Customer Reviews

The Devil's Rejects [UMD for PSP]

5 star:		(165)
4 star:		(69)
3 star:		(32)
2 star:		(24)
1 star:		(58)

 

 

Devil's Rejects is amongst my favorite films, for it's great mix of humor, action/violence/gore, and character development. Most people looking at this review already know all about this movie.

The Picture on this movie doesn't seem to be all that much of an improvement. I've seen VAST differences on Blu-Rays vs DVD (Unforgiven especially!!!), and this movie just doesn't seem to have all that much extra when watching it in Hi-Def.

There are no new special features in this release, so if you already own this title on DVD, I would advise against upgrading like I did.

It's the 1970s all over again. If you're obsessed with the 1970s, like me, especially 70s drive-in classics, like me, The Devil's Rejects is a must-see. It's probably the closest thing to a 70s drive-in horror flick that's been made since the 70s. This is either a good or bad thing depending on your perspective. If you hate tasteless, gory, low-budget B-movies, then you would do well to skip The Devil's Rejects. If, however, you are passionate about Ford Administration-era low-budget flicks, then don't hesitate: see this movie.

The Devil's Rejects is Rob Zombie's spin-off/sequel to his 2003 directorial debut, House of 1000 Corpses. That film was famously dumped by its distributor, Universal Studios, and then picked up by Lion's Gate. Then upon release it was scathed by critics, but not surprisingly, managed to connect with a cult audience. Personally I found it to be the most sensational, joyous horror film I had seen in ages. It reveled in its depravity and had the ability to be both hilarious and disturbing at the same time. The Devil's Rejects is up the same alley. Not as much of a horror movie as its predecessor, The Devil's Rejects is more of an action-horror-road movie. It looks like a 30-year-old drive-in movie. If you didn't know any better, you could swear that it was filmed on a shoestring budget in the late '70s. It captures that feel extraordinarily well. The movie gets it down from the start and never strays from it, right down to the soundtrack. The first song that you hear in the movie is The Allman Brothers Band classic "Midnight Rider". The soundtrack also features Joe Walsh, Terry Reid, James Gang, Elvin Bishop, Otis Rush, etc. Not to mention a very memorable use of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird".

If House of 1000 Corpses was Rob Zombie's homage to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Devil's Rejects seems almost like an homage to Tobe Hooper's 1986 sequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. The similarities are certainly there. William Forsythe's Sheriff Wydell is not far from Dennis Hopper's Lieutenant Lefty Enright, who maniacally pursues the family of killers to exact his revenge. The whole film reeks of Tobe Hooper worship (but not in a bad way).

The Tobe Hooper element is certainly there, but another director sprang to mind as I was watching the film. The Devil's Rejects is almost like the horror equivalent of Kill Bill, Quentin Tarantino's retro-martial arts-spaghetti western masterpiece. Upon seeing the film a second time, I was reminded of the work of yet another director: Sam Peckinpah. I don't know if Rob Zombie was directly influenced by Peckinpah (it's certainly likely), but all thoughout The Devil's Rejects I was reminded of films like The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs and The Getaway. The first time I saw it, all I really thought of was Tobe Hooper, however I now see that The Devil's Rejects may be a bit of a Peckinpah homage as well. This certainly gives the film an element of style and class to contrast the otherwise trashy material.

Rob Zombie, just like Quentin Tarantino, is passionate about this genre of film and tries to make the ultimate drive-in homage. Just look at the roster of horror film veterans that Zombie assembled: Ken Foree, P.J. Soles, Mary Waronov, Michael Berryman, and Steve Railsback. If you know who any of these people are, then you are definitely part of the target audience for this film. Not to mention Sid Haig and Bill Moseley returning from House of 1000 Corpses.

