donald Pleasance
111 mins; R18+; DVD/VHS
Phenomena began a remarkable change for Dario Argento for the definite worse – the creator of intelligent gialli and artsy exploitation films had descended into the realms of mediocrity and would only experience something of a revival in the 2000s. Phenomena sportsArgento’s most star-studded cast and has Jennifer Connelly (fresh off Sergio Leone’s gangster opus Once Upon a Time in America) in the lead role. Connelly plays Jennifer, the daughter of a famous film producer sent to a strict all-girl boarding school nestled in the alps of Switzerland. There, Jennifer meets a wheelchair-bound etymologist (Pleasance) and discovers she can communicate with insects. And, as with every Argento film, there’s a demented serial killer stalking the young women and it is Jennifer’s gift that enables her to live through the blood-drenched nights.
The main gripe I have with Phenomena is that it is just so stupid – Argento’s script is cheesier than a Camembert factory and there are some truly moronic set pieces – the world as viewed by a fly and a razor-wielding chimpanzee, to name a few. The soundtrack, helmed by Bill Wyman, Motorhead, Iron Maiden and Goblin is the best thing about the film and manages to set up a great atmosphere. The acting is a mixed bag – Connelly and Pleasance are typically good, but the supporting cast (including Daria Nicoladi) are laughable. And what’s with the insects? Endlessly weird, but manages to stay on the right side of dumb. 6/10
Note: Beware the alternate version of Phenomena titled Creepers, which has both censorship and continuity cuts amounting to almost half-an-hour.
Once Upon A Time In America (1983)
Directed by Sergio Leone
Starring Robert DeNiro & James Woods
220 mins; M; DVD/VHS
Arguably better than the spaghetti Westerns he is most famous for,
Sergio Leone signed off with a flourish with the episodic Once Upon A Time In America. Sadly, Leone died during post-production and it remains his most serious and relevant picture.
Once Upon A Time in America tracks the life of two partners-in-crime – Noodles (DeNiro) and Max (Woods), two Jewish gangsters growing up in Prohibition era New York. The narrative is seen through the eyes of Noodles in the late 60s as he lounges about reminiscently in an opium den. Noodles and Max’s beginnings in crime are petty and amusing, ranging from blackmail (taking a photo of the local cop having sex with a minor) to roughing up the local Italian hoods. As time goes by, we see their exploits getting increasingly serious to the point where they become disgusted with themselves.
The film is nearly four hours long but there is not a moment where Leone seems to be straining – we are enraptured by a director who is truly a master of his craft and we are compelled all the way. The acting is magnificent and is bolstered by a great supporting cast, including Joe Pesci, Tuesday Weld, Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams and Jennifer Connelly. Ennio Morricone’s melancholic pan-flute score is amazing and aids the film’s ultimately downbeat mood. Once Upon A Time in America is an overlooked gangster classic and remains one of the most beautiful films ever made. 10/10
The Beyond (1980)
Directed by Lucio Fulci
Starring Katherine MacColl & Cinzia Monreale
89 mins; R18+; DVD/VHS
One of the most intelligent films of the Italian zombie cycle, The Beyond, directed by maestro Lucio Fulci, remains an Italian exploitation favourite. The film
begins in 1927, when a Satanist is crucified and melted with acid in the basement of a Louisiana hotel. Fast-forward fifty years and Lisa (MacColl) inherits the hotel but is oblivious to the increasingly weird goings-on of the place. When a professor is called in to inspect the hotel, he discovers it is one of the seven gates of Hell and, with a mysterious book called Eibon, the dead rise from the Earth.
The profound industry impact of The Beyond cannot be ignored – its clear where Sam Raimi got his ‘book of the dead’ idea for The Evil Dead in 1982 and Fulci’s surrealistic and uber-gory visions have been reused time and time again, but never quite emulating those in The Beyond quite so successfully. There is no doubt that The Beyond is by far Fulci’s most technically advanced film and it also contains the best performances of any of his actors. The violence and gore is also very well executed. However, The Beyond lacks the gleefulness of Fulci’s other films; sure, it’s well done, but it doesn’t have all the throat-ripping fun of Zombie or New York Ripper’s killer that sounds like a duck. Like Romero’s zombie quadrilogy, The Beyond takes its subject matter too seriously. However, it does make for a good night in, if for the gore than nothing else. After all, where else but a Fulci film can you see a mob of man-eating tarantulas or a young zombiefied girl get a shotgun blast to the head? 7/10
Starring Robert DeNiro & James Woods
220 mins; M; DVD/VHS
Arguably better than the spaghetti Westerns he is most famous for,
Sergio Leone signed off with a flourish with the episodic Once Upon A Time In America. Sadly, Leone died during post-production and it remains his most serious and relevant picture.Once Upon A Time in America tracks the life of two partners-in-crime – Noodles (DeNiro) and Max (Woods), two Jewish gangsters growing up in Prohibition era New York. The narrative is seen through the eyes of Noodles in the late 60s as he lounges about reminiscently in an opium den. Noodles and Max’s beginnings in crime are petty and amusing, ranging from blackmail (taking a photo of the local cop having sex with a minor) to roughing up the local Italian hoods. As time goes by, we see their exploits getting increasingly serious to the point where they become disgusted with themselves.
The film is nearly four hours long but there is not a moment where Leone seems to be straining – we are enraptured by a director who is truly a master of his craft and we are compelled all the way. The acting is magnificent and is bolstered by a great supporting cast, including Joe Pesci, Tuesday Weld, Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams and Jennifer Connelly. Ennio Morricone’s melancholic pan-flute score is amazing and aids the film’s ultimately downbeat mood. Once Upon A Time in America is an overlooked gangster classic and remains one of the most beautiful films ever made. 10/10
The Beyond (1980)
Directed by Lucio Fulci
Starring Katherine MacColl & Cinzia Monreale
89 mins; R18+; DVD/VHS
One of the most intelligent films of the Italian zombie cycle, The Beyond, directed by maestro Lucio Fulci, remains an Italian exploitation favourite. The film
begins in 1927, when a Satanist is crucified and melted with acid in the basement of a Louisiana hotel. Fast-forward fifty years and Lisa (MacColl) inherits the hotel but is oblivious to the increasingly weird goings-on of the place. When a professor is called in to inspect the hotel, he discovers it is one of the seven gates of Hell and, with a mysterious book called Eibon, the dead rise from the Earth.The profound industry impact of The Beyond cannot be ignored – its clear where Sam Raimi got his ‘book of the dead’ idea for The Evil Dead in 1982 and Fulci’s surrealistic and uber-gory visions have been reused time and time again, but never quite emulating those in The Beyond quite so successfully. There is no doubt that The Beyond is by far Fulci’s most technically advanced film and it also contains the best performances of any of his actors. The violence and gore is also very well executed. However, The Beyond lacks the gleefulness of Fulci’s other films; sure, it’s well done, but it doesn’t have all the throat-ripping fun of Zombie or New York Ripper’s killer that sounds like a duck. Like Romero’s zombie quadrilogy, The Beyond takes its subject matter too seriously. However, it does make for a good night in, if for the gore than nothing else. After all, where else but a Fulci film can you see a mob of man-eating tarantulas or a young zombiefied girl get a shotgun blast to the head? 7/10
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