Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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71 of 85 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE BOOGYMAN IS REAL, AND YOU FOUND HIM!!, August 16, 2003
I snatched this DVD off the shelf the day of its release, and for good reason. "House of 1000 Corpses" is absolutely the greatest grisly horror film I've ever seen! Watching the movie in its original theatrical premiere gave me the thrills and chills, and I don't even listen to any of Rob Zombie's music. What makes this film quite excellent is that it has finally reawakened the celluloid corpse of the horror genre; before this, Hollywood has churned out an obscene number of dull PG-13 teeny bopper flicks, including "Scream" and "I Know What you Did Last Summer." While paying homage to the low-budget shockfests of the 1960's and 70's, Zombie gives "House" a post-millenium twist with acidic photo negativity and twisted montages incorporating topless strippers, mutilated cadavers and snippets from campy black-and-white monster movies (provided by Dr. Wolfenstein's Creature Feature Marathon). Rob Zombie himself commented that a majority of "House's" gritty home video footage was shot through a hand-held camera in parts of Zombie's own basement! Also notice how NO high-tech computer effects were used; because "House" is set in the rural American South in 1977, the makers intended to stay true to that period (not to mention achieve realistic gore without overspending the budget). And of course the larger-than-life characters of "House of 1000 Corpses" are just as memorable as those in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." In fact, in the DVD's featurette, Sig Haig happily confessed how he would like to see this film presented in any tiny theatre where audiences can yell back at the screen! Who wouldn't love to visit Captain Spaulding's Museum of Monsters and Madman and sample a bag of tasty fried chicken? Would you dare purchase a ticket to the scary Murder Ride and learn the legend of Dr. Satan? Or how about the psychotic Spiderfly family, who light up the flickering candles on Halloween night and fiendishly participate in a gruesome celebration (one in which cheerleaders are gagged, tied up and tortured)? Better yet, when was the last time a cinema fanatic witnessed a cult ritual of blood and fire, dedicated to the famous Dr. Satan himself?! Although I enjoy watching this film from beginning to end, I do have a few favorite moments. The first that immediately comes in my head is none other than the creepy Murder Ride, complete with cross-shaped tombstones, animatronic zombies and the awesome Captain telling the tragic tales of real-life serial murderers, molesters and cannibals (most notably Ed Gein, the notorious killer whose farmhouse was borrowed for "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.") I love the part when Baby (Sherie Moon) struts her way to the stage in her glittering evening gown, lip-synching to "I Wanna Be Loved by You" like a cute Hollywood starlet. Such bizarre charm! Yet another moment that stands out in my mind is when the sadistic Otis (Bill Moseley) lops off a victim's right hand with an axe...all while the funky Commodore's hit "She's a Brick House" blares on the radio! Mother Firefly (played by the voluptuous Karen Black) sort of reminds me of a blond, venomous Sharon Osbourne from the South!
You kiddies will be happy to know that actors Sid Haig, Sherie Moon AND Bill Moseley actually host the different menus on the DVD; after returning to their delightfully creepy roles in the film, they each provide color commentary DIRECTLY TO YOU! Unfortunately, the list of extras DOES NOT include any hardcore deleted scenes, but if you carefully listen to Zombie's commentary, you might get just a hint as to which kind of footage was edited out. The interviews segment is quite interesting to watch too. I think I like the part when Sid Haig (clown greasepaint and all) chose "House of Wax" as his most favorite horror movie. Each interview even unveils a brand new character action figure!
I can hardly wait to see what Rob Zombie has in store for us in the future, when he prepares to unleash an even more violent sequel! RIP Dennis Fimple.
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Zombie Delivers, April 19, 2003
I went into this movie expecting to see a fun-filled throwback to the classic drive-in slasher movies of the 70's and that is exactly what i got. This movie was awesome. Unwanted by two major studios, Lion's Gate gave Rob Zombie the chance of a lifetime. He wasn't trying to make the most amazing horor film of all time, he was trying to pay tribute to classics such as: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Last House on the Left, and The Hills Have Eyes. Taking a classic plot: a group of kids is stranded in the middle of nowhere, onlt to be terrorized and brutalized by the family from hell, he twists it into a fun-filled nightmare. The family in this movie is one of the funiest and most terrifying families you will ever see on film. This family lures unsuspecting passers-by with the youngest member of the family (played by Zombie's real life girlfriend) and then proceeds to torture, eviscerate, sodomize and do just about everything you can to someone. The actors delivered as well. Sid Haig is hilarious as the foul-mouthed Captain Spaulding. The acting is corny, as well as it should be. Some might get bored after the hilarious opening scene. The first two thirds of the movie introduce the characters and the disgusting family. The final one third of the movie is a terrifying nightmare that morphs from a gore-filled slasher film to a science fiction acid trip. The ending might make some mad, but I found it fitting to the whole plot. I had heard a lot of hype saying how violent this film was. It is to a point. I am a gore hound so I din't find this as violent as Dead Alive or Cannibal Ferox(One of the sickest movies of all time) and the r rating takes a good chunk of the film away from the viewer. I can't wait for an unrated director's cut to be released
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33 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Breath Of Fresh Air, April 28, 2003
I'm not a big fan of Rob Zombie's music, but I've always admired the man's taste in horror films. At a concert I saw, he showed scenes from Fulci films and such on his big screen, and I thought that was the coolest part of the concert. Well, for his first film, he certainly tried to make it all he could. If you're looking for another I Know What You Did Last Summer, you'd better hightail it outta the theater, coz Zombie has made the kind of film that he enjoys; The kind of gruesome, schlocky film that us horror fanatics have grown up with and loved. Because of this, many people just aren't gonna like this film, but that's okay, coz I'm sure Zombie himself knows that this movie is going to appeal only to a certain crowd of people: People like him.....and myself. There's no message, no moral play, no real scares for that matter. The movie's just messed up and gruesome. It's got a great cast. Zombie didn't take the easy route and rely on young, fresh star power for the film's success. He uses veteran, cult horror actors like Sid Haig, Karen Black and Bill Moseley(and if you don't know who they are, shame on you!). The plot "borrows" very heavily from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre films(Part 2 had Bill Moseley in pretty much the same role, only crazier!) and Spiderbaby(which had Sid Haig). Zombie had to compromise to get this picture out by cutting out many scenes deemed too gruesome and disturbing for our fragile little minds. This would have awarded him an NC-17 rating-THE TRUE MOVIE KILLER. Well, I went to see the trimmed version to support Zombie and hopefully get him some cash back to release the version he wants on dvd. Plus, I wanted a taste of what the film was gonna be like. I'm not sure if it was as good as everything I've read in the last few years, but I really admire the ballsy move of making this, knowing he was going to have alot of people saying, "Boy, that was terrible!" My only complaint is the little artsy touches he throws in, in the form of Oliver Stone-esque flashes of stock footage and grainy 16mm film. It looks too much like he's trying to make a rock video or he's trying out all the cool little toys on his camera. That's a small complaint though, and you get used to it pretty fast. So, if you wanna experience a cinematic time warp that'll take make you feel like you're back at the drive-in or your local run down/small/yucky/sticky/bad acoustics theater(the kind you could actually smoke in, GOD FORBID), House Of 1000 Corpses is the best real horror flick to come along in a long time......and I doubt we'll see one like this again for quite some time. So, get off your behind and see it.
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