Ahh, yes... Sid Haig and Bill Moseley. This movie absolutely belongs to them!! Haig and Moseley own the screen! These two actors alone make the film a must-see. They are awesome! If you liked Sid Haig's Captain Spaulding character from the first film, you will be delighted to know that he plays a much bigger part in this one. Sid Haig is a devilish delight as the mad clown, Captain Spaulding. Bill Moseley simply rules as Otis! He is a bad M.F. These two awesome performances carry the movie. Also worth mentioning is William Forsythe who is excellent as Sheriff Wydell, the obsessed lawman who is trying to track down Captain Spaulding and his cohorts. Next to Sid Haig and Bill Moseley, Forsythe gives one of the best performances in the movie. However, I really miss Karen Black as Mother Firefly. Not to say that Leslie Easterbrook isn't good in the role, but I think she goes a bit over the top. Karen Black would have brought a graceful sensuality to the character, and probably a bit of restraint.

So, is The Devil's Rejects a good movie? Well, that's not an easy question. The short answer is probably "no, it's not". By the conventional definition, it would probably not be labeled a cinematic triumph. However, Rob Zombie does a fine job directing and his dialog is deliciously profane. For those who like this sort of thing, the movie is a blast. Finally, allow me to state a blunt warning: If you are looking for a good, scary horror movie, The Devil's Rejects is probably not what you're looking for. If you like horror movies like The Ring and The Grudge, The Devil's Rejects is DEFINITELY not what you're looking for. Simply put, if you like modern horror movies a lot, you will probably not like The Devil's Rejects. On the other hand if you recognize Ken Foree from his roles in George Romero's Dawn of the Dead and Stuart Gordon's From Beyond, and you know Michael Berryman as the "freaky-looking guy" from The Hills Have Eyes, then yes, The Devil's Rejects is certainly for you. If you treasure your copy of VideoHound's "Cult Flicks and Trash Pics", then yes, this is for you. If you're not too squeamish, you'll probably have a bloody good time.

The Devil's Rejects, Rob Zombie's follow up to his surprise hit House of 1000 Corpses, is one of the few horror sequels that manages to not only live up to the original, but it also manages to surpass it. Influenced by the classic exploitation/horror films of years past (Last House on the Left, the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Zombie has given the Devil's Rejects a much grittier look than his last film, as the story picks up with the homicidal Firefly family on the run from the law. Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig), Otis (Bill Moseley), and Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie) are on the lam from a revenge driven and slightly deranged sheriff (William Forsythe) who plans to give the killers a taste of their own medicine. Along the way, the trio adds more to the body count, resulting in a climactic bloody showdown that is surprisingly well weaved. While it doesn't necessarily offer anything new to the horror genre, it doesn't try to, and the cast that Rob Zombie has assembled here does great work. Haig walks the line between frightening and hilarious as the clown faced Captain Spaulding, while Moseley is less over the top this time around as Otis, but he is all the more subdued and terrifying. Leslie Easterbrook (replacing Karen Black) as Mama Firefly is a bit overacted, while Moon is once again seductively scary as Baby, while Forsythe almost steals the entire movie. Zombie has again assembled a supporting cast of older horror film and cult favorites, including the original Dawn of the Dead's Ken Foree, Hills Have Eyes icon Michael Berryman, Danny Trejo, PJ Soles, Priscilla Barnes, Steve Railsback, and former pro wrestler Diamond Dallas Paige; most of which are pretty memorable. Pushing the limits of it's R rating, the Devil's Rejects is not for the faint hearted, and while it may drag a bit towards the end (you are guaranteed to never listen to "Freebird" the same way again), this is a real treat for older horror fans looking for a film that recaptures the unpredictability and tension of the genre.

In a film world overrun with "torture cinema," Rob Zombie's "The Devil's Rejects" both embraces this current trend and hearkens back to a more innocent time--the exploitation era of the seventies where films of this type found underground success. Following up the chaotic, and not very satisfying, "House of 1000 Corpses"--"The Devil's Rejects" continues the saga of the murderous Firefly clan. But where "House" was an amped-up, kaleidoscopic music video of carnage and macabre humor with no particular plot--at least "Rejects" has Zombie embracing aspects of legitimate film technique and story telling narrative. Much more accomplished than its predecessor, however, doesn't make it much more entertaining. To be clear, I am not one who thinks that violence in films is the end of our society. I have embraced many films within this genre for various reasons, I just happen to think "The Devil's Rejects" commits the greatest sin of all--it creates no suspense.

