Rating: Summary: The boogyman is real, and you found him! Review: There is no doubt in my mind that "House of 1000 Corpses" is the best heavy metal gore-fest existing today! What really makes this movie a must-see is how it purposefully forced a breath of fresh air upon Hollywood's stale horror genre; until this unbelievable film was unleashed in theatres (along with "Jeepers Creepers" and "May") the movie industry was churning out to the public an obscene number of boring, PG-13 teeny bopper thrillers. While paying homage to the shocking films created in the 1960's and 70's (such as "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Last House on the Left"), Rob Zombie managed to give "House" a hardcore millenium twist by having it intercut with garish photonegatives and rapid montages of topless porn stars, mutilated cadavers and snippets of campy black-and-white horror flicks (courtesy of Dr. Wolfenstein's Creature Feature Marathon). About 90% of the gritty home video footage was shot through a hand-held camera in Zombie's own basement! Also, since the plotline of this film is set on Halloween of 1977, no advanced computer effects were used; only split-screen cinematography and over-the-top gory makeup. Don't worry about the R-rated dialogue; although the script spews out a copious amount of foul language, the dialogue is still hilariously funny, as it is obviously intended to entertain fanatic audiences; please don't take the cuss words too seriously, folks. Combine the script and violence with larger-than-life characters and "House of 1000 Corpses" becomes a unique and unforgettable Halloween experience. Who wouldn't want to visit Captain Spaulding's Museum of Monsters & Madmen and sample a bag of tasty fried chicken? Would you dare enter the house of the Spiderfly family, whose psychotic obsessions with blood and dark rituals make the Manson family look like the Brady Bunch?! Warning: this flick contains decapitations, bondage, sadistic torture and a finale involving zombies, unorthodox brain surgery and a cult ritual of blood and fire. I am proud to say that I snatched this DVD off the shelf the day of its release, and the special features alone are worth the money. Why, you ask? After readapting their deviously devillish roles as Captain Spauding, Otis and Baby in the film, actors Sid Haig, Bill Moseley and Sherie Moon each host different sections of the DVD...and they talk DIRECTLY TO YOU! Sadly, no deleted scenes are included here, but if you carefully listen to Rob Zombie's director commentary, you may be given a few clues as to which footage was actually edited out. You will also learn a few interesting facts: Did you know Bill Moseley's favorite horror film is "Evil Dead 2?" Or how about the recent release of poseable "House" action figures? Better yet, kiddies, did you know that Rob Zombie originally intended to have Grandpa Hugo (Dennis Fimple - RIP) unveiled as the legendary Dr. Satan? Buy this movie and find out for yourself!
Rating: Summary: You've seen this before............. Review: From the very first scenes of this movie, I had a feeling of deja vu, a sense of "been here, done this". By the time the film was 15 minutes old, I had it-this is Rob Zombie's tribute to the Tobe Hooper low-budget shocker "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". The story lines parallel, the characters flowly seamlessly together, even the chain of events tie together well. In that sense, Zombie is not exactly sailing unknown waters.What IS different here is his cinematic sense. By using color filters, odd camera angles (as did Hooper), and just plain bizarre incidents, Zombie gives his viewers an almost uncomfortable, "bad-trip" feeling. At times it seems the entire film has jumped the tracks, only to bounce right back with a kind of hung-over, beat-up residue in your mind. The film is not without its moments, although like its predecessor "Chainsaw", the out-and-out gore at the end is hardly as effective as the claustrophobic, gripping terror during the initial scenes. Zombie also pays tribute to several true-life characters here, some of whom may not be known even to die-hard horror fans: Albert Fish, Ed Gein, et. al.
Rating: Summary: A perfect mixture of so many classic horror movies.. Review: ..but with a Rob Zombie twist. Take "Texas chainsaw massacre", "Night of the Living Dead", & "Natural Born Killers" put them in a blender and blend well. The movie is hypnotic and twisted, funny, spooky, psychotic, stylish, inventive, and over all insane. A group of nerdy teens (who appear to be near 30 in real life) stop off at a wacky gas station / haunted novelty store. Big mistake! After the psychotic clown who runs the place gives them a map, they pick up a strange female hitchhiker. They take her home and meet her estranged family. If their nightmare hasn't begun, it's about to. From here on out they are abused, tortured and much more. "HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES" is what you might expect from goth rocker Rob Zombie. I mean that in a good way, you get lots of humor in between the scares and thrills.
Rating: Summary: Cult Classic Review: When a group of teenagers get locked up in an old house with a bunch of physcotic people, they start being murdered in grisly fashion and there is no escape. What makes this movie so frightning is the imagiery and i thought that the last scene was so F*&! scary that i almost wet my pants. Overall this was a great movie, totally gory but its definatly a movie to watch in the dark on a rainy day if you want the crap to be scared out of you
Rating: Summary: Finally bought it! Review: After much anticipation...I rented Ho100c, a year ago. I was a bit disappointed. Now after a while. I purchased a copy for (...). I watched it again...and it was very impressive!! I cannot wait until The Devil's Rejects! Let's see a bit more blood and (...), Rob!!
Rating: Summary: Pretty Good Movie Review: Freaky, bazarre and total entertainment.
Check it out and enjoy the ride. Really cannot compare this movie to others. Pop the popcorn, take a seat and let the movie take over your soul.
