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My best buddy, Chuck, and I have always had a love for bad horror movies. We used to rent three or four at a time and have marathon viewing sessions. We viewed such classics as Sorority Babes in the Slime-Ball Bowl-O-Rama, Blood Feast, and The Invisible Maniac as if they were Citizen Kane. Times have changed and we don't get to sit down for these marathon horror movie sessions like we used to, but that hasn't deflamed our love for B-Horror cinema.
Enter Rob Zombie.
House of 1000 Corpses has no big name stars. The biggest star in the film is Karen Black. Ever heard of her? Well, if you have seen some bad horror, you would know who she is. The shit-eyed queen of the genre, she is! That makes the suspense of this film that much greater. Usually, with horror films, you know that the biggest star of the film is not going to get picked off until the end of the movie, if at all. With a lack of star power, you never know. As a matter of fact, one of the characters I suspected would be around till the end of the film ended up getting picked off early. That's a beautiful thing.
The plot of this film is simple: Two couples go out looking for off-beat roadside attractions to document for an upcoming book that the two alpha males, Gerry & Karl, are writing. Their first stop is a part gas station/part horror museum/part chicken shack called Captain Spaulding's (Sid Haig). Spaulding is a carnival barker of sorts, painted up like a demented clown and cursing like a drunken sailor. He is the funniest character of the film. Part of the museum is the Murder Ride. In this ride, set up like the Disney's Haunted Mansion, only low-fi and graphic, the Captain tells graphic tails of famous serial killers such as Ed Gein and valiantly attempts to creep out the rider.
One story that he tells is the story of the mysterious Dr. Satan, who surgically mutates his victims, but has never been caught. This killer is a local legend and his victims disappeared just right down the road from the old gas horror chicken shack. Gerry and Karl are all for it, but their dates are not!
A torrential rainstorm begins and while trying to track down the legend of Dr. Satan, they see a beautiful hitchhiker named Baby (the beautiful Sheri Moon, Zombie's girlfriend) who is going their way. While taking her home, a man in the bushes shoots out one of their tires. They walk the rest of the way to her incredibly bizarre and incredibly creepy house. There, they meet her family that consists of the crazy whore-like mother (Black), an off-the-rocker Grandpa, a freakishly large brother named Tiny, whose face was disfigured in a fire, and a crazy, cult-leader with the worst possible hairline. They hang out with this band of merry freaks while their car is being repaired by another brother who sports a bear skin, complete with head (aka the guy who shot out the tire).
A little at a time, the couples are exposed to strange rituals, witchcraft, babies in jars, you name it. After dinner, Grandpa gives a hilarious stand-up routine, complete with woman-like screams and middle fingers flying and then Baby then puts on a bizarre lip-synch exhibition where she mouths "I Wanna Be Loved By You", painted in white face. This is cut short when it's revealed that the car is done.
As they attempt to leave, things go awry and they end up right back at the house. This time as prisoners, not guests. That's when the real horror begins.
There's not much more I want to give away about this film. There is a series of bizarre and grotesque murders that accompany these characters. The R-Rated version of this film was gross, but it didn't mirror the hype that surrounded it. Perhaps, a deluxe DVD version will help us out. That's not to say it wasn't gross, cause it was. Zombie is definitely a fan of the genre, as he incorporated a number of elements of past horror films, especially The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, into the story. He also incorporated his visual style into the film. Quick, frenetic editing captures the essence of the film, as you see images of surgery, strippers, murders, religious zealots, Satanic rituals, etc, woven between scenes in the film. His use of music was exceptional as well, incorporating deep country cuts from Buck Owens and Slim Whitman to a classic Ramones track and Zombie's own music. It makes for a really fun visual and aural experience. I immensly loved watching this film.
The performances were great as well. Sid Haig stole the film for me. His redneck clown creep was a classic Horror performance. Black was her usual awesome self. Moon was sensual and scary at the same time. She stirs some strong emotions in this red-blooded American boy.
What I didn't care for was the direction that the film took at the end of the film. It went from taking a somewhat realistic situation (being kidnapped and tortured by redneck maniacs, something I am sure happens a lot in America, just no one talks about it. Ever been to Alabama?) to going in a very surreal, ridiculous direction. I didn't get it and I think it hurt the film in the long run. I left scratching my head. I wish it could have stayed with the theme of the film instead of heading off on a competely different route.
I'd say wait for video on this one. Save your money for a possible director's cut on DVD. I would be game for that, though I still won't like the ending.
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