The film's plot, as if it matters, revolves around the Firefly family as previously mentioned. Their home, and the site of countless previous murders, is raided by the police in the film's opening moments. A close knit group, to be sure (especially for psychopaths), brother Otis and sister Baby escape and arrange to meet up with their father Captain Spaulding who runs around like a maniacal clown. First stopping at a desolate motel to murder and torture at random, and later moving on to a house of ill repute--mayhem follows this wacky bunch! Hot on their trail, however, is Sheriff Wydell--who has a personal agenda of his own.

I credit Zombie for effectively recreating the gritty feeling of a seventies exploitation flick. The setting and mood are spot-on. I, also, enjoyed some of the cameos from a roster of forgotten or B-movie stars that populate the picture. I think there was fun to be had here--I just didn't have it. The humor fell flat, the brutality felt familiar, and the lack of dramatic tension left me feeling nothing. A film of this type needs to generate suspense to be successful and through all the bloodlust, nothing approximating real emotional consequence evolved until the film's ending. I credit William Forsythe, as the sheriff, for this last minute reprieve of excitement. His performance hits all the right notes in an over-the-top spectacle of madness and revenge.

This endgame, only the final 20 minutes of the film, really does ramp up the tension. The sadistic retribution and raw power within this segment is so much more satisfying than anything that has preceded it--for the first time, the film connects at a visceral and emotional level. But, alas, it's too late to salvage the picture. A 4 star ending on a 1 star movie--I can only round up the overall score to 2. I know that this film has its admirers, I just didn't see anything particularly new. But more critical was the sense of apathy I had throughout--who knew that vicious serial killing could be so flat and uninvolving? KGHarris, 03/07

You would think that killing plus Rob Zombie, plus cool music, plus lots of long greasy hair, plus funky clothing and unshowered bodies, plus blood guts and gore would equal a pretty cool movie but in this case, it just equals a stinker!

The movie looks cool but it has NO PLOT! Sure, old slasher movies are violent (and had cheesy effects and didn't look as good) but they had more story and they were scary. This movie wasn't scary, suspenseful or eerie, it was just violent and relied so much on shock value that it failed to be shocking after a while. I would tell you fine readers more about the story but there isn't much to tell. Psychotic and sadistic killers go on a killing spree, there is lots of cool music and it's filmed like a music video, the end. Now maybe you won't have to waste your time watching it!

I thought the ending fell flat and I just didn't care what happened to any of the characters. I am all for gore and violence but please, Rob (though you are awesome and talented) next time make it have a point! Personally I think Rob Zombie needs to stick to music and leave acting and screenwriting to people who can actually act and write. I might have liked this if it had more 'meat' to the story, I felt something was missing.

I know a lot of people liked this movie and I will say it has some visual elements which are pretty cool so I did give it an extra star for ambiance and appearance. It also had a fast pace and that was good. It wasn't my thing but if you like senseless killing, tons of gore and don't care about the lack of story, you might like this.

Just so you guys won't think I don't like anything...I should have written this review earlier, but I didn't get my "director's cut" of Rob Zombie's "The Devil's Rejects" until Christmas and, well, I've had pencils to sharpen.

"The Devil's Rejects" is Rob Zombie's sequel to his debut directorial of "House of 1000 Corpses". I have to say I enjoyed this film much more than the first one. This story picks up where the first one ended. Sheriff Tom Wydell and his deputies are going to bring justice on the Firefly family to avenge his brother's death, which was meted out by the Firefly family in the first film. The Firefly family members, i.e. Otis, Baby, Mamma, and Captain Spaulding, are people you don't want to share a cup of joe with. Sheriff Wydell, played as over-the-top as you can get (but still very enjoyabale) by William Forsythe, sees himself and the rest of his deputies as people on a mission from God to bring the Firefly family to justice--his justice, that is. Sherry Moon Zombie, Rob's wife, is as vicious as they come as "Baby", and Bill Moseley, (he of "Chop-Top" fame in Texas Chainsaw Massacre II) plays Otis. I will not go into any great detail about the movie because you need to see it for yourself. All of the actors in this movie give amazing performances and the SOUNDTRACK is unbelievable.