Rating: Summary: Surprisingly Entertainign Horror Film. Review: Now while this film is cheesy and is a little bit of a cliche. I really did like it. I thought it rocked, OK. I really dig on Rob Zombies music, so I figured I would like his movie and I was right. It was funny and gory. Rob Zombie proved that not only can he sing, but he can write and direct a decent horror film. All of the cast is great, especially Zombies wife Sheri Moon. She is HOT!!!!!!!!!! She alone could make the film worth watching. The movie is about 4 teenagers traveling across the country who run into a family of sadistic killers which include
Baby (Moon), Otis (Bill Moseley of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2"), Mother Firefly (Karen Black), and Grandpa (the late Dennis Fimple). Eventually (and this is now a classic horror film cliche) everyone is killed off one by one. This is where Zombies imagination kicks in. If it is a horrible, dire way to die. Then it most likely happens in this film. Sid Haig adds some comic relief as Captain Spaulding. Spaulding runs Captains Spauldings Museum of Monsters & Mayhem...Fried Chicken & Gasoline. The main menu is hilarious. Just watch that before u watch the movei. I was laughing really hard. Look for the sequel "The Devils Rejects" later this year. B.
Rating: Summary: I Only Counted 999... Review: Rob Zombie, horror fanatic and rock and roll icon, has crafted a wacky tribute to all things weird and wonderful. HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES is his attempt at bringing his "every day should be halloween" vision to the screen. Like an unholy mixture of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Spider Baby, Natural Born Killers, and VH1's Surviving Nugent; H-O-1K-C is by no means a classic, but does have it's moments. I loved the beginning at Captain Spaulding's gas station / fried chicken stand / Murder and Madness Museum. Sid Haig (Spider Baby) made an excellent host of the ghoulish festivities. The Murder Ride was well done, like an animatronic tour of hell. We learn about the notorious Dr. Satan, who is ufortunately not used enough in the story. I'd watch a whole movie about his exploits! We meet the four dopey kids who will go on to the actual house itself, a spook-house loaded with twisted hillbillies and their victims (why is it always the rural folk??). This long section is fairly entertaining, yet somehow dull. Even while cheerleaders were being slaughtered, I found myself checking my watch! Lots of flash - very little fear. Even Karen Black (Trilogy Of Terror, Burnt Offerings, It's Alive 3) had a hard time spicing things up! Baby (Sherri Moon) wasn't bad, but was overused, while Tiny and the others just sort of lumbered about like extras. The final chapter, in the underground catacombs, is great and shows what the rest of the movie could have been. Sadly, it goes by too fast! I'm looking forward to Zombie's next feature, as few seem to have the appreciation for monsters (both human and inhuman) that he has. Hopefully, his next venture will be better...
Rating: Summary: A stylish haunted house ride Review: This movie can't really be appreciated by the youngsters who are looking for sheer gore. They won't understand the intent like we old fogies will. This movie is a fond look back at the horror styles of past decades. It's also a tour-de-force for Rob Zombie as he shows what he's capable of in cinematography. Frankly, I didn't know he had this much moviemaking talent in him.
Those of us who have aged to the point where good cinematic technique is much more important than sheer explicit gore will love this movie. It's loaded with great technique from start to finish. Some will say that Zombie was much too caught up with displaying technique to provide us with any real horror or suspense. I can understand this criticism. Some will say it doesn't have much of a plot. Watching these characters and situations, we get the feeling we've seen it all before. But that's the point! Some may call this a derivative rip-off of the old horror B movies, while others will call it a loving tribute to them. I'm definitely with the tribute crowd. I grew up with those old movies, just like Zombie did. He's honoring them, even as he's showing off his own moviemaking abilities. There's very little explicit gore in this movie. It doesn't live up to it's tag line, just as the old B movies didn't. Horror is portrayed more through the dandy retro props and scenery. Technique is what mattered here, and this movie is overflowing with it.
Let me acknowledge the crew. The movie's editors deserve lots of credit for making Zombie's stylishness come through so effectively. The casting was great all around. Sid Haig and Bill Moseley were given a script that let them chew up the scenery, to great affect. So Sheri Moon is Zombie's wife? Boy, am I jealous! And that Karen Black--what an ageless beauty!
So many great old horror B movies flashed through my mind as I watched this. Zombie blended the styles of the various decades' movies artfully. The creators of those old movies are looking down from horror movie heaven and smiling. Don't worry about the lack of an original plot or suspense here. The predictableness was all part of what Zombie had set out to accomplish. He let his stylish technique shine forth brilliantly. I'm sure the substance, horror and suspense you're looking for will be seen in his later movies. We have much to look forward to.
Rating: Summary: Starts Good, But Kind Of Gets Boring Review: the plot is simple: rob zombie rips off texas chainsaw massacre. but since some of you may not make the connection, here's robs script version:
some highway venturing kids along the halloween holiday stop by to get gas at a kooky circus/gas station/chicken place, become interested in the legend of doctor satan (which is told there on a ride), get directions to one of the places that may hold some truths about the myth, pick up a hitch-hiker on the way, which brings them to an old redneck house where cannibalistic hillbillies slaughter them.
of course, theres a few more bumps on this twisted ride of a movie, but its nothing worth wasting my typing hands on. thats the story. and what do we get? torture and murder with a good sense of humor. but once the killing really gets going, i found it a little bit of another cliche horror/slasher film. this is one of those movies that has no interesting plot line, but tries to make up for it in gore, whacky violence, foul language, and nudity/sex. and what a fine job it does! but once the movie hit a certain point, i found it quite boring. this film doesn't really have any clever touches to it, but it will still give us plenty of instructions and demonstrations on how to kill ruthlessly. what a wonderful thing; this is the type of lovely crap that the kids are growing up on today. hell, it'll be a bright future for america! anyway. the point is, even though i like rob zombie and this is beyond your average massive slasher film, it doesn't do anything special for film lovers. this has been done too many times, and i'll just warn you that you can't expect anything different or special. while this film can give you more sadism than any human being could ever do or get away with, it lacks anything that will stay with you. its pretty much mindless. but i'll tip my hat to rob zombie for putting this slay-fest out and giving us some refreshing twisted humor. yet my first time viewing this will most likely be my last.
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