However, I will STRONGLY CAUTION that this movie is NOT suitable for pre-teens or early teens. It is extremely vicious and violent, and there is one scene that made me so uncomfortable that I thought about leaving the room until it was over. You may ask yourself why I would give this movie a great review. I would answer by simply saying this movie is what it is. The character Otis sums it all up with this simple sentence: "I am the devil and I'm here to do the devil's work." This isn't some dark movie with hidden meanings and everything you see isn't a metaphor.

The movie is available in both R and Uncut editions. The only difference that I found in the two (the theatrical version was rated R)was there seems to be more blood in the unrated version. I highly recommend this one.

I may be going out on a limb here, but to me Rob Zombie's "The Devil's Rejects" is one of the all-time great horror movies. It is, of course, the sequel to his "House of 1000 Corpses"; but it's much more than merely a sequel; and much better. The setting and camera techniques are less surreal than its predecessor; but the plot more than makes up for that lack. Where "House of 1000 Corpses" is little more than a series of gruesome tortures and grisly murders held together by the diabolical force of the Firefly family's insatiable lust for blood, "The Devil's Rejects" quickly becomes a struggle for survival, not merely by the family's victims but by the family itself. Sheriff Wydell (William Forsythe), whose brother the family had murdered in "House of 1000 Corpses," is more than a match for the band of cunning cutthroats, as he marshals not only a virtual army of law enforcement agents but also a couple of very shady characters. Right from the start it becomes clear that the Fireflys are doomed; it's just a matter of time.

The family slowly falls apart under Sheriff Wydell's inexorable onslaught. This shows most clearly in Leslie Easterbrook's depiction of Mother Firefly - the only member of the family actually taken into custody. When she loses her freedom, she loses all her surface charm and sensuality (as depicted by Karen Black in the prequel); this loss of freedom, and with it the horror of restraint, reduces her to a banshee completely out of control. Similarly, each of the other members of the Firefly family come to lose their particular veneer of social grace when faced with the unexpected. Otis (Bill Moseley) loses his faux intellectual exterior when his captives turn on him and try to subdue him; he becomes a raging maniac extracting horrible vengeance. It's as if in refusing to play by his rules these captives pose an existential threat not just to him but to the very order of things. So, too, does Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie) lose her facade of childlike naivete when her two captives try to stand up to her; and Captain Spaulding, the Clown (Sid Haig) vacates his facade of humor to reveal a hideously snarling monster. The entire family's loss of social veneer follows directly from Sheriff Wydell's abandonment of his role as a man of the law to assume the role of an avenging angel; ironically, something remarkable happens as Wydell becomes more blood thirsty and as his noose draws closer around the family: they drop all facades, even their maniacal facade, to become, simply, human beings on the run.

There are elements of "The Devil's Rejects" almost eerily reminiscent of other movies - and not all horror movies. As noted frequently, there's a strong strain of Tobe Hooper's "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2," as well as Wes Craven's "The Hills Have Eyes." But there are also similarities to "Thelma and Louise" - not just in the endless southwest landscape but in the family's attempt to escape as well. And there's some similarity to "Bonnie and Clyde." Other reviewers have mentioned Sam Peckinpau's "The Wild Bunch" - but since I haven't seen that movie yet, I can't comment on it. And there's even a scene reminiscent of the Coen brothers' "Fargo" - not the wood chopper scene, but the scene where the kidnap victim leaps from the bathtub with her head completely covered by the shower curtain and runs blindly to the stairs.

But by far the most extraordinary thing that happens in this great movie - and happens as a result of the Firefly family's burgeoning humanity - is the growing sense of empathy with them - a sense heightened by Rob Zombie's inclusion of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" at just the perfect time, near the end, to tie all the elements driving the family's murderous frenzy together with their almost supernatural horror of any kind of restraint. They crave total, absolute freedom. And the trail of blood left behind is the price of absolute freedom.

I was not a fan of House of 1,000 Corpses, but I appreciated Rob Zombie's directorial debut and what he was attempting to achieve with his first film. The film lacked finesse - there's an art to even bad horror films and a fine line between an homage and ineptitude. Zombie had lots of great ideas but they simply didn't gel on screen.

All is forgiven with The Devil's Rejects. Zombie wisely dumps the Dr. Satan angle (whose appearance was the film's "jump the chainsaw" moment) and instead focuses on creating a movie that's focused, violent, vile, and lyrical all at the same time. It's a 70s homage, complete with grainy film and little makeup. By firmly placing his film in the 70s, unlike the first which could have happened anywhere, Zombie brings surprising freshness to the standard inbred family of serial killers. In a twist that determines much of the film's narrative, the Firefly clan gets exactly what it deserves. Or does it?

See, The Devil's Rejects is a road trip movie about a bunch of free spirits who do whatever they want to whomever they want whenever they want. Only in the counterculture 70s could this message seem appealing as our anti-heroes fight The Man. And The Man comes aknockin' with machineguns and body armor led by the maniacal Sheriff Wydell (William Forsythe). Wydell spirals madness in his quest to avenge the death of his brother, Lieutenant George Wydell, murdered in the first film. All pretenses of justice are cast aside as he hires mercenaries to track the Firefly clan, uses torture to elicit confessions, and even resorts to the murder of a helpless woman. The real villain, says director and producer Zombie, is any one of us if we're pushed too far.

But you might have a different interpretation. Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) is a disgusting clown who isn't above robbing mothers and terrorizing children. Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie, who doesn't laugh at all in this movie, a wise move) is a tease who uses her looks to lure men to their deaths. Otis B. Driftwood (Bill Moseley) is an unrepentant serial killer who skins men alive. Collectively, these three helped kill over a thousand people. They are bad people meeting a bad end, and though Wydell's methods are hardly lawful, they are most certainly just.

And therein lay Zombie's genius. By the end of the film Spaulding, Baby, and Otis have been beaten, tortured, and harassed. When Otis has nails hammered through his palms, is he the Devil thrashing in hell or a Christ-like figure suffering his way towards redemption? Should we be rooting for the bad guys, the way we root for Freddy and Jason? Or should we be condemning them to the same kinds of tortures that the Firefly clan inflicted on their victims? How vicious a punishment must be inflicted before it's considered just?

Zombie gives no answers. He simply sends three serial killers to their logical end with dignity they might not deserve. And along the way you can't help but admire Zombie's artistry in creating a tale that, no matter which side you come down on, keeps you watching right until the last shot is fired.

This is a really nasty movie! I can not believe that I liked it. I don't know why, it is just so wacked, I could not believe what I was seeing. If you like twisted horror this is for you. The DVD transfer is good and there are some extras.

Though main characters from "House of 1000 Corpses" re-appear, it may not be exactly right to call "The Devil's Rejects' a sequel. True, "The Devil's Rejects" is extremely gory and violent, but the film's entire tone gets less jokey and more nihilistic, closer to that of new American films made in late 60s and early 70s before such as "Bonnie and Clyde" and "Straw Dogs."

Am I taking the film too seriously? Maybe or maybe not. Whatever the truths may be, it is true that writer / director Rob Zombie improved his skills. Beware, however, that his improved skills include several torture scenes and killings that will be disgusting to some. Body counts rise steadily up until its ending and so is the cruelty of the characters.

The story has not much to tell. Even fans of the film would admit that it is predictable and formulaic. The house of Captain Spaulding and his family is raided by policemen led by Sheriff John Quincy Wydell (William Forsythe). Two escape, but one is captured. The escapees start another killing spree before the final confrontation with the sheriff who prefers to exact vigilante type 'justice' by outdoing what the family had been doing.

The acting of the killing family is all in all good - good, I mean, in playing the nastiest and most sadistic characters in a frightening way - but it must be admitted that they are all outshined by underrated William Forsythe doing over-the-top acting which is fun to see. Fun is, I must add, of unique kind.

Viewers would find the film too bloody and sick, but some of them would love it for that reason. I was fascinated with Rob Zombie's skills to make relentlessly violent scenes about the relentlessly depraved people, and his homage to the 70s films, using the minimum-scale sets, road movie formula, hand-held camera, soundtrack music and so on. Lots of cameos include Michael Berryman. What else do you expect?

If you ask me whether I would see "The Devil Rejects" again or recommend to others, my answer would be probably No. But the watch was fascinating, and I couldn't stop watching it. But I am not sure you will find it the